Digital Commons Network^™

Cognitive Reserve And Memory Compensation Strategies In Mexican Older Adults, Claudia Jennifer Dominguez Chavez, Perla Lizeth Hernandez, Bertha Cecilia Salazar Gonzalez

Biennial Convention (CONV)

Description of memory compensation strategies used by a sample of older adults in relation to their cognitive reserve (years of education, working activties, and leisure activities).

A Nurse Leader's Initiative: Enhancing Standards Of Nursing Practice For Older Adults In The Philippines, Pearl Ed G. Cuevas, Rose E. Constantino, Deborah F. Cleeter Bailey

Biennial Convention (CONV)

The poster will showcase my individual leadership development, advancing nursing practice through an interprofessional team leadership project and increasing the scope of influence and impact.

Effect Of An Aquatic Environment On Dual-Task Performance In Older Adults, Devin Patterson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Background: Older adults tend to have difficulty maintaining balance. It has been suggested that the aquatic environment may provide a safer and more challenging alternative to land for balance training. It has also been suggested that the performance of a dual cognitive-balance task paradigm may increase the competition for cortical resources needed to maintain balance. There is a need to evaluate the influence of an aquatic environment on the performance of a combined cognitive and motor task paradigm in older adults. Purpose: To assess the effects of an aquatic environment on the performance of cognitive and motor tasks in older …

Assessment And Management Of Alcohol Use Disorder In Older Adults: A Review Of The Evidence, Mary Dibartolo, Judith M. Jarosinski

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: The aim of this presentation is to summarize and critically evaluate the recent literature on methods to better identify AUD in older adults, including instruments specifically developed or modified for this age group, as well as, delineate targeted treatment strategies which may be more effective in achieving and maintaining sobriety in this population.

Background: Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) has been identified as a significant, under-recognized, underreported and hidden epidemic in the U.S. (Alpert, 2014). The prevalence is expected to rise dramatically as the number of adults aged 65 and older increases to one in five by 2030. Worldwide, older …

Improving Clinical Outcomes And Physical Activity In Older Adults With Comorbidity: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Elizabeth A. Schlenk, Susan M. Sereika, Joan Rogers, G. Kelley Fitzgerald, C. Kent Kwoh

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Purpose: Over 9 million Americans have osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, a chronic disorder associated with frequent knee pain and functional limitations that intrude upon everyday life. About half of those with OA of the knee have hypertension (HBP), one of the most prevalent risk factors for cardiovascular disease (Eymard et al., 2015). Persons with OA of the knee experience reductions in blood pressure (BP) when they participate in regular physical activity. Yet, only 13% of persons with OA of the knee (Wallis et al., 2013) and 28% with HBP (Healthy People 2020) meet recommended guidelines for physical activity. Although …

A Systems Approach To The Problem Of Falls In Old Age, Patrick A. Dillon

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

The problem of falls in old age is enormously costly and disruptive for the older individual, others, and society, and its severity is likely to intensify as our population ages. This dissertation takes a systems-oriented approach toward the falls problem and is presented in two parts. The first part critically develops a new approach to the problem of falls. The second part describes an empirical study that applies this new approach in a pragmatic manner.

Conventional fall prevention strategies employ a reductionist approach to the problem of falls. This approach is questioned because it corresponds poorly to the holistic nature …

Mind The Gap: Towards The Integration Of Critical Gerontology In Public Library Praxis, Nicole K. Dalmer

FIMS Publications

Aging populations challenge public libraries to adapt their materials, services and programming to maximize the wellbeing and functional capacity of older adults and enhance their social participation and security. For older adult patrons using public library spaces and services, the capacity to which the public library has been able to deliver on these qualities remains unclear. In the past, libraries and library staff have been critiqued for narrowly interpreting the needs of older adults, concentrating on aging as a loss or deficit. To understand the current state of Canadian urban public library services for older adults, publically accessible texts, documents …

Initial Findings Of A Medicare Annual Wellness Visit Program, Hesper B. Nowatzki

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the emphasis of benefits on preventive health, many older adults are not receiving the recommended age specific, evidence based screenings and vaccinations. The Medicare Annual Wellness Visit (AWV) is designed to address modifiable risk factors with aging adults and close gaps in care not captured in routine office visits. Although a free Medicare benefit to patients, and a reimbursable service to health care providers, participation in the AWV is low nationwide. The purpose of the project is to introduce an AWV program to a rural health clinic in Northwest Illinois that has a population consisting of over 25% of …

Fall Prevention In Older Adults Who Reside In Nursing Homes, Dorothy Normile

DNP and Student Works

Falls among older adults who reside in the nursing home setting are a major problem in the United States (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). The site of this project was a nursing home located in a small town in New Hampshire. This home had a problem with the number of falls that occurred on a monthly basis. The rate of falls on average was two falls per month. This project sought to reduce the number of falls to zero over the course of three months. A fall prevention program using evidence base interventions was developed to reach …

Factors And Outcomes Associated With Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use In Rural Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Marcia Y. Shade

Theses & Dissertations

Potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) use in older adults is a significant public health concern. The use of PIMs to avoid may lead to negative outcomes such as adverse drug events. Prior conceptual analysis of PIMs use and observation of health-related factors in rural adults led to the design of this dissertation study. A sample was recruited from a population of rural community-dwelling older adults to examine the following specific aims: 1) Describe the use of PIMs to avoid, 2) Explore individual demographic characteristics (age, gender, income, education, and rural home location), health experience (comorbidity, number of medications and health providers), …

Religiosity And Prayer In Relation To Health And Life Satisfaction In Older Adults, Victoria L. Beach

All College Thesis Program, 2016-2019

The United States is facing a rapidly growing elderly population. The population aged 65 and older was estimated to be 43.1 million in 2012 and this is projected to increase to 83.7 million by 2050.

This research sought to understand the older adult experience through the relationship between religiosity, prayer, health, and life satisfaction in adults aged 65-84. In this cross-sectional design, 222 older adults were surveyed using convenience sampling.

The results showed a positive relationship between intrinsic religiosity and life satisfaction, as well as a positive relationship between prayer experience and health.

These results could have implications for clinical …

Managing Dignity In Later Life: Global Influences, Personal Strategies, Cellular Effects, Cynthia S. Jacelon, Rachel Walker, Jordon Bosse

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Saturday, July 25, 2015:

Dignity is an inherent human characteristic and a dynamic, attributed part of the self is susceptible to human and environmental interaction. In the first paper we present an ecological model exploring the dignity of older adults as a form of resilient health potential to enhance well-being in later life. Through a synthesis of the literature we demonstrate how societal, community, family/interpersonal, and individual factors can combine to threaten the dignity of community-dwelling older adults. Chronic exposure to these threats can lead to maladaptive stress responses, cellular aging, pathological changes, and increased risk of …

Video Guided T'Ai Chi: A Pilot Study To Assess Effectiveness, Elizabeth D. Katrancha

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Friday, July 24, 2015:

Falls impact up to 45% of community dwelling older adults each year, contributing to upwards of $30 billion dollars in direct health care costs. Independent of an actual fall many persons over age 65 years report a fear of falling that negatively impacts quality of life through a cycle of inactivity, weakness, depression, isolation and increased falls. There are a number of evidenced based programs available that address fall prevention. T'ai Chi, an ancient Chinese martial art is thought to enhance awareness of body position, alignment, and range of motion. Numerous studies provide …

Identifying Interventions To Address Triggers Of Decline In Vulnerable Older Adults, Maria Teresa Brown, Kara Williams

Aging Studies Institute

The changing landscape of health and healthcare in the United States continues to highlight certain limitations in the ability to understand the needs of vulnerable populations and provide adequate services. One of the challenges faced by researchers and service providers interested in the health and well-being of older adults is the absence of universal definitions of “vulnerability” or “frailty.” As a funder in the aging sector, in 2014 the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York (the Foundation) set out to identify working definitions to guide their work and to develop a conceptual model identifying factors with the potential …

Does Yoga Practice Improve Balance In Older Adults?, Joanna Alfieri, Spt, Andrea Barberio, Spt, Ryt-500, Rebecca Mccammitt, Spt, Kevin Reeder, Spt, Susan Duff, Pt, Edd, Cht, Ryt-200

Department of Physical Therapy Capstone Posters

Purpose and Hypothesis:

The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the effects of a regular yoga program on balance in older adults. We hypothesized that a regular yoga program would improve balance and consequently reduce fall risk in the older adult population.

Posttraumatic Growth Among Older Adults With Late-Life Cancer Diagnoses, Aasha I. Hoogland

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

Gerontological scholarship has often focused on the ways older adults deteriorate or decline with time, but it is plausible that positive change continues into and throughout old age. Late-life psychosocial growth may even be facilitated by a life-altering event such as a cancer diagnosis, a phenomenon broadly termed posttraumatic growth (PTG). PTG has been examined in a variety of general population samples, but there is a noticeable lack of research on PTG that focuses on older adults—a population for whom cancer diagnoses are particularly prevalent. Using a mixed methods design, this dissertation was designed to advance our understanding of PTG …

Factors Impacting Older Adults' Adoption Of Mobile Technology In Emergency Communications, William A. Scerra

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An increasing number of older adults must continue working, which requires that they maintain their competencies and work skills, including use of mobile technology (MT). However, little is known about older adult adoption of MT in relation to work. This study used Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory and Davis's technology acceptance model as a framework. The purpose of this exploratory sequential mixed methods study was to examine the experiences of older adults' who adopted MT in the emergency communications (EC) field. Participants came from an emergency services LinkedIn group. Data sources included surveys completed by 85 respondents and interviews of …

The Happy Boomer: Baby Boomer Life Satisfaction Through Affect And Feeling Of Belonging, Brooke Christina-Marie Massey

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The age cohort of 65 years and older is a growing population. It is part of the group referred to as Baby Boomers, the generation born between the years 1946-1964. It will be the largest population to reach late adulthood to date. In the United States alone, the Baby Boomer cohort is expected to reach 70 million by 2030. In response to this growing elderly population much research has been conducted on Baby Boomer quality of life issues. Such research uncovered the phenomenon known as the well-being paradox. The well-being paradox refers to the findings that older adults' life satisfaction …

Public Housing Relocation Of Older Adults In Atlanta: Challenging The Aging In Place Concept, Laquanda R. Jackson

The Journal of Public and Professional Sociology

In 2007 AHA demolished two senior high-rise buildings causing the forcible removal of older African American residents who may have wanted to age in place due to community attachment. Aging in place and community attachment are concepts that describe the strong social-psychological attraction to a specific location among older long-term residents (McAuley 1998). This thesis examines if community attachment differ for residents who were forced to relocate and those who were able to age in place. Using longitudinal data from the GSU Urban Health Initiative, I looked at relocated and non-relocating senior public housing residents’ community attachment as it relates …