Evidence abounds that links elder abuse to loneliness, mobility limitations and cognitive vulnerability such as dementia. However, little is known about how these impact Black older adults. EAPO was joined by  Dr Michael Kalu, Dr Blessing Ojembe and Oluwagbemiga Oyinlola as they discussed insights from their individual research with Black older adults on mobility limitations, loneliness and dementia, respectively.

Speaker Contact Information

Email

X (Twitter)

  • @ojembeblessing
  • @Michael_Kaluebe
  • @oyinlolaolugbe1

LinkedIn

  • @Blessing Ojembe-Echeme Ph.D
  • @Michael Ebe Kalu
  • @olugwagbemiga Oyinlola

Resources

Research Organization

ERPAAN Emerging Researchers & Professionals in Ageing- African Network
A research network created in 2017 with the purpose of bringing together early researchers and professionals in ageing in Africa. We conduct multi/transdisciplinary research examining key issues in ageing with the aim of informing ageing policies.

Speaker Profiles

https://erpaan.org/blessingomowunmi.html
https://www.erpaan.org/michaelkalu.html
https://erpaan.org/oyinlolaoluwagbemiga.html

 

Research Articles

Understanding Social and Emotional Loneliness among Black Older Adults: A Scoping Review
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/07334648221118357

“You’re Not Understood, and You’re Isolated”: A Narrative Account of Loneliness by Black Older Adults in Ontario, Canada
Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2023
Blessing Ojembe Lydia Kapiriri, Meridith Griffin and Ann Fudge Schormans

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/canadian-journal-on-aging-la-revue-canadienne-du-vieillissement/article/youre-not-understood-and-youre-isolated-a-narrative-account-of-loneliness-by-black-older-adults-in-ontario-canada/654EB29DFD73BE12F76CEA65AFAB429C

Aging Black and Lonely: A Narrative Experience of Black Older Adults in Canada
Blessing Ojembe, B.Sc., M.Sc. A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © Copyright by Blessing U. Ojembe, October 2022

https://macsphere.mcmaster.ca/bitstream/11375/28073/2/Ojembe_Blessing_Ugochi_finalsubmission202210_PhD%20Social%20gerontology.pdf

References from Webinar

Compernolle, E. L., Finch, L. E., Hawkley, L. C., & Cagney, K. A. (2021). Momentary loneliness among older adults: contextual differences and their moderation by gender and race/ethnicity. Social Science & Medicine285, 114307.

Holt-Lunstad, J. (2017). The Potential Public Health Relevance of Social Isolation and Loneliness: Prevalence, Epidemiology, and Risk Factors. Public Policy & Aging Report, 27(4), 127–130. https://doi.org/10.1093/PPAR/PRX030

Koehn, S., Ferrer, I., & Brotman, S. (2020). Between loneliness and belonging: Narratives of social isolation among immigrant older adults in Canada. Ageing & Society, 42, 1117–1137. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X20001348

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; Health and Medicine Division; Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences; Board on Health Sciences Policy; Committee on the Health and Medical Dimensions of Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults (2020). Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care System. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US), Feb 27. Summary. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557972/

Ojembe, B.U., Kalu, M.E., Ezulike, C.D., Iwuagwu, A.O., Ekoh, C.P., Oyinlola, O., Osifeso, T., Makanjuola, J., Kapiriri, L. (2022). Understanding Social and Emotional Loneliness among Black Older Adults: A Scoping Review. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 41(12), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648221118357

Ojembe, B., Kapiriri, L., Griffin, M., & Schormans, A. (2023). “You’re Not Understood, and You’re Isolated”: A Narrative Account of Loneliness by Black Older Adults in Ontario, Canada. Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue Canadienne Du Vieillissement, 1-14. https://doi:10.1017/S0714980823000594

Statistics Canada (2023). A look at Loneliness among Seniors. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/4881-look-loneliness-among-seniors

Statistics Canada (2016). Diversity of the Black population in Canada: An overview. Retrieved August 11, 2022, from https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2019002-eng.htm

The Administration for Community Living (2021). 2020 Profile of African Americans Aged 65 and older. Retrieved December 21, 2023, from: https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/Profile%20of%20OA/AAProfileReport2021.pdf

Victor, C. R., Dobbs, C., Gilhooly, K., & Burholt, V. (2021). Loneliness in mid-life and older adults from ethnic minority communities in England and Wales: measure validation and prevalence estimates. European Journal of Ageing, 18(1), 5–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-020-00564-9

Wigfield, A., Turner, R., Alden, S., & Al., E. (2020). Developing a new conceptual framework of meaningful interaction for understanding social isolation and loneliness. Social Policy and Society. http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/162510/