Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Perception Of Mode, Rhythm, And Contour In Unfamiliar Melodies: Effects Of Age And Experience, Andrea R. Halpern, James C. Bartlett, W. Jay Dowling

Andrea Halpern

We explored the ability of older (60-80 years old) and younger (18-23 years old) musicians and nonmusicians to judge the similarity of transposed melodies varying on rhythm, mode, and/or contour (Experiment 1) and to discriminate among melodies differing only in rhythm, mode, or contour (Experiment 2). Similarity ratings did not vary greatly among groups, with tunes differing only by mode being rated as most similar. In the same/different discrimination task, musicians performed better than nonmusicians, but we found no age differences. We also found that discrimination of major from minor tunes was difficult for everyone, even for musicians. Mode is …

Trait Hope And Preparation For Future Care Needs Among Older Adult Primary Care Patients, Jodi L. Southerland, Deborah L. Slawson, Robert Pack, Silvia Sörensen, Jeffrey M. Lyness, Jameson K. Hirsch

Jameson K. Hirsch

We examined associations between trait hope and preparation for future care needs (PFCN) among 66 older adult primary care patients in western New York. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing PFCN (awareness, information gathering, decision-making, concrete planning, and avoidance), and the Adult Trait Hope Scale. In multivariate regressions, lower hope, particularly less agency, was associated with more awareness of needing care, whereas higher hopefulness, particularly pathways thinking, was associated with increased decision-making and concrete planning. Greater hopefulness appears to be linked to goal-directed planning behaviors, although those with lower hope may actually be more aware of the need for planning. Evidence-based …

Family Criticism And Depressive Symptoms In Older Adult Primary Care Patients: Optimism And Pessimism As Moderators, Jameson K. Hirsch, Kristin L. Walker, Ross B. Wilkinson, Jeffrey M. Lyness

Jameson K. Hirsch

Objective: Depression is a significant global public health burden, and older adults may be particularly vulnerable to its effects. Among other risk factors, interpersonal conflicts, such as perceived criticism from family members, can increase risk for depressive symptoms in this population. We examined family criticism as a predictor of depressive symptoms and the potential moderating effect of optimism and pessimism.

Methods: One hundred five older adult, primary care patients completed self-report measures of family criticism, optimism and pessimism, and symptoms of depression. We hypothesized that optimism and pessimism would moderate the relationship between family criticism and depressive symptoms.

Results: In …

Addressing The Supportive Transportation Challenges Of Community-Residing Older Adults, Nina M. Silverstein, Kristina M. Turk, Laura Adams, Holly Belanger, Linnea Burke, Stephen Jones, Lauren Lee, David Lopez, Keith Sherman, Lee Paradis, Erin O’Neill, Alycia Rao, Rachael Solano

Nina Silverstein

The ability to get to where you want to go, when you want to go there is a key factor for aging-in-place in our communities. It is often taken for granted until that ability is compromised. The informal network of family and friends, if it exists, is not likely to be a sustainable transportation alternative for persons with cognitive impairment or for older adults with limitations that may not fit eligibility criteria for senior transportation services, where they exist. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of communities to address the specialized supportive mobility needs of community-residing …

The Changing Values Of Digital Legacies: E-Books And The Challenges Of Data Mobility And The Perceived Value Of Books, Derani Nathasha Dissanayake, David M. Cook

Dr. David M Cook

Multisite Recruitment And Data Collection Among Older Adults : Exploring Methods To Conserve Human And Financial Resources., Valerie Lander Mccarthy, Karen Cassidy

Valerie L. McCarthy

The purpose of this article is to describe strategies that were effective in recruitment and data collection among older adults in 3 quantitative studies while decreasing costs in terms of time and money. Factors effective in reducing use of investigators' time and expenses included limiting exclusion of data because of abnormal Mini-Cog scores by careful initial screening and avoiding repeated reminders or follow-up, collecting data in small groups, collapsing consent, dementia screening, and data collection into single sessions, as well as accommodating for sensory and literacy deficits. The cross-sectional, descriptive studies were conducted among community-dwelling older adults attending senior citizen …

Validity Of Boston Marathon Qualifying Times, Paul M. Vanderburgh

Paul M. Vanderburgh

Purpose: To assess the validity of Boston Marathon qualifying (BMQ) standards for men and women. Methods: Percent differences between BMQ and current world records (WR) by sex and age group were computed. WR was chosen as the criterion comparison because it is not confounded by intensity, body composition, lifestyle, or environmental factors. A consistent difference across age groups would indicate an appropriate slope of the age-vs-BMQ curve. Inconsistent differences were corrected by adjusting BMQ standards to achieve a uniform percentage difference from WR. Results: BMQ standards for men were consistently ~50% slower than WR (mean 51.5% ± 1.4%, range 49.6–54.4%), …

Evaluation Of Lift Up Your Voice! Advocacy Training For Older Adults And Their Caregivers: Executive Summary, Alison Gottlieb, Nina M. Silverstein, Kelli Barton

Nina Silverstein

The Lift Up Your Voice! (LUYV) training, a component of Community Catalyst’s effort to support the Campaign for Better Care (CBC), is designed to mobilize grassroots advocacy structures of vulnerable older adults by directly engaging and empowering older adults and their caregivers. The goal of the evaluation is to assess the effectiveness LUYV in recruiting potential advocates, educating them about the health care reform, empowering them via advocacy skills training, and engaging them in state-based CBC activities.

Lift Up Your Voice! Health Care Advocacy Training Program: Empowering Older Adults, Nina M. Silverstein, Alison Gottlieb, Kelli Barton

Nina Silverstein

Lift Up Your Voice! (LUYV) is a health care advocacy training program developed by Community Catalyst and funded through Atlantic Philanthropies. LUYV directly engages older adults with chronic disease in state-based Campaign for Better Care initiatives to achieve changes in the health care delivery system.

Assessment Of Pneumonia In Older Adults: Effect Of Functional Status, Lona Mody, Rongjun Sun, Suzanne F. Bradley

Rongjun Sun

OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the effect of preadmission functional status on severity of pneumonia, length of hospital stay (LOS), and all-cause 30-day and 1-year mortality of adults aged 60 and older and to understand the effect of pneumonia on short-term functional impairment. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: University hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred twelve patients with radiograph-proven pneumonia (mean age 74.6) were enrolled. MEASUREMENTS: Functional status and comorbidities were assessed using the Functional Autonomy Measurement System (SMAF) and Charlson Comorbidity Index. Clinical information was used to calculate the Pneumonia Prognostic Index (PPI). RESULTS: Eighty-four (75%) patients were functionally independent (FI) before admission, with …

Community-Acquired Pneumonia In Older Veterans: Does The Pneumonia Prognosis Index Help?, Lona Mody, Rongjun Sun, Suzanne Bradley

Rongjun Sun

OBJECTIVES: Mortality rates from pneumonia increase steadily with age. Recently, a disease severity model (the Pneumonia Prognosis Index (PPI)) has been developed to predict mortality from community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). PPI ranks severity of pneumonia from 1 to 5, with 5 being most severe. This retrospective study utilizes the PPI to address the prognosis of CAP in older adults. DESIGN: Retrospective review of medical charts. SETTING: Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS: All adults aged 60 and older admitted to a Veterans Affairs Medical Center with CAP between January 1 and December 31, 1998. MEASUREMENTS: PPI was calculated using subjects' …

Drug Use Trajectory Patterns Among Older Drug Users, Miriam W. Boeri, Thor Whalen, Benjamin Tyndall, Ellen Ballard

Miriam W. Boeri

To better understand patterns of drug use trajectories over time, it is essential to have standard measures of change. Our goal here is to introduce measures we developed to quantify change in drug use behaviors. A secondary goal is to provide effective visualizations of these trajectories for applied use. We analyzed data from a sample of 92 older drug users (ages 45 to 65) to identify transition patterns in drug use trajectories across the life course. Data were collected for every year since birth using a mixed methods design. The community-drawn sample of active and former users were 40% female, …