Digital Commons Network^™

The Influence Of Time On Food Intake Patterns: Age, Period, Cohort Differences, Karina L. Christopher

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

The impact of diet and exercise on overall health and chronic disease risk has been well examined. Multiple studies show that Americans eat more now than they did fifty years ago. What isn’t known is how much of an impact time has on food intake patterns of individuals in terms of different age groups, historic periods of structural influences, and birth cohorts.

In order to identify the impact of time on food intake this study examined time from multiple perspectives. The first aim of this study was to determine food intake patterns among age groups across five time periods using …

Comt And Oprm1 Genotype Associations With Daily Knee Pain Variability And Activity Induced Pain, Lynn M. Martire, Stephanie J. Wilson, Brent J. Small, Yvette P. Conley, Piotr K. Janicki, Martin J. Sliwinski

Aging Studies Faculty Publications

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a common and increasingly prevalent condition that is one of the primary causes of chronic pain. Staying physically active protects against disability from knee OA but is also very challenging. A critical but unexamined question is whether patients at greatest risk for becoming less active are those with a genetic predisposition for greater sensitivity to daily pain.

Aims: We examined day-to-day variability in knee OA pain for patients with different variants of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and whether patients with a specific genotype experience more pain following …

Walking-Induced Fatigue Leads To Increased Risk In Older Adults, S. Morrison, S. R. Colberg, H. K. Parson, S. Neumann, R. Handel, E. J. Vinik, J. Paulson, A. I. Vinik

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Background- For older adults, falls are a serious health problem, with more than 30% of people older than 65 suffering a fall at least once a year. One element often overlooked in the assessment of falls is whether a person's balance, walking ability, and overall falls risk is affected by performing activities of daily living such as walking.

Objective- This study assessed the immediate impact of incline walking at a moderate pace on falls risk, leg strength, reaction time, gait, and balance in 75 healthy adults from 30 to 79 years of age. Subjects were subdivided into 5 equal groups …

What's Their Expiration Date? Age Discrimination In The Workplace, Bianca L. Tomlin

Masters Theses

Age discrimination, although illegal, continues to have a presence within organizations against older individuals. Previous research on age discrimination has determined that the social identity of those older workers discriminated against are affected. This project examines how older workers are being discriminated against, how age discrimination affects the dignity of an older worker, and how age discrimination affects the professional identity of older workers. This study focuses on eleven white-collar workers, age 45-65 who have experienced age discrimination in the workplace. Analysis revealed that older workers found themselves being fired from organizations, barred from entry into organizations, and denied training …

It Is All About (U)Biquitin: Role Of Altered Ubiquitin-Proteasome System And Uchl1 In Alzheimer Disease, Antonella Tramutola, Fabio Di Domenico, Eugenio Barone, Marzia Perluigi, D. Allan Butterfield

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Free radical-mediated damage to macromolecules and the resulting oxidative modification of different cellular components are a common feature of aging, and this process becomes much more pronounced in age-associated pathologies, including Alzheimer disease (AD). In particular, proteins are particularly sensitive to oxidative stress-induced damage and these irreversible modifications lead to the alteration of protein structure and function. In order to maintain cell homeostasis, these oxidized/damaged proteins have to be removed in order to prevent their toxic accumulation. It is generally accepted that the age-related accumulation of “aberrant” proteins results from both the increased occurrence of damage and the decreased efficiency …

Predicting Mortality In Patients Treated Differently: Updating And External Validation Of A Prediction Model For Nursing Home Residents With Dementia And Lower Respiratory Infections, Simone P. Rauh, Martijn W. Heymans, David R. Mehr, Robin L. Kruse, Patricia Lane, Neil W. Kowell, Ladislav Volicer, Jenny T. Van Der Steen

Aging Studies Faculty Publications

Objective To evaluate whether a model that was previously developed to predict 14-day mortality for nursing home residents with dementia and lower respiratory tract infection who received antibiotics could be applied to residents who were not treated with antibiotics. Specifically, in this same data set, to update the model using recalibration methods; and subsequently examine the historical, geographical, methodological and spectrum transportability through external validation of the updated model.

Design 1 cohort study was used to develop the prediction model, and 4 cohort studies from 2 countries were used for the external validation of the model.

Setting Nursing homes in …

Posttraumatic Growth Among Older Adults With Late-Life Cancer Diagnoses, Aasha I. Hoogland

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

Gerontological scholarship has often focused on the ways older adults deteriorate or decline with time, but it is plausible that positive change continues into and throughout old age. Late-life psychosocial growth may even be facilitated by a life-altering event such as a cancer diagnosis, a phenomenon broadly termed posttraumatic growth (PTG). PTG has been examined in a variety of general population samples, but there is a noticeable lack of research on PTG that focuses on older adults—a population for whom cancer diagnoses are particularly prevalent. Using a mixed methods design, this dissertation was designed to advance our understanding of PTG …

The Role Of Unpaid Volunteers In A Group Caregiving Approach : Validation Of The Sharetm The Care Program, Amy Hegener

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The growing population of older adults will lead to a change in the age structure in the United States, with older people outnumbering younger people for the first time. The changing age structure will affect the current workforce and place demands on the health and long term services and supports system. Moreover, with the suspension of many government programs and hospitals working to cut readmissions the burden on caregivers is increasing. On the other hand, the new generation of older adults will be healthier and better educated than previous generations. They are expected to be more productive and civically engaged, …

Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Reactivity To A Sad Film Predicts Depression Symptom Improvement And Symptomatic Trajectory, Vanessa Panaite, Alexandra Cowden Hindash, Lauren M. Bylsma, Brent J. Small, Kristen Salomon, Johnathan Rottenberg

Psychology Faculty Publications

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactivity, an index of cardiac vagal tone, has been linked to self-regulation and the severity and course of depression (Rottenberg, 2007). Although initial data supports the proposition that RSA withdrawal during a sad film is a specific predictor of depression course (Fraguas, 2007; Rottenberg, 2005), the robustness and specificity of this finding are unclear. To provide a stronger test, RSA reactivity to three emotion films (happy, sad, fear) and to a more robust stressor, a speech task, were examined in currently depressed individuals (n = 37), who were assessed for their degree of symptomatic improvement over …

A Qualitative Pilot Study Of Aging Women’S Physical Activity Experiences In One University Fitness And Wellness Center, Alexis Hobbs

Online Theses and Dissertations

Physical inactivity is one of the driving risk factors for developing health problems such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases (World Health Organization, 2003). The prevalence of these diseases increases with the aging process, which renders participation in physical activity crucial among the aging population. There is strong evidence that physical activity reduces the risk of these health disparities and disabilities (Young & Dinan, 2005), however despite these well-documented benefits, aging women still remain sedentary. This study examined the phenomenon of women 55 years of age or older and their lived experiences of participating in physical activity within a university …

Caring In Transition: Home Care Workers’ Experiences Of Care Relationships In Shanghai, China, Liu Hong

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This dissertation reports a qualitative study of 23 care workers in the home care program for older people in Shanghai, China. Using grounded theory methodology, a model was developed to account for care workers’ experiences of relationships with older clients. Care workers were found to resist the image of care work as demeaning labour performed by lowly migrant workers and re-construct care as valuable work for those in need accomplished by a caring self. As a mechanism of care relationship formation, care workers engage in tuning, a dynamic process of identity negotiation that shifts in between two contrasting states: …

Building A State For All Ages: Tapping The Potential Of Older Oregonians, Stephen Percy, Judith A. Ramaley, John Tapogna, Margaret B. Neal, Jay Bloom, Alexandra Reece

Institute on Aging Publications

This report explores how the aging population—including native Oregonians and senior adults moving to the state—represent an asset to Oregon. Aging in America has often been viewed from a perspective of deficit and decline. We wholeheartedly challenge this perspective. This report identifies how older adults can play vital roles in the workforce, entrepreneurship and innovation, and supporting community revitalization through volunteering of time and talent.

Experiencing The Death Of A Formerly Abusive Parent, Heather Spence

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

It is well documented that approximately 25–33% of children experience abuse, many of those at the hands of a primary caretaker. Within the literature on child maltreatment, there exists a paucity of research about the long-term effects of early maltreatment on adult attachments with the previous abuser, including the experiences of adults who experience the death of their previous caretakers. Additionally, most of the research on grief and bereavement assumes positive affect for the deceased by survivors. This dissertation is an in-depth examination of five adults, aged 50–70 years old, who experienced the recent death of a parent or stepparent …

The Happy Boomer: Baby Boomer Life Satisfaction Through Affect And Feeling Of Belonging, Brooke Christina-Marie Massey

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The age cohort of 65 years and older is a growing population. It is part of the group referred to as Baby Boomers, the generation born between the years 1946-1964. It will be the largest population to reach late adulthood to date. In the United States alone, the Baby Boomer cohort is expected to reach 70 million by 2030. In response to this growing elderly population much research has been conducted on Baby Boomer quality of life issues. Such research uncovered the phenomenon known as the well-being paradox. The well-being paradox refers to the findings that older adults' life satisfaction …

Gordon And Kacandes's "Let’S Talk About Death: Asking Questions That Profoundly Change The Way We Live And Die" (Book Review), Paul A. Roberts

The Christian Librarian

A review of Gordon, S., & Kacandes, I. (2015). Let’s talk about death: Asking questions that profoundly change the way we live and die. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. $17.00. 252 pp. ISBN 9781633881129

Motives For Participation In Triathlons Among Midlife To Older Black Women: A Mixed Method Study, Candace Brown

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Research has established the positive link between physical activity and its impact on health among adults. Generally, as people get older, they are less likely to be active. Black women comprise 13% of the women in the US but constitute 52% of women who are inactive. Existing articles on exercise motivation among Black women have generally assessed sedentary individuals. Little research has examined the motivations to exercise among physically active Black women. METHODS: Guided by the regulators of the Self Determination Theory, the 56 item Motivations of Marathoners Scales for Triathletes (MOMS-T) was used to assess the motives of …

Marital History And Retirement Security: An Empirical Analysis Of The Work, Family, And Gender Relationship, Lauren A. Martin Palmer

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the relationship between marital history and individuals’ retirement resources, namely Social Security, employer-sponsored pensions, and non-housing wealth. Prior research provides a foundation for understanding marriage’s positive relationship to retirement security, and suggests that marriage is financially beneficial and can even lessen some external factors that would otherwise damage a family’s financial situation. Yet changing demographics, with fewer people in first marriages and rising numbers of individuals experiencing divorce and choosing to remain unmarried, suggest our understanding of this relationship for today’s retirees may be limited. The purpose of this research is to identify which aspects of complex …

Preserving Personhood In Individuals With Cognitive Impairment: A Caregiver's Role, Maren Legg

Honors Projects

This project consists of an educational program for informal caregivers in the Bowling Green community on preserving personhood in individuals with cognitive impairments through caregiving experiences. The program was based on a copious amount of research regarding personhood, how personhood relates to individuals experiencing cognitive impairment, and how care provided by caregivers can be provided in a way that promotes and preserves an individual’s personality, personhood, and selfhood.

The program was developed over the span of four months and incorporates models of personhood, behaviors that threaten and preserve or promote personhood, as well as practical suggestions for strategies in how …

Needs Assessment For The Topsfield Council On Aging, Jan E. Mutchler, Ceara Somerville

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The Town of Topsfield’s older population grew substantially during the last decade. Increases are expected to continue as the number of seniors increase moving forward, as well as the share of the Topsfield population they represent. In response to these demographic changes, a study was undertaken to generate and organize information on the older residents of Topsfield and the community organizations supporting their well-being. Special focus was placed on needs of older residents along with the capacity of the Topsfield COA to meet those needs. Methods used included description of existing data, key informant interviews, and focus groups aimed at …

A Phenomenological Study Of Anticipated Intimacy And Sexual Expression Needs Of Aging Male And Female Baby Boomers., Charles Shawn Oak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand the phenomenon of how heterosexual Baby Boomers define and understand intimacy, sexual expression, along expectations and desires relating to their respective expressions across the lifespan through their individual experiences and reflections. A set of guiding questions were used in a hermeneutic phenomenological qualitative research design. Data was gathered from thirteen subjects (n=13) using the Rappaport Time Line (RTL) that was used to develop individualized semi-structured interviews and follow-up interviews that were professionally transcribed. These were coded to identify emergent themes. Results of the study provided insight into the phenomenon of how heterosexual …

Memory Deficits In Older Adults: Evaluating Spaced Retrieval With Multiple Probe Techniques, Christopher Walmsley

Dissertations

Difficulties in recognizing and remembering the names of individuals are a common behavioral symptom of major neurocognitive disorder. A number of behavioral strategies have been proposed to improve memory deficits, including spaced retrieval, an intervention that emphasizes delayed recall of target information. Unfortunately, many of the studies that report beneficial effects of spaced retrieval use a very limited range of outcome measures, thus calling into question the magnitude and generality of any reported memory improvement. This study reports on the impact of spaced retrieval using four older adults with cognitive impairment living in an assisted living facility. All participants demonstrated …

Economic Status And Old-Age Health In Poverty-Stricken Myanmar, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan, John Knodel

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objective: We examine the association between poverty, economic inequality, and health among elderly in Myanmar. Method: We analyze 2012 data from Myanmar’s first representative survey of older adults to investigate how health indicators vary across wealth quintiles as measured by household possessions and housing quality. Results: Poverty and poor health are pervasive. Self-assessed health, sensory impairment, and functional limitation consistently improve with higher wealth levels regardless of socio-demographic controls. Differentials in self-rated health and sensory impairment between the bottom and second quintiles are clearly evident, suggesting that relative economic inequality matters even among very poor elders and that a small …

The Situation Of Thailand’S Older Population: An Update Based On The 2014 Survey Of Older Persons In Thailand, John Knodel, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan, Vipan Prachuabmoh, Wiraporn Pothisiri

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Population ageing and the well-being of older persons are major emerging challenges for families, communities and government in Thailand as in much of Asia. The Thai government has been giving very serious attention to ageing issues. This was clearly indicated by the adoption of the Second National Plan for Older Persons covering 2002-2021, the prominence of ageing issues in the 2012-16 National Economic and Social Development Plan, and a 2015 establishment of the Department of Older Persons with expanded authority to carry out programs to support elderly Thais. Furthermore, the Old Age Allowance program was expanded in 2009 into a …

Motion Analysis Using Wearable Wireless Sensors To Support Treatment Of Diseases In The Elderly, Calvin Hoi Kok Cheung, Timothy Kin Sang Lee

Practical Social and Industrial Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Using Innovative Customer Relationship Management Technologies To Explore The Business Opportunities Of An Ageing Population And Provide Better Service, Paul Tak Wing Tsui, Fred Cheong Fai Li, Aaron Hok Chung Pang, Wai Fan Cheng

Practical Social and Industrial Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

The Ageing Bodies Study: Exploring Action Research Methods Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration, Yanki Yan Ki Lee, Albert Siu Yin Tsang, Timothy Kin Sang Lee, Cyril Yik Ching Lee

Practical Social and Industrial Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of The Elderly On Ageing In Place In Hong Kong, Kris Wai Ning Wong, Stella Sin Tung Kwok, Fiona Wing Yin Luk

Practical Social and Industrial Research Symposium

No abstract provided.

Engaging Older Adults To Build Social Capital, Beverly K. Lunsford, Danielle Janes

Nursing Faculty Publications

Countries are considering the healthcare implications as the proportion of older adults increases, including rising healthcare costs and resources needed as more adults want to "age in place" or continue living in the community. More in home resources and support services will be needed for older adults to continue living independently at homes. Older adults are an incredibly untapped resource with a continuing need to contribute to society and a willingness to help others. Older adults are working longer than ever before, so they have the potential to build their own social capital for meeting the needs of aging colleagues. …

Living Arrangements And Psychological Well-Being Of The Elderly After The Economic Transition In Vietnam, Ken Yamada, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Objectives: We examine the relationship between living arrangements and psychological well-being of the older adults in Vietnam, where there is an influence of Confucian values and a lack of close substitutes for family care of the older adults, by exploiting a great deal of regional variation in economic development. We also examine the role of living arrangements in well-being differentials across regions. Method: We estimate a triangular simultaneous-equation discrete-response model, which accounts for the simultaneity between living arrangements and psychological well-being (happiness, depression, loneliness, poor appetite, and sleep disorder), using a nationally representative sample of 2,225 adults aged 60 and …

Research Brief: "Economic Well-Being Among Older-Adult Households: Variation By Veteran And Disability Status", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This brief is about the impact of veteran and disability statuses on poverty and material hardship among elderly veterans. In policy and practice, veterans should use support services, such as the VA and local veterans groups, and social workers should take into account veteran and disability statuses when determining needs; the VA could change their income support programs to help disabled veterans. Suggestions for future research include accounting for individual differences among households and looking at how elderly veteran poverty affects family members.