Geropsychology Commons^™

Projecting, Persuading, & Protecting: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Adult Children’S Predictions Of Parents’ Quality-Of-Life Valuations In Serious Illness States, Jessica Hahne

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Older adults often face complex serious illness decisions and involve their adult children as shared or surrogate decision makers. However, previous research asking family members to predict older adults’ treatment preferences in serious illness situations typically shows poor concordance with older adults’ actual preferences. In the current mixed methods analysis, we surveyed older adults (n = 38) on their health state valuations in five serious illness scenarios. Two of their adult children (n = 76) predicted their parent’s preferences. Families also participated in a semi-structured conversation to discuss their preferences and predictions.

Quantitative analyses showed that parents’ average valuations were …

A Secondary Data Analysis Of The Prevalence Of Reported Dementia And Subjective Cognitive Decline Across U.S. National Surveys, Matthew C. Picchiello

Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within the United States, many large-scale, nationally representative studies exist with the goal of tracking and monitoring aspects of health. These studies are often used to establish the prevalence of dementia and subjective cognitive decline (SCD) in the population. The goal of the current study is to examine how different population-based studies probe respondents about conditions related to cognitive impairment, and to assess similarities and differences in point estimates. We reviewed eight studies and identified comparable items related to dementia and SCD. We calculated design-appropriate point prevalence estimates and compared weighted estimates across studies, finding a wide range and statistically …