Expanding longevity, together with a decrease in mortality, leads to an increase in the older population worldwide. In this review, ageing and older adults, as well as psychosocial and advanced technological interventions, will be discussed. Older adults are associated with an increased incidence of multimorbidity and disability; thus, they have a higher demand for health services than younger individuals. Challenges in welfare services and inadequate family and community-based care support negatively impact the psychosocial and economic wellbeing of older people. Active ageing and successful ageing are crucial aspects for a better quality of life in this age group, as there is a complex interplay of different domains and disease types that influence quality of life in older adults. Additionally, promoting the social participation of older adults is vital for improving their quality of life. Furthermore, the use of technology in older adults has a positive impact on their quality of life; however, aside from the promotion and implementation of technological interventions, challenges persist at all levels of acceptance and use. A better understanding of these challenges and implementing measures to overcome them will have a significant impact on the technological acceptance of older adults and their use in daily life activities, resulting in more favourable quality of life outcomes.

Background and Objectives: In Kazakhstan, during the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults faced unique challenges, such as limited healthcare resources and prolonged periods of social isolation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the sociodemographic and health-related factors associated with loneliness and psychological distress in older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 445 participants aged 60 and above were recruited from Kazakhstan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) was used to measure psychological distress, anxiety, and depression. Loneliness was assessed using the UCLA Loneliness Scale (UCLA-3). The sociodemographic and health-related variables of the tested participants were analyzed. Results: Mean values from the UCLA-3 (p < 0.001), PHQ-4 (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001), and depression (p < 0.001) scores significantly differed between different categories of self-reported overall health. Significantly higher mean values were found in older adults with hypertension for UCLA-3 (p = 0.025), PHQ-4 (p = 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.001), and depression (p = 0.017); diabetes for UCLA-3 (p = 0.023), PHQ-4 (p = 0.029), and depression (p = 0.001); chronic heart failure for UCLA-3 (p = 0.005), PHQ-4 (p < 0.001), anxiety (p = 0.001), and depression (p < 0.001); cerebrovascular disease for UCLA-3 (p = 0.024), PHQ-4 (p = 0.002), anxiety (p = 0.001), and depression (p = 0.027); cardiovascular disease for UCLA-3 (p < 0.001), PHQ-4 (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001), and depression (p < 0.001); dementia for anxiety (p = 0.046); being single for UCLA-3 (p = 0.009), PHQ-4 (p = 0.031), and depression (p = 0.028); other ethnic backgrounds for PHQ-4 (p = 0.004) and anxiety (p = 0.013); and living in an urban place for PHQ-4 (p = 0.043). Being single was shown to be a significant predictor for loneliness (OR 2.21; 95%CI 1.28–3.84), anxiety (OR 2.09; 95%CI 1.14–3.84), and depression (OR 4.23; 95%CI 1.95–9.15). Below-average (OR 5.79; 95%CI 1.09–30.90) self-reported overall health was shown to be a significant predictor of anxiety. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that numerous sociodemographic and health-related factors were associated with loneliness, anxiety, and depression in older adults from Kazakhstan during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The aim of this study was to examine the factors associated with COVID-19-related fear in older adults from Kazakhstan, and to explore its associations with sociodemographic characteristics, health status and multiple domains of quality of life in a regional context. A total of 445 individuals aged 60 and above from both urban and rural locations in Kazakhstan participated in this cross-sectional study. To assess the quality of life among older people we used the OPQoL (Older People’s Quality of Life) Scale. Further variables were evaluated: sociodemographic (age, gender, education level, marital status, and place of residence); health-related (self-reported overall health, hypertension, diabetes, cerebrovascular disease, cardiovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); and COVID-19-related fear variable. Female gender (OR = 2.344; p = 0.001), present hypertension (OR = 2.106; p = 0.008), the specialized secondary educational level (OR = 2.321; p = 0.012) and at the border of significance university educational level (OR = 1.832; p = 0.051) were variables significantly associated with the COVID-19-related fear in older adults. For individuals with reported COVID-19-related fear, advanced age was significantly negatively associated with leisure and activities domain (B = −0.747; p = 0.020) of OPQoL; better self-reported overall health was significantly positively associated with life overall domain (B = 0.691; p < 0.001), health domain (B = 1.320; p < 0.001), psychological and emotional well-being domain (B = 0.395; p = 0.001), home and neighborhood domain (B = 0.249; p = 0.036), independence, control over life and freedom domain (B = 1.082; p < 0.001), financial circumstances domain (B = 1.132; p < 0.001), and leisure and activities domain (B = 0.556; p = 0.026) of OPQoL; present hypertension was significantly negatively associated with health domain (B = −0.888; p = 0.004) of OPQoL; present cardiovascular disease was significantly negatively associated with life overall domain (B = −0.588; p = 0.027), health domain (B = −0.967; p = 0.009), and independence, control over life and freedom domain (B = −0.542; p = 0.039) of OPQoL; being single was significantly negatively associated with life overall domain (B = −0.481; p = 0.033), social relations domain (B = −0.671; p = 0.014) and financial circumstances domain (B = −0.694; p = 0.036) of OPQoL; and urban place of residency was significantly positively associated with health domain (B = 0.735; p = 0.011) and psychological and emotional well-being domain (B = 0.483; p = 0.010) of OPQoL. Our findings pointed that numerous variables were associated with the COVID-19-related fear and quality of life domains regarding COVID-19-related fear in older adults from Kazakhstan during pandemics.