Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences
The Impact Of Advance Directives On The Intensity Of Care Received In The Acute Care Setting In Older Adults, Marsha Helen Tyacke
The Impact Of Advance Directives On The Intensity Of Care Received In The Acute Care Setting In Older Adults, Marsha Helen Tyacke
Dissertations (1934 -)
The proportion of older adults in the U.S. is rapidly increasing. One-third of Medicare expenditures occur in the final year of life, with nearly half resulting from acute exacerbations of chronic, progressive diseases(Riley & Lubitz, 2010). Older adults prefer comfort over life-sustaining care, and decreased intensity of care is associated with improved quality of life at the end-of-life (EOL). Advance directives (ADs) have been proposed as mechanisms to improve congruence between patient wishes and EOL care; however, the impact of ADs on care delivered in the acute care setting at the EOL for this population is unclear. A retrospective, correlation …
Mechanisms Of Fatigue With Aging: Evidence From The Whole-Limb To The Single Cell In Humans, Christopher W. Sundberg
Mechanisms Of Fatigue With Aging: Evidence From The Whole-Limb To The Single Cell In Humans, Christopher W. Sundberg
Dissertations (1934 -)
Aging is accompanied by a loss of muscle mass and increased fatigability of limb muscles making it difficult for old adults to generate the force and power necessary to perform daily activities, such as ascending a flight of stairs. The mechanisms for the age-related increase in fatigability in old and very old adults (≥80 yrs) and whether there are differences between men and women are unknown. The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the mechanisms for the age-related increase in fatigability in men and women by studying fatigue at the level of the whole-limb and within the muscle cells. …
Reinforcement Learning, Error-Related Negativity, And Genetic Risk For Alzheimer's Disease, Christina Marie Figueroa
Reinforcement Learning, Error-Related Negativity, And Genetic Risk For Alzheimer's Disease, Christina Marie Figueroa
Dissertations (1934 -)
Reinforcement learning (RL) has been widely used as a model of animal and human learning and decision-making. The neural networks underlying RL involve many of the same structures primarily affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) such as the hippocampus. Yet, RL and non-invasive evaluation of its neural underpinnings have been underutilized as a framework for understanding disease pathology and its pre-clinical states. This study aimed to provide a novel approach for assessing subtle changes in asymptomatic apolipoprotein-E (APOE) carriers and non-carriers. Electroencephalography was collected from forty APOE genotyped older adults (Male n = 11; Mage = 79.30; Meducation = 14.88 years) …
Interpersonal Communication In The Context Of Dementia: Examining Family Caregivers' Appraisals And Burden, Stacy Lynn Barnes
Interpersonal Communication In The Context Of Dementia: Examining Family Caregivers' Appraisals And Burden, Stacy Lynn Barnes
Dissertations (1934 -)
Purpose and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore dementia family caregivers' appraisals of communication behaviors and strategies, and their relationships to caregiver burden. Study objectives were to investigate: 1) the relationship between frequency of dementia-related communication behaviors and caregivers' appraisals of frustration; 2) the relationship between caregivers' use of communication strategies and appraisals of helpfulness; 3) the structural relationships between communication behavior appraisal, communication strategy appraisal, problem behaviors, and caregiver burden; and 4) caregiver education level as a moderating variable of the final structural model. Methods: A written, mailed questionnaire was developed to capture dementia family caregivers' …