Gerontology Commons^™

Intergenerational Financial Exchange And Cognitive Well-Being Among Older Adults In China, Ping Xu

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Although cognitive loss is part of normal aging, it has unfavorable consequences for older individuals, their family, as well as society. The prevalence of mild cognition impairment is expected to go up in China. How to maintain normal cognition for a longer period of time and to delay impair process is an emerging concern for older Chinese adults. Unlike Western countries, China lacks of formal support system. Intergenerational support between older parents and adult children is a predominant resource when they are in need. This study examines how intergenerational financial exchanges between older parents and their adult children is related …

Unmet Needs And Service Utilization By Informal Caregivers, Ryan Marie Diduk-Smith

Health Services Research Dissertations

The number of Americans expected to live into their 80’s and 90’s is growing at an increased rate in the United States, and the numbers of those aging adults with multiple chronic conditions also continues to grow. It is estimated that by 2050, there will be 89 million adults over the age of 65 years living in the United States. For a variety of reasons, including policy, personal, and financial reasons, many aging adults are choosing to “age in place” or to remain in the community. With the increase in the numbers of aging adults in the community, the ability …

Intergenerational Living Between College Students And Senior Housing Residents: A Framework, Laura Allen

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Ageism, the discrimination against persons of a certain age group, is one of the most important civil rights issues of the 21st century (Palmore, 2015). There are community-wide and personal strategies to combatting ageism. Homesharing and cohousing each offer concepts that can be utilized in intergenerational living because of their housing infrastructure. The relationship between college students and senior housing residents is unique because both groups are experiencing a season of life with common characteristics. This project aims to understand the relationship and tensions between stakeholders of existing intergenerational living programs to develop an implementation plan for a program at …

A Descriptive Study Of The Elderly In California Substance Abuse Treatment Programs, David Berenschot

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As gerontologists may know, there are a great deal of studies and a variety of academic literature on the misuse of alcohol and prescription medication amongst the elderly population. While there is a plethora of information on alcohol and prescription misuse, there is little reported data about the prevalence of other substance misuse experienced by this population. This study aims to help to fill that gap in the data by using quantitative methods to describe the scope of substance abuse of individuals 55-years or older. This study utilizes data from the Treatment Data Set Admission (TEDS-A). The TEDS-A is a …

A Medical Student Foray Into The Depths Of Public Health: An Exploratory Investigation Toward A Community Dashboard Characterizing The Experiences Of Frailty In Order To Guide Improvement, An Harmanli, Danielle Fahoome, Burton Masem, Ellen Massey, Beverly Lunsford, Joanne Lynn, Elizabeth Cobbs

GW Research Days 2016 - 2020

While it is known that there are many shortcomings in the care of the elderly, their rate and impact on the community and the elderly themselves is not well understood. In exploring the possibilities for using existing data and available informants, a dashboard could be created that would enable a geographic community to understand the experience of living with disabilities in old age, to prioritize problems, and to test improvements.

The methods included a literature review to understand what and how easily information could be accessed, gathered, and presented. In regards to literature on data collection, CMS claims data, MDS, …

Grandparenting In Selected West African Countries: Implications For Health And Hygiene Behaviours In The Household, Joshua Oyeniyi Aransiola Dr, Akanni Ibukun Akinyemi Dr, Ambrose Akinlo Dr, Funmi Togonu-Bickesteeth Prof.

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

This is a descriptive study of the health and hygiene behaviors of grandparents who are the primary caregivers of their grandchildren in four West African countries, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. The article utilizes data from each country’s most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). The study identified 20,841 households where grandparents were primary caregivers. As expected, most of these households are in Nigeria given their population exceeds the collective population of the other three West African countries. However, the number of grandfamilies in Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia is still worrisome for their population size. In each country, …

Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report: Community Profiles, Elizabeth Dugan, Frank Porell, Nina Silverstein, Ruth Palombo, Stacey Mann

Nina Silverstein

The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report: Community Profiles was created by researchers at the Gerontology Institute of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and commissioned by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

In this report, we have created a custom profile of nearly 100 healthy aging indicators for every city and town in Massachusetts including the 16 neighborhoods of Boston (367 Community Profiles). Each Community Profile is designed to help community residents, agencies, providers, and governments understand the older adults who live in their cities and towns – their ages, …

The Alzheimer’S Association Dementia Care Coordination Program: A Process Evaluation, Executive Summary, Nina Silverstein, Frank Porell, Pamela Nadash

Nina Silverstein

The Massachusetts/New Hampshire (MA/NH) Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association has long sought ways to systematically increase the number of families who utilize its services and support. According to the Alzheimer’s Association’s 2015 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, there are 142,000 individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and the Alzheimer’s Association estimates that less than 30% of those individuals and their caregivers take advantage of its programs (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). The MA/NH Chapter recognized that one major barrier to accessing services is a model that relies on families taking the initiative to seek out assistance.

In …

Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report: Community Profiles, Elizabeth Dugan, Frank Porell, Nina Silverstein, Ruth Palombo, Stacey Mann

Elizabeth Dugan

The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Data Report: Community Profiles was created by researchers at the Gerontology Institute of the John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston and commissioned by the Tufts Health Plan Foundation.

In this report, we have created a custom profile of nearly 100 healthy aging indicators for every city and town in Massachusetts including the 16 neighborhoods of Boston (367 Community Profiles). Each Community Profile is designed to help community residents, agencies, providers, and governments understand the older adults who live in their cities and towns – their ages, …

Aging In Rural Communities: Older Persons’ Narratives Of Relocating In Place To Maintain Rural Identity, Joyce Weil

Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy

Literature often looks at older persons’ rural-to-urban moves, but relocation within the same region is less explored. The purpose of this study is to understand the perspectives of older persons who move to age in town in the same rural setting. Using data from 16 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with older persons in a rural community and directed content analysis, this study examines these older persons’ assessments of their current living situation, still seen as living rurally but now in a more populous location. Although moving within a rural environment, for different reasons, they do not report feelings of being “stuck …

When ‘Places’ Include Pets: Broadening The Scope Of Relational Approaches To Promoting Aging-In-Place, Ann M. Toohey, Jennifer A. Hewson, Cindy L. Adams, Melanie J. Rock

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Aging-in-place is a well-established concept, but discussions rarely consider that many older adults live with pets. In a ‘pet-friendly’ city, we conducted semi-structured interviews to explore perspectives of community-based social support agencies that promote aging-in-place, and those of animal welfare agencies. Applying a relational ecology theoretical framework, we found that pets may contribute to feeling socially- situated, yet may also exacerbate constraints on autonomy experienced by some older adults. Pet-related considerations at times led to discretionary acts of more-than-human solidarity, but also created paradoxical situations for service-providers, impacting their efforts to assist older adults. A shortage of pet-friendly affordable housing …

Viral Suppression Among Older Persons Living With Diagnosed Hiv Infection (Plwdhi) With Multimorbidity : The Role Of Healthcare Setting, Health Literacy, And Health Knowledge (Mmp 2009-2014), Doris Ogechukwu Maduka

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

For persons living with diagnosed HIV infection (PLWDHI) 50 years of age and older, in addition to living with diagnosed HIV infection, they are also at risk for age-related chronic conditions. Optimal management of these conditions in addition to HIV is needed if they hope to achieve positive health outcomes such as achieving durable viral suppression, which is the goal for persons receiving HIV treatment. For these patients, having adequate health related information, and the ability to access and navigate the healthcare system, would help them stay engaged and maintain adherence to HIV care. Factors that have been found to …