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 …

Facing Obstacles As A Senior, Catherine Mccarthy

All Student Theses

Seniors are individuals who need the most assistance because they are a growing population in our society. It is estimated that by the year 2020, those 65 years and over will reach 55 million and those 85 years and over will number 7.3 million. Seniors need the most attention because daily items such as personal care, preparing a meal, going to the grocery store or housework become very challenging. This is when you need to acquire services that can help daily for these tasks. The Department of Aging plays a vital role when becoming a senior over the age of …

A Checklist For Mortals: Preparing For Death’S Arrival, Becky Daniel

College of Journalism and Mass Communications: Professional Projects

We learn everything from our parents—how to walk, talk and treat potential life partners. Yet our culture in the United States makes it difficult to talk to our parents about death and those consequences have a real impact. Closing a loved one’s estate can stretch from months to years without proper planning. While death is constant, the death industry is not. It is ever changing. And while all lives have equal value, there are many preparations that one person may need (veteran, parent, lotto winner) while another does not. The best way to prepare for death is to know its …

An Exploration Of Dementia Friendly Communities From The Perspective Of Persons Living With Dementia, Catherine Hebert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The growing global prevalence of dementia coupled with a shift in public perception from a hopeless disease to the possibility of living well with dementia has led to the formation of dementia friendly communities (DFC). DFCs are a new phenomenon in the United States, with a gap in knowledge on input from people living with dementia (PLWD). This study investigated DFCs from the perspective of PLWD in Western North Carolina, with the following research questions:

1. How are interactions and relationships experienced by persons living with dementia in the community?
2. How is community engagement experienced by PLWD?
3. To what extent and …

Predictors Of Cognitive Function Among Cognitively Impaired Older African Americans Living In Congregate Residential Settings, Zyra Daffodil Apugan

Dissertations

The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to identify potential psychosocial predictors of cognition, including social support, depression, and functional activity, among older African Americans, ≥ 65 years, with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and living in congregate residential settings. Guided by the main effect model of social support, this study used existing data from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set, an NIH-funded multicenter study. Results showed that on average, the participants (n=56) were 81.7 years of age with 13.8 years of education. All, but six, were married. Bivariate Pearson correlations indicate a moderately strong negative relationship …

The Social, Economic, And Public Health Consequences Of Global Population Aging: Implications For Social Work Practice And Public Policy, Mitchell A. Kaplan, Marian M. Inguanzo

Journal of Social Work in the Global Community

Human populations around the world are growing older at the most astounding rate in the history of humanity. Advances in technology are enabling health care providers to deliver the latest innovations in treatment and prevention services to a broader spectrum of adult populations across the lifespan making longevity increasingly more commonplace rather than the exception to the rule in most of the industrialized world. This article provides an overview of the key social, economic, and public health costs and consequences that aging populations will exact upon international communities in the years ahead. It also examines the most significant social challenges …

“I Feel Like I’M Drawing Strength From It”: Lived Experiences Of Filipino Elderly Participating In Craft-Making, Sharon B. Cajayon, Romeo Luis A. Macabasag, Norilyn Limchanco, Vanessa O. Umali, Ellayza N. Blas, Michelle S. Angulo, Cristine Joy A. Breguera, Nikka Angela A. De Guzman, Sheila N. Malapi, Emmalyn E. Quibote

The Qualitative Report

In this phenomenological study, we offer an insightful understanding of the lived experiences of seven (7) Filipino elderly participating in craft-making. We purposively selected the key informants from a municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. The transcribed data gathered through a semi-structured in-depth interview was analyzed using Colaizzi’s approach. Six themes describing the lived experiences emerged: “Fostering friendship,” “Flourishing health,” “Furthering service,” “Facing aging with acceptance,” “Finding felicity and self-fulfillment,” “Feelings of belongingness and security.” Just like the sun, the elderly’s participation in craft-making serves as a nourishment for them. This exploration speaks to understanding the potential of craft-making …

Opportunities And Challenges For Self-Monitoring Technologies For Healthy Aging: An In-Situ Study, Mirana Randriambelonoro, Yu Chen, Onur Yuruten, Pearl Pu

Faculty Publications, Information Systems & Technology

The current need to adopt a healthy lifestyle opens the way for researchers to investigate the efficiency of using technology to motivate a change towards such behavior. Senior people’s technology adoption barriers have been largely investigated in previous research but remain unclear to design efficient solution to promote behavior change in the long term. In this paper, we present the findings of an experiment with 20 older adults using pervasive sensors for 6 weeks at their homes. In particular, we present their attitudes for physical activities and self-monitoring technologies before and after the actual usage. We then discuss the opportunities …

Age Drives Distortion Of Brain Metabolic, Vascular And Cognitive Functions, And The Gut Microbiome, Jared D. Hoffman, Ishita Parikh, Stefan J. Green, George Chlipala, Robert P. Mohney, Mignon Keaton, Bjoern Bauer, Anika M. S. Hartz, Ai-Ling Lin

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Advancing age is the top risk factor for the development of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the contribution of aging processes to AD etiology remains unclear. Emerging evidence shows that reduced brain metabolic and vascular functions occur decades before the onset of cognitive impairments, and these reductions are highly associated with low-grade, chronic inflammation developed in the brain over time. Interestingly, recent findings suggest that the gut microbiota may also play a critical role in modulating immune responses in the brain via the brain-gut axis. In this study, our goal was to identify associations between deleterious changes in …

Supporting People As They Age In Community: Housing, Rachel Filinson, Maureen Maigret

Faculty Publications

Aging in community can be a healthier, happier option for many seniors, but only if they have the right resources and support, starting with suitable housing. Homes must be affordable for retirees on fixed incomes and adapted for those with physical limitations. Older people living on their own need access to community services to keep them healthy and connected. Without affordable, age-friendly housing and access to services, aging in community can be stressful, isolating, and limiting, rather than empowering.

Jockey Club Age-Friendly City Project : Baseline Assessment Report : Tuen Mun, Asia-Pacific Institute Of Ageing Studies, Lingnan University

Jockey Club Age-Friendly City Project - Reports

The objectives of this baseline assessment was to evaluate the current state of age-friendliness and make a list of recommendations for the future development of Tuen Mun District (the District) through a bottom up and district-based study. The baseline assessment provided opportunities for the elderly to voice their opinions and served as an appropriate strategy to meet their needs. Additionally, stakeholders from diverse groups can work together to build and maintain an age-friendly community.

Jockey Club Age-Friendly City Project : Action Plan : Yuen Long, Asia-Pacific Institute Of Ageing Studies, Lingnan University

Jockey Club Age-Friendly City Project - Reports

In response to the global ageing population, the World Health Organization (the “WHO”) devised the concept of “Global Age-friendly Cities” in 2005 to encourage cities all around the world to develop a healthy and comfortable living environment with age-friendly facilities and provide sufficient community support and health care services which benefit the older people, family and society. In order to proactively tackle the challenges of an ageing population and promote the concept of an age-friendly city, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust launched the Jockey Club Age-friendly City Project (“Project”) in 2015 in partnership with four gerontology research institutes …

Jockey Club Age-Friendly City Project : Baseline Assessment Report : Yuen Long, Asia-Pacific Institute Of Ageing Studies, Lingnan University

Jockey Club Age-Friendly City Project - Reports

The objectives of this baseline assessment was to evaluate the current state of age-friendliness and make a list of recommendations for the future development of Yuen Long District (the District) through a bottom up and district-based study. The baseline assessment provided opportunities for the elderly to voice their opinions and served as an appropriate strategy to meet their needs. Additionally, stakeholders from diverse groups can work together to build and maintain an age-friendly community.

Jockey Club Age-Friendly City Project : Action Plan : Tuen Mun, Asia-Pacific Institute Of Ageing Studies, Lingnan University

Jockey Club Age-Friendly City Project - Reports

In response to the global ageing population, the World Health Organization (the “WHO”) devised the concept of “Global Age-friendly Cities” in 2005 to encourage cities all around the world to develop a healthy and comfortable living environment with age-friendly facilities and provide sufficient community support and health care services which benefit the older people, family and society. In order to proactively tackle the challenges of an ageing population and promote the concept of an age-friendly city, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust launched the Jockey Club Age-friendly City Project (“Project”) in 2015 in partnership with four gerontology research institutes …

Pro-Angiogenesis Therapy And Aging: A Mini-Review, Charles T. Ambrose

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Apart from major illnesses and chronic afflictions, the elderly experience lesser ailments, such as muscle weakness, cold intolerance, and transient memory lapses. Physical signs in the aged include wrinkled skin and the slow healing of skin abrasions. These ailments and signs are grouped together because they may be due in part to an age-linked, waning microcirculation. A reduced capillary density (CD) throughout the body of aged people and animals has been reported in over 40 papers. The reduced CD is due in turn to declining levels of angiogenic growth factors (AGFs) throughout the body during old age, as documented in …

Using Neonatal Skin To Study The Developmental Programming Of Aging, Leryn J. Reynolds, Brett J. Dickens, Benjamin B. Green, Carmen J. Marsit, Kevin J. Pearson

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Numerous studies have examined how both negative and positive maternal exposures (environmental contaminants, nutrition, exercise, etc.) impact offspring risk for age-associated diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and others. The purpose of this study was to introduce the foreskin as a novel model to examine developmental programming in human neonates, particularly in regard to adipogenesis and insulin receptor signaling, major contributors to age-associated diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Neonatal foreskin was collected following circumcision and primary dermal fibroblasts were isolated to perform adipocyte differentiation and insulin stimulation experiments. Human neonatal foreskin primary fibroblasts take up lipid when …

Primetimes Newsletter, Fall 2017, Office Of Lifespan Studies

PrimeTimes Newsletter

PrimeTimes is the newsletter of the Office of Lifespan Studies in the College of Science at Coastal Carolina University.

Managing Sensor Systems For Early Detection Of Mild Cognitive Impairment In Community Elderly: Lessons Learned And Future Work, Boon Thai Ng, Hwee-Pink Tan, Hwee Xian Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The aging population is a pertinent issue faced by governments globally. One of the most common and costly health issues associated with the aging population is cognitive decline, leading up to dementia. In this paper, we describe a non-intrusive, continuous and scalable system for early detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in the elderly, which enables early medical interventions to be provided. We focus on the system design and feature extraction of the sensor system, to validate our hypothesis of the use of sensor systems for early detection of MCI. Lessons learned from deploying the sensor system is presented, together …

Aging In Myanmar, John Knodel, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This spotlight provides an overview of thesituation of older persons in Myanmar, an under-studied country ofover-50-million population. Myanmar is of particular interest to researchersand policy makers, given its overall level of poverty and modestly rapidpopulation aging. Research on older persons, while increasing in recent years,remains sparse. Empirical evidence indicates that Myanmar older persons are inrelatively poorer health compared to those in neighboring countries. Many livein abject poverty and depend on their families for material support.Coresidence is very common and facilitates reciprocal exchanges acrossgenerations. Looking ahead, Myanmar confronts important challenges includingdemographic shifts that reduce availability of family support for older personsand …

Supporting People As They Age In Community: Information And Service Access, Rachel Filinson, Maureen Maigret

Faculty Publications

As people age, they often rely on the support of public and private programs to help them live healthy, independent lives. What if older people and their caregivers had access to a single website, phone number, or office that could connect them with all the support and resources they need, from applying for Medicare benefits and finding long-term care facilities to accessing transportation and meal delivery services?

Silverwire, Lenard W. Kaye

Maine Center on Aging Education and Training

The Silverwire Newsletter is a quarterly publication that highlights the work of the UMaine Center on Aging. The topics covered in this edition of the Silverwire Newsletter include Dr. Len Kaye's congressional testimony on the subject of social isolation, the Age Friendly Bangor final report, and recent projects undertaken by the Retired Senior Volunteer Corps.

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 …

E-Health Intervention For Intergenerational Caregivers Of Chronically Ill Older Adults, A.M. Steffen, J. Epstein, K. Arenella

Psychology Faculty Works

Family-clinician communication is important for chronic disease self-management and improves outcomes for older adults and their family caregivers. In this e-health program based on principles from Social Cognitive Theory, adults assisting a parent with medical appointments and medication management were randomly assigned to one of two internet-based education interventions: (I.) Written didactics and video clips from medical experts, or (II.) Multimedia vignettes depicting actors responding to common healthcare challenges. Participants (N=136) had access to these materials for one month and completed pre- and post-intervention assessments. Post-intervention hierarchical regression analyses showed an intervention effect after controlling for pre-intervention scores. Relative to …

Aging, Executive Function, Fronto-Parietal Network Cortical Thickness: Insights From Cognitive Reserve, Katherine Reiter

Dissertations (1934 -)

Cognitive reserve (CR) indexes the nonlinear relationship between neurological insult and behavioral change. CR is manifested in both static factors (e.g., childhood environment, education) and modifiable lifestyle factors, (e.g., leisure activities). Detailed investigation of the influence of CR on cortical thickness, which indexes neuropathology, and cognitive functioning could be particularly important in understanding the heterogeneity of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While memory decline is the hallmark of AD, executive functioning (EF) decline often predates memory changes, making EF an important target for investigating CR influences. The current study examines the relationship of CR and genetic risk for AD (ε4) on EF …

The Financial Exploitation And Abuse Of The Elderly, Christopher Hodges

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The criminal industry of elder financial fraud and exploitation (EFFE) is a growing concern among policy makers as well as researchers. This is due to the growing financial impact exploiters are having on their victims. EFFE is defined by the National Center on Elder Abuse as “the illegal or improper use of an elder’s funds, property, or assets (NCEA, 2017).” Following this definition, the quantity of wealth determined to have been lost due to EFFE is staggering. As the tangible capital loss has grown so has the need for more research into this topic. The research in this paper seeks …

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 …

The Potential Of Three Computer-Based Communication Activities For Supporting Older Adult Independent Living, Melinda Heinz, Jinmyoung Cho, Norene Kelly, Peter Martin, Johnny Wong, Warren Franke, Wen-Hua Hsieh, Joan Blaser

Johnny Wong

Technology has become an increasingly integral part of life. For example, technology allows individuals to stay in touch with loved ones, obtain medical services through telehealthcare, and enjoy an overall higher quality of life. Particularly for older adults, using technology increases the likelihood that they will maintain their independence and autonomy. Long-distance caregiving has recently become a feasible option where caregivers for older adults can access reports and information about their loved one’s patterns that day (e.g., food and medication intake). Technology may be able to offset age-related challenges (e.g., caregiving, accessing healthcare, decreased social networks) by applying technology to …

Aging In Reading, Massachusetts: A Community Needs Assessment, Caitlin Coyle, Jan Mutchler

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes collaborative efforts undertaken by the Town of Reading’s Elder and Human Services Division and the Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging, within the Gerontology Institute at the McCormack Graduate School, University of Massachusetts Boston. During Spring 2017, these organizations partnered to conduct a study to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of the Town’s older resident population, with respect to living and aging in Reading.

Social Isolation And Loneliness In Older People: A Closer Look At Definitions, Mary Lou Ciolfi, Frances Jimenez Ba

Disability & Aging

Social isolation and loneliness are related and the terms are often used interchangeably, but they are distinct concepts with different definitions, health impacts, and interventions. Our population is aging and older people are at increased risk for both social isolation and loneliness and the associated negative health consequences. Understanding the important differences between social isolation and loneliness will help us recognize them earlier in vulnerable populations, engage in more meaningful conversations with older adults about their own risks, and will inform the development and delivery of more individualized, meaningful, and cost-effective interventions.

Strategies And Substance Treatment: Perceptions Of Older Adults 60 And Over, Kim Malveo Jones

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gather the perceive strategies and substance treatment needs of adults 60 and over. To examine what recovery treatment models and strategies could be most effective for the age-related complex needs of the 60 and over population who are at risk for substance misuse, use or abuse. In the coming years, there will be a substantial increase in the numbers of older adults with substance misuse and abuse problems. Even though one in five individuals who experience substance abuse are older adults many clinicians remain ill equipped to serve older clientele, and particularly those …