Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Intergenerational Choir Formed To Lessen Alzheimer’S Disease Stigma In College Students And Decrease The Social Isolation Of People With Alzheimer’S Disease And Their Family Members A Pilot Study, Phyllis Harris, Cynthia Caporella

Phyllis Braudy Harris

The intergenerational choir was formed for the purpose of combating the stigma of Alzheimer's disease in college students, and in that process also lessening the social isolation of people with AD and their family members. The choir was composed of 13 college students and 13 people with AD and a family member. Data from the college students were gathered through semi-structured open-ended questions on attitudes and knowledge about AD, collected at three points in time over 8 weeks of rehearsals. Data were collected from the people with AD and their family members through a focus group and observations over 8 …

Dementia And Friendship: The Quality And Nature Of The Relationships That Remain., Phyllis Harris

Phyllis Braudy Harris

Friendships are an integral part of the human experience. Yet, dementia often takes a toll on social relationships, and many friends withdraw. This research, however, focuses on friendships that remain, despite a diagnosis of dementia. It examines the quality of the friendships of people with dementia and long-term friendships. Data were collected through focus group interviews with people with early stage dementia and their care partners, and through interviews with designated friends. The findings show that people with dementia do have friends that remain and they have a wide variety of friendships, from those based on one shared activity to …

Wisdom, Resilience And Successful Aging: Changing Public Discourses On Living With Dementia, Phyllis Braudy Harris, John Keady

Phyllis Braudy Harris

No abstract provided.

The Journal's 10 Year Anniversary - Looking Back And Moving Forward, Phyllis Braudy Harris, John Keady

Phyllis Braudy Harris

No abstract provided.

Another Wrinkle In The Debate About Successful Aging: The Undervalued Concept Of Resilience And The Lived Experience Of Dementia, Phyllis Harris

Phyllis Braudy Harris

The concept of "successful aging" is a contested discourse in gerontology. Two conflicting paradigms dominate the discussion: a health promotion activity model, and a model critical of the concept of successful aging. However, this study takes a different perspective and proposes that perhaps we have been striving for the wrong goal. The true quest as we age should not be for successful aging, but our goal should be for resilience, an undervalued and not fully examined concept in aging. Developing resilience is possible for many older adults regardless of social and cultural backgrounds or physical and cognitive impairments, unlike successful …

Family Matters, Phyllis Braudy Harris, John Keady

Phyllis Braudy Harris

No abstract provided.

Living With Alzheimer’S Disease: A Study Of Adult Day Health Services In Massachusetts, Nina M. Silverstein, Cathy M. Wong, Kristen E. Brueck

Nina Silverstein

The role of adult day health care (ADHC) is gaining increased attention as the nation prepares for the large cohort of baby boomers entering their later years. Many boomers are aging with physical and cognitive impairments, including Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Projections indicate that Massachusetts, along with the nation as a whole, is experiencing an increasing rate of older persons as baby boomers enter late-life. The Commonwealth can expect that persons with Alzheimer's disease and their care partners will need community-based services that are specifically designed for adults with cognitive impairments. However, a report by the Robert Wood Johnson …

Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs: Relevance For Persons With Dementia, Nina M. Silverstein, Alison S. Gottlieb

Nina Silverstein

The context for this study is the work of the Healthy Brain Initiative. The CDC has established a cooperative agreement with the Alzheimer’s Association to develop and implement a multifaceted approach to look at cognitive health as a public health issue. Late in 2010, the Association commissioned a review of the major chronic disease prevention programs from a systems approach to begin to understand the source of findings that Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s and related disorders are much higher cost than those simply with a single chronic disease and no AD. This led to the conclusion that Chronic Disease Self‐Management …

Investigating The Effects Of Communication Problems On Caregiver Burden, Marie Savundranayagam, M. Hummert, R. Montgomery

Marie Y Savundranayagam

Objectives. The goal of this study was to explore the relationship between communication problems associated with dementia and caregiver burden, within the context of problem behaviors and cognitive and functional abilities of the care recipient.

Methods. A scale on communication problems associated with dementia was developed and administered to 89 family caregivers. Participants also completed measures of care-recipient cognitive and functional status, problem behavior, and caregiver burden (demand, stress, and objective burden).

Results. Analyses using structural equation modeling showed that care-recipient cognitive and functional status indirectly predicted problem behaviors via communication problems. The status indicators also directly predicted demand burden. …