Digital Commons Network^™

Creating Opportunities: Gerontological Service Learning In A Community Practice Project, Cindy Brown, Rosalie Otters, Carolyn Turturro

Administrative Issues Journal

Ten graduate gerontology students volunteered for a service learning project, My Life: Connect with Me, which was developed, supervised and evaluated by a graduate social work intern in a community practice internship. The social work intern trained volunteers in interviewing skills at a continuing care retirement community. Student volunteers’ self-reported confidence in interviewing older adults was measured by a questionnaire created by the social work intern, using Likert scaling and short qualitative responses, as well as journaling. All student volunteers reported increases from pre to posttest, and the social work intern successfully completed all community internship competencies (Council on Social …

Workload And The Changing Health Care Environment, Denisse Neill

Administrative Issues Journal

Changes in the health care environment have impacted nursing workload, quality of care, and patient safety. Nurses perceive that the quality of their work has diminished. Traditional nursing workload measures do not guarantee efficiency and do not adequately capture the complexity of nursing workload. Studies have identified tasks associated with nursing work but not the perception of the nurse about the mental work required to meet the demands. Human factors research examines cognitive and perceptual abilities needed to perform tasks in a reasonable time without error. Researchers using a human factors framework have focused on mental processing to understand why …

Nursing Workload And The Changing Health Care Environment: A Review Of The Literature, Denise Neill

Administrative Issues Journal

Changes in the health care environment have impacted nursing workload, quality of care, and patient safety. Traditional nursing workload measures do not guarantee efficiency, nor do they adequately capture the complexity of nursing workload. Review of the literature indicates nurses perceive the quality of their work has diminished. Research has looked at tasks associated with nursing work, but not the nurse’s perception of workload demands. Human factors research principles examine cognitive and perceptual abilities needed to meet the workload demands. A human factors framework focuses on mental demands and adds an understanding of why some demands are handled easily while …

Physical Therapy News, Volume 1, Issue 1, College Of Health Professions

Physical Therapy News

No abstract provided.

Synapse, Alabama Health Libraries Association

Synapse - Newsletter of ALHeLa

This is the Fall, 2011 edition of the ALHeLa newsletter - Synapse.

Contents include:

• President's Column
• Alabama Health Libraries Association - Executive Committee 2001
• Update from the Bylaws Committee : ALHeLA Bylaws
• Executive Committee Meeting Minutes
• Liaison Committee Report
• Upcoming 2011 Annual Meeting
• Robert Avant Student Award Winning Essay

Neuropsychiatric Profiles In Dementia, David K. Johnson, Amber S. Watts, Benjamin A. Chapin, Raeann E. Anderson, Jeffrey M. Burns

Psychology Faculty Publications

We compared patterns of neuropsychiatric symptoms across 4 dementia types [Alzheimer disease (AD), vascular dementia (VAD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and Parkinson disease dementia], and 2 mixed groups (AD/VAD and AD/DLB) in sample of 2,963 individuals from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center Uniform Data Set between September 2005 and June 2008. We used confirmatory factor analysis to compare neuropsychiatric symptom severity ratings made by collateral sources on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire for people with Clinical Dementia Rating scores of 1 or higher. A 3-factor model of psychiatric symptoms (mood, psychotic, and frontal) was shared across all dementia types. Between-group …

"It's Like We're Grasping At Anything!", B. Mastel-Smith, Melinda Hermanns

Faculty Posters

This poster was presented at the National Gerontological Association Annual Conference, in Louisville, Kentucky.

[Diabetes Mellitus As A Risk Factor For Dementia In The Mexican Elder Population] Diabetes Mellitus Como Factor De Riesgo De Demencia En La Población Adulta Mayor Mexicana, Silvia Mejia-Arango, Clemente Zúñiga-Gil

School of Medicine Publications

Introduction: Diabetes and dementia are growing problems throughout the world and especially in developing countries.

Aim: To determine the risk of developing dementia in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Patients and methods: Diabetic elders free of dementia from the Mexican Health and Aging study, a prospective community-based cohort research were followed after two years. Socio-demographic factors, comorbid conditions and type of diabetes treatment were analyzed in subjects who become demented.

Results: At baseline, 749 participants (13.8%) had diabetes mellitus. During the follow-up period (mean: 2.02 years; range: 1-3 years), 306 of 749 persons with diabetes mellitus developed dementia, yielding …

Measuring Enjoyment Of Physical Activity In Older Adults: Invariance Of The Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (Paces) Across Group And Time, Sean P. Mullen, Erin A. Olson, Siobhan M. Phillips, Amanda N. Szabo, Thomas R. Wójcicki, Emily L. Mailey, Neha P. Gothe, Jason T. Fanning, Arthur F. Kramer, Edward Mcauley

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

The purpose of this study was to validate the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) in a sample of older adults. Participants within two different exercise groups were assessed at two time points, 6 months apart. Group and longitudinal invariance was established for a novel, 8-item version of the PACES. The shortened, psychometrically sound measure provides researchers and practitioners an expedited and reliable instrument for assessing the enjoyment of physical activity.

Using Psychoanalytically Oriented Psychotherapy With The Elderly, Mark D. Miller, Md

Jefferson Journal of Psychiatry

Psychotherapy with the elderly, like geriatric medicine, has become a subject of renewed interest. This paper will review some pertinent aspects of the subject and hopefully dispel some myths. A case will be presented where psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy was employed. In this case, forced termination was necessary after one year due to the therapist graduating from residency.

Aligning Graduate Medical Education With Public Policy, Rob Cunningham

National Health Policy Forum

In late May–early June 2011, the Forum sponsored a site visit to Denver, Colorado, to observe innovative efforts to improve the health of Coloradans and reduce the cost of health care. The three-day agenda was designed to convey the breadth and interconnectedness of the efforts underway in Denver and to highlight both successes and challenges. The exploration concentrated on how three themes of national interest are unfolding in Denver: building and sustaining a robust and effective safety net in an evolving health care market; improving the health of people and their communities to prevent and reduce the need for health …

Senior Transportation Abstracts: A Focus On Options, Helen Kerschner, Nina M. Silverstein

Gerontology Institute Publications

This collection of abstracts represents a publication of importance for understanding the needs, challenges, solutions, and/or every day issues related to senior transportation services. While several of the abstracts include information about senior driver safety, the collection’s primary purpose is to present a holistic approach to transportation options for older adults. Such a collection is timely because, although the practice of providing transportation to older adults is not new, research and preparation of practical informational and technical materials related to older adult transportation service needs and service delivery are quite recent.

Massachusetts Senior Legal Assistance Project Needs Evaluation: Current Demand For Legal Services, Alison Gottlieb, Lauren A. Martin, Ellen A. Bruce

Gerontology Institute Publications

The Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston was contracted to conduct a statewide needs assessment for the MSLAP. As agreed upon by the MSLAP Advisory Board, the focus of this assessment was to analyze the demand for services Massachusetts legal service providers have experienced recently as a means to understanding the legal needs of Massachusetts elders (age 60 and older). A second needs assessment was conducted by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs. That needs assessment surveyed home care workers and other elder agency personnel to gauge their assessment of elders’ legal needs in Massachusetts. Read together, …

Creating A Niche: Medical-Surgical Nurses Role In Successful Program Development (Poster), Eileen Sacco Msn, Rn, Cnrn, Onc

Patient Care Services / Nursing

No abstract provided.

Chapter: The Advanced Practice Nurse In The Community, Kellie Smith, Molly A. Rose

College of Nursing Faculty Papers & Presentations

Objectives

After reading this chapter, the student should be able to do the following:

1. Briefly discuss the historical development of the roles of the advanced public health nurse and the nurse practitioner

2. Describe the educational requirements for population-focused advanced practice nurses

3. Discuss credentialing mechanisms in nursing as they relate to the role of the advanced practice nurse

4. Compare and contrast the various role functions of population-focused advanced practice nurses

5. Identify potential arenas of practice

6. Explore current issues and concerns related to practice

7. Identify five stressors that may affect nurses in expanded roles

Modification By Frailty Status Of Ambient Air Pollution Effects On Lung Function In Older Adults In The Cardiovascular Health Study, Sandrah P. Eckel, Thomas A. Louis, Paulo H.M. Chaves, Linda P. Fried, Helene G. Margolis

Johns Hopkins University, Dept. of Biostatistics Working Papers

Older adult susceptibility to air pollution health effects is well-recognized. Advanced age may act as a partial surrogate for conditions associated with aging. The authors investigated whether gerontologic frailty (a clinical health status metric) modified the effects of ambient ozone or particulate matter (PM10) air pollution on lung function in 3382 older adults using 7 years of followup data from the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) and the CHS Environmental Factors Ancillary Study. Monthly average pollution and annual frailty assessments were related to up to 3 repeated measurements of lung function using novel cumulative summaries of pollution and frailty histories that …

The Effects Of Gender And Elicitation Method On The Prosodic Cues Used By 7- To 11-Year-Old Children To Signal Sentence Type, Lacey Ann Powell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the prosodic cues used by 7 to 11 year-old children to signal questions and declarative statements in terms of changes in fundamental frequency (F0), duration, and intensity. Additional aims were to evaluate how children's use of prosody changes as a function of gender and method of elicitation. A group of 16 children participated in three different types of elicitation tasks (imitative, reading, and naturalistic). An acoustic analysis revealed that the participants produced the different sentence types using a variety of acoustic cues. Not only do children vary the mean of F0 and …

Natural Disasters And Older Adults: The Social Construction Of Disaster Planning, Elizabeth Fugate-Whitlock

Theses and Dissertations

Examining older adults’ experiences with and response toward hurricanes within the context of the community of residence is key to both understanding their experiences and planning for future hurricanes. Specific to this research, the objective was to understand the current social network of older adults, or who provides care for whom under what circumstances, using the social constructionist perspective. Grounded theory combined with action research was the theoretical orientation guiding the study. Sources of data included the collection of household disaster plans, semi-structured interviews with older adult residents of housing authority neighborhoods, semi-structured interviews with community planners, and observation of …

Medical School Watercooler Newsletter - July 3, 2011, Lindsey Lyle

Watercooler Newsletter

This is the July 3, 2011 edition of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine's newsletter, Watercooler

Contents Include

• USA College of Medicine Hosts Inaugural Crampton Trust Lecture in Geriatric Medicine

• Students, Residents and Faculty Named to USA Chapter of Gold Humanism Honor Society

• USA College of Medicine Welcomes Dr. Haidee Custodio

• Dr. Frye Retires After 17 Years of Service

Com Outlook Summer 2011, College Of Osteopathic Medicine

COM Outlook

No abstract provided.

Systematically Controlling For The Influence Of Age, Sex, Hertz And Time Post-Whole-Body Vibration Exposure On Four Measures Of Physical Performance In Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Randomized Cross-Over Study, Harold L. Merriman, C. Jayne Brahler, Kurt Jackson

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Though popular, there is little agreement on what whole-body vibration (WBV) parameters will optimize performance. This study aimed to clarify the effects of age, sex, hertz, and time on four physical function indicators in community-dwelling older adults (N = 32). Participants were exposed to 2 minutes WBV per session at either 2 Hz or 26 Hz, and outcome measures were recorded at 2-, 20-, and 40-minute post-WBV. Timed get-up-and-go and chair sit-and-reach performances improved post-WBV for both sexes, were significantly different between 2 Hz and 26 Hz treatments (P ≤ 0.05), and showed statistically significant interactions between age and gender …

Perceptions Of Coordination Of Care Between Hospice And Skilled Nursing Facility Care Providers, Kim Martz, Abigail Gerding

Nursing Faculty Publications and Presentations

The number of older Americans who are finding Nursing Homes (NH) or Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) as their final place of care is increasing each year, especially the fastest growing segment of the national population who are 85 years and older ¹. Although the majority of older adults would prefer to die in their homes, the frailty and complexities of advanced age are leading many to the nursing home setting ^{2, 3}. In 2020, it is reported that 40% of deaths of older adults will occur in the nursing home setting ^{4, 5}. Many studies have shown …

Principal Component Analysis Of Dietary And Lifestyle Patterns In Relation To Risk Of Subtypes Of Esophageal And Gastric Cancer, Stephanie A. Navarro Silvera, Susan T. Mayne, Harvey A. Risch, Marilie D. Gammon, Thomas Vaughan, Wong-Ho Chow, Joel A. Dubin, Robert Dubrow, Janet Schoenberg, Janet L. Stanford, A. Brian West, Heidrun Rotterdam, William J. Blot

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

Purpose

To carry out pattern analyses of dietary and lifestyle factors in relation to risk of esophageal and gastric cancers.

Methods

We evaluated risk factors for esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA),esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC), gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA), and other gastric cancers (OGA) using data from a population-based case-control study conducted in Connecticut, New Jersey, and western Washington state. Dietary/lifestyle patterns were created using principal component analysis (PCA). The impact of the resultant scores on cancer risk was estimated through logistic regression.

Results

PCA identified six patterns: meat/nitrite, fruit/vegetable, smoking/alcohol, legume/meat alternate, GERD/BMI, and fish/vitamin C. Risk of each cancer under study …

Psychological And Cognitive Determinants Of Vision Function In Age-Related Macular Degeneration., Barry W. Rovner, Robin J Casten, Robert W Massof, Benjamin E Leiby, William S Tasman

Department of Neurology Faculty Papers

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of coping strategies, depression, physical health, and cognition on National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire scores obtained at baseline in a sample of older patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) enrolled in the Improving Function in AMD Trial, a randomized controlled clinical trial that compares the efficacy of problem-solving therapy with that of supportive therapy to improve vision function in patients with AMD.

METHODS: Baseline evaluation of 241 older outpatients with advanced AMD who were enrolled in a clinical trial testing the efficacy of a behavioral intervention to improve vision function. Vision function was characterized …

Today - June 24, 2011, Loma Linda University

TODAY

Inside this issue:

-- Loma Linda University School of Medicine graduates record 10,000th medical student
-- Emmy Awards names Loma Linda TV show best in region
-- Loma Linda University bestows honorary doctorate to Lowell Cooper
-- Big changes to accompany new management agreement at Loma Linda Market
-- Allied health students support cystic fibrosis walk
-- Board of Trustees Report
-- Innerweave: The Wholeness Story
-- Association of American Medical Colleges report gives Loma Linda University School of Medicine high marks among national medical schools
-- Student research reveals poor-quality sleep may interfere with stroke recovery
-- GHI-sponsored trip …

Improving Delirium Care In The Intensive Care Unit: The Design Of A Pragmatic Study, Noll L. Campbell, Babar A. Khan, Mark Farber, Tiffany Campbell, Anthony J. Perkins, Siu L. Hui, Greg Abernathy, John Buckley, Regg Sing, Jason Tricker, Mohammad Zawahiri, Malaz A. Boustani

Department of Pharmacy Practice Faculty Publications

Background

Delirium prevalence in the intensive care unit (ICU) is high. Numerous psychotropic agents are used to manage delirium in the ICU with limited data regarding their efficacy or harms.

Methods/Design

This is a randomized controlled trial of 428 patients aged 18 and older suffering from delirium and admitted to the ICU of Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis. Subjects assigned to the intervention group will receive a multicomponent pharmacological management protocol for delirium (PMD) and those assigned to the control group will receive no change in their usual ICU care. The primary outcomes of the trial are (1) delirium severity …

Successful Aging And The Epidemiology Of Hiv, David E. Vance, Teena Mcguinness, Karen Musgrove, Nancy Ann Orel, Pariya L. Fazeli

Gerontology Faculty Publications

By 2015, it is estimated that nearly half of those living with HIV in the US will be 50 years of age and older. This dramatic change in the demographics of this clinical population represents unique challenges for patients, health care providers, and society-at-large. Fortunately, because of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and healthy lifestyle choices, it is now possible for many infected with HIV to age successfully with this disease; however, this depends upon one’s definition of successful aging. It is proposed that successful aging is composed of eight factors: length of life, biological health, cognitive efficiency, mental health, …

Caloric Restriction, Aerobic Exercise Training And Soluble Lectin-Like Oxidized Ldl Receptor-1 Levels In Overweight And Obese Post-Menopausal Women, Tina E. Brinkley, Xuewen Wang, Noriaki Kume, Hirokazu Mitsuoka, Barbara J. Nicklas

Faculty Publications

Background—Elevated circulating levels of soluble lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor-1 (sLOX-1) have been observed in obese persons and are reduced by weight loss. However, it is not known if combining caloric restriction (CR) with exercise training is better in reducing sLOX-1 levels than CR alone.

Objective—We examined whether the addition of aerobic exercise to a weight loss intervention differentially affects sLOX-1 levels in 61 abdominally obese postmenopausal women randomly assigned to a CR only (n=22), CR + moderate-intensity exercise (n=22), or CR + vigorous intensity exercise (n=17) intervention for 20 weeks. The caloric deficit was ~2,800 kcal/week for …

Chronic Disease Self-Management Programs: Relevance For Persons With Dementia, Nina M. Silverstein, Alison S. Gottlieb

Gerontology Institute Publications

The context for this study is the work of the Healthy Brain Initiative. The CDC has established a cooperative agreement with the Alzheimer’s Association to develop and implement a multifaceted approach to look at cognitive health as a public health issue. Late in 2010, the Association commissioned a review of the major chronic disease prevention programs from a systems approach to begin to understand the source of findings that Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer’s and related disorders are much higher cost than those simply with a single chronic disease and no AD. This led to the conclusion that Chronic Disease Self‐Management …

Analysis Of Vertical Ground Reaction Force Variables During A Sit To Stand Task In Participants Recovering From A Hip Fracture, Jeff R. Houck, Janet Kneiss, Susan V. Bukata, J. Edward Puzas

Faculty Publications - College of Physical Therapy

Background: A Sit to Stand task following a hip fracture may be achieved through compensations (e.g. bilateral arms and uninvolved lower extremity), not restoration of movement strategies of the involved lower extremity. The primary purpose was to compare upper and lower extremity movement strategies using the vertical ground reaction force during a Sit to Stand task in participants recovering from a hip fracture to control participants. The secondary purpose was to evaluate the correlation between vertical ground reaction force variables and validated functional measures.

Methods: Twenty eight community dwelling older adults, 14 who had a hip fracture and 14 control …