Gerontology Commons^™

Religiosity And Spirituality: Meaningful Activities For Aging Adults, Andrew Phillip Rodriguez Bauer

Theses Digitization Project

This study examines the religious and spiritual activities that held the most value for older males and females, gender differences in these salient activities, and how elders rank church related activities with the idea of acquiring an understanding of the effects these activities had for the elderly. This study employed an in-person survey that used qualitative and quantitative methods to explore religiosity and spirituality. Participants were representative of the Christian religious and spiritual church congregations of the Inland Empire area, San Bernardino County.

Substance Abuse Among Elders, Yvonne Shubu-Ola Johnson

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to discover interventions that work best for substance abusing elders.

Social Work In Action: Promoting The Well-Being Of Elders, Denise Muelli Miller, Kristynne Lyn Simmons

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this research study was to examine the well-being of elders who are 65 years old and above. This study used a post-positivism paradigm and conducted face-to-face interviews with both elders and social workers who provide services to elders. The site for this research project was at West End Family Counseling Services (WEFCS), located in San Bernardino County along with an informal gathering of elders and social workers.

Ageism In American Society: Are Aging Women Of Color Assertive Enough?, Tina Maria Doss-Collins

Theses Digitization Project

The study focus was ageism and assertiveness in aging women of color. The study examined a relationship between ageism occurring with these women and their response to it, if any. There were 41 participants in this study. They were all women of color 60-years of age and older. The participants were members of a church located in Los Angeles County.

Assessing Depression Among Elders: How Are We Doing?, Kayli Nicole Stohler

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to understand medical social workers' and licensed registered nurses' decision-making process for recognizing late-life depression. The study participants involved in this research project included 10 medical social workers and 9 licensed registered nurses from Redlands Community Hospital. For this study, interviewing was the primary source of collecting data.

The Psychological Effects Of Ageism On Older Adults: Are There Any?, Christina Denise Nieblas

Theses Digitization Project

The focus of this study was the psychological effects and experiences of ageism on older adults. Data was gathered qualitatively through interviews with seventeen older adults living in independent living apartments of a continuing care retirement community. The study site was a continuing care retirement community with independent living apartments for older adults in Riverside County, California.

Perspectives On Aging: Stereotypes And Implicit Personality Theories, Reannin Michelle Weinstein

Theses Digitization Project

Current research regarding perspectives on aging discusses perspectives of older adults aged 65+ and college aged young adults, but does not include a discussion of perspectives of individuals aged 30-60 on aging.

"There Is No Substitute For Victory" - Remembrances Of World War Ii, Janet S. Hahn Ph.D.

Center for Gerontology Reports and Publications

From the Forward

The WMU students in the Spring 2013 Issues in Aging: Service Learning Course learned from people who lived through World War II. Over the course of the semester, students moved from discomfort when calling strangers for interviews to expressing passion for finding the best ways to share the stories and lessons learned. Students strengthened their communication and planning skills and focused on learning more about an earlier generation. Students were moved by the memories of deep sacrifices and loss. They were amazed by the frugal lifestyle required during the World War II Era, and were honored to …

Leadership And The Implementation Of Culture Change In Long-Term Care, Alexandra Natasha Garklavs

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In understanding the culture change movement in long-term care and the factors that either foster or impede its sustainability, it is important to consider a number of factors. Since leadership is important in any organization and has been identified as crucial in the implementation of culture change in long-term care, this alternate plan paper focuses on the leadership factors that either facilitate or impede the implementation of culture change. Included in this alternate plan paper is a brief overview of the culture change movement in long-term care, the role of leadership versus management in the long-term care environment, types of …

Quality, Objectivity, And Tone In Media Portrayals Of Care For Older Adults, Jennifer Van Loan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In response to the growing population of older adults who will need assistance to care for themselves, this research evaluates media coverage of care options for older adults presented in local newspapers, an informational resource used by baby boomers and older generations interested in planning for their futures and caring for their loved ones. Computer databases for four newspapers representing the Capital Region of New York State were scanned for keywords to identify articles about older adult care, then articles were reviewed to ensure they were relevant to older adult care. A quantitative content analysis was performed on the articles …

Acute Effects Of Exercise On Cognitive Performances Of Older Adults, R. Pennington, S. Hanna

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Accelerating rates of structural decline become evident during the third and fourth decades of human life, with disproportionate degeneration occurring in the frontal, parietal, and temporal brain lobes. As the structure of the brain declines, a broad array of cognitive processes involving memory, decision making, and selective attention are reduced as well (Raz 2000, Park et al. 2001). Cardiovascular exercise has been associated with improved cognitive functioning in aging humans, suggesting that increased vascular supply enhances availability of oxygen, nutrients, and other physical entities to nourish the brain. Previous experimentation on older adults revealed significant positive effects of exercise on …

The Graying Of People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: Organizational Efforts Of Community Service Providers In Adapting Facilities And Programming To Meet The Needs Of Older Adults, Donna M. Corrado

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities are living longer, thereby creating unique challenges for the aging and disabilities networks. This qualitative multicase study explored the ways in which six community service organizations serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have adapted their facilities and programming in response to the growing cohort of older persons in their care. The study focused on the following adaptations: physical plant, financial models, workforce, medical care and programming. Twenty-two in-depth interviews were conducted with executive-level staff of the six participating organizations. Data was triangulated through examination of archival data, organizational documents, agency web sites, and …

15th And 16th Tshl Supporting Documents, Texas Silver Haired Legislature Foundation, Texas Silver-Haired Legislature

Texas Silver-Haired Legislature

Supporting documents of the 15th and 16th TSHL sessions, 2013-2017

The Impact Of An Immersion In Long Term Care Course On Gerontology Graduate Students, Sheila M. Greuel

Masters Theses

Developing gerontology professionals seek purpose for their careers which can become more evident through experiential learning opportunities with older adults (Vandsberger, & Wakefield, 2005). Older adults need caring professionals with true understanding of their needs and dedication to nurturing their physical, spiritual and emotional well-being. Empathy education through immersion learning is being used to increase awareness in developing professionals to help improve service to older adults in their care. Students, who participate in immersive learning opportunities, experience for themselves what an elder witnesses, lives and copes with on a daily basis.

An immersion learning course was developed for graduate students …

A New Approach To An Old Problem: Defining Nursing’S Role In Successful Transitions To Long-Term Residential Care, Kyleen Aldrich

Honors College Theses

A growing body of nursing research addresses the transitional period for older adults entering long-term residential care. However, gaps exist in our understanding of nursing’s role in the transition process. Our aim is to examine the available evidence and develop a model of nursing strategies and interventions to ease the transition to long-term care. This model describes interventions that nurses can incorporate into everyday practice.

A literature review was conducted to examine the transitional care needs and interventions for older adults with a goal of developing a model addressing transitions to long-term care.

Most nursing studies provided descriptive information about …

The Role Of Self-Transcendence : A Missing Variable In The Pursuit Of Successful Aging?, Valerie Lander Mccarthy, Jiying Ling, Robert M. Carini

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

While successful aging is often defined as the absence of disease and disability or as life satisfaction, self-transcendence may also play an important role. The objective of this research was to test a nursing theory of successful aging proposing that transcendence and adaptation predict successful aging. In this cross-sectional exploratory study, a convenience sample of older adults (N = 152) were surveyed about self-transcendence, proactive coping, and successful aging. Using hierarchical multiple regression, self-transcendence, proactive coping, and all control variables (i.e., sex, race, perceived health, place of residence) together explained 50% of the variance in successful aging (p < 0.001). However, proactive coping alone was not a significant predictor of successful aging. Thus, this study did not support the theory that both self-transcendence and proactive coping predict successful aging. Self-transcendence was the only significant contributor to this multidimensional view of successful aging. Self-transcendence is an important variable in the pursuit of successful aging, which merits further investigation.