Digital Commons Network^™

Primary Care Physicians’ Attitudes, Beliefs, And Actions Toward Geriatric Treatment, Andrea Renee Holzner

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIn the United States, an estimated 49.2 million older adults seek specialized geriatric medical treatment from a primary care physician (PCP). Due to a nationwide geriatrician deficit resulting from significant aging population growth, PCPs now manage specialized geriatric issues, such as Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive assessments, and physiological impairments, such as Parkinson’s, due to non-normative aging. Although PCPs may take geriatric courses, geriatric specialization is beyond a normative primary care medical practice. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore primary care physician attitudes, beliefs, and actions, toward geriatrics and to expand the understanding of primary care physicians’ geriatric …

Adult Day Care Staff Education To Improve Communication And Behavioral Management Skills, Kathy Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractIneffective communication and behavioral management skills are quality and safety issues that were identified at a local adult day care facility in the Southwest United States. Administrators at the facility identified a knowledge gap in communication and behavior management techniques for patients with cognitive impairment. An educational program, with a PowerPoint presentation and verbal feedback as key components, was developed and used to address the identified gap in practice related to individuals with cognitive impairments at the facility. The adult learning theory and the plan-do-study-act model provided supportive frameworks for program development and staff education. The project question explored whether …

The Lived Experience Of Quality Of Life Of Older Adults In Rural Ghana, Benjamin Arthur

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The quality of life (QOL) of older adults in rural Ghana is of growing concern, locally and throughout the country. In Ghana, it is the tradition for family members to take care of older adults without any government support, but research has shown that changing economic and social structures make this tradition less optimal, so older adults suffer physically and emotionally. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of QOL for older adults in rural Ghana. The ecological systems theory was used to explore the integral role of family support and QOL in the microsystem, …

Help-Seeking For Mental Health Problems Among Older Adults With Chronic Disease: An Application Of The Theory Of Planned Behaviour, Claire Adams, Eyal Gringart, Natalie Strobel, Paul Masterman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Objective: Despite high risk for mental health problems, older adults with chronic diseases underutilise mental health services. This study applied the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to understand mental health help-seeking intentions among this population and identified factors which influence help-seeking intentions.

Method: We conducted a cross-sectional study with a non-clinical sample of 108 older adults aged 65 years or over, living with cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and/or type 2 diabetes. TPB variables (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control), intentions to seek help, and additional factors (past help-seeking behaviour, quality of life, and physical health) were assessed using standardised …

Exercise Shifts Hypothetical Food Choices Toward Greater Amounts And More Immediate Consumption, Karsten Koehler, Safiya E. Beckford, Elise Thayer, Alexandra R. Martin, Julie B. Boron, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Although exercise modulates appetite regulation and food intake, it remains poorly understood how exercise impacts decision-making about food. The purpose of the present study was to assess the impact of an acute exercise bout on hypothetical choices related to the amount and timing of food intake. Forty-one healthy participants (22.0 ± 2.6 years; 23.7 ± 2.5 kg/m 2 , 56% female) completed 45 min of aerobic exercise and a resting control condition in randomized order. Food amount preferences and intertemporal food preferences (preference for immediate vs. delayed consumption) were assessed using electronic questionnaires with visual food cues. Compared to rest, …

Handicraft Art Leisure Activities And Cognitive Reserve, Genna Mashinchi

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

With increasing age, older individuals face a higher likelihood of developing dementia. The rate of cognitive decline resulting from dementia is not equivalent for all, as some patients with dementia are able to function independently longer than others, despite having similar disease burden. The cognitive reserve (CR) theory provides one explanation for the differing rate of decline. CR suggests that there are factors — most notably, educational and occupational attainment — that can protect against the cognitive decline that is a hallmark of dementia. Although the beneficial effects of these notable CR factors are clear, they may not be modifiable. …

An Encore In Social Work? How Our Schools Can Become More Age Inclusive, Cal J. Halvorsen, Erin Emmanuel

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

At a time when the number of younger students entering our colleges and universities is stagnant and the number of older people in our society continues to grow by the millions, schools of social work have an opportunity to broaden their student base by intentionally including people past midlife. This commentary argues that we must recruit and retain “encore students”—defined as those aged 35 and older—in our social work programs for schools, students, the profession, and society. It covers key demographic changes in the U.S. and their relation to social work programs, the importance of multigenerational classrooms, interest in encore …

Accessibility And Usability Of Internet Among Postgraduate Medical Trainees Of Postgraduate Medical Institute (Pgmi) Peshawar, Saeed Ullah Mr, Saeedullah Jan Dr, Ahmad Sohail Dr, Muhammad Yahya Jan Mr

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study is quantitative in nature. It is conducted to determine the approach of Postgraduate Medical Trainees towards internet use. This study is carried out at Postgraduate Medical Institute (PGMI) Peshawar Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The main theme of this piece of document was to examine the purpose, location of internet usage by Postgraduate Medical Trainees along with the Problems being faced during the browsing of internet. This study will also try to know the satisfaction level of these medical trainees. Data was collected through questionnaires. A total of 235 copies of questionnaires were distributed, out of which 231 copies were …

Music, Dhikr, And Deep Breathing Technique To Decrease Depression Level In Older Adults: Evidence-Based Practice In Depok City, Indonesia, Bahtiar Bahtiar, Junaiti Sahar, Wdiyatuti Widyatuti

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

Depression is a mental health problem that affects the elderly. As meeting the spiritual needs of depressed older people is important, a spiritual approach nursing intervention must be applied to reduce the level of depression in this population. This study proposed an integrated spiritual nursing approach through music therapy, dhikr, and deep breathing to improve depression levels among the elderly living in Cisalak Pasar, Depok City, in 2019. The research method used was a case study of an evidence-based practice using the Geriatric Depression Scale. The study sample consisted of 106 elderly, who were recruited by purposive sampling. The average …

Analisis Faktor Socioeconomic Status (Ses) Terhadap Kesehatan Mental: Gejala Depresi Di Indonesia, Yustika Dewi, Riki Relaksana, Adiatma Y. M. Siregar

Jurnal Ekonomi Kesehatan Indonesia

According to the World Federation of Mental Health, 1 of 5 people in the world experiences a mental disorder. Several studies have mentioned that one of the primary factors that cause mental disorders is the low of socioeconomic status in developing countries. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the influence of socioeconomic status factors on depressive symptoms as a mental disorder, in one of the developing countries, Indonesia. This study uses a quantitative method based on secondary data taken from the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS) wave 5 using the CESD-R 10 questionnaire for depressive symptom variables. Depression symptom …

The Effectiveness Of Behavioral Counseling As Intervention Of Abasement, Aggression, And Endurance Of High School Students, I Ketut Gading

Jurnal Kajian Bimbingan dan Konseling

This study aims to determine: (1) the effectiveness of behavioral counseling with assertive training techniques to increase the nature of abasement, (2) the effectiveness of behavioral counseling with shaping techniques to reduce the nature of aggression, and (3) the effectiveness of behavioral counseling with self-management techniques to increase the nature of endurance. This study employed an experimental study with a pre-test post-test control group. Participants involved were 37 class XI students of the Lab. School Undiksha. To recruit the participants, a purposive sampling technique was used by which the participants were students with low abasement, high aggression, and low endurance. …

Risk And Protective Factors Associated With Custodial Grandparents’ Psychological Distress In Covid-19, Yanfeng Xu Ph.D., Merav Jedwab, Qi Wu, Sue Levkoff, Ling Xu

Faculty and Staff Publications

The fear and anxiety of COVID-19 and its related policy measures have increased individuals’ psychological distress. The objective of this study was to examine relationships between material hardship, parenting stress, social support, and resilience and custodial grandparents’ psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic and further investigate the moderating role of kinship license status. A cross-sectional survey was administered to collect data from custodial grandparents (N = 362) in the United States. T-tests, chi-square tests, and logistic regression models were conducted using STATA 15.0. Results indicated that material hardship (OR = 1.77, p < 0.001) was associated with higher odds of psychological distress, whereas custodial grandparents’ resilience (OR = 0.08, p < 0.001) and social support (OR = 0.39, p < 0.001) were associated with lower odds of experiencing psychological distress. Increased parenting stress in COVID-19 was not significantly associated with psychological distress. Kinship license status moderated the relationships between social support (OR = 0.23, p < 0.05), resilience (OR = 5.06, p < 0.05) and psychological distress. To address custodial grandparents’ psychological distress, more allocated emergency funds and tailored financial services should be provided to meet material needs, and interventions with a focus on resilience and social support are particularly needed. Although licensed custodial grandparents were more likely to experience psychological distress due to their pre-existing vulnerability than unlicensed counterparts, parallel services should be provided to all kinship caregivers.

Interpreting The Data: Reflections On Asl-English Cross Language Research, Serena Johnson

The Qualitative Report

Cross language research typically ignores the role the translator and translation play in the research process. This paper adds to the literature by examining some of the challenges experienced during the translation and interpretation aspect of research. This autoethnography explores the positionality of a non-native user of American Sign Language who conducted research with native American Sign Language users. Findings indicate that translation and interpretation in research is not simply a matter of rote process and deserves more attention as an integral aspect of cross-language research.

Cellphone Laws And Teens' Calling While Driving: Analysis Of Repeated Cross-Sectional Surveys In 2013, 2015, 2017, And 2019, Li Li, Caitlin N. Pope, Rebecca R. Andridge, Julie K. Bower, Guoqing Hu, Motao Zhu

Graduate Center for Gerontology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Distracted driving among teens is a public health and safety concern. Most states in the U.S. have sought to restrict cellphone use while driving by enacting laws. This study examines the difference in prevalence of self-reported calling while driving (CWD) between states with different cellphone bans.

METHODS: Demographics and CWD data were extracted from state Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) from 14 states in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019. The state YRBS is conducted every 2 years with a representative sample of 9th through 12th grade students attending public school. States were grouped by type of cellphone law(s): no …

Exploring Optimism And Purpose In Life As Mediators Of The Association Between Childhood Socioeconomic Status And Common Cold Susceptibility, Stephanie Munduruca, Vivian Luong, Brooke N. Jenkins

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Americans suffer from 1 billion colds a year. Correspondingly, previous research has shown that lower socioeconomic status (SES) during childhood is associated with lower adult health, including decreased resistance to the common cold. This correlation between childhood SES and common cold susceptibility may be mediated by an individual's optimism and purpose in life. Of interest, several studies have found evidence that higher childhood SES is associated with a higher purpose of life and higher optimism. Furthermore, previous evidence has confirmed that higher optimism and higher purpose of life are linked to better …

Longitudinal Stress-Buffering Effects Of Social Integration For Late-Life Functional Health, Masa Toyama, Heather R. Fuller

Psychology Faculty Research

Stress can negatively affect multiple aspects of health, including functional health, among older adults, who are likely to face unique, age-related stressful experiences. Previous research has addressed the protective effects of social relations (i.e., social ties, social participation, and social integration) for physical and mental health outcomes, yet few studies have examined functional health. This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal stress-buffering effects of social integration on late-life functional health. Using three-wave data from 399 older adults (aged older than 60 years), two-level hierarchical linear modeling analysis was conducted and the results indicated that in addition to its main effect …

An Investigation Of Processes Linking Patient-Centered Communication Approaches To Favorable Impressions Of Vietnamese Physicians And Hospital Services, Christopher Mckinley, Yam Limbu, Long Pham

College of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works

Strong doctor-patient relationships generate greater patient satisfaction and compliance with physician recommendations. Although prior research has explored distinct factors driving favorable patient outcomes, investigations have yet to comprehensively address the efficacy of different communication styles. Furthermore, it is critical to explore the full impact communication approaches have on perceptions of medical services. This investigation addressed two patient-centered communication approaches – empathy and nonverbal immediacy – as antecedents to Vietnamese patients’ impressions of physicians and hospital services. Results showed that these two factors were powerful, independent predictors of satisfaction and trust. Conversely, patient participation was a less robust predictor of judgments …

Transportation Barriers For Substance Abuse And Mental Health Outpatient Treatment Programs: A Scoping Review, Joseph David Harwerth

Social Work Theses - Archive

Purpose: The purpose of this manuscript is to help identify transportation barriers and facilitators that impact treatment initiation and continuation for clients with Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and/or mental health needs seeking outpatient services. The author also documented how these barriers were operationalized and measured while seeking to understand which populations have been most impacted by transportation barriers. Methods: The author conducted a scoping review and documented all of the relevant academic literature regarding transportation barriers and facilitators for individuals seeking outpatient treatment with SUDs and/or mental health concerns. Results: The author identified 28 studies. Some marginalized groups, such as …

Healthcare Utilization Patterns Among Children With A History Of Child Protective Services Investigations, Jill Mcleigh, Christian Carr, Heidi Roman, Jessica Fults, Jennifer Reingle Gonzalez, Corron Sanders, Michiko Otsuki Clutter, Ray Tsai, Katelyn Jetelina

Health Status, Outcomes, and Literacy and Healthcare Utilization

Examine whether children with a prior child protective services (CPS) investigation had different healthcare utilization compared to children without a history of CPS investigations.

For questions about this study or others, please email [email protected]

childrens.com/fostercare

Envisioning An Age Friendly Stoneham, Caitlin Coyle, Mary Krebs

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

Tucked between two major highways, about nine miles from Boston, the Town of Stoneham is currently home to more than 22, 000 residents, 27% of which are age 60 and older. According to projections created by the Donahue Institute at the University of Massachusetts, a trend toward an older population in Stoneham is expected in future decades. Donahue Institute vintage projections suggest that by 2035, more than one out of each three Stoneham’s residents will be age 60 or older—28% of the town’s population will be between the ages of 60 and 79, with an additional 10% age 80 and …

Aging Strong For All: Examining Aging Equity In The City Of Boston, Jan Mutchler, Caitlin Coyle, Nidya Velasco Roldán, Paul Watanabe, Cedric Woods, Lorna Rivera, Quito Swan, Elena Stone, Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The experience of being and becoming older differs substantially based on one’s race, ethnicity, and gender. In the City of Boston, it has never been more critical to strategically pursue greater equity in the aging experience of residents. According to data from the US Census Bureau, the number of Boston residents aged 60 or older increased by more than a third just since 2010 and persons of color now make up half of Boston’s older adults. As well, stakeholders share a growing recognition of the powerful ways in which inequity, racism and discrimination shape health outcomes and the aging experience, …

Shaping Identity: Older Adults’ Perceived Community Volunteering Experiences In Shanghai, Lin Chen, Minzhi Ye, Yilin Wu

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

This study explores elderly volunteers’ identity during their experiences volunteering in the community in Shanghai. Purposive and snowball sampling strategies were used to recruit elderly volunteers to participate in semi-structured, in-depth interviews (N = 40). Participants developed new identities during volunteering. Through volunteering, they also continued to sustain their professional identities and Chinese Communist Party identities. Volunteering had both positive and negative implications for participants’ identities. Our findings suggest that volunteering strengthened participants’ role identity and social identity to better adapt to life after retirement. Volunteering also helped participants achieve identity continuity. This study offers nuanced sociocultural context to …

Baby Boomers In Technology-Rich Environments: Using Piaac To Study The Association Of Workplace Learning With Technology Competency, Julie M. Galliart

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A skill gap in Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments (PS-TRE) between U.S. Baby Boomers and younger generations has been documented in previous studies using the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Survey of Adult Skills (Rampey et al., 2016). Bringing this generation of workers up to speed in this competency area is important because older workers are a growing segment of the U.S. workforce with 13 million employees expected to be age 65 or older by 2024 (Toossi & Torpey, 2017). Workplace learning may be a solution, but few studies in adult learning document outcomes of training …

Dietary Regulation Of Successful Aging, Aubree L. Hawley

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current growth of the older population is unprecedented in U.S. history. Chronic disease and functional limitation commonly develop prior to old age, leading to prolonged physical disability and decreased well-being. The development of chronic disease and loss of independence is associated with lean body mass (LBM) loss and fat mass gain beginning in middle age. Therefore, it is important to identify modifiable factors to mitigate deleterious shifts in body composition to promote successful aging (SA). The concept of SA is associated with longevity, the absence of disease and disability, and subjective components of well-being, however, an operational definition has …

Prediction Of Nocturia In Live Alone Elderly Using Unobtrusive In-Home Sensors, Barry Nuqoba, Hwee-Pink Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Nocturia, or the need to void (or urinate) one or more times in the middle of night time sleeping, represents a significant economic burden for individuals and healthcare systems. Although it can be diagnosed in the hospital, most people tend to regard nocturia as a usual event, resulting in underreported diagnosis and treatment. Data from self-reporting via a voiding diary may be irregular and subjective especially among the elderly due to memory problems. This study aims to detect the presence of nocturia through passive in-home monitoring to inform intervention (e.g., seeking diagnosis and treatment) to improve the physical and mental …

Staying Connected: The Importance Of Social Integration On The Well-Being Of Older Adults, Paulin T. Straughan, Vincent Chua, Stephen Hoskins, Frosch Quek

ROSA Research Briefs

It has been about a year since COVID-19 first emerged and reshaped the daily lives of people around the globe, including Singaporeans. Since moving past the circuit breaker in June, Singapore has gradually re-opened and relaxed its restrictions in different phases. As Singapore prepares for Phase 3- the final and least restrictive phase, it is important to examine how Singaporeans have coped and responded with the circuit breaker (7 April 2020) and its gradual easing of restriction in Phase 1 (2nd June 2020) and Phase 2 (19 June 2020), and identify the groups which have fallen through the gaps in …

Feedback And Social Comparison: The Effects Of Comparing One’S Performance To The Group, Ryan Joseph Walz

Theses and Dissertations

Although feedback has been shown to improve performance, few studies have examined the effect of feedback containing information on peer performance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of feedback on individual performance and feedback containing information on peer performance. Three participants were exposed to a no-feedback baseline condition, a standard individual feedback condition, and an individual feedback condition with information on the group’s average performance. The dependent variable was the rate of correct responses on a computer-based simulated work task. Withdrawal designs were used to evaluate the effect of the two types of feedback on performance. …

Altruistic Attitudes Among Older Adults: Examining Construct Validity And Measurement Invariance Of A New Scale, Tirth R. Bhatta, Eva Kahana, Nirmala Lekhak, Boaz Kahana, Elizabeth Midlarsky

Sociology Faculty Research

Background and Objectives: Scholarly research has established the role of altruism in facilitating human cooperation and prosocial behaviors and highlighted its contribution to psychological well-being. Given the health significance of altruistic attitudes and orientations, we developed a valid and reliable measure of this construct that is suitable for use with older adults. Research Design and Methods: Based on data from a long-term panel study on adaptation to frailty among older adults (n = 366; mean age = 86 years), we used confirmatory factor analysis to perform construct validation of a five-item Elderly Care Research Center Altruism Scale among older adults …

The Early Impact Of The Affordable Care Act Upon Colorectal Cancer Screening Utilization In Florida, Aldenise P. Ewing, Laura Baum, Rosalyn Roker, Marlene Joannie Bewa, Tali Schneider, Claudia F. Parvanta, Clement K. Gwede, Cathy D. Meade, Dinorah Martinez Tyson

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Background: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Although preventable and curable through screening, early detection and treatment, a lack of health insurance is a major obstacle to receiving colorectal cancer screening (CRCS). Despite the Affordable Care Act (ACA) increasing access to health insurance by mandating coverage of CRCS, disparities in utilization rates continue. Therefore, researchers sought to better understand ACA related facilitators and impediments that affect the utilization of CRCS and collect specific recommendations from healthcare professionals to increase screening utilization rates in Florida.

Methods: Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with …

Harmony Study: Pimavanserin Significantly Reduces Risk Of Relapse Of Dementia-Related Psychosis, Erin P. Foff, Jeffrey L. Cummings, Maria-Eugenia Soto-Martin, Pierre Tariot, Bradley Mcevoy, Srdjan Stankovic

Integrated Health Sciences Faculty Research

No abstract provided.