Digital Commons Network^™

2012 Author Recognition Bibliography, Grand Valley State University Libraries

Author Recognition

No abstract provided.

2011 Touro College & University System Faculty Publications, Touro College & University System

Faculty Publications Books

This is the 2011 edition of the Faculty Publications Book of the Touro College & University System. It includes all eligible 2011 publication citations of faculty within the Touro College & University System. It was produced by the Touro College Libraries.

Operation Compassionate Care, Christine Yackel

Syracuse University Magazine

No abstract provided.

Speak Loud And Clear: Relating Intergenerational Service-Learning To Ageism And Elderspeak, Kristin Hultgren

Psychology Student Work

Speech modification for older adults, commonly referred to as “elderspeak,” is a discriminatory behavior that affects older adults in interactions with family, friends, strangers, healthcare professionals, and long-term care facility staff. The current study investigates the relationship between Intergenerational Service-Learning (ISL) and both ageism and elderspeak. Undergraduate students enrolled in service-learning (SL) projects with older adults (N = 11) or children (N = 20), completed the Fraboni Scale of Ageism (FSA), an Implicit Associations test (IAT), and a communication map task. In the communication map task, students were asked to verbally describe a route on a given map to both …

Encyclopedia Of Housing [Review], Michael J. Hughes

Library Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Medical Decision Making Among Mexican-American Elderly Women, Norma Patricia Toro-Hernandez

Theses Digitization Project

Access to medical coverage has been a topic of constant disussion for many years, in particular accessibility for Mexican-American elderly women to have their medical needs met. Consequently, many elderly women use alternative forms of medicine such as 'remedios caseros' (herbal medicine) as a means to get their medical needs met. The purpose of this study was to understand the reasons elderly women continue to use alternative medicine even when they are elgible for health insurance such as Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurances.

Attitudes About Sexual Intimacy In The Veterans Home Of California-Barstow, Eric Efren Reyes

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to measure staff attitudes about sexual intimacy in the Veterans Home of California-Barstow (VHCB). Participants were twenty-seven VHCB staff members. The data collected was used for the purpose of understanding, and then formulating suggestions for implementing better institutional interventions and policy in the VHCB.

The Influence Of Social Support On Depression Among Seniors Over 65 Living In Their Homes, Marilene Reed

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of social support on depression among seniors over 65 years of age living in their homes. As part of the aging process, most elderly will face many losses and stresses such as the loss of income, family and friends, and the decline of health and mental capacities.

Tri-Level Assisted Living For The Elderly And Its Correlation With Depression And Quality Of Life, Stephanie Jean Berberich

Theses Digitization Project

This study tried to see if there is a correlation with the level of care an elderly person receives in a tri-level assisted living home and the quality of life they perceive and the level of depression they experience. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used. 18 participants were individually interviewed and were verbally administered the tests and questionnaire from a local tri-level assisted living facility in San Bernardino County which has 103 residents.

The Effects Of A Hospitalized Elderly Mobility Pilot Program: A Secondary Analysis, Natalie Alexandrovna Richmeier

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this research is to conduct a secondary analysis of data from an Elderly Inpatient Mobility Program pilot tested in a 545 bed hospital. Mobility and ambulation are essential functions that help people maintain their health. They are especially important for the elderly whose functions may be compromised by age related changes of decreased muscle strength and elasticity, bone fragility, ligaments deterioration, decreased endurance, and acquired chronic conditions.

Expectations Do Not Always Influence Food Liking, Jamie Phillip Hale

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present experiment was to examine how expectations influence cracker ratings on a scale of likeability. A large body of research shows that expectations affect food experiences (Wansink, 2004; Eertmans, Baeyens & Van den Bergh, 2001; Kahkonen & Tuorila, 1998). Participants were not aware that the primary interest of the study was how expectations influence cracker ratings. Participants were assigned to either a positive expectation group or a neutral expectation group. Participants in the positive expectation group received a positive verbal cue indicating that the crackers had recently been rated high in a national taste test. The …

Time For Myself, Time For Others: Gender Differences In The Meaning Of Retirement, Kate L. Lanning

Sociology Honors Projects

Research has demonstrated that work is a meaningful activity that contributes to peoples' identities. This meaning, however, may depend on the stage of the life course that one is in, and may be gendered. To contribute to understanding the social meaning of work and potentially gendered life-course transitions, I examine the experiences of older adults with work and retirement. Through interviews with both retired and working older adults, I examine whether and how older men and women differ from each other in the workplace and in retirement. Men and women face different challenges if they continue to work and when …

Construct Validity Of Animal-Assisted Therapy And Activities: How Important Is The Animal In Aat?, Lori Marino

Animal-Assisted Therapy Collection

Animal-assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities involve a nonhuman animal as a key therapeutic agent in some kind of intervention that may range from highly specified, as in AAT, to more casual, as in AAA. In this review I address the question: How important is the animal in animal therapy? In other words, does the recent literature strongly support the notion that a live animal, as opposed to another novel stimulating component, is specifically necessary for therapeutic success. Two meta-analyses and 28 single empirical studies were reviewed in order to address this issue. I conclude that the effects of AAT and …

Maintaining Friendships In Early Stage Dementia: Factors To Consider, Phyllis Braudy Harris

Sociology

Friendships and the importance of social connectiveness play a critical role in aging well, regardless of gender, race, social class, or impairment. Yet, dementia takes its toll on social relationships, and many friends withdraw and ‘disappear’, because they can no longer bear to see the changes that are taking place in their diagnosed friend. The dementia care literature documents this abandonment; however, this study examines the opposite occurrence. In order to understand more clearly the role of long-term friendships and how such friendships remain and continue, despite the diagnosis of dementia, this qualitative study examines in depth eight people in …

What Effect Does Information Technology Have On The Elderly And Their Family (S), Tom Allen Harrell

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study is to find definitive changes within the dynamics of friendships and families in relation to the questions of information and communication technology (ICT) use and how it affects social capital of the elderly and their families and friends. What is now considered ordinary operations such as dialing, texting, photographing, gaming, email and voice mail, downloading, etc., is not viewed as ordinary forms of communication by some people and particularly, not by portions of the elderly population.

Usability Of Unproctored Internet Testing: Needs Of Older Applicants, Leslie Ann Hagen

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to contribute to bridging the gap between research and practice by investigating the particular usability and design issues that impact applicant perceptions when using unproctored testing, particularly the potentially unique reactions of older applicants. Age was also used as a variable to determine if it moderates applicant perceptions of procedural justice, organizational attraction and intentions toward the organization when taking an unproctored test.

Gender Differences And Perspectives On Elderly Care In China, Stefanie Carreiro

Undergraduate Review

China not only has the largest population in the world but also the fastest population aging rate. The one-child policy was created in 1979 as a means to control the dramatic growth in China’s population (Hesketh, Lu & Xing, 2005). The first generation of children born into the one-child policy is coming to the age where they will need to consider how they are going to care for their parents. Often these individuals have the challenge of caring for four grandparents, a child as well as themselves and a husband or wife, otherwise known as the 4:2:1 phenomenon (Hasketh et …

Do Indigenous Australians Age Prematurely? The Implications Of Life Expectancy And Health Conditions Of Older Indigenous People For Health And Aged Care Policy, Philippa R. Cotter, John R. Condon, Tony Barnes, Ian P.S. Anderson, Leonard R. Smith, Teresa Cunningham

Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi)

Objective. To assess whether Indigenous Australians age prematurely compared with other Australians, as implied by Australian Government aged care policy, which uses age 50 years and over for population-based planning for Indigenous people compared with 70 years for non-indigenous people.

Methods. Cross-sectional analysis of aged care assessment, hospital and health survey data comparing Indigenous and non-indigenous age-specific prevalence of health conditions. Analysis of life tables for Indigenous and non-indigenous populations comparing life expectancy at different ages.

Results. At age 63 for women and age 65 for men, Indigenous people had the same life expectancy as non-indigenous people at age 70. …

Preliminary Analysis Of The Geriatric Intelligence Test, Adam W. Fominaya

ETD Archive

The Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence was not designed specifically for older adults. Many potential confounding factors occur with greater frequency in the elderly population and these may make the WASI a less appropriate measure of general cognitive functioning. This preliminary study aimed to develop the Geriatric Intelligence Test (GIT). Items were piloted on older adults (>80) who also completed two WASI Subtests. Preliminary results show that multiple GIT subtests are strong predictors of WASI subtest scores and showed good internal consistency. Results will be used to develop a more parsimonious version of the test

Teacher Support As A Moderator Of Behavioral Outcomes For Youth Exposed To Stressful Life Events, Rebekah S. Huber, Sarah K. Sifers, Daniel Houlihan, Rachel Youngblom

Psychology Department Publications

The present study examined the relationship between teacher support, life stress, and behavioral outcomes in 103 youth. Participants completed questionnaires regarding life events, social support, personality, and behavior. Moderated regression analyses were conducted using youth perceptions of teacher support and negative life events to predict externalizing and internalizing problems. Results revealed a significant interaction between teacher support and life stress, indicating teacher support successfully moderated the effect of stress on externalizing problems. Main effects for life stress were consistent with previous literature suggesting that higher amounts of stress predict greater externalizing and internalizing problems. Implications for teacher support are discussed.

Health Effects Associated With Foreclosure: A Secondary Analysis Of Hospital Discharge Data, Nancy Menzel, Sheniz Moonie, Melva V. Thompson-Robinson

Nursing Faculty Research

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to assess the health effects of high home foreclosure rates in an area of the United States of America and the utility of hospital discharge data for this purpose. Methods. We analyzed hospital discharge data from three postal zip codes using the principal diagnosis for 25 Diagnostic Related Groups associated with stress. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize hospital discharge rates for each condition by year and zip code. To test for differences across time, the Cochran-Armitage trend test was performed. Results. Most conditions did not demonstrate a statistical change between …

Predictors Of Chinese College Students’ Attitudes Toward Older Adults, Deana Andrade

Undergraduate Review

Historically, filial piety has been a fundamental tenet in Chinese culture. Respecting older adults was expected in society and is an important principle of China’s filial piety responsibility within its culture. However, demographic transformation and economic and social changes in rapidly modernizing societies challenge traditional values. Very little empirical research has examined the factors which influence the attitudes toward older adults among Chinese college students. The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that predict attitudes of Chinese college students toward the aging population.

Young And Older Adults’ Beliefs About Effective Ways To Mitigate Age-Related Memory Decline, Michael Horhorta, Tara T. Lineweaver, Monique Ositelu, Kristi Summers, Christopher Herzog

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

This study investigated whether young and older adults vary in their beliefs about the impact of various mitigating factors on age-related memory decline. Eighty young (ages 18–23) and eighty older (ages 60–82) participants reported their beliefs about their own memory abilities and the strategies that they use in their everyday lives to attempt to control their memory. Participants also reported their beliefs about memory change with age for hypothetical target individuals who were described as using (or not using) various means to mitigate memory decline. There were no age differences in personal beliefs about control over current or future memory …

Social Work In A Very Rural Place: A Study Of Practitioners In The Upper Peninsula Of Michigan, Paul Force-Emery Mackie

Social Work Department Publications

This study focuses on characteristics, challenges, and benefits of practicing social work in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. Using a mixed-methods design, data were analyzed to determine demographic descriptors, seek differences between groups, and learn why social workers pursue and remain in social service employment in the UP. In addition, challenges and benefits of rural practice and perceptions of living and working in this region are addressed. Quantitatively, differences were found between younger and older social workers regarding where they currently live and where they grew up, and whether or not they were raised in a rural location. Qualitative …

Memory Priming In Elderly Individuals Diagnosed With Dementia, Jessica Lee Deselms

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of the current study was to examine the efficacy of a novel memory enhancement procedure for individuals with dementia named "memory priming." Three elderly individuals with a diagnosis of dementia participated in the study. Baseline procedures involved identifying low-probability items that served as targets for the intervention and moderate-probability questions that served as control items. A variation of a reversal design was implemented to compare three different conditions: the memory priming intervention and two control conditions that involved reading aloud and a watching a video. The results of the study indicated that individuals with moderate-to-severe memory impairment do …

"Still Here, Trying To Find My Way": Understanding The Experiences Of Hiv Disruption And Reorganization Among Older African Americans In Detroit, Andrea Nevedal

Wayne State University Dissertations

Adults aged fifty and older are the fastest growing age group with HIV/AIDS. Research on older adults with HIV has focused primarily on health status and physiological changes that occur as people age with HIV. However, little is known about the socio-cultural consequences that occur when older adults are diagnosed with HIV and as they age with HIV. Drawing from an anthropological approach to the life course and Becker's (1997) framework of life disruption, this dissertation research explored to what extent people experienced disruption from living with HIV and reorganized their lives after experiencing disruption.

The specific aims included identifying …

Eastern Ichigan University Graduate Catalog, 2012-2013, Office Of The Registrar

Graduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Graduate Student Researchers' Knowledge/Efficacy: Results From A Virtual Lab, Lee Stadtlander, Martha Giles

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Stadtlander and Giles (2010) showed the feasibility of a virtual psychology research laboratory. The present study examines improvement in students’ research skills and efficacy in a three quarter lab. Students conducted interviews in a faculty designed project, analyzed the data, and co-wrote a journal manuscript. Findings indicate lab students’ research knowledge and efficacy improved significantly over non-lab graduate students.

Important Information Literacy Standards For Life And Health Sciences, Betsy S. Hopkins

Faculty Publications

Information literacy in the life and health sciences is a dynamic field, with challenges, opportunities, and rewards for the successful practitioner. This chapter will describe the big picture of information literacy in these disciplines, list relevant performance indicators from the ALA/ACRL/STS Task Force on Information Literacy for Science and Technology [STS-TFILST] (2006) Information Literacy Standards for Science and Technology (hereafter Standards), and give some practical advice for life and health sciences librarians and librarians with instructional responsibilities in those disciplines. The focus is on undergraduates at research universities, although many principles and strategies will apply to other circumstances.

Dynamic Associations Of Change In Physical Activity And Change In Cognitive Function: Coordinated Analyses Of Four Longitudinal Studies, Magnus Lindwall, Cynthia R. Cimino, Laura Gibbons, Meghan Mitchell, Andreana Benitez, Cassandra L. Brown, Robert F. Kennison, Steven D. Shirk, Alireza Atri, Annie Robitaille, Stuart W. Macdonald, Elizabeth M. Zelinski, Sherry L. Willis, K. Warner Schaie, Boo Johannson, Marcus Praetorius, Roger A. Dixon, Dan M. Mungas, Scott M. Hofer, Andrea M. Piccinin

Psychology Faculty Publications

The present study used a coordinated analyses approach to examine the association of physical activity and cognitive change in four longitudinal studies. A series of multilevel growth models with physical activity included both as a fixed (between-person) and time-varying (within-person) predictor of four domains of cognitive function (reasoning, memory, fluency, and semantic knowledge) was used. Baseline physical activity predicted fluency, reasoning and memory in two studies. However, there was a consistent pattern of positive relationships between time-specific changes in physical activity and time-specific changes in cognition, controlling for expected linear trajectories over time, across all four studies. This pattern was …