Digital Commons Network^™

Aging In Eastham: A Community Needs Assessment, Caitlin Coyle, Beth Rouleau

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research undertaken by the Center for Social & Demographic Research on Aging within the Gerontology Institute at the University of Massachusetts Boston, on behalf of the Eastham Council on Aging. The goals of this project were to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Eastham’s residents age 50 or older. The contents of this report are meant to inform the Town of Eastham, the Eastham Council on Aging and Senior Center, and organizations that work with and on behalf of older residents of Eastham for the purposes of planning and coordination of services. The report will …

College Students And Beliefs In The American Dream: The Impact Of Race, Class, And Gender, Maggie E. Marlow

Honors College Theses

The concept of the American Dream and its promises of prosperity and social mobility, primarily through hard work, has been prevalent throughout modern U.S. history. However, what defines the American Dream has been arbitrary and varied, and research has shown that attitudes and beliefs surrounding the Dream have changed over time with shifts in the economic and political environments. The research for this thesis uses qualitative methods, specifically thematic analysis, to analyze 16 in-depth, one-on-one interviews to examine how students attending a predominantly white university in the Southeastern United States perceive the American Dream today while factoring in how those …

The Cogenerate Innovation Fellowship: Supporting Leaders Of Intergenerational Initiatives, Cal J. Halvorsen, Eunice Lin Nichols, Janet Oh

Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging

This Case Report provides a detailed overview of the CoGenerate Innovation Fellowship, a 9-month fellowship that supports leaders of intergenerational initiatives developed by the national nonprofit organization, CoGenerate. It describes the Fellowship’s recruitment and cohort development strategies, monthly meetings and community-building efforts, end-of-Fellowship celebration, and post-Fellowship support. It summarizes findings from the two-year pilot’s process and outcomes evaluation and provides recommendations to individuals and organizations seeking to support social sector innovators who are leading intergenerational initiatives.

Fostering Inclusivity And Resilience: Challenges To Community-Based Empowerment For Trans Elders In Roanoke, Virginia, Summer Skye Allison

Undergraduate Honors Theses

As popular media disseminates harmful “culture war” rhetoric regarding trans folk it has become increasingly necessary to amplify their voices to give them power over how they are perceived by society. Though political discourse regarding trans children has become a hot-button topic, this paper seeks to explore the overlooked experiences of trans elders as they contend with intersecting instances of ageism and transphobia from individuals and institutions in Roanoke, Virginia. Since community-based organizations like the Roanoke Diversity Center and Ladies and Gents of the Blue Ridge have been instrumental to strengthening the LGBTQ+ community in Roanoke, this research focuses on …

Connecting With Clients In Later Life: The Use Of Telebehavioral Health To Address Older Adults’ Mental Health Needs, Jordan B. Westcott, Nicolette Castagna, Megan K. Baker, Jaclyn Musci, Nick Gowen, Benjamin Wiley, Benjamin Comire, Anne Patterson, Matthew C. Fullen

Adultspan Journal

Telebehavioral health offers a unique opportunity to expand access to mental health services for older clients by addressing systemic barriers that often render mental health care inaccessible in later life. Although health interventions facilitated by technology, including telebehavioral health approaches, proliferated at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, little guidance exists for counselors seeking to provide such services to clients in later life. In this manuscript, we describe challenges accessing mental health services, how telebehavioral health services can address these barriers, and practical consideration for delivering telebehavioral health approaches for counselors who work with older clients.

Integrating Feminist Approaches In Counseling Work With Adult Women, Kristen M. Toole

Adultspan Journal

The scope of ‘women’s issues’ in counseling is an ever-evolving landscape. Recent events such as the reversal of Roe v. Wade and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women serve as powerful reminders of the necessity of this focus while underscoring a deep-rooted history of oppressive patriarchal structures. Therefore, counselors must remain informed of the unique considerations surrounding adult women in counseling and acquire proficiency in versatile techniques to meet this population’s nuanced needs. This article examines the complexity of contemporary womanhood and explores the fundamentals of Feminist Counseling Theory (FCT), a holistic, multiculturally conscious, social justice theory in counseling. …

Utilization Of The Social Determinants Of Mental Health Framework With Older Adults For Assessment, Case Conceptualization, And Treatment Planning, Janelle L. Jones, Julia Lancaster, Lauren Robins, Wendy K. Killam, Matthew L. Nice, Bisola Duyile

Adultspan Journal

This conceptual paper will aid counselors and mental health professionals in obtaining insight to utilizing a Social Determinants of Mental Health Framework with older adult clients. Further, the article incorporates the Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling Competencies to further contextualize the therapeutic alliance. The authors utilize the Social Determinants of Mental Health Framework to frame counseling assessment, case conceptualization, and treatment planning to improve the mental health outcomes of older adults. The article utilizes a specific case example to assess, conceptualize, and plan treatment for an older adult client contextualized in their environment.

State Of Nebraska Digital Equity Plan: Understanding The Digital Equity Needs Of Covered Populations In Nebraska, Josie Gatti Schafer, Julie L. Masters, Morgan Vogel, Chris Kelly, Laurel Sariscsany, Ignacio Ruelas Avila, Tara Grell

Publications

According to 2021 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 7% of Nebraska households do not have access to a computer and 6% of Nebraska households have access to a computer but no internet. Although recent efforts suggest there is momentum and government action at both the federal and state levels to address lack of broadband (Hammel, 2023; Newman, 2023), this still leaves a considerable number of Nebraskans without access to reliable broadband in the meantime. Furthermore, broadband access is moot if Nebraskans do not have access or cannot afford technology and the cost of internet in the …

Tshlf And Tshl Memorandum Of Understanding And 2025-2023 Roster Foundation Board Of Directors For The Texas Silver-Haired Legislature Foundation, Texas Silver-Haired Legislature

Texas Silver-Haired Legislature

Memorandum of Understanding between the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature and the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature Foundation dated during the 20th TSHL Legislative Session and the 2025-2023 Rosters Foundation Board of Directors for the Texas Silver-Haired Legislatures Foundation.

Family Caregiving Of The Elderly In The U.S. And Nepal, Barsha Kharel

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In an aging society, family caregiving is becoming an increasingly important topic. Elderly adults often rely on their family members as the primary source of support as they age. This paper presents a systematic literature review of family caregiving practices for the elderly in the U.S. and Nepal. The aim is to explore the differences and similarities between the two countries in terms of family caregiving practices for the elderly. The review includes five initial literature sources and identifies two common themes: first, both societies consider family as the main source of support for the elderly, and secondly, elderly people …

Living Alone During Old Age And The Risk Of Dementia: Assessing The Cumulative Risk Of Living Alone, Benjamin A. Shaw, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objectives: This study examines the association between living alone during old age and dementia. Whereas most previous studies on this topic utilize measures of living alone status that were obtained at a single point in time, we compare this typical approach to one that measures long-term exposure to living alone among older adults and assesses whether dementia is more likely to occur within individuals with more accumulated time living alone. Methods: Data come from the Health and Retirement Study, with a follow-up period of 2000–2018. A total of 18,171 older adults were followed during this period, resulting in 78,490 person-waves …

長者健康理財素養全攻略 : 智醒篇, 嶺南大學政策研究院

嶺大賽馬會長者健康及理財教育計劃

此書冊為一本供長者自學使用的參考書，內容涵蓋消費教育單元的教學內容，從知識、態度及行為入手解構日常消費基本知識、規劃你需要的服務及合約及醫療消費及陷阱防範的要點。

長者健康理財素養訓練指南, 嶺南大學政策研究院

嶺大賽馬會長者健康及理財教育計劃

此書冊為一本為社工及教學人員而設的健康理財素養教材套，內附各單元的活動流程設計及附加資料以供活動設計者參考。

長者健康理財素養全攻略 : 智財篇, 嶺南大學政策研究院

嶺大賽馬會長者健康及理財教育計劃

此書冊為一本供長者自學使用的參考書，內容涵蓋退休理財單元的教學內容，從知識、態度及行為入手解構退休財務基本知識、投資規劃及 為退休理財作出準備的要點。

長者健康X理財 : 測量指標你要知 : 下冊, 嶺南大學政策研究院

嶺大賽馬會長者健康及理財教育計劃

此書冊為一本供長者自學使用的參考書，內附健康理財素養量度工具、測試提示及指標解讀對照表、其他網上資源及自行測試工具以供讀者輕鬆地測試自己的健康理財素養。

長者健康理財素養全攻略 : 智齡篇, 嶺南大學政策研究院

嶺大賽馬會長者健康及理財教育計劃

此書冊為一本供長者自學使用的參考書，內容涵蓋健康理財規劃單元的教學內容，從知識及行為入手解構健康管理基本知識、 健康財務規劃及預防勝於治療的要點。

Occupational Stress Of Adult Protective Service Workers, Tiffany Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has revealed that adult protective service workers experience high levels of occupational stress that often result in health complications such as burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue. Although several qualitative studies have been conducted over the past decade, there was limited information on the phenomenon of how stress is experienced by adult protective service workers investigating cases of alleged elder abuse. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of a sample of adult protective service caseworkers from the southwestern United States that have experienced occupational stress while investigating cases of elder abuse. This study …

Occupational Stress Of Adult Protective Service Workers, Tiffany Taylor

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research has revealed that adult protective service workers experience high levels of occupational stress that often result in health complications such as burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue. Although several qualitative studies have been conducted over the past decade, there was limited information on the phenomenon of how stress is experienced by adult protective service workers investigating cases of alleged elder abuse. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of a sample of adult protective service caseworkers from the southwestern United States that have experienced occupational stress while investigating cases of elder abuse. This study …

รูปแบบการอยู่อาศัยและการออมของผู้สูงอายุไทย, พิฤดา พยัคฆ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาถึงรูปแบบการอยู่อาศัยที่มีผลต่อการออมของผู้สูงอายุไทย โดยมีตัวแปรควบคุม ประกอบด้วย ปัจจัยทางประชากร ปัจจัยทางเศรษฐกิจ และปัจจัยทางสังคม โดยใช้ข้อมูล การสำรวจประชากรสูงอายุในประเทศไทย พ.ศ. 2564 ของ สำนักงานสถิติแห่งชาติ มาทำการวิเคราะห์เชิงปริมาณแบบสองทางเลือกด้วยวิธี Probit model ผลการศึกษาพบว่า ผู้สูงอายุที่อาศัยอยู่ในครัวเรือนแหว่งกลางจะมีโอกาสออมน้อยกว่า เมื่อเทียบกับผู้สูงอายุที่อาศัยอยู่เพียงลำพัง และมีโอกาสออมน้อยที่สุด เมื่อเทียบกับรูปแบบการอยู่อาศัยแบบอื่น ซึ่งมีผลมาจากภาวะหนี้สินของตนเอง หรือ หนี้สินของครัวเรือน โดยจากผลการวิเคราะห์ข้อมูลแบบไขว้ ชี้ให้เห็นว่า เกือบครึ่งหนึ่งของจำนวนผู้สูงอายุที่อาศัยอยู่ในครัวเรือนแหว่งกลางมีหนี้สินของครัวเรือนอยู่ ในขณะที่จำนวนผู้สูงอายุที่อาศัยอยู่เพียงลำพังและมีหนี้สิน มีจำนวนไม่ถึง ร้อยละ 20 นอกจากนี้การมีเงินออมของผูู้สูงอายุมีความสัมพันธ์กับเพศของผู้สูงอายุ ซึ่งพบว่า ผู้สูงอายุหญิงส่วนใหญ่อาศัยอยู่ในครัวเรือนที่ไม่มีหนี้สิน และมีสัดส่วนของการได้รับการเกื้อหนุนจากบุตรสูง จึงมีโอกาสในการออมมากกว่า เมื่อเทียบกับผู้สูงอายุชาย ทั้งนี้ผู้สูงอายุช่วงตอนปลายส่วนใหญ่อยู่ในครัวเรือนปลอดหนี้ ทำให้มีโอกาสในการออมมากกว่า เมื่อเทียบกับผู้สูงอายุช่วงอื่น สำหรับผู้สูงอายุที่อยู่ในทุกระดับการศึกษา จะทำให้มีโอกาสออมมากกว่า ผู้สูงอายุที่ไม่มีการศึกษา โดยสะท้อนให้เห็นว่า รูปแบบการอยู่อาศัย มีผลต่อความเป็นอยู่ที่ดีของผู้สูงอายุ รวมถึงการเกื้อหนุนจากบุตรในครัวเรือนและนอกครัวเรือน ที่เป็นอีกหนึ่งทางในการสนับสนุนให้ผู้สูงอายุมี ออมมากขึ้น เมื่อเทียบกับผู้สูงอายุที่ไม่ได้รับการเกื้อหนุนจากบุตร หรือ ไม่มีบุตร อีกทั้งภาวะหนี้สินของผู้สูงอายุ เช่น หนี้สินของตนเอง และหนี้สินของครัวเรือน เป็นประเด็นท้าทายที่ผู้สูงอายุต้องเผชิญ อันส่งผลต่อการออมโดยตรง

Exploring The Definition Of Resilience: A Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Study In Adults Over The Age Of 65, Sara J. Blessington

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The definition of a word helps us understand its context and how it is meant to be used in daily life or research. When a word lacks a universal definition, it is hard to know how to use it. “Resilience” is that type of word. The resilience community in psychological research does not have a concrete, universal definition for this word. It takes on whatever characteristics are useful to the investigator. This study began with seeking a universal definition for the domain known as resilience. This study used a convergent parallel design with adults aged 60 and older living independently …

Social Vulnerability And The Prevalence Of Opioid Use Disorder Among Older Medicare Beneficiaries In U.S. Counties, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Stephen A. Matthews, Carla Shoff

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objectives: Recent research has investigated the factors associated with the prevalence of opioid use disorder (OUD) among older adults (65+), which has rapidly increased in the past decade. However, little is known about the relationship between social vulnerability and the prevalence of OUD, and even less about whether the correlates of the prevalence of OUD vary across the social vulnerability spectrum. This study aims to fill these gaps. Methods: We assemble a county-level data set in the contiguous United States (U.S.) by merging 2021 Medicare claims with the CDC’s social vulnerability index and other covariates. Using the total number of …

Care Visits: Obligations, Opportunities And Constraints For Vietnamese Grandparent Visitors In Australia, Hien Thi Nguyen, Loretta Baldassar, Raelene Wilding

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In examining the ageing-migration nexus from a Global South perspective, this paper explores the obligations, opportunities and constraints of caregiving performed by Vietnamese grandparent visitors during their sojourns in Australia. Employing a grounded theory approach and care circulation framework, we investigate how grandparent visitors and adult migrant children experience and understand care and ageing in contexts of mobility, including an analysis of how gender, age, socio-economic contexts and culture shape and affect their care norms and practices. The analysis emphasizes the critical contributions that Vietnamese grandparents make to the reproductive labour of their adult migrant children who often face challenges …

Accelerometer-Measured Latent Physical Activity Profiles And Neurocognition Among Middle-Aged And Older Hispanic/Latino Adults In The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study Of Latinos (Hchs/Sol)\, Priscilla M Vásquez, Wassim Tarraf, Albert Chai, Adit Doza, Daniela Sotres-Alvarez, Keith M Diaz, Zvinka Z Zlatar, Ramon A Durazo-Arvizu, Linda C Gallo, Mayra L Estrella, Elizabeth Vásquez, Kelly R Evenson, Tasneem Khambaty, Bharat Thyagarajan, Richard H Singer, Neil Schneiderman, Martha L Daviglus, Hector M González

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objectives: Derive latent profiles of accelerometry-measured moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for Hispanic/Latino adults, examine associations between latent MVPA profiles and neurocognition, and describe profiles via self-reported MVPA.

Methods: Complex survey design methods were applied to cross-sectional data from 7,672 adults ages 45-74 years in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL; 2008-2011). MVPA was measured via hip-worn accelerometers. Latent profile analysis was applied to derive latent MVPA profiles (minutes/day of week). Neurocognition was assessed with the Brief-Spanish English Verbal Learning Test (B-SEVLT) Sum, B-SEVLT Recall, Controlled Oral Word Association Test (word fluency), and Digit Symbol Substitution (DSS) test. All …

An Exploration Of Service Needs And Preferences Of Dementia Caregivers In Kentucky, Heehyul Moon, Sunshine Rote, Allison Kacmar, Amy Kostelic, Bari Lewis

Family Sciences Faculty Publications

As Americans live longer, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias will increase. Caregivers are critical to the care and life quality of people with dementia. Yet, dementia caregivers are at increased risk for health issues, social isolation, and financial challenges. To help educators with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service work with their local Alzheimer’s Association and the University of Louisville to better support dementia families, we explored caregiver needs and service utilization using an online survey. Our findings highlighted the need for counseling/support, care management skills, resource education, self-care strategies, and legal services. Extension Service Educators …

Psychological Distress Mediates The Relationship Between Health And Satisfaction With Daily Marital Interactions: A Daily Diary Assessment, Stephanie L. Richardson

Theses and Dissertations

Literature has often connected the variables of physical health, mental health, and romantic relationship satisfaction or quality. However, there has yet been any evidence of a mediating relationship. The purpose of this study is to test for mediation of satisfaction with daily marital interactions on physical symptoms through psychological distress. The data is from the Life and Family Legacies Daily Experiences Study and includes 191 older couples over the course of 14 days. Multilevel dyadic models were estimated for both the same-day data as well as lagged data. Indirect effects between the variables were significant, but not for the lagged …

The Economics Of Altruism: An Exploration Of Self And Collective Identity, Catherine Krempasky

Honors Projects

There is a belief that students in college often pursue an undergraduate business degree due to the money that comes with the industry. Whereas students pursuing an undergraduate degree in health and human services are believed to be more altruistic, pursuing jobs such as social work, nursing, criminal justice, and other careers that give back to communities despite their often lower-than-average salaries. While this difference in altruism is a common belief, it has rarely been a proven one. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the difference in altruism between students from the Schmidthorst College of Business and the College of …

Community Engagement And Planning: Reading Center For Active Living (Recal), Ceara Somerville, Caitlin Coyle, Beth Rouleau

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

This report describes research 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 Town of Reading. The goals of this project were to (1) engage the community and (2) investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Reading residents regarding the possibility of a new community or senior center. The content of this report is meant to inform the Reading Center for Active Living Committee (ReCalc) on its mission to “explore the current and future needs of the community and initiate planning for …

A Pilot Study Exploring The Potential Of Improv In Strengthening Youth–Adult Partnerships, Stephanie Begun, Brigette Mayorga, Cam Bautista, Krysta Cooke, Travonne Edwards, Bryn King, Hamzat Olaosebikan, Rae-Ann Whyte

Journal of Youth Development

This study qualitatively explored the potential of improv for strengthening youth–adult partnerships. Seven members of a youth-adult research collaborative participated in a 2-hour professionally facilitated improv workshop. Participants provided insights about their experiences through a follow-up qualitative interview questionnaire. Participants indicated that improv assisted in dismantling power differentials that often exist in youth–adult partnership contexts, also noting that improv helped them to express their true selves more readily, along with helping them to see new and more “human” sides to their team members. Participants were enthusiastic about accessing further improv opportunities, noting that improv should be embedded into other youth–adult …

The Impact Of Having Foreign Domestic Workers On Informal Caregivers Of Persons With Dementia: Findings From A Multi-Method Research In Singapore, Qi Yuan, Yunjue Zhang, Ellaisha Samari, Anitha Jeyagurunathan, Tee Hng Tan, Fiona Devi, Peizhi Wang, Harish Magadi, Richard Goveas, Li Ling Ng, Mythily Subramaniam

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Background: Informal caregivers of persons with dementia (PWDs) sometimes engage foreign domestic workers (FDWs) to support their caregiving journey. However, there has not been much research to establish if this is really beneficial. The current study aims to investigate whether engaging FDWs specifically for caregiving of PWDs truly moderates caregiver stress and to explore caregivers’ experiences of engaging FDWs. Methods: A multi-method study design with a quantitative and qualitative sub-study was adopted. For the quantitative sub-study, 282 informal caregivers of PWDs were recruited. Propensity score matching analysis was used. For the qualitative sub-study, 15 informal caregivers with FDWs were interviewed. …

Parents’ Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Of Childhood Obesity In Singapore, Paulin Tay Straughan, Chengwei Xu

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The obesity pandemic is increasingly threatening Asian populations. This is especially so for children from higher-income countries, such as Singapore. Among the various driving factors of obesity, parents’ health knowledge, attitudes, and practices are underexplored. The present study uses a nationally representative sample of 1,491 responses from Singapore to investigate parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about childhood obesity. Latent class analysis (LCA) on parents’ responses to the KAP survey reveals four unique parenting patterns: the limited knowledge group, the group with negative attitudes, the best practice group, and the limited practice group. Children of families in the best practice …