Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Physiological Factors Of Diabetes And Their Effect On The Cognitive And Emotional Functioning In Older Populations: A Secondary Data Analysis, Celeste Anahi Alvidrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: The rates of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) have increased over the past 20 years in all age groups. The physiological factors that underlie T2D could have impact on specific brain pathways that support cognitive and emotional functioning. Aims and Objective: The goal of this study was to examine whether older Mexican American individuals with a history of T2D were more likely to develop later cognitive impairment and/or depression. Hypotheses: It was predicted that elderly participants (mean age at time of interview = 87.87 years) with a history of T2D onset prior to age 65, are more likely to have …

Mitochondrial Phenotypes In Purified Human Immune Cell Subtypes And Cell Mixtures, Shannon Rausser, Caroline Trumpff, Marlon A. Mcgill, Alex Junker, Wei Wang, Siu-Hong Ho, Anika Mitchell, Kalpita R. Karan, Catherine Monk, Suzanne C. Segerstrom, Rebecca G. Reed, Martin Picard

Psychology Faculty Publications

Using a high-throughput mitochondrial phenotyping platform to quantify multiple mitochondrial features among molecularly defined immune cell subtypes, we quantify the natural variation in mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn), citrate synthase, and respiratory chain enzymatic activities in human neutrophils, monocytes, B cells, and naïve and memory T lymphocyte subtypes. In mixed peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from the same individuals, we show to what extent mitochondrial measures are confounded by both cell type distributions and contaminating platelets. Cell subtype-specific measures among women and men spanning four decades of life indicate potential age- and sex-related differences, including an age-related elevation in mtDNAcn, …

The Effects Of Sociodemographic Characteristics, Caregiving Practice Patterns, Coping Mechanisms, And Social Support On The Health Of Asian American Ethnic Groups And Asian American Caregivers, Suryadewi Edi Nugraheni

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Background: Asian American family caregivers came from various ethnic groups with different sociodemographic characteristics and culturally specific values. However, cultural practices were often overlooked because researchers often combined all Asian Americans under one umbrella. Objective: The purpose of the study was two-fold. First, the study investigated the study sample of Asian Americans participating in the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) 2009 comprised of multiple Asian American ethnic groups. By utilizing the study sample, the research aimed to investigate 1) the associations between caregiving and self-rated health (SRH) and hypertension and 2) the associations between heterogeneity of Asian American ethnic groups …

Examining The Mental Health Of Older Hispanic/Latino Adults: Relationship Between Psycho-Social-Cultural Factors And Depressive Symptomatology, Anna Prado

Theses and Dissertations

The most prevalent disorders affecting the older adult population worldwide are dementia and depression. Ethnic minorities are disproportionately more likely to be affected by these two distressing and debilitating conditions. Hispanic/Latino older adults encounter numerous psycho-social-cultural factors that influence health behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs in positive and negative ways. Presently, research on the influence of these factors on Hispanic/Latino mental health is highly inconsistent. The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between selected psycho-social-cultural factors and the mental health of older Hispanic/Latino adults. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, the association between the Hispanic/Latino …

Evaluation Of Telehealth Training To Teach The Stimulus Identification Questionnaire And Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement, Andrea Perez

Dissertations

The field of behavioral gerontology has seen a paucity in literature within the past 15 years focused on updating training technology and teaching best practice skills to staff. Specifically, there is a need to expand the breadth of training research focus areas could more broadly the elderly population (e.g., increasing engagement), to ensure that trainings are designed to equip caregivers with the skills to be independent, and finally, given the frequent staffing challenges experienced by aging settings (Harrington et al., 2020), to explore effective and efficient training techniques that are alternatives to lengthy, in-person training modalities. Given the personnel challenges, …

Good Practices For A “Decade For Active And Healthy Ageing”, Maddalena Illario

Translational Medicine @ UniSa

Ageing is a success story of Public Health worldwide, but poses many challenges that hinder its transformation into an opportunity for sustainable development: infectious outbreaks and public health emergencies, chronic diseases, social inequalities, environmental issues and more.

Area Agencies On Aging Provide Crucial Support For Older New Yorkers During Covid-19, Claire Pendergrast

Population Health Research Brief Series

This research brief discusses how Area Agencies on Aging are providing crucial support for older NewYorkers during COVID-19.

Retrospective And Forecasting Analysis Of Increased Long Term Care Demand In Niagara, Breanne Alissa Hines

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A problem exists within the Canadian healthcare system as many patients experience longer lengths of stay (LOS) in acute care (AC) and complex care (CC) beds within hospitals because of a lack of long term care (LTC) facilities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the extra days patients wait for placement and assess the benefits of increasing the number of LTC beds. The theoretical framework used was the four-level model of the health care system. Research questions involved 2017-2019 data for the number of LTC beds required to eliminate waits and evaluate beds needed in the future. This …

Healthcare Leadership In The Context Of Cognitive Diseases Of Aging: A Community-Based Participatory Research Model, Dean Sherzai

Dissertations

The Problem

The world is facing a tsunami of chronic diseases of the brain such as dementia, Parkinson's, and stroke. But all populations are not affected equally. Though we are all at greater risk of developing these diseases, minority communities such as the Black and Hispanic populations are at much greater risk of succumbing to these conditions. To date we have spent billions of dollars on research and public health measures that have repeatedly failed, but over the last decade it has become evident that much of these diseases can simply be averted through effective public health and community-based measures …

Psychological Sense Of Community Among Older Adults In Puerto Rico Two Years After Hurricane María, Thomas D. Buckley

Theses and Dissertations

Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico in 2017 and resulted in adverse long-term outcomes. Psychological sense of community (PSOC) may serve as a protective factor against the effects of Hurricane María for older adults in Puerto Rico. Using a three-paper format, this dissertation draws on a resilience framework and theories of PSOC and the Ecological Theory of Aging to examine the role of PSOC among older adults in Puerto Rico two years after Hurricane María.

Paper one is a scoping review of the concept of PSOC in research with community dwelling older adults. I begin by presenting findings on study characteristics …

To Examine The Effects Of Exercise & Instructional Based Interventions On Executive Functioning, Motor Learning & Emotional Intelligence Abilities Among Older Adults, Lavanya Rajesh Kumar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Motor skills are a vital part of our life, and there might be situations where we will be required to either learn a new skill or relearn a known one. We examined the effectiveness of two different interventions - eccentric exercise and motivation-based instructions on enhancing the ability of older adults to learn a novel motor skill. Exercise intervention studies have shown that as little as 12 weeks of exercise can lead to improvements in both physical fitness and cognitive function in older adults, particularly executive control. But it is still unclear whether those improvements translate to improvements in other …

Evaluation Of The Livewell Method: Final Report, Paula Carder, Serena Hasworth, Diana Cater

Institute on Aging Publications

The LiveWell Method uses a practice-based framework to improve the quality of life for people living and working in long-term care settings, including assisted living and memory care. It is designed to improve teamwork, communication, and morale by helping staff organize, track, measure, and improve daily operations. This evaluation is informed by the LiveWell Method’s “bottom-up and top enabled” approach, which engages and empowers direct care staff and administrators to create a more democratic and transparent workplace. In addition, the evaluation included questions to assess LiveWell’s core values, such as creating care innovations, nurturing dignity, creating community, and honoring elders, …