Digital Commons Network^™

Ngos And States Of Aging: Ngo As Male/Culture Advocates And As Female/Nature Caregivers, Alexandra Crampton

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Volunteerism Among Older Adults In Singapore, Micah Tan, John Frederic Pedro Ortega, Nur Syafiqah Abdullah, Mindy Eiko Tadai, Rachel Wen Yi Ngu

ROSA Research Briefs

Volunteerism is recognised as a beneficial activity for individuals for many reasons. Beyond the potential of volunteerism to create new and meaningful communities (Hodge et al., 2013), it offers numerous benefits including improvement to one’s mental health (Willigen, 2000), self-esteem (Russell et al., 2018), and social connectedness (Hodge et al., 2013). Volunteering has also been found to provide a sense of purpose in one’s life (Schwingel et al., 2009). For these reasons and more, voluntary work among older adults may be a meaningful and effective pathway towards successful ageing, particularly for those in retirement. In Singapore, the National Volunteer and …

Daily Steps And All-Cause Mortality: A Meta-Analysis Of 15 International Cohorts, Amanda E. Paluch, Shivangi Bajpai, David R. Bassett, Mercedes R. Carnethon, Ulf Ekelund, Kelly R. Evenson, Deborah A. Galuska, Barbara J. Jefferis, William E. Kraus, I. Min Lee, Charles E. Matthews, John D. Omura, Alpa V. Patel, Carl F. Pieper, Erika Rees-Punia, Dhayana Dallmeier, Jochen Klenk, Peter H. Whincup, Erin E. Dooley, Kelley Pettee Gabriel, Priya Palta, Lisa A. Pompeii, Ariel Chernofsky, Martin G. Larson, Ramachandran S. Vasan, Nicole Spartano, Marcel Ballin, Peter Nordström, Anna Nordström, Sigmund A. Anderssen, Bjørge H. Hansen, Jennifer A. Cochrane, Terence Dwyer, Jing Wang

Population and Public Health Science Faculty Publications

Background: Although 10 000 steps per day is widely promoted to have health benefits, there is little evidence to support this recommendation. We aimed to determine the association between number of steps per day and stepping rate with all-cause mortality. Methods: In this meta-analysis, we identified studies investigating the effect of daily step count on all-cause mortality in adults (aged ≥18 years), via a previously published systematic review and expert knowledge of the field. We asked participating study investigators to process their participant-level data following a standardised protocol. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality collected from death certificates and country …

Aging In Hull: 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 Hull Council on Aging. The goals of this project were to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Hull’s residents age 55 or older. The contents of this report are meant to inform the Town of Hull, the Hull Council on Aging and Senior Center, and organizations that work with and on behalf of older residents of Hull for the purposes of planning and coordination of services. The report will …

Aging In Hull: 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 Hull Council on Aging. The goals of this project were to investigate the needs, interests, preferences, and opinions of Hull’s residents age 55 or older. The contents of this report are meant to inform the Town of Hull, the Hull Council on Aging and Senior Center, and organizations that work with and on behalf of older residents of Hull for the purposes of planning and coordination of services. The report will …

Predicting 31- To 60-Day Heart Failure Rehospitalization Among Older Women, Carolyn Biggs Sue-Ling Phd, Rn, Mpa, Nalini Jairath

Publications

The current study sought to identify social, hemodynamic, and comorbid risk factors associated with 31-to 60-day heart failure (HF) rehospitalization in African American and Caucasian older (aged >65 years) women. A non-equivalent, case-control, quantitative design study using secondary data analysis of medical records from a local community hospital in the Southeast region of the United States was performed over a 3-year period. Relationships between predictor variables and the outcome variable, 31- to 60-day HF rehospitalization, were explored. The full model containing all predictors was not able to distinguish between predictors (χ[21, N = 188] = 35.77, p = 0.12). However, …

Most Home-Delivered Meal Recipients With Dementia Receive Support From Friends And Family, But More Social Activity Is Needed, Claire Pendergrast

Population Health Research Brief Series

Home-delivered meal programs reduce hunger and food insecurity, promote socialization, and improve health and wellbeing for older adults. Regular social support from home-delivered meal drivers, alongside social support from friends and family, may be key to preventing isolation and improving health for older adults with dementia. This research brief shows that home-delivered meal recipients with dementia receive significant support from friends and family, but 83% would like more social activity. To better support older adults with dementia and family caregivers, aging services providers should expand virtual and dementia-friendly social engagement programming.

Gender Role Ideology And Implications For Well-Being Among Older Adults In Singapore, Nadya Haifan, Erra Natalia Sayri, Micah Tan, Mindy Eiko Tadai

ROSA Research Briefs

Gender role ideology, referring to the attitudes that individuals hold with respect to the social roles that different genders should adopt, have been suggested to affect the mental well-being (e.g., Paul & Moser, 2009; Sweeting, 2014) and marital satisfaction (e.g., Amato et al., 2007; Davis & Greenstein, 2009) of individuals. Despite this, gender role ideology and the impact they may have on well-being is understudied among older adults in Singapore. Given this, the current report provides a brief examination of gender role ideology among older adults in Singapore. This includes the following: 1. The demographic distribution of gender role ideology …

Burnout Among Nephrologists In The United States: A Survey Study, Devika Nair, Laura Brereton, Courtney Hoge, Laura C. Plantinga, Varun Agrawal, Sandeep S. Soman, Michael J. Choi, Bernard G. Jaar

Nephrology Articles

Rationale & Objective: Burnout decreases job satisfaction and leads to poor patient outcomes but remains under-investigated in nephrology. We explored the prevalence and determinants of burnout among a sample of nephrologists.

Study Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting & Participants: The nephrologists were approached via the American Medical Association Physicians Masterfile, National Kidney Foundation listserv, email, and social media between April and August 2019. The predictors were demographics and practice characteristics. The outcome was burnout, defined as responding "once a week" or more on either 1 of the 2 validated measures of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization or both.

Analytical Approach: Participant characteristics were …

Collective Cognitive Capital, Emily R. D. Murphy

William & Mary Law Review

This Article calls for a new project for law and neuroscience. It outlines a structural, not individual, application of brain and behavioral science that is aligned with the general goal of basic science research: improving the lives of citizens with a better understanding of the human experience. It asks brain and behavioral science to move explicitly into public policy territory, and specifically onto ground more traditionally occupied by economists—but in ways the project of “behavioral economics” has not yet ventured. Put simply, policy analysts should focus on brains—“collective cognitive capital”—with the same intensity with which they focus on money, rights, …

Type 2 Diabetes Partitioned Polygenic Scores Associate With Disease Outcomes In 454,193 Individuals Across 13 Cohorts, Daniel Dicorpo, Jessica Leclair, Joanne B Cole, Chloé Sarnowski, Fariba Ahmadizar, Lawrence F Bielak, Anneke Blokstra, Erwin P Bottinger, Layal Chaker, Yii-Der I Chen, Ye Chen, Paul S De Vries, Tariq Faquih, Mohsen Ghanbari, Valborg Gudmundsdottir, Xiuqing Guo, Natalie R Hasbani, Dorina Ibi, M Arfan Ikram, Maryam Kavousi, Hampton L Leonard, Aaron Leong, Josep M Mercader, Alanna C Morrison, Girish N Nadkarni, Mike A Nalls, Raymond Noordam, Michael Preuss, Jennifer A Smith, Stella Trompet, Petra Vissink, Jie Yao, Wei Zhao, Eric Boerwinkle, Mark O Goodarzi, Vilmundur Gudnason, J Wouter Jukema, Sharon L R Kardia, Ruth J F Loos, Ching-Ti Liu, Alisa K Manning, Dennis Mook-Kanamori, James S Pankow, H Susan J Picavet, Naveed Sattar, Eleanor M Simonsick, W M Monique Verschuren, Ko Willems Van Dijk, Jose C Florez, Jerome I Rotter, James B Meigs, Josée Dupuis, Miriam S Udler

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has heterogeneous patient clinical characteristics and outcomes. In previous work, we investigated the genetic basis of this heterogeneity by clustering 94 T2D genetic loci using their associations with 47 diabetes-related traits and identified five clusters, termed β-cell, proinsulin, obesity, lipodystrophy, and liver/lipid. The relationship between these clusters and individual-level metabolic disease outcomes has not been assessed.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Here we constructed individual-level partitioned polygenic scores (pPS) for these five clusters in 12 studies from the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium and the UK Biobank (n = 454,193) …

Information Trust And Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Amongst Middle-Aged And Older Adults In Singapore: A Latent Class Analysis Approach, Micah Tan, Paulin Tay Straughan, Grace Cheong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Rationale: COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy presents significant challenges for public health. Objective: Vaccine hesitancy among middle-aged and older adults has been a significant barrier in Singapore’s battle against COVID-19. We hypothesize that the trust middle-aged and older adults place in various sources of information influences vaccine hesitancy, and that distinct typologies of trust can be identified to better inform targeted health communication efforts. Method: Data from a nationally representative panel survey of Singaporeans aged 56–75 (N = 6094) was utilized. Modules fielded in August and November 2020, and June 2021 were analyzed, assessing social networks, trust in sources of information, and …

Views On Aging – Current Trends And Future Directions For Cross-Cultural Research, Anna E. Kornadt, Clara De Paula Couto, Klaus Rothermund

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

The investigation of what enables societies and individuals to age well remains one of the greatest challenges of our time. Views on aging are a decisive factor in this process, and thus, improving their understanding through cross-cultural research is of utmost importance. In the current review, we address the role of socio-ecological variables and cultural values and beliefs when investigating country differences in what people think about older persons and getting old themselves. Several complexities are introduced in terms of a differentiated conceptualization of views on aging that takes life domains and normative prescriptions into account, and also in terms …

Rural Older Female Family Caregivers Lived Experiences In The Context Of Caregiving For Those With Ad/Adrd During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Candace Harrington, Cheryl Witt

Sigma Foundation for Nursing Research Grant Reports

This qualitative study aimed to understand how COVID-19 affects older female caregivers' lived experience, ongoing capacity, and willingness to provide care for their loved one(s) with AD/ADRD.

Prospective Telehealth Analysis Of Functional Performance, Frailty, Quality Of Life, And Mental Health After Covid-19 Hospitalization, Jacob J. Capin, Melissa P. Wilson, Kristine Hare, Swati Vempati, Carley E. Little, Donna Mcgregor, Jose Castillo-Mancilla, Jennifer E. Stevens-Lapsley, Sarah Jolley, Kristine M. Erlandson

Physical Therapy Faculty Research and Publications

Background

COVID-19 is a global pandemic with poorly understood long-term consequences. Determining the trajectory of recovery following COVID-19 hospitalization is critical for prioritizing care, allocating resources, facilitating prognosis, and informing rehabilitation. The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate recovery following COVID-19 hospitalization.

Methods

Participants age 18 years or older who were hospitalized for ≥24 h due to COVID-19 completed phone/video call virtual assessments (including the 10-time chair rise test) and survey forms at three time points (2–6, 12, and 18 weeks) after hospital discharge. Univariate logistic and linear regression models assessed the associations of the outcomes with primary …

The Lived Experience Of Aging: Listening To The Oldest-Old, Julia A. Pusztai

Dissertations

Although embraced as desirable by most, living into very old age is largely unexplored as a distinct season of life, with increased, varied, and cumulative changes during a unique time of vulnerability and frailty. The purpose of this study was to listen to the oldest-old, and to explore their lived experience of growing old. This hermeneutic phenomenology study examines the experience of finding meaning and living with losses and gains in advanced old age.

This study design included three separate interviews one month apart with participants over 85 years of age. Purposive sampling resulted in 13 participants, 5 being male …

An Intergenerational Playgroup In An Australian Residential Aged-Care Setting: A Qualitative Case Study, Gabrielle B. Rosa Hernandez, Carolyn M. Murray, Mandy Stanley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Intergenerational programs are emerging within the aged-care context as they provide a unique opportunity for older adults living with or without cognitive impairments to connect with children. One type of intergenerational program is an ‘intergenerational playgroup’ which creates opportunities for children to develop their skills, parents to create a local peer support network and provides older adults at risk of isolation with vital community interaction. The objective of this research was to evaluate an intergenerational playgroup taking place weekly within a residential aged-care setting. A qualitative case study research design was used to perform five observation sessions and semi-structured in-depth …

Effect Of A Tailored Technology-Enhanced Home-Based Exercise Program On Dna Methylation Change Among Cancer Survivors With Multiple Chronic Conditions, Jongmin Park, Nada Lukkahatai

Sigma Foundation for Nursing Research Grant Reports

This study aims to (1) examine the pre-and-post tailored home-based exercise (iHBE) program epigenetic changes (2) examine the associations of changes in DNA methylation age with symptoms (pain, fatigue, cognitive function) and resilience at completion (12-week) compared to baseline data collected from cancer survivors living with multiple chronic conditions.

Illegal Small-Scale Mining In Asutifi North District, Ghana: Traditional Authority’S Tacit Support For An Illegality, Emmanuel Yamoah Tenkorang

African Social Science Review

The control of mining has been a core issue of contention between the modern state and traditional authorities in Ghana since the colonial period. Even though there are regulations governing legitimate mining in Ghana, illegal small-scale mining, with strong traditional practices, has surged. This article uses interview data from Asutifi North District of Ghana to explain that traditional institutions, though aware of the illegality of these small-scale mines, performed rites enabling them. The state should cede some decision making over mineralized lands to traditional authorities so that they become part of the responsibility for mining in their area.

The Meaning For Elders Of Receiving Family Care, Janice D. Crist

Dissertations

This dissertation reports findings from an interpretive phenomenological study which addressed the question, ";How central, for elders, in their everyday concerns and practices, is the experience of receiving family care?"; The investigator collected data using interviews, observations and questionnaires with a purposive sample of nine elders in their. homes. Data were collected from each elder two to five times.

Findings were that eight of nine elders (1) incorporated both their illness and help from family members comfortably into their lives while still viewing themselves as autonomous; (2) had positive relationships with their family carers; (3) viewed the acceptability of receiving …

Quality Of Life In Nursing Homes: A Theoretical And Empirical Review, Gina Aalgaard Kelly

Great Plains Sociologist

Quality of life is a complex and multi-dimensional notion which individuals and their families try to attain. This paper provides an overview of quality of life literature guided by Lawton’s (1983: 351) “Four Sectors of the Good Life”.” This model of organization demonstrates a multidimensional conceptual view of quality of life in which theoretical and empirical domains were recognized in the literature. Parameters used to understand quality of life and how it is studied provide the framework of the review, specifically in the nursing home setting. Quality of life is of growing importance because people are living longer and population …

Gerontological Politics In The Second Philippic, Jonathan Zarecki

Lecture Series

No abstract provided.

Addressing The Disparities In Dementia Risk, Early Detection And Care In Latino Populations: Highlights From The Second Latinos & Alzheimer's Symposium, Yakeel T. Quiroz, Michele Solis, María P. Aranda, Alicia I. Arbaje, Mirna Arroyo-Miranda, Laura Y. Cabrera, Minerva Maria Carrasquillo, Maria M. Corrada, Gladys E. Maestre, Rosa V. Pirela

School of Medicine Publications

The Alzheimer's Association hosted the second Latinos & Alzheimer's Symposium in May 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was held online over 2 days, with virtual presentations, discussions, mentoring sessions, and posters. The Latino population in the United States is projected to have the steepest increase in Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the next 40 years, compared to other ethnic groups. Latinos have increased risk for AD and other dementias, limited access to quality care, and are severely underrepresented in AD and dementia research and clinical trials. The symposium highlighted developments in AD research with Latino populations, including advances …

Future Population Shifts In The Great Plains And Their Implications, Richard Rathge

Great Plains Sociologist

The dynamics of population change in the Great Plains are complex and largely hidden. From a regional or even state perspective, one is left with the impression that the area has enjoyed sustained population growth. All 12 states in the region (i.e., Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) increased their population from 1990 to 2000, and the region as a whole expanded by 6.7 million people or 17 percent (Rathge, 2005). In fact, the region’s population has doubled since 1950. However, these aggregate statistics mask a very different reality. Population …

Aging And Disability Services Are Unequally Distributed Across The United States, Claire Pendergrast, Danielle Rhubart

Population Health Research Brief Series

As the U.S. population ages, demand for aging and disability services will increase, but 15% of U.S. counties have no aging and disability services organizations. This brief shows that rural counties and counties with the highest rates of poverty, highest shares of older adults, and highest shares of non-Hispanic Blacks are most likely to be aging and disability services deserts. To support healthy aging across the country, policymakers should invest in aging services infrastructure and should prioritize resources for places that are aging and disability services deserts.

Briefly Noted

Great Plains Sociologist

Culture, Conflict and Children: Transmission of Violence to Children

Danger in the Field: Risk and Ethics in Social Research

Travels Through Crime and Place: Community Building as Crime Control

Robbing Drug Dealers: Violence Beyond the Law

Social Conflicts and Collective Identities

The Paradox of Social Order: Linking Psychology and Sociology

Self, Identity, and Social Movements

Tangled Up in Red, White, and Blue: New Social Movements in America

Flag Burning: Moral Panic and the Criminalization of Protest

Means Without End: Notes on Politics

Old Order Mennonites: Rituals, Beliefs, and Community

The Kibbutz: Awakening From Utopia

The Deathly Embrace: Orientalism and Asian …

Stepmothers' Preparation For Remarriage: Influence On Spouse And Stepchildren Relations, Cindi Penor Ceglian, Donald Arwood, Renee Oscarson, Jason Karsky

Great Plains Sociologist

Role theory suggests that preparation for one's role contributes to clearer guidelines and less ambiguity about role performance, which in turn contribute to unity and stability of family life (Cherlin, 1978). The purpose of this study was to examine if stepmothers preparation for remarriage (observation, reading, educational programs, or talking to their spouses) influenced their relationships with stepchildren and spouses. The results indicate that stepmothers who prepare for remarriage are more involved with their stepchildren, have higher levels of communication with the children's fathers regarding child rearing issues, and have positive relationships with their stepchildren.

Briefly Noted

Great Plains Sociologist

The Globalization of Crime: Understanding Transitional Relationships in Context

Interrogating Social Justice: Politics, Culture and Identity

Criminal Injustice: Racism in the Criminal Justice System

Test of Faith: Hope, Courage and the Prison Experience

The Case for Penal Abolition

Diversity and Justice in Canada

Bad Kids: Race and the Transformation of the Juvenile Court

Gods of the City: Religion and the American Urban Landscape

Conversion, Identity, and Power: The Impact of Christianity on Power Relationships and Social Exchanges

Religion and American Politics: The 2000 Election in Context

Filled With Spirit and Power: Protestant Clergy in Politics

Paranormal Beliefs: A Sociological Introduction …

Book Reviews

Great Plains Sociologist

Karen Heil Borchert, reviewer
Rural Woman Battering and the Justice System: An Ethnography
Neil Websdale

Jerome R. Rosonke, reviewer
The Hutterites: Lives and Images of a Communal People
Paul Cloke and Jo Little, editors

Elizabeth Evenson Williams, reviewer
The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado
Elliott West

Carol Cumber, reviewer
Capital Culture: Gender at Work in the City
Linda McDowell

Don Robertson, reviewer
Who Rules America? Power and Politics in the Year 2000
William Domhoff

Glenda Sehested, reviewer
Formations of Class and Gender: Becoming Respectable
Beverley Skeggs

Annette Prosterman, reviewer
White Men Falling: Race, Gender, and White …

Book Reviews

Great Plains Sociologist

Diane Kayongo-Male, reviewer
Rural Health and Aging Research: Theory, Methods, and Practical Applications
Wilbert M. Gesler, Donna J. Rabiner, and Gordon H. DeFriese, editors

Geoffrey Grant, reviewer
Cutting Into the Meatpacking Line: Workers and Change in the Rural Midwest
Deborah Fink

Jerome R. Rosonke, reviewer
Born Hutterite (video tape)
Black Hat Production

Laura Colmenero, reviewer
Capturing Women: The Manipulation of Cultural Imagery in Canada's Prairie West
Sarah Carter

Ellen Baird, reviewer
American Indian Ethnic Renewal: Red Power and the Resurgence of Identity and Culture
Joane Nagel

Mary Warner, reviewer
Durable Inequality
Charles Tilly

Jack Niemonen, reviewer
Culture of Intolerance: Chauvinism, …