Innovation in Aging最新文献

{"title":"\"There doesn't seem to be the help there for people who are carers\": qualitative findings from a realist evaluation of hospital-to-home transitions.","authors":"Lauren Lawson, Matthew Cooper, Clare Tolley, Annette Hand, Hamde Nazar","doi":"10.1093/geroni/igag056","DOIUrl":"10.1093/geroni/igag056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Unpaid carers play a significant role in supporting older adults with multiple long-term conditions, including dementia (MLTCiD), during complex hospital-to-home transitions. However, their needs are often overlooked during hospital discharge, highlighting a gap in how meaningful support can be provided. This study explored how, for whom, and under which circumstances these transitions work (or not) for carers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Fifteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with carers as part of a realist evaluation. Interviews were coded to identify patterns of contexts and outcomes, explained through causal mechanisms, and used to refine an explanatory framework capturing what works, for whom, and under which circumstances in promoting safer transitions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Three interdependent themes that shaped carer experiences were identified: Managing information, Carer well-being, and Engagement with support. Fragmented or inaccessible information increased carers' uncertainty, reduced engagement, and negatively influenced well-being. Many carers felt overwhelmed by excessive or conflicting information and reported barriers to accessing reliable guidance, such as limited trustworthy sources and low digital literacy. Carers valued a single point of contact to coordinate information and provide relational support, but implementation of this role was rare.</p><p><strong>Discussion and implications: </strong>Care during hospital-to-home transitions remains fragmented, with limited support for carers. Although digital solutions have the potential to improve efficiency and safety, current systems overlook carers' roles, capacity, and needs. Involving carers in service design, improving communication, and providing personalized guidance could strengthen safety in transitional care.</p>","PeriodicalId":13596,"journal":{"name":"Innovation in Aging","volume":"10 8","pages":"igag056"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13344844/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148411913","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developing age-inclusive mindsets in future managers: insights from a classroom intervention.","authors":"Maria Eduarda Soares, Chantale Jeanrie, Dinis Macedo, Susana Santos, Bruno Futre, Frederico Caetano, Abílio Zacarias, Paulo Almeida Gonçalves","doi":"10.1093/geroni/igag049","DOIUrl":"10.1093/geroni/igag049","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>The increased participation of older workers in the labor force has brought about various challenges for managers. This study investigates whether a brief classroom-based intervention may influence management students' attitudes toward older workers and their willingness to work with them.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>The intervention combined feedback on aging-related knowledge with testimonial videos from older workers. A total of 208 first-year undergraduates completed surveys before and immediately after the intervention, with 92 participating again 1 month later.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Paired samples <i>t</i>-tests revealed significant immediate improvements across perceptions of older workers' adaptability, conscientiousness, generosity, and performance and value, as well as in willingness to work with older workers. Improvements in perceptions of adaptability were particularly salient and most improvements persisted at follow-up. Structural equations modelling further indicated that perceptions of generosity consistently predicted willingness to work with older workers, whereas perceptions of adaptability and conscientiousness did not. Performance and value were significantly associated with willingness in the initial stages but not at follow-up. The model explained 12%-20.5% of the variance in willingness to work with older workers.</p><p><strong>Discussion and implications: </strong>Findings suggest that even brief interventions combining factual information with intergenerational exposure may foster attitudinal shifts that remain evident 1 month later, particularly by enhancing perceptions of adaptability. The results further underscore the importance of addressing not only competence but also affective and relational dimensions of ageism, such as perceptions of generosity.</p>","PeriodicalId":13596,"journal":{"name":"Innovation in Aging","volume":"10 7","pages":"igag049"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13278830/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148294923","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does leisure activity matter for epigenetic aging? Analyses of arts engagement and physical activity in the UK Household Longitudinal Study.","authors":"Daisy Fancourt, Lehané Masebo, Saoirse Finn, Hei Wan Mak, Feifei Bu","doi":"10.1093/geroni/igag038","DOIUrl":"10.1093/geroni/igag038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Over the past decade, aging clocks have become widely adopted as important tools for understanding biological aging and have been redefining notions of \"pro-longevity\" lifestyles. However, this work is still at an early stage. Some leisure activities, such as arts and cultural engagement (ACEng), have never been studied at all, while others, such as physical activity (PA), have only received scant attention.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>This study used data from 3,556 adults (2010-2012) in the UK Household Longitudinal Study, a large, nationally-representative cohort study, which includes 7 derived epigenetic clocks. We used a doubly robust estimation using the inverse-probability-weighted regression adjustment estimator adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, data collection gaps, and technical covariates of epigenetic clocks.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>ACEng and PA were related to slower epigenetic aging in the PhenoAge, DunedinPoAm and DunedinPACE clocks, although not to the other measured clocks (Lin, Horvath 2018, Horvath 2013, and Hannum), with comparable effect sizes between ACEng and PA. Evidence was consistently found across different measures of engagement, including diversity and frequency for ACEng, as well as frequency, diversity, and activeness for PA. These results were generally stronger amongst middle-aged and older adults aged 40 or above.</p><p><strong>Discussion and implications: </strong>Our study provides the first evidence that ACEng, a much more recently recognized health behavior, is related to epigenetic aging, with magnitudes comparable to PA. These findings position ACEng as a potential contributor to healthy aging at the biological level, supporting its inclusion in public health strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":13596,"journal":{"name":"Innovation in Aging","volume":"10 6","pages":"igag038"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13189860/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148015425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Divergent effects of oral health and genetic risk: competing risks of dementia and mortality.","authors":"Ruotong Liu, Xiang Qi, Yunrui Liu, Huabin Luo, Zhijing Xu, Bei Wu","doi":"10.1093/geroni/igag052","DOIUrl":"10.1093/geroni/igag052","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Polygenic risk scores (PRS) for dementia are increasingly used to capture genetic susceptibility, yet their predictive utility may depend on coexisting health and social conditions. Edentulism, an extreme marker of oral health deterioration and accumulated disadvantage, may influence how genetic risk manifests in later life. This study aims to investigate the independent and joint associations of edentulism and dementia PRS with incident all-cause dementia and mortality risk.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>We analyzed longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study linked to Medicare claims. The sample included 9,806 dementia-free participants aged ≥67 with information on edentulism and PRS for Alzheimer's disease. Edentulism was self-reported and logically imputed across waves. PRS was categorized as low, intermediate, and high. Outcomes included incident dementia and all-cause mortality. Cox proportional hazards and Fine-Gray competing risk models were used to examine independent and interactive associations.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Edentulism was not independently associated with dementia risk after full adjustment. High PRS was associated with increased dementia risk (subdistribution hazard ratio [sHR] 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06-1.39). However, the association between PRS and dementia was weaker among edentulous participants (interaction sHR 0.73; 95% CI, 0.54-0.99). In contrast, mortality risk was higher among individuals with both edentulism and high PRS (interaction sHR 1.36; 95% CI, 1.00-1.84).</p><p><strong>Discussion and implications: </strong>These findings suggest that oral health status may modify the association between genetic risk and dementia in late life. Mortality may occur before a diagnosis of dementia, underscoring the importance of considering competing health risks when interpreting genetic susceptibility in aging populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":13596,"journal":{"name":"Innovation in Aging","volume":"10 7","pages":"igag052"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13274639/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148277361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Refinement of a piano improvisation training intervention to reduce cognitive inactivity among older adults with and without mild cognitive impairments.","authors":"Haley M Shiff, Theresa A Allison, Jennifer A Bugos, Jing Cheng, Tammy Hall, Glen Pearson, Karen C Barrett, Charles J Limb, Rebeca Mauleón, Julene K Johnson","doi":"10.1093/geroni/igag053","DOIUrl":"10.1093/geroni/igag053","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Cognitive inactivity in later life (aged 60 and above) is associated with cognitive decline and other poor health outcomes. Cognitive training interventions are increasingly being studied to help reduce cognitive inactivity among older adults, and the use of music-based training interventions is one potential strategy. The objective of the study is to describe the multistep process used to adapt a candidate music-based intervention for older adults.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>Using the Transcreation Framework for Community-engaged Behavioral Interventions and three other frameworks, we completed a multistep and multistakeholder process to adapt a candidate piano improvisation intervention to promote late-life cognitive engagement. We enrolled 22 adults aged 60 and older with and without mild cognitive impairments (mean age = 71.5 years, 86% female participants, 75% from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds). We used interviews, participant observation, and surveys to obtain feedback to adapt the intervention.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We completed all steps of the Transcreation Framework that involved establishing collaborations with aging services and confirming the theory. Participants completed three intervention refinement cycles, which resulted in modifications of the intervention and creation of a manual. The final step included finalizing the study design and building capacity for a subsequent feasibility and acceptability randomized controlled trial (RCT).</p><p><strong>Discussion and implications: </strong>The Transcreation Framework facilitated an efficient, multistep refinement process that resulted in an adapted music-based training intervention and the preparations for the RCT. This framework can be considered for adapting other community-based behavioral interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":13596,"journal":{"name":"Innovation in Aging","volume":"10 8","pages":"igag053"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13350988/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148420742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk factors associated with injurious falls on snow or ice: results from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.","authors":"Brianna Leadbetter, Charlotte Hennah, Maria F Fuentes Diaz, Mihalis Doumas, Danielle R Bouchard","doi":"10.1093/geroni/igag046","DOIUrl":"10.1093/geroni/igag046","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Despite popular belief that adverse weather impacts the risk of falls, a multifactorial and leading cause of injury among older adults, this association is largely understudied. This study examined which individual characteristics are associated with increased risks of sustaining an injurious fall on snow/ice among Canadian older adults.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>This cross-sectional secondary analysis used baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Participants who retrospectively reported an <i>injurious fall</i> within 12 months of baseline testing were included (<i>n </i>= 2,587; age_mean: 63.7 ± 10.4 years; 59.8% female). The main outcome was an injurious fall on snow/ice, with select sociodemographic factors as independent variables. Participants who fell on snow/ice (<i>n </i>= 254) were compared with those who fell elsewhere (<i>n </i>= 2,333) based on demographics, health, and fall injury status.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants who fell on snow/ice were younger (62.1 vs. 63.9 years; <i>p</i> = .006), more likely to be male (50.8% vs. 39.0%; <i>p</i> < .001), less likely to be retired (41.7% vs. 51.0%; <i>p</i> = .004), and reported fewer chronic conditions (3.5 vs. 4.1; <i>p</i> = .003). Logistic regression showed that men were 36% more likely to fall on snow/ice than women and that for every additional year of age, men had a reduced risk of injurious fall on snow/ice.</p><p><strong>Discussion and implications: </strong>Middle-aged Canadian men are at higher risk for injurious falls on snow/ice. Results suggest that targeted public health guidelines may be needed for men under 65 to reduce this risk. More studies are needed to understand if this finding is generalizable to other countries with snow/ice.</p>","PeriodicalId":13596,"journal":{"name":"Innovation in Aging","volume":"10 7","pages":"igag046"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13284993/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148307840","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Digital technologies in care for older adults living alone: a scoping review.","authors":"Wenqian Xu, Biying Yang, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan","doi":"10.1093/geroni/igag048","DOIUrl":"10.1093/geroni/igag048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>The number of older adults living alone is increasing globally, often with varied risks and resilience capacities. Digital technologies may help mitigate these risks, but their potential remains poorly understood. This review maps evidence on digital technologies in social and health care interventions for older adults living alone, focusing on technology types, functions, intervention outcomes, integration into care, and associated benefits and challenges.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>Studies from 2000 to 2025 were identified through systematic searches across 8 databases and gray literature, yielding 37 sources. A qualitative content analysis synthesized study characteristics and findings.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Five categories of digital technologies were identified, from communication tools to AI-powered devices. Most interventions were delivered through scheduled sessions led by care providers. Most reported positive health outcomes (e.g., improved physical function, psychological well-being, reduced loneliness, healthier behaviors, and better self-care), while evidence on service delivery effects remains limited. While technologies improved care accessibility and coordination, challenges included limited digital literacy, exclusion, and design flaws.</p><p><strong>Discussion and implications: </strong>Knowledge gaps include limited geographical diversity, insufficient research on underrepresented groups (e.g., ethnic minorities and those with low socioeconomic status), a lack of intersectional analyses, limited evidence on cost-effectiveness, long-term outcomes, and effective intervention components. Future interventions should adopt participatory, person-centered approaches to strengthen equity and agency, alongside policy efforts to address structural barriers such as unequal access to digital care technologies.</p>","PeriodicalId":13596,"journal":{"name":"Innovation in Aging","volume":"10 7","pages":"igag048"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13278841/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148294960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Longitudinal network dynamics of cardiometabolic, mobility, and psychological indicators among older adults in rural South Africa.","authors":"Lawrence E Ugwu","doi":"10.1093/geroni/igag050","DOIUrl":"10.1093/geroni/igag050","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Evidence used to define later-life health remains dominated by high-income settings, despite rapid population aging in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examined how cardiometabolic indicators, symptom burden, mobility limitation, and psychological functioning co-evolve over time among older adults in rural South Africa.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>We analyzed 3 waves of the Health and Ageing in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI; 2014-2022) among adults 60+ years at baseline (<i>N</i> = 2,807). Seven indicators were modelled: body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), pain burden, sleep duration, mobility limitation, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction. We estimated within-wave Gaussian graphical models and a cross-lagged panel network (CLPN) using full information maximum likelihood.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Cardiometabolic indicators were more temporally stable than psychological indicators (autoregressive coefficients: BMI = 0.77; SBP = 0.49; depressive symptoms = 0.06; life satisfaction = 0.06). Temporal out-strength was highest for BMI (0.843), followed by SBP (0.705) and mobility limitation (0.668), whereas pain (0.165) and sleep duration (0.112) showed lower connectedness. The CLPN showed acceptable model fit (Comparative Fit Index = 0.96, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.03, 90% CI [0.03, 0.04], SRMR = 0.03). Mobility limitation predicted higher later life satisfaction (β = 0.16, <i>p</i> < .05) and showed a small inverse association with later depressive symptoms (β = -0.09, <i>p</i> < .10).</p><p><strong>Discussion and implications: </strong>Results indicate cardiometabolic indicators and mobility limitation were more temporally connected components of later-life health. These findings support integrated primary-care approaches that combine cardiometabolic monitoring with attention to locomotor function, while the mobility-well-being association warrants cautious interpretation and replication. These associations are observational and should not be interpreted as causal or as purely within-person effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":13596,"journal":{"name":"Innovation in Aging","volume":"10 7","pages":"igag050"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13283478/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148301430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is social connection the key to prevention? Educational attainment, incident dementia, and the role of later-life social engagement.","authors":"Alyssa W Goldman, Hyungmin Cha, Reza Tayari Ashtiani","doi":"10.1093/geroni/igag051","DOIUrl":"10.1093/geroni/igag051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Educational attainment and mid-to-later-life social engagement are modifiable risk factors for dementia, yet limited research examines how these factors intersect to shape dementia risk. This study estimates the extent to which social engagement may act as a pathway through which education influences incident dementia, and which forms of social engagement may most reduce educational differences in incident dementia among older adults in the United States.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>We used survival and counterfactual decomposition analyses of the 2011-2018 National Health and Aging Trends Study to assess whether, and to what extent, different forms of social engagement mediate and interact with the effect of educational attainment on incident dementia. We compared total and controlled direct effects to assess how educational differences in incident dementia may shift under hypothetical scenarios of having large discussion networks and prior-month engagement in social activities among older adults with higher and lower levels of education.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Going out for enjoyment, visiting with friends/family, volunteering, and organized group activities were significant partial mediating pathways in the association between education and incident dementia. When prior-month volunteering, organized group activity attendance, and a large network size were modeled as mediators, educational differences in incident dementia were attenuated and became statistically nonsignificant.</p><p><strong>Discussion and implications: </strong>Findings suggest increasing older adults' participation in volunteering and group activities, as well as larger discussion networks, may reduce educational disparities in dementia risk. Future research should investigate the mechanisms driving these results and whether they extend to other social activities not examined in this study.</p>","PeriodicalId":13596,"journal":{"name":"Innovation in Aging","volume":"10 7","pages":"igag051"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13294448/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148344633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Using virtual reality urban greenness with peer support to reduce stress and enhance social connection in older adults with mild depression: a pilot randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Shiyu Lu, Cheryl Chui, Linyan Li","doi":"10.1093/geroni/igag044","DOIUrl":"10.1093/geroni/igag044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Virtual reality (VR) urban greenspace (UGS) presents an innovative strategy to enhance the mental well-being of older individuals in urban environments. However, knowledge regarding the design of VR UGS interventions to effectively reduce stress among older adults while fostering social connections remains unclear. We conducted a 3-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a social prescribing model in reducing stress and enhancing social connection among older people with mild depressive symptoms.</p><p><strong>Research design and methods: </strong>The 3-arm cluster-randomized controlled trial (25 participants per arm) consisted of VRUGS without peer support (VRUGS), VRUGS with peer support (VRUGS-PS), and a control group (CG; non-biophilic VR intervention without peer supporters). The study captured subjective (e.g., self-reported stress) and objective measurements (e.g., heart rate [HR]) of stress and social connection assessments pre- and post-intervention.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Mixed linear modeling revealed that compared to the CG, VRUGS group experienced significant reductions in self-reported anxiety (β = -2.72, <i>p</i> = .009) and negative emotions (β = -1.16, <i>p</i> = .039). The VRUGS-PS group showed a significant increase in social connection (β  =  0.76, <i>p</i> = .017). Compared to CG, the VRUGS group showed a significant HR decrease during the intervention (β = -1.93, <i>p</i> < .001), while the VRUGS-PS group exhibited a significant HR reduction post-intervention (β = -0.60, <i>p</i> = .035), experiencing stress relief.</p><p><strong>Discussion and implications: </strong>This study provides preliminary evidence that virtual nature-based social prescribing model's effectiveness in reducing stress and enhancing social connections among older adults.</p>","PeriodicalId":13596,"journal":{"name":"Innovation in Aging","volume":"10 7","pages":"igag044"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2026-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13310460/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148344991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}