Older adults have substantial but often under-recognized potential to contribute to climate change mitigation. However, there is currently no systematic review synthesizing the evidence on the social-psychological determinants of climate action in older adulthood. This paper systematically maps existing evidence on the role of motivation, beliefs, self-efficacy, values and identity among older adults in the context of climate change and climate action. Following the PRISMA guidelines for reporting systematic reviews, studies focusing on these psychological determinants in the context of climate change and older adulthood were searched in three major databases (PsycINFO, PubMed and Web of Science). A total of 1,503 articles were returned from the systematic search. Of these, 174 unique studies (185 entries when accounting for articles addressing multiple determinants) published between 2005 and 2024 met criteria for eligibility in the final systematic mapping database (32 for motivation, 87 for beliefs, seven for self-efficacy, 36 for values and 23 for identity). The studies showed a notable geographic distribution, with the majority originating from Europe and the US. The results showed all determinants to be associated with actions aimed at mitigating climate change, with beliefs being the most explored and self-efficacy the least explored construct in the context of climate change and older adults. However, although all studies in the mapping review involved participants aged 65 years and older, only 33 specifically focused on older adults as a distinct age group. These findings highlight the underrepresentation of older individuals in studies on social-psychological determinants in the climate change context.
People living with dementia may experience changes in memory, communication, and the ability to communicate preferences as the condition progresses, making continuity of knowledge across care relationships increasingly important. People living with dementia frequently have histories of psychological trauma, yet trauma-informed approaches within dementia care have largely focused on assessment, communication, and behavioural support rather than the role of clinical documentation. Clinical documentation plays a significant role in preserving information about a person's identity, history, values, relationships, preferences, and care needs, yet its role in supporting personhood and continuity of self has received comparatively limited attention. This commentary argues that documentation represents an overlooked ethical practice through which personhood, identity, and trauma-informed understanding are preserved or disrupted over time.This commentary introduces the concept of narrative continuity to describe the capacity of clinical documentation to support the ongoing interpretation of a person across clinicians, teams, and healthcare settings. We introduce the concept of narrative continuity to describe the role of clinical documentation in maintaining an individual's life history, values, relationships, and care needs as responsibility transitions across clinicians, teams, and healthcare settings. We distinguish clinical documentation as a form of professional reporting from narration, arguing that narrative continuity emerges through the interpretation of documented information by those who subsequently encounter the record.Trauma-informed documentation represents a specific application of this broader concept when trauma histories or trauma-related responses are relevant to care. As dementia progresses, individuals may experience reduced ability to communicate preferences, clarify misunderstandings, or challenge inaccurate representations within the medical record. Consequently, documentation increasingly becomes a significant source through which others interpret the person and respond to their needs.When records emphasize behavioural symptoms without contextual meaning, distress may be interpreted as a symptom of disease or pathology rather than as a response shaped by lived experience, increasing the risk of stigma and retraumatization. Conversely, trauma-informed documentation that preserves relevant contextual information about safety, preferences, communication, triggers, and supportive approaches can help clinicians understand behaviour within the context of the person's history and support individualized, person-centred care. We argue that documentation should be recognized not merely as an administrative requirement but as a communicative and ethical practice through which personhood and continuity of care can be supported across changing care relationships. Narrative continuity provides a framework for understanding how trauma-informed documentation may help preserve dignity, identity, autonomy, and continuity of self in dementia care.
Resilience is a central psychological concept, especially relevant to later life, given the losses and adversities aging often brings. Most research on later-life resilience relies on (post-)positivist methods that produce theory-driven understanding. Narrative resilience complements this knowledge by capturing older adults' resilience "from within." However, most studies on later-life narrative resilience do not adhere to the holistic principle underlying the narrative research paradigm or examine a priori narrative dimensions, risking the neglect of unanticipated aspects and creating culturally biased portrayals. To address these limitations, we used inductive, holistic narrative methods for data generation and analysis to examine life-story narrative resilience, which we conceptualize as a distinct form of narrative resilience, among older adults socialized in the particular historical and sociocultural context of the Former Soviet Union facing multiple adversities. Twelve Holocaust survivors from the Former Soviet Union living alone in Israel during COVID-19 shared their life stories, which were analyzed using the mechanisms of narrative selection model. We present a nuanced account of participants' narrative selection, organized around a challenge-successful coping storyline, yielding four insights into later-life narrative resilience, particularly life-story narrative resilience: (1) it is a present-to-past interpretive process rooted in narrators' current circumstances; (2) it addresses fundamental identity needs of later life-self-esteem, self-continuity, and symbolic immortality; (3) it asserts cumulative resilience; and (4) it is culturally constructed. We conclude with recommendations for future research and narrative care interventions to harness the potential of narrative resilience to navigate the complexities of later life.
Older adults can be active agents of environmental change, bringing decades of experience, established social networks, and deep commitment to bear on one of the defining challenges of our era. Evidence suggests that older persons exhibit distinct motivational patterns shaped by lifespan development; however, research on their engagement in environmental volunteerism l limited. The present study addressed this gap through semi-structured interviews with 54 older environmental activists. Thematic analysis revealed five predominant motivational pathways: environmental awareness and advocacy; generativity and legacy; social connection and lifelong learning; moral obligation and values; and emotional connection and purpose. These findings illuminate the drivers of environmental activism in later life and provide evidence-based guidance for recruiting and sustaining older volunteers.
Optimizing titanium-bioceramic composites via the SPS technique, and using FE analysis to assess their mechanical performance, forms the basis of this study, which aims at replacing the conventional Ti-alloy frequently used in craniotomy procedures. Composites TB1, TB2, and TB3 are formed with uniform volume percentage Ti-alloy and varied percentages of Zirconia (1.5,1.0, 0.5) vol.%, and constant 0.5 vol.% Si 3 N 4 for all samples. With 1000°C temp, 50 MPa pressure,15 minutes dwell time, and 100°C/min heating rate, the powders were consolidated. The microstructural evolution and bulk morphology of the starting powders and sintered discs produced were investigated using SEM-EDS. The hardness and elastic modulus of the trio-composites were also investigated using the nanoindentation technique. All composite samples attained theoretical densities of 97.24, 98.27, and 99.37 percent, respectively, well above 96.62% of the unreinforced sintered Ti-alloy. Composite TB3 recorded the highest in relative density, elastic modulus, Vickers’ hardness, and Nano hardness at 99.37%, 172.75 GPa, 795.77 MPa, and 8941.75 MPa, respectively. TB3 was chosen for the mechanical validation process through a computerized 3-dimensional FEA model, utilizing the front-end commercial software via the Complete Abaqus Environment (CAE) with robust finite element analysis software. The radial mechanical and coupled radial thermomechanical loadings concept, crucial for understanding the mechanical performance of the sintered plate, reveals elastic deformation rather than plastic deformation, suggesting that ‘yielding’ will not occur under the applied loads. This computational model design and the result are notable for the mechanical performance validation of sintered titanium-bioceramic composites for biomedical applications.
