Online Only Poster Session
Asynchronous Session
Addressing Social Determinants of Health of Older Adults in Canadian Residential Care Facilities during the COVID-19 Pandemic View Digital Media
Poster Session Anna Azulai, Beverly Michel Baluyot, Alison Pitcher, Hongmei Tong
Over 80% of the COVID19-related deaths in Canada occurred in geriatric residential care facilities, such as long-term care, assisted living, and other types of congregate living settings for people over 65 years of age. To curb the mortality rate, strict public measures had been introduced in these care settings, resulting in some adverse psychosocial effects for older adult residents, including social isolation and exclusion, decreased social support, and other unaddressed social determinants of health. The goal of this research is to report the study findings about addressing social determinants of health in Canadian geriatric residential care facilities during the pandemic years. The study objective was two-fold: 1) to map social determinants of health addressed by social care strategies and interventions in the facilities; and 2) to identify social determinants of health that remained unaddressed in geriatric residential care facilities during the pandemic. This knowledge synthesis study employed a novel methodology of Living Systematic Review (LSR), following the Cochrane guidelines. As the first systematic review of social care strategies in geriatric residential care facilities at the time of the COVID19 pandemic, this study can inform social workers, nurse professionals, recreational therapists, occupational and physical therapists, clergy, personal support workers and other staff in geriatric residential care in Canada and beyond on a variety of social care strategies utilized to address social determinants of health of older adults in congregate living settings. The study also provides recommendations for future research, policy, practice and education for care of older adults in institutional settings.
Life Online: How People Use the Internet to Support Health and Mental Health View Digital Media
Poster Session Lauren Seifert
Research indicates that social support predicts better health and mental health. With increases in use of the Internet and social media, the question of online social support has emerged. There is evidence to suggest negative correlations between some outcomes (e.g., higher social media use and poorer self-image; higher distress in social networks and poorer health/mental health). Nevertheless, there appear to be benefits of social support online, like greater access to peer support, health/mental health information, and telehealth/teletherapy. In this study, a bifurcated method was utilized to evaluate the content of posts online about various health and mental health conditions. In addition to inductive, thematic analysis of users’ narratives, a webcrawling program counted specific words as a cross-check. Overall, posts pertained to specific conditions, and those who posted sought or provided information, socio-emotional support, resources/care, personal stories, and more. Some differences emerged in condition-by-condition comparisons, such as whether providers, caregivers, or persons with the disorder were the primary posters and whether desperation or despair emerged as a theme in user narratives. This paper describes the bifurcated method, its limitations and strengths, and some of the data it has yielded.
Integration of a Social Needs Program into an Urban Student-run Free Clinic View Digital Media
Poster Session Annie Zhao, Iyanna Peppers
The Cass Clinic in Detroit, MI is a student-run free clinic (SRFC) that provides care for an underserved, underrepresented population. Our patients experience a high incidence of chronic health conditions accompanied by poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity which complicate care. Integrating social well-being into primary care creates a two-pronged approach to improving patient outcomes: medical care and disease prevention. A social needs program was implemented at Cass Clinic in order to address such social determinants of health. A social needs screening modality was created and integrated into a medical encounter triage form. Two AAFP social needs screening questions were asked to identify and triage patients who may benefit from social needs services. After triage, patients were connected with social needs personnel to assist with personally identified short or long-term goals, such as obtaining a bus pass or low-income housing assistance. Implementation of this initiative was achievable with limited challenges. Of all patients surveyed (n=31), 58% reported concern at least some of the time with their current food and/or housing situation. All patient social needs visits (n=9) addressed diverse social determinants of health including housing insecurity (n=5), clothing (n=3), food insecurity (n=6), and bus pass/transportation (n=6). To provide holistic healthcare and assist in the long-term management of chronic medical conditions, SRFC should identify and address social determinants of health. Integrating social well-being serves a vital role in the prevention and management of chronic health conditions.
A Manual Therapy Treatment for Headache Pain View Digital Media
Poster Session Lindsay Luinstra, Richard bomgardner
Postural and neuromuscular dysfunction in the cervical spine may play a role in developing headache-related pain. The MyoKinesthetic System is a manual therapy paradigm that uses a global approach to evaluate and treat postural imbalances. It is a potentially viable treatment for the underlying neuromuscular imbalances that cause headaches. This treatment was used to treat a patient with complaints of headache-related pain and neck discomfort. A Myokinesthetic System treatment for headache, a therapy directed at the C2 cervical nerve root, elicited changes in patient's complaints of pain and discomfort associated with their headaches and neck pain. More research is necessary to determine if the MyoKinesthetic System could be widely used to successfully treat patients presenting with cervicogenic headache symptoms.
