Digital Commons Network^™

Re-Imagining Care For Aging Disabled Adults, Caitlin L. Tizzard

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In Ontario, the landscape of aging is shaped by ageist and ableist ideologies that view older disabled adults through the lens of decline and dependency. Much of the current discourse on aging focuses on reforming long-term care (LTC), reinforcing institutional and carceral responses both within policy and academic imagination. This qualitative study takes a different approach by asking participants how care for aging disabled adults can be reimagined beyond institutionalization. Grounded in intersectional feminist, disability justice and abolitionist praxis, and using a critical transformative paradigm, this research employed Appreciative Inquiry across three focus groups with four participants engaged in aging-related …

Family And Community Role In The Provision Of Informal Care For Older People Living With Chronic Life-Limiting Illnesses In Rural Ghana, Barbara Adonteng-Kissi, Obed Adonteng-Kissi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Informal care for older people living with chronic life-limiting illnesses is associated with difficulties. The informal care system built around generational values and cultural norms is steadily weakening in rural Ghana because of economic challenges, migration, urbanisation, and changing family structure. In responding to this knowledge gap, we aimed to ascertain how the immediate family, extended family and community support impact on mechanisms underlying provision of informal care for older people living with chronic life-limiting illnesses. Ethnographic interviews were conducted amongst fifteen older people; fifteen informal caregivers; ten health care professionals, after participatory observations during six months of fieldwork utilised …

How Does Social Capital Influence The Preferences For Aging In The Community? Based On The Study Toward Older Adults In Yuexiu District, Guangzhou City, Biyun Xiang

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

This study examines how social capital influences older adults’ preferences for aging in the community, focusing on Yuexiu District, Guangzhou. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study explores family, structural, and cognitive dimensions of social capital.

Quantitative data were collected through 439 surveys, with 400 valid responses from adults aged 60 and above. Regression analysis identified key predictors of aging-in-community preferences, including family financial support, care commitment, activities with grandchildren, community trust, mutual help, and service satisfaction.

Qualitative data from 10 interviews with community service workers revealed six themes: (1) access to services like fitness and health screenings; (2) levels of …

Young Adults’ Views On Personal Death, Victor N. Soto

Anthós

Within academic discussions of death and dying, there is a deficit of qualitative studies on how young adults view personal death. This article explores young adults’ (18-24) views on personal death using inductive coding of the transcriptions of three 1:1 interviews and one focus group. Soto’s findings show that young adults view their personal death in three ways: 1) they reflect on family death experiences as frames of reference for personal death, 2) they rely on a life well- lived to ease anxiety around personal death, and 3) they use humor as a coping mechanism in thinking about and discussing …

Biological Aging Pathways That Underlie Life Course Socioeconomic Disparities In Physical Function And Longevity, Tara Gruenewald, Naomi Podber

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The poorer functioning and greater morbidity and mortality risk in those with greater life course socioeconomic disadvantage has led to the search for the biological processes that underlie these associations, including accelerated cellular and system aging. Our study examines whether a DNA methylation profile of the pace of biological aging (DunedinPACE) and a multi-system index of physiological dysregulation (allostatic load (AL)) mediate associations between life course socioeconomic disadvantage (SESDIS) and both physical function (gait speed, chair stand time) and survival. Data are from the Midlife in the U.S. Study (N=1,295, age 26–86, 55.4% female, 69.0% white). Measures included a multi-indicator …

The Empowerment Of Consumers With Disabilities: The Role Of Self-Esteem, Accessibility, And Access To Information, Megawati Simanjuntak, Fauzia Rahmi, Santi Utami Dewi

ASEAN Marketing Journal

Consumer empowerment in Indonesia remains relatively low, particularly for individuals with disabilities. This study investigates the roles of accessibility, self-esteem, and information access in empowering disabled consumers. A total of 100 participants with physical disabilities, aged 17 and older, were surveyed regarding their online and offline purchasing experiences. Data were collected via an online questionnaire and analyzed using SEM PLS. Results indicate that self-esteem and information accessibility significantly influence the empowerment of consumers with disabilities, with the Disabled Consumer Empowerment Index categorized as "not empowered." Notably, the knowledge dimension received the lowest scores based on a traffic-light system. These findings …

Managing The Cost Of Services For People With Disabilities: An International Approach. Part I: Poland, Dana Pugh, Jaroslaw Richard Romaniuk

Faculty Scholarship

Introduction: The cost of care for people with disabilities is rising, whereas all forms of support for them are decreasing. Countries and communities develop different ways to serve the disabled. We examined the comprehensive state of care from the perspective of cost management of services for individuals with disabilities in Poland. Method: This paper is based on a review of relevant international literature, with a special focus on the situation in Poland. A keyword search was completed in both Polish- and English-language databases. Results: In Poland, people with disabilities usually live with their families, and specialized services are offered outside …

Is Helping You Good For Me? Associations With Giving Capitalization Support And The Moderating Role Of Closeness, Samuel Molli

Psychology Theses and Dissertations

When good things happen, people often seek to share their joy with others. This act of sharing one’s positive experience with another is termed capitalization. Receiving capitalization support has been linked to multiple positive outcomes, especially when one receives an engaged and positive response. However, the outcomes related to giving engaged and positive responses to another’s capitalization are less clear. The current study sought to understand how responding positively to a romantic partner’s capitalization event is associated with the support provider’s momentary mood and interpersonal closeness. Additionally, the current study examined how the support provider’s trait-level closeness with their …

Self-Agency As A Strategy In Emergency Remote Learning Among Filipino Grade 10 Students, John Cris C. Tababa, Paul Andrei C. Apo, Golden Grace R. Gammaru, Audrey S. Manaay, Kathrin Anne N. Nadua, James Fhonzy Angelo S. Fontillo

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

The Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic significantly influences students' educational attainment as they actively find and rationalize knowledge obtained from emergency remote learning. As a response, the agency or the ability to regulate one’s learning provides the students with the ability to believe in themselves. Still, it also necessitates the deliberate consideration to create a plan of action and modify it as required to achieve one's objectives. This study obtained knowledge from emergency remote learning (ERL) experiences of Filipino Grade 10 Students in their Social Studies class. The researchers employed a phenomenological approach to understand the self-agency practices of Grade 10 …

From Margins To Mainstream: Embracing Neurodiverse Needs For An Inclusive Workplace, Ricardo Twumasi, Lewis Burton

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This article critically examines the dominance of neurotypical norms in contemporary workplaces and explores the potential for inclusive, neurodiverse workplaces to move from the margins to the mainstream. We offer a brief scoping review of the existing review literature on neurodivergence at work. Focusing on the more common neurominority differences such as autism spectrum, dyslexia and ADHD we apply the neurodiversity framework to challenge traditional notions of workplace "professionalism" and productivity. By synthesizing current research we propose constructive suggestions for creating truly neurodiverse work environments. Our analysis shows that the research community is calling out for long-term, scientific intervention trials …

Conceptualization, Measurement, And Contributors To Participation Among People Living With Parkinson’S Disease, Moon Young Kim

WUSM Theses and Dissertations – All Programs

Participation is a key outcome of rehabilitation and key to successful aging. Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) often experience significant challenges in maintaining participation in meaningful activities and roles. This dissertation examines the influence of living with PD on participation by integrating findings from three studies: a systematic review, a cross-sectional study, and a longitudinal study.

The systematic review synthesized the existing quantitative research on participation in people with PD, revealing inconsistencies in the conceptualization of participation. While the evaluation tools aimed at assessing participation in PD showed acceptable coverage of domains of participation, the assessment of the aspects of …

The Scientific Landscape Of The Aging-In-Place Literature: A Bibliometric Analysis, Saman Jamshidi, Nastaran Hashemi

Architecture Faculty Research

The world’s population is aging and, as populations age, they exhibit an increased prevalence of chronic diseases, which can reduce the independence of elderly individuals. The set of initiatives known as aging in place, a common policy response to the aging population, is preferred by both the elderly population and policymakers. Aging in place is a broad and multifaceted topic that involves multiple stakeholders and academic disciplines. A science map of the literature on aging in place can help researchers pinpoint their efforts and help policymakers make informed decisions. Thus, this study maps the scientific landscape of the aging-in-place literature. …

'T-W-O': External Challenges And Coping Strategies Of Chinese Social Work Service Organisations During The Epidemic, Bin Xu, Bowen Mcbeath, Haobo Xi

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

During the peak years of COVID-19, Chinese social work service organisations actively participated in the preventing and controlling of the pandemic. These organisations also faced external challenges that reflected changing public health policies, contractual and fiscal changes, and immense service needs. This paper describes the specific external challenges that a purposive sample of 11 Beijing-based social work service organisations experienced because of the pandemic, as well as the strategies they used to address them. We find that project and fiscal precarity were the greatest external risks faced by social service organisations. In order to mitigate these concerns, the organisations actively …

The Relations Between The Financial Wellbeing Of Custodial Grandparents, Their Overall Wellbeing, And Their Perceived Social Support, Paige L. Miller

Honors Theses

There have been numerous studies on how the financial wellbeing of custodial grandparents affects their overall wellbeing, and how the amount of social support custodial grandparents receive impacts their depressive and anxiety symptoms. However, little is known regarding the ways in which all three variables are related – financial wellbeing, overall wellbeing, and social support – or their impact on custodial grandparents. We examined the relations between these variables, as well as the moderating relation of financial wellbeing on social support and wellbeing. The data used in the current study was collected as part of a larger project, during which …

Navigating Menopause: Bridging The Gap Between Healthcare Practitioners And Black Women For Improved Clinical Support And Health Equity, Yejide Nelson-Glenn

MSW Capstone Conference

No abstract provided.

Donald Griffin: A Visionary In Science And Consciousness, Brock Fenton

Animal Sentience

I share some reflections on a sabbatical with Donald Griffin a half-century ago, with fieldwork on bats and echolocating swiftlets in Australia and our discussions of animal behavior and consciousness. Griffin's influence has been vast, from recent advances in bat research, including learning, navigation, and longevity, to his enduring legacy as a pioneer in animal cognition.

Exploring Gerotranscendence And End-Of-Life Choices: A Mixed-Methods Study On The Influence Of Health Literacy In Older Adults, Dyna C. Crease, Ashia Daniels

MSW Capstone Conference

No abstract provided.

Livable Marshfield: Age And Dementia Friendly Action Plan: Improving Livability For All Ages And Abilities, Caitlin E. Coyle, Beth Rouleau, Ceara Somerville

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The Town of Marshfield’s Age and Dementia Friendly action plan signifies a milestone and reflects many years of dedication to creating environments within Marshfield that are supportive of residents of all ages and abilities. Guided by the Council on Aging (COA), the Town of Marshfield is dedicated to understanding and responding to the needs and interests of older adults in the community. Over the years, the share of residents over age 60 has steadily grown. According to 2019-2023 estimates from the American Community Survey, an estimated 28% of Marshfield residents are age 60 or older (approximately 7,200 residents). Projections suggest …

Study Of The Effect Of Social Anxiety And Social Support On Third Place Perceptions In Student Samples, Lillian M. Lestrange

Honors Theses

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and perceived social support are well-documented to influence social interaction styles and behaviors. Some data suggests that SAD and social support relate to perceptions and familiarity with various public spaces outside of home and work (i.e., third places). This study assessed relations among social anxiety, self-perceived social support, and attitudes/beliefs about ten common third places (i.e., perceived degree of restorativeness, preference, and sentiment for these places) among undergraduate psychology students (n = 92). Contrary to predictions based on prior research (Fong et al, 2021, Case & Hunter, 2012), social anxiety symptoms did not correlate with any …

The Effects Of Individual Differences In Working Memory On Trust Recovery, Connie Ku

All Theses

While trust repair is an active area of inquiry, most technology does not have the ability to initiate trust repair. Thus, it is crucial to examine how unaided trust recovery occurs and the factors that could influence it. Prior research has highlighted the potential importance of individual difference factors such as working memory capacity (e.g., Rovira, Pak, McLaughlin, 2017). However, the specific dynamics of unaided trust recovery and how they are influenced by individual differences are unknown. This study examined how working memory (WM) was related to the process of unaided trust recovery. In addition, this study also examined the …

Patterns Of Activity Participation And The Well-Being Of Older Adults In Singapore, Zidane Tiew, Rachel Ngu, Yi Wen Tan

ROSA Research Briefs

Older adults participate in different types of activities and do so in varying frequencies. In this study, we utilised latent class analysis to identify underlying patterns of activity participation among the SLP respondents. We found three patterns: (i) generally active (i.e., socially, physically, and digitally active), (ii) physically and digitally active, and (iii) digitally active. Furthermore, we found that respondents who were more broadly active were more likely to experience higher levels of life satisfaction than those who were only digitally active. These respondents tended to be from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, report having better health, or had more close social …

A Report Summarizing Hsc Faculty Participants: Ithaka S+R Coordinated Study Making Ai Generative For Higher Education, Laura J. Hall, Robyn Gleasner

Publications

This report presents findings from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center’s (HSC) participation in the ITHAKA S+R study Making AI Generative for Higher Education. Seven faculty members from HSC disciplines including internal medicine, pathology, psychiatry, nursing, radiology, and population health were interviewed to explore their perspectives on generative AI (GenAI) in teaching and learning, research and scholarship, and institutional support. A unique theme of “practice” emerged, reflecting how GenAI is influencing clinical care, bench-to-bedside translation, and the preparation of students for future professional practice. The report highlights faculty experiences, ethical concerns, and support needs, offering insight into how …

“Being With God”: Prayer Biographies, Mysticism In Old Age, And Compassionate Love Among Older Jesuits, Stephen John Fogle

Gerontology Theses, Dissertations, and Student Creative Activity

This dissertation explores lived experiences of prayer and aging among older Jesuits from a religion, spirituality, and aging perspective in five chapters. Chapter One opens with a review of prayer in gerontological literature. The chapter recommends attention to prayer in life course perspective, details of prayer in old age as a relationship with divinity, and appreciation of religious and spiritual outcomes of aging. The chapter concludes with an overview of research with older Jesuits of the Upper Midwest. Chapter Two presents prayer biographies of older Jesuits in life course perspective. The chapter discusses how age stages, relationships, historical events, and …

Planning For The Future Of The Easthampton Council On Aging, Caitlin E. Coyle, Sue Berger

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes an assessment undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging (CSDRA) within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the ad hoc Senior Center Building Committee. The goals of this project were to document the features of other communities building processes, engage residents in preliminary conversation about their needs and preferences as they consider aging in Easthampton. Results of that work are described in this report and recommendations to the ad hoc building committee are provided. These recommendations are meant to provide an objective description of this preliminary community …

The Provision Of Healthcare For Older Adults In A Massachusetts Jail/House Of Correction: Perspectives From Providers, Laura Driscoll

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

THE PROVISION OF HEALTHCARE FOR OLDER ADULTS IN A MASSACHUSETTS JAIL/HOUSE OF CORRECTION: PERSPECTIVES FROM PROVIDERS November 2024 Laura C. Driscoll, B.S., Boston University M.S.P.T., Boston University DPT, MGH Institute of Health Professions M.S., University of Massachusetts Boston Ph.D., University of Massachusetts Boston Directed by Professor Jan Mutchler The aging population in U.S. jails is growing rapidly presenting significant challenges for healthcare provision within carceral settings. Older adults in these facilities often experience complex health conditions, including chronic diseases and age-related impairments, that require specialized care. Despite this, limited research has explored the experiences of healthcare providers tasked with caring …

Democratizing The Early Identification Of Alzheimer's Disease And Access To Care: The Role Of Psychologists In Brief Assessment, Jacqueline S. Hogan

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

As Alzheimer’s disease (AD) presents a growing public health challenge, accessible early detection tools are urgently needed. This study used data from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) (N = 1,536) to evaluate the ability of machine learning models to predict a conversion from normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD. A brief neuropsychological battery, including the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale–Cognitive Subscale (ADAS13), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), and Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ), was employed. The Gradient Boosted Trees model demonstrated superior performance, achieving an F1 score of 0.88, recall of 0.93, precision …

News You Can Use— Helping Older Adults Make Informed Food Choices, Chih-Cheng Lu, Sarah Francis

Journal of Human Sciences and Extension

This cross-sectional study investigates the impact of the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) Nutrition Education With Seniors (NEWS) program on the food-related challenges faced by older adults. The study used quarterly evaluations spanning 2012 to 2022, focusing on the application of newsletter information; 3,281 surveys were completed. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were employed for sociodemographic analysis, while z-tests with Bonferroni correction compared column proportions. Respondents were primarily female (64.5%), aged 60-69 (52.1%). Many encountered a decreased food supply (47.1%), yet experienced no impacts from these changes (47.3%.) Most used NEWS information for food choices (79.7%) and resource management (83.9%), …

Economic Disadvantage During Childhood, Obesity, And Diabetes Across Three Birth Cohorts Of Older Mexicans, Jesús-Daniel Zazueta-Borboa, Rafael Samper-Ternent, Rebeca Wong, Neil Mehta

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVES: Diabetes prevalence has increased markedly in Mexico. We examined the individual and joint contributions of economic disadvantage during childhood (EDDC) and elevated body weight on diabetes prevalence in 3 cohorts of Mexican adults.

METHODS: Data on those 60-69 years old from the 1930-1939, 1940-1949, and 1950-1959 birth cohorts in Waves 1 (2001), 3 (2012), and 5 (2018) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study were used. EDDC was defined as the absence of a toilet in the household before age 10. Body mass status was defined using self-reported perceived body image at age 50. Diabetes was based on respondent …

Computer Use Frequency And Cardiovascular Health In Middle-Aged And Older Adults, Meilan Hu, Shu Fen Diong, K. T. A. Sandeeshwara Kasturiratna, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

With increased computer usage amongst midlife and older adults, concerns are emerging with regards to the potential adverse health effects of computer use given the sedentary habits it may encourage. The current study aims to investigate the relationship between computer use and cardiovascular risk in midlife and older adults. From the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States II: Biomarker Project (2004–2009) and the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS II), 2004–2006, we examined five cardiovascular risk biomarkers—high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, interleukin-6, and C-reactive protein—in relation to self-reported general …

Positive And Negative Affect Differentially Predict Individual Differences And Intra-Individual Changes In Daily Cognitive Failures In Younger And Older Adults, Ysabel A. Guevarra, Nadyanna M. Majeed, Nur Eva Alisha Binte Mohamed Hisham, Andree Hartanto

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

(1) Background: Cognitive failures, including lapses in attention, memory, and executive functioning, can negatively affect daily performance and well-being. Negative and positive affectivity have been implicated in cognitive functioning, yet their relationship with cognitive failures remains underexplored. This study investigates the impact of positive and negative affect on cognitive failures, using daily diary methods to examine both within-person and between-person associations in a sample of younger adults from Singapore and adults across the lifespan from the United States (US). (2) Methods: Participants (Singapore: N = 253, US: N = 1726) completed daily diaries over seven (Singapore) or eight (US) consecutive …