Digital Commons Network^™

The Dual Task Effect On Gait In Adults With Intellectual Disabilities: Is It Predictive For Falls?, Alyt Oppewal, Thessa I.M. Hilgenkamp

Physical Therapy Faculty Research

Purpose: Falling is an important health issue in adults with intellectual disabilities. Their cognitive and motor limitations may result in difficulties with dual tasking (walking and talking), which increases fall risk. Therefore, we assessed the dual task effect on gait in adults with intellectual disabilities, if this dual task effect is predictive for falls, and if this is more predictive than regular walking. Method: Gait characteristics of 31 adults with intellectual disabilities without Down syndrome were assessed with the GAITRite at comfortable speed and during dual tasking (conversation). Falls were collected over a three-month follow-up period. Results: During dual tasking, …

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 …

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 : 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 …

An Exploratory Study Of Formal And Informal Help-Seeking Behavior Among Married Individuals Who Are Thinking About Divorce, David Michael Simpson

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research on marital help-seeking has often focused on formal approaches such as marital therapy or relationship education and there is a greater need to understand married individual's informal help-seeking behaviors. This study explores both formal and informal help-seeking behavior using a national sample of 745 participants who have thought about divorce within the past 6-months. Findings indicate these participants more often engaged in informal help-seeking approaches to repair their marriage. Of those sampled, only 25% engaged in marital therapy together and only 9% engaged in a marriage strengthening class while over 30% read a relationship themed self-help book or …

Unobtrusive Monitoring To Detect Depression For Elderly With Chronic Illnesses, Jung-Yoon Kim, Na Liu, Hwee Xian Tan, Chao-Hsien Chu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Mental health related disorders are common diseases, especially among the elder. Among the various mental health diseases, one potential threat to ageing-in-place is the risk of depression. In this paper, we propose a simple unobtrusive sensing system using passive infra-red motion sensors to monitor the activities of daily living of elderly, who are living alone. A feature extraction module comprising of three layers-states, events, and activities, and the corresponding algorithms are proposed to extract features. Four popular classification models-neural network, C4.5 decision tree, Bayesian network, and support vector machine are then applied to detect the severity of depression. We implement …

Institutional Repositories And Academic Social Networks: Competition Or Complement? A Study Of Open Access Policy Compliance Vs. Researchgate Participation, Julia A. Lovett, Andrée J. Rathemacher, Divana Boukari, Corey Lang

Technical Services Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION The popularity of academic social networks like ResearchGate and Academia.edu indicates that scholars want to share their work, yet for universities with open access (OA) policies, these sites may be competing with institutional repositories (IRs) for content. This article seeks to reveal researcher practices, attitudes, and motivations around uploading their work to ResearchGate and complying with an institutional OA Policy through a study of faculty at the University of Rhode Island (URI). METHODS We conducted a population study to examine the participation by 558 full-time URI faculty members in the OA Policy and ResearchGate followed by a survey of …

Reduced Immune Investment With Energy Stress: Evidence From A Mouse Model And Human Studies, Alaina L. Schneider

Theses and Dissertations

During periods of energy stress, animals will prioritize and allocate energy from non-essential to essential tasks. Using a mouse model and published human data, we found that during periods of energy stress, energy is allocated away from immune function, and is prioritized for physical activity usage.

Age Differences In Stress And Coping: Problem-Focused Strategies Mediate The Relationship Between Age And Positive Affect, Yiwei Chen, Yisheng Peng, Huanzhen Xu, William H. O'Brien

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study examined the different types of stressors experienced by adults of different ages, their coping strategies, and positive/negative affect. A mediation hypothesis of coping strategies was tested on the relationships between age and positive/negative affect. One-hundred and ninety-six community-dwelling adults (age range 18-89 years old) reported the most stressful situation they experienced in the past month and coping strategies. Levels of positive and negative affect in the past month were also measured. Content analysis revealed age differences in different types of stressors adults reported. Three types of coping strategies were found: problem-focused, positive emotion-focused, and negative emotion-focused coping. …

Protecting The Environment: Awareness And Responsibility, Susan E. Mason, James J. Winkelman

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

Protecting the environment is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do, in terms of both short-term and long term business goals. Green businesses can realize immediate financial benefits from environmental sustainability and energy conservation, and there are branding benefits associated with developing and maintaining a reputation for integrity and social responsibility. All participants first answered demographic questions and then responded to a ten-item questionnaire, which was a modified version of Simpson’s (1998) environmental awareness questionnaire. In conclusion, the study revealed gender, age, and political affiliation difference in environmental awareness.

The Impact Of Intergenerational Projects On The Younger Person's View Of Older People, Ian Mcnamara

Journal of Social Care

Intergenerational projects and activities have become popular among both youth and senior citizen groups across Ireland. These programmes fill a variety of personal and societal needs as our society becomes increasingly age-segregated. This study examined the impact of intergenerational projects on a group of six girls aged 15 to 16 living in the west of Ireland. It explores preconceptions and changes in views towards older people, as well as personal impacts. All participants were members of a local youth group and had taken part in two intergenerational projects at a local nursing home. The first project involved working with residents …

The Drug Overdose Epidemic: Deaths Of Despair Or Deaths Of Addiction?, Marissa Botelho, Jennifer Lemos, Jessica Souza, Roger Clark

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

No abstract provided.

Enduring Chronic Kidney Disease: An Investigation Of Psychosocial Factors And Life Satisfaction In Older Adults Receiving Dialysis Treatment, Bailee Sobotka

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Chronic kidney disease is a condition during which the kidneys begin to shut down and no longer filter blood efficiently. Once the disease has progressed far enough, dialysis treatments are mandatory to sustain life. To further understand how older adults receiving dialysis treatments cope with their disease, psychosocial factors were evaluated to investigate possible correlations with life satisfaction using a Life Satisfaction Index Z (LSI-Z). Expected correlations with life satisfaction were sociability, financial satisfaction, importance of spirituality, and activities of daily living scores. Interviews were conducted with 30 dialysis patients and results were analyzed using various statistical measures. Significant correlations …

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 …

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 …

Service-Learning Times : Programme Booklet 2017/18 Semester 1, Office Of Service-Learning, Lingnan University

S-L Times

Service-Learning (S-L) integrates academic study with meaningful community service to create opportunities for students and staff to make positive impact locally, regionally, and globally. In line with Lingnan’s motto “Education for Service”, Service-Learning and Research Scheme (SLRS) aims to provide opportunities where students can apply subject-specific knowledge to the real world, while collaboration partners can benefit from the knowledge and innovation that faculty and students bring to these projects.

Innovation and entrepreneurship are central to SLRS as it is a priority for liberal arts students to understand and engage with the impact of technology on the humanities, and vice versa. …

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.

Religiosity And Chastity Among Single Young Adults And Married Adults, Sam A. Hardy, Brian J. Willoughby

Faculty Publications

The purpose of the present study was to present theological, philosophical, and psychological arguments for chastity as a virtue, and then test an empirical model linking religiosity to outcomes by way of values about chastity. Specifically, we tested a mediation model linking religiosity to outcomes via chastity values (beliefs about the importance of waiting until marriage to have sex and importance of sex within marriage as a bonding experience). This model was tested with a sample of single young adults (4,188) and a sample of married adults (2,531). Among single young adults, religiosity positively predicted abstinence beliefs, and abstinence beliefs …

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 …

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 …

Caregiver Integration During Discharge Planning For Older Adults To Reduce Resource Use: A Metaanalysis, Juleen Rodakowski, Philip Rocco, Maqui Ortiz, Barbara Folb, Richard Schulz, Sally C. Morton, Sally Caine Leathers, Lu Hu, A. Everette James

Political Science Faculty Research and Publications

Objectives

To determine the effect of integrating informal caregivers into discharge planning on postdischarge cost and resource use in older adults.

Design

A systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials that examine the effect of discharge planning with caregiver integration begun before discharge on healthcare cost and resource use outcomes. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for all English‐language articles published between 1990 and April 2016.

Setting

Hospital or skilled nursing facility.

Participants

Older adults with informal caregivers discharged to a community setting.

Measurements

Readmission rates, length of and time to post‐discharge rehospitalizations, costs of postdischarge …

Lanthorn, Vol. 52, No. 01, July 10, 2017, Grand Valley State University

Volume 52, July 10, 2017 - April 23, 2018

Lanthorn is Grand Valley State's student newspaper, published from 1968 to the present.

Evaluating Financial Planning Advertisements For Retirement In India: A Content Analysis, Ritu Gupta, Sudeepta Pradhan

The Qualitative Report

For Indians, retirement is neither a formal stage of life nor an issue that people dwell upon while planning their future. Despite the lack of preparation for retirement, a burgeoning population indicates a huge mass of retirees in the coming decades. These statistics trigger the need for individuals to prepare for their retirement appropriately, while accounting for factors like inflation. To highlight the significance of retirement planning and create awareness among the masses, pre-requisites to retirement planning should be effectively communicated. Extant literature suggests advertising to be one such measure of effective communication. This study intended to capture the extent …

Return To Religion? Predictors Of Religious Change Among Baby-Boomers In Their Transition To Later Life, Merril D. Silverstein, Vern L. Bengtson

Aging Studies Institute

Evidence suggests that engagement in meaningful activities in later life produces a variety of benefits to physical health, mental health, longevity, and overall quality of life (Levin, 1993; McFadden, 1995; Krause, 2003; Hill, Burdette, & Idler, 2011). Religion represents a key activity domain in which older adults participate at relatively high levels, particularly in the United States where religion plays an outsized role compared to other developed countries. Religious involvement operates at both personal and institutional levels. At the personal level, religion provides for many a belief system and moral philosophy, as well as a framework for approaching difficult and …

Personal Beliefs And Reactions To Age And Memory Threat In Everyday Materials, Carla M. Strickland-Hughes, Robin Lea West

College of the Pacific Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

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 …

Revisiting The Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, Compassion Satisfaction, And Resilience Connection Among Cism Responders, Harvey J. Burnett Jr.

Faculty Publications

Previous research by Burnett and Wahl found that resilience moderately mediated the association between compassion fatigue (CF) and burnout (BO) among trauma responders. No studies have attempted to replicate and verify the research results of Burnett and Wahl. This study examined whether similar patterns of resilience, CF, BO, and compassion satisfaction (CS) would be found among a convenience sample of disaster behavioral health (DBH) responders (N = 70) attending an annual Critical Incident Stress Management training conference in Michigan. Measures included the 30-item Professional Quality of Life Scale, the 14-Item Resilience Scale, the Response to Stressful Events Scale, and a …

Co-Localization Patterns Of Aquaporin-4 With Amyloid Beta And Cd68 In Alzheimer's Disease And Cerebrovascular Disease, Anthony Bryan Crum

Theses and Dissertations

Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is a key component in maintaining proper glymphatic flow. In recent years, the glymphatic system has been discovered and approached as a major factor in amyloid plaque clearance in Alzheimer's disease. This study examines the depolarization of AQP4 from the astrocytic endfeet and subsequent co-localization with amyloid plaques in the hippocampus and subiculum. Results show a significant pattern of co-localization in advanced Alzheimer's disease, as well as increases in AQP4 in cerebrovascular disease. This pattern shows AQP4 should be approached as a promising therapeutic area in future research.

The Effects Of Income And Ethnicity On Health Outcomes Of Mexican Immigrant And Anglo Women, Andrea M. Debarros

Theses and Dissertations

The Hispanic Paradox is the finding that Hispanic immigrants living in the United States have better health than Anglo Americans despite being socioeconomically disadvantaged (Crespo et al., 1996; Stern et al., 1999; Sundquist et al., 1999; Dixon et al, 2000; Lariscy et al., 2015; Overton et al., 2015; Thomson et al., 2013). The literature surrounding the Hispanic Paradox has studied these effects primarily in Mexican-American Immigrant populations (Sundquist et al., 1999; Dixon et al, 2000; Lariscy et al.); however, additional research has found similar findings for various other Hispanic countries such as Cuba and Puerto Rico (Abraido-Lanza, A F. et …