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.

Dementia And Dementia Care: The Contributions Of A Psychosocial Perspective, Phyllis Braudy Harris

Phyllis Braudy Harris

The social sciences have and continue to play a unique role in the study of dementia and dementia care. For central to the social sciences, particularly the discipline of sociology is a history of critical inquiry that challenges long held societal assumptions, a concern for issues of social justice, social exclusion and the treatment of marginalized populations. All significant areas to consider when caring for a person with dementia. This chapter will trace the development of the study of dementia and dementia care starting with its biomedical roots, examine the contributions of the social sciences in furthering the conceptual development …

Selfhood In Younger Onset Dementia: Transitions And Testimonies., Phyllis Braudy Harris, John Keady

Phyllis Braudy Harris

Younger people with dementia and their carers are an overlooked population for research, policy and practice attention. In this study, data were collected from both the United States and the UK in order to explore the meaning and construction of selfhood and identity. The US data collection included in-depth interviews with 23 people diagnosed with younger-onset dementia, while the UK data collection comprised 15 face-to-face interviews with younger carers of younger people with dementia; all carers were/had been caring for a younger person with dementia diagnosed through the DSM-IV-R criteria. A grounded theory analysis of the data resulted in the …

Decision-Making Processes Of Primary Informal Caregivers Regarding Care Recipients' Moves To Memory Care, Vicki Stanley

Vicki J. Stanley

Most persons with a dementia are cared for in the home by family members who experience a broad and considerable amount of stress and whose caregiving careers may include planning for or initiating moves to memory care units (MCUs). This study examines the decision-making processes of primary informal caregivers regarding their care recipients' moves to MCUs. Grounded theory methods were used to collect and analyze data in two long-term care (LTC) facilities varying in characteristics including capacity, state licensure, fees, and resident profiles. Specific aims are two-fold: 1) advance an understanding of how primary informal caregivers of persons with a …

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. …