Digital Commons Network^™

Is It Time To Redesign Hospice? End-Of-Life Care At The User Interface, David J. Casarett

Center for Policy Research

Hospice is a system of end-of-life care that’s not used to its full potential. That is, hospice is not used in the way that would benefit patients and families as much as it could. My argument is that this is an issue of usability, or ergonomics—the science of design. I illustrate how to take what we have learned from the science of usability to make hospice more accessible and approachable, and to increase hospice use among those who would benefit from it. Underneath this discussion, though, there is a more fundamental question: Can we make hospice more usable or do …

Improving Life Satisfaction Of Elders Through Oral History: The Narrator's Perspective, Mary B. Ligon

Theses and Dissertations

Oral history is a method of preserving historical information through in-depth interviews. Because the process requires narrators to use remote recall while sharing their life experiences, it can also be considered a reminiscence-related activity. Before this study, the positive effects on narrators of providing an oral history were noted in the research literature but had not been evaluated through quantitative methods. Based on theoretical constructs of Erikson and Butler, it was hypothesized that participation in oral history interviews would improve the life satisfaction of narrators. Life satisfaction was operationalized and measured using the Life Satisfaction Index Version A (LSIA). The …

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CenterPieces

For easy printing, the full newsletter is available as a single PDF.

Geriatric Education Update

CenterPieces

Despite extensive government cutbacks in funding for aging research and elimination of federal support for geriatric and gerontological training, Jefferson has launched exciting new programs in this area. The year-old Division of Geriatric Medicine, housed within the Dept. of Family and Community Medicine, is under the directorship of Dr. Christine Arenson. In collaboration with CARAH, the Dept. of Occupational Therapy and the Dept. of Nursing, the Division has received funding for a Geriatric Education Center. In addition to Drs. Arenson and Gitlin, participants in this initiative include Dr. Cecelia Borden (Dept. of Nursing), Stephen Kern (Dept. of Occupational Therapy), Nancy …

Elderfriends: Relieving Loneliness Among Elders, Kiersten Seeger Ware, Sarah Coble

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To discuss social isolation among older adults.

2. To promote awareness of the ElderFriends program, an intervention newly established in greater Richmond

3. To seek friendly visitors for the ElderFriends program.

Spirituality And The Cognitively Impaired, Kathy Fogg Berry

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Discuss the need to acknowledge and nurture the spirituality of older adults with cognitive impainnent to enhance their health and well-being.

2. Provide tools and suggestions for use in nurturing the spirituality of older adults with cognitive impainnent.

3. Review the response of one resident with cognitive impainnent to spiritually-based programming and support

Ua61/6 Newsletter Issue 3, Wku Institute For Rural Health Development & Research

WKU Administration Documents

Newsletter created by and about the Institute for Rural Health Development & Research. This issue contains:

• Senator Mitch McConnell Earmarks Dollars for WKU Hispanic Initiative
• Dr. Louella Fong Directs Bilingual Program
• Give Kids a Smile Brightens Children’s Day – Dental Hygiene
• College of Health & Human Services Focuses on Gerontology Demands
• Partners Key to Successful Hispanic Health Fair & Screening Event
• Public Health Department Now Offers Worksite Health Promotion
• KEMSA Offers EMS Management Workshop – Kentucky Emergency Medical Services Academy

The Frank J. Manning Certificate In Gerontology Alumni Survey: 21 Years Of Service To Elders, Nina M. Silverstein, Jenai Murtha, Donna Sullivan, May Jawad

Gerontology Institute Publications

The Certificate Program in Gerontology at the University of Massachusetts Boston, a large urban university, was established in 1979 as part of an Administration on Aging (AoA) grant to develop and expand services to the elderly citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 1984, a line item was added to the state budget by the legislature and governor establishing the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston and ensuring the continuation of training, research, and policy and advocacy work on behalf of and with Massachusetts’ elders (O’Brien, 1996). Upon Frank J. Manning’s death in 1986, the program was renamed …

Consumer Perspectives On Quality In Adult Day Care, Amy Leventhal Stern, Francis G. Caro

Gerontology Institute Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to gain insight into the quality of care and services provided through adult day care from the user’s perspective. Design and Methods: The project utilized 13 focus groups to explore aspects associated with user needs, preferences, and satisfaction with adult day care centers. Results: Focus group participants described aspects of adult day care that are important in delivering quality care, program features that are effective, and key areas in need of improvement. Ensuring the safety of clients; having caring, friendly, and compassionate staff available to provide one-on-one attention; engaging clients in stimulating activities; …

Meeting The Challenges And Opportunities Of Aging With Lifelong Disabilities: The Area Planning And Services Committee, Allison Wilder, Edward F. Ansello

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To generate awareness of needs and capacities of aging adults with lifelong disabilities and their effect upon human services

2. To understand the challenges and opportunities facing aging adults with lifelong disabilities in accessing appropriate community supports and services.

3. To illustrate the benefits of intersystem collaboration among human services providers through the vehicle of an Area Planning and Services Committee.

Mental Fitness And The Lifelong Learning Movement, Jane F. Stephan, Debbie Leidheiser, Edward F. Ansello

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To identify the functional benefits of continued mental activity

2. To examine the role of Lifelong Learning Institutes in later life

3. To describe the motivations of participants in lifelong learning

Caregiver Education And Service Utilization In African American Families Dealing With Dementia, Constance L. Coogle

Virginia Center on Aging Publications

For more than a decade attention has been focused on Alzheimer’s family caregivers in African American communities. The Fourth Report of the Advisory Panel on Alzheimer’s Disease to the U. S. Congress and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services calls for “…public education and outreach efforts specifically targeted to ethnic elders and their families and communities through the development and dissemination of culturally relevant materials emphasizing both the established facts about [Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders] and the efficacy of seeking treatment.” (Advisory Panel on Alzheimer’s Disease, 1993, p. 50). While federal financing and state initiatives have addressed …

Back To The Future: The Future Of Long-Term Care In Massachusetts, Deborah H. Thomson, John J. Ford

Gerontology Institute Publications

The state of Massachusetts, like the rest of the United States, is facing an approaching crisis in long-term care. Over the next few decades the number of Massachusetts residents age 65 and older will soar. As these numbers increase, so will the need for long-term care.

Massachusetts is ill prepared to provide the services that will be needed. Our current system of health care benefits leaves many elders with gaps in coverage. Those individuals who need long-term services often impoverish themselves and their spouses before the state pays for their care. Others languish on waiting lists to receive services. Our …

Long-Term Care: Informed By Research, Francis G. Caro

Gerontology Institute Publications

Health services research has contributed to health policy and service developments that have led to major improvements in the quality of long-term care in the United States. This policy brief highlights a few areas in which publicly and privately funded research has informed the long-term care field.

Montessori-Based Activities For Dementia: A Walk Down Memory Lane, Janina C. Bognar

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Familiarize readers with the Montessori method as used with participants who have dementia.

2. Demonstrate the role of Montessori-based activities for dementia in an adult day care setting.

Abuse, Neglect, And Exploitation Of Vulnerable Elders, Sheila Crossen-Powell, Kira R. Holland, Marjorie L. Marker

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To describe the variety and dynamics of self-neglect and abuse.

2. To illustrate cases of familial self-neglect and of financial exploitation.

3. To demonstrate the roles that Adult Protective Services (APS) plays in the investigation of adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

4. To describe the protections available to vulnerable adults in the Commonwealth.

Seniors Count Follow-Up Study, Nina M. Silverstein, Heather Connors, May Jawad

Gerontology Institute Publications

Seniors Count is an ongoing outreach initiative under the direction of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino with the leadership and support of Joyce Williams, Boston's Commissioner on Affairs of the Elderly. The program's purpose is to "identify and reach out to those members of the city's elderly population who live in private housing arrangements and help provide them with the information and services they [may] need" (Boston Commission on Affairs of the Elderly, 2002). Since the program's inception in 1999, it has reached over 5,500 community-dwelling elders in the City of Boston (Boston Commission on Affairs of the Elderly, 2002). …

Transportation: A Crucial Issue For Adult Day Care In Vermont, Francis G. Caro, Regula H. Robnett, Jennifer Higgins

Gerontology Institute Publications

Transportation arrangements are an integral but fragile element in the effectiveness of adult day care services in Vermont and nationwide. Almost by definition, adult day center participants generally cannot drive due to cognitive and/or physical limitations. Since adult day care services are congregate in nature and serve community-residing elders, this long-term care option is feasible only when there are arrangements to transport elders to and from service centers. Transportation is therefore a major issue for adult day care services.

The aim of this report is to call attention to transportation issues in adult day care services in Vermont. The report …

Transitions Along The Continuum Of Care: Elderly And Disabled Persons In New York, Lisa Sprague, Nora Super

National Health Policy Forum

This site visit examined transitions along the continuum of care for elderly and disabled persons in New York. The state offers its residents an extensive array of services, including nursing homes, home health care, personal care, and community-based services. New York spends more than any other state on its Medicaid program, which is reflected in a comprehensive benefit package, full-cost reimbursement of hospitals, high nursing home rates, and extensive coverage of personal care services. Site visitors were briefed on the history and development of long-term care in the state as well as the various care settings available. Panels discussed transitions …

Using Validation As A Consultant In A Richmond, Virginia Continuing Care Retirement Community, John Colletti

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Familiarize readers with the intricacies of setting up a behavioral program for persons diagnosed with Alzheimer's type dementia in a long term care facility.

2. Exemplify importance of interdisciplinary work.

3. Outline the future of the Validation Method in Virginia.

Older Homeless Women: Beneath The Safety Net, Anne J. Kisor, Lynne Kendal-Wilson

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Discuss how there is no stereotypical experience of, or explanation for, homelessness among older women.

2. Discuss why it is important to study the experiences of older homeless women.

3. Discuss policy and practice recommendations and specific ways to bridge efforts of aging and homeless service providers.

Working Paper: Elders In Massachusetts Prefer Paid Caregivers, Francis G. Caro

Gerontology Institute Publications

Older Massachusetts residents would rather have paid professionals provide their long-term care than their own children, according to a recent UMass Poll of 461 Massachusetts residents.

Enhancing The Quality Of Life Of Nursing Home Residents With Late Stage Alzheimer's Disease And Related Disorders, Felicity Sluga

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. Discuss the growing need for special programming and activities to improve the quality of life of nursing home residents with dementing illnesses.

2. Discuss program and activity options that have a positive impact on quality of life as measured by the resident's mood, behavioral symptoms, cognitive skills, physical condition and medication use.

3. Review the responses of a resident to our unit’s therapeutic interventions.

Vision And Hearing Loss In The Older Adult - “Double Trouble”, Paige Berry

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. How to recognize age related vision and hearing loss.

2. How the loss of both vision and hearing affect the individual's day to day functioning.

3. Services and technology available to assist the professional in better meeting the needs of the individual who is experiencing a vision and hearing loss.

What Is The Relationship Between Activity, Social Support And Health-Related Quality Of Life In People Who Are Sixty Years Of Age And Older?, Jaqueline Ebbott

Theses : Honours

Over one third of individuals aged sixty years and older have health conditions which limit their ability to live an independent and active life. With the older Australian population increasing, the prevention of functional decline and preservation of wellbeing in this age group has become a major clinical focus in gerontology research. Therefore an important goal of health professionals is to identify behavioural factors which encourage wellbeing and quality of life in this age group. The purpose of the present study was to explore the importance of physical activity passive activity (activities such as craft, reading and board games) and …

Toward Improved Support For Research On Delivery Of Home- And Community-Based Long-Term Care, Francis G. Caro

Gerontology Institute Publications

Stronger and more consistent support is needed for research on long-term care. A greater investment in research will strengthen the ability of public and private organizations to provide effective and efficient assistance to people with disabilities and their informal caregivers. This paper provides a rationale for stronger research funding for the field and outlines several options to strengthen research.

Nursing Homes To Medicare Waiver Programs In Vermont, Joseph Murray

New England Journal of Public Policy

This research examines the differences between nursing home residents and those who were able to leave nursing homes with the help of the Medicaid Waiver Program in Vermont. Ninety individuals who reentered the community with the aid of such waivers were compared with a random sample of nursing home residents through the use of the Nursing Home Minimum Data Set. The researchers found divergence in four key areas: cognition, continence, treatment categories, and desire to return to the community. Typically, those who left nursing homes for the community were cognitively intact, had moderate continence, received rehabilitative or clinically complex treatments, …

Adult Daycare: Sharing The Caring, Having A Life, Lory Phillippo Osorio

Case Studies from Age in Action

Objectives

1. Demonstrate the role of adult daycare in community-based services for older adults.

2. Illustrate the diversity of services provided in adult daycare/day health care centers in Virginia.

3. Encourage public policy and funding to expand quality adult daycare in the Commonwealth.

Pace: Program Of All-Inclusive Care Of The Elderly, A. Leigh Peyton, Wendy Boggs, Bill Miller, Nancy Allan

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives

1. To describe the origin of PACE.

2. To identify essential services provided by the PACE model.

Existential Mental Health Implications For Kin-Caregivers Of Alzheimer's Victims, Brock K. Knoll

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this paper is to briefly outline assessment and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in afflicted individuals (i.e., care recipients [CRs]) and review relevant research concerning the effects of AD progression on caregivers (CGs) as they care for loved ones. With this background, consideration will be made of how these findings suggest relevant tenets of Existential therapy. The author will also identify implications that could be meaningful to mental health professionals in their efforts to assist CGs as they attempt to cope with the emotional impact this disease has on them during caregiving and after the eventual death …