Gerontology Commons^™

When ‘Places’ Include Pets: Broadening The Scope Of Relational Approaches To Promoting Aging-In-Place, Ann M. Toohey, Jennifer A. Hewson, Cindy L. Adams, Melanie J. Rock

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Aging-in-place is a well-established concept, but discussions rarely consider that many older adults live with pets. In a ‘pet-friendly’ city, we conducted semi-structured interviews to explore perspectives of community-based social support agencies that promote aging-in-place, and those of animal welfare agencies. Applying a relational ecology theoretical framework, we found that pets may contribute to feeling socially- situated, yet may also exacerbate constraints on autonomy experienced by some older adults. Pet-related considerations at times led to discretionary acts of more-than-human solidarity, but also created paradoxical situations for service-providers, impacting their efforts to assist older adults. A shortage of pet-friendly affordable housing …

The Impact Of Perceived Mental Illness Stigma On Caregivers’ Desire To Relinquish Care, Tyler R. Corson

Theses and Dissertations

Caregiving can be stressful, and older adults’ health and well-being may be impacted by the roles and responsibilities they assume as caregivers for persons with serious mental illness (SMI). This study is the first to apply the Stress Process Model of Caregiving (SPM) in an attempt to understand how mental illness stigma influences caregiver outcomes, specifically their desire to relinquish care. The intent of this study was to call attention to care relinquishment as an under-studied stress process outcome and to explore stress factors, with a focus on mental illness stigma, that contribute to SMI caregivers’ desire to relinquish care. …

Unsupervised Monitoring Of An Elderly Person's Activities Of Daily Living Using Kinect Sensors And A Power Meter, Hossein Pazhoumand-Dar

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The need for greater independence amongst the growing population of elderly people has made the concept of “ageing in place” an important area of research. Remote home monitoring strategies help the elderly deal with challenges involved in ageing in place and performing the activities of daily living (ADLs) independently. These monitoring approaches typically involve the use of several sensors, attached to the environment or person, in order to acquire data about the ADLs of the occupant being monitored.

Some key drawbacks associated with many of the ADL monitoring approaches proposed for the elderly living alone need to be addressed. These …

Towards Active Ageing: A Comparative Study Of Experiences Of Older Ghanaians In Australia And Ghana, Daniel Doh

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Population ageing has become a central feature of the 21st century, as most countries search for economically viable strategies to support and manage their ageing populations to live in a dignified way. In 2002, the World Health Organisation (WHO) proposed the active ageing policy framework to guide countries to develop policies that promote the quality of life for their older people. However, the interpretation and application of the active ageing model in the literature and policy discussions are inconclusive on the most important elements that promote the quality of life of older people. The discussions have largely focused on health …

Building Age-Friendly Community: Notes From The Field, Rachel Filinson, Marianne Raimondo, Maureen Maigret

Sociology Between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics

Building age-friendly communities is a global as well as a national concern. The purpose of this paper is to explore fundamental tensions underlying the formulation of age-friendly goals and their implementation, based on a review of age-friendly projects and reflections on the journey towards age friendliness in one state (Rhode Island). The authors conducted a comprehensive investigation of the relevant literature on previous age-friendly initiatives, which included case studies of individual projects, meta-analyses of age-friendly work, and educational toolkits for promoting age-friendly community. They also collected original data from ten focus groups with older adults, interviews with key informant service …

Self-Care Among Older Adults With Heart Failure, Sumayya Attaallah, Kay Klymko, Faith Pratt Hopp

Social Work Faculty Publications

Background: It is estimated that 5.7 million Americans are living with heart failure (HF) today. Despite the fact that HF is one of the most common reasons people aged 65 years and older are admitted into the hospital, few studies describe the self-care in this older adult population. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to review the current literature on self-care in this population to better understand the influence of selected factors on self-care and health outcomes. Methods: A literature search was completed and resulted in including 28 studies. Results: Multiple factors have been reported as barriers to self-care …

Dna Methylation Signatures Of Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation Are Associated With Complex Diseases, Symen Ligthart, Carola Marzi, Stella Aslibekyan, Michael M. Mendelson, Karen N. Conneely, Toshiko Tanaka, Elena Colicino, Lindsay L. Waite, Roby Joehanes, Weihua Guan, Jennifer A. Brody, Cathy Elks, Riccardo Marioni, Min A. Jhun, Golareh Agha, Jan Bressler, Cavin K. Ward-Caviness, Brian H. Chen, Tianxiao Huan, Kelly Bakulski, Elias L. Salfati, Whi-Empc Investigators, Giovanni Fiorito, Charge Epigenetics Of Coronary Heart Disease, Simone Wahl, Katharina Schramm, Jin Sha, Dena G. Hernandez, Allan C. Just, Jennifer A. Smith, Donna K. Arnett

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: Chronic low-grade inflammation reflects a subclinical immune response implicated in the pathogenesis of complex diseases. Identifying genetic loci where DNA methylation is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation may reveal novel pathways or therapeutic targets for inflammation.

Results: We performed a meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of serum C-reactive protein (CRP), which is a sensitive marker of low-grade inflammation, in a large European population (n = 8863) and trans-ethnic replication in African Americans (n = 4111). We found differential methylation at 218 CpG sites to be associated with CRP (P < 1.15 × 10^–7) in the discovery panel …

Social Media For Senior Citizens: An Introductory Course, Cheryl Raistrick

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

The Woburn Council on Aging is a municipal, volunteer board appointed by the Mayor of Woburn. The Woburn COA operates the Woburn COA Senior Center as a resource for the community's senior citizen population. The Senior Center provides information, referrals, information, outreach, advocacy, transportation, health screening, nutrition, education, peer support, recreation, volunteer development and intergenerational programming for members of the community. Educational programs on the use of technology are offered monthly at the Woburn COA Senior Center though members have expressed interest in learning more about social media applications and how they can be used to communicate with family and …

Development, Validation And Application Of A New Fornix Template For Studies Of Aging And Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease, Christopher A. Brown, Nathan F. Johnson, Amelia J. Anderson-Mooney, Gregory A. Jicha, Leslie M. Shaw, John Q. Trojanowski, Linda J. Van Eldik, Frederick A. Schmitt, Charles D. Smith, Brian T. Gold

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

We developed a merged younger-older adult template of the fornix and demonstrated its utility for studies of aging and preclinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). In Experiment 1, probabilistic tractography was used to reconstruct the fornix in younger and older adults and successful streamlines were then averaged to create a merged template in standard space. The new template includes the majority of the fornix from the hippocampal formation to the subcallosal region and the thalamus/hypothalamus. In Experiment 2, the merged template was validated as an appropriate measure for studies of aging, with comparisons against manual tracing measures indicating identical spatial coverage in …

Barriers, Motivations, And Preferences For Physical Activity Among Female African American Older Adults, Neha P. Gothe, Bradley J. Kendall

Kinesiology, Health and Sport Studies

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less than 11% of adults more than the age of 65 meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Among minority populations, only 5% of non-Hispanic Black older adults met the guidelines. Given our limited understanding of psychosocial and environmental factors that affect physical activity participation in these groups, the purpose of our focus groups was to investigate barriers, motivators, and preferences of physical activity for community-dwelling African American older adults. Three focus groups were conducted with female African American older adults (N = 20). Questions posed to each focus group …

Sleep Disturbances Among Older Adults In The United States, 2002–2012: Nationwide Inpatient Rates, Predictors, And Outcomes, Alyssa A. Gamaldo, May A. Beydoun, Hind A. Beydoun, Hailun Liang, Rachel E. Salas, Alan B. Zonderman, Charlene E. Gamaldo, Shaker M. Eid

Aging Studies Faculty Publications

Objective/Background: We examined the rates, predictors, and outcomes [mortality risk (MR), length of stay (LOS), and total charges (TC)] of sleep disturbances in older hospitalized patients.

Patients/Methods: Using the U.S. Nationwide Inpatient Sample database (2002–2012), older patients (≥60 years) were selected and rates of insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other sleep disturbances (OSD) were estimated using ICD-9CM. TC, adjusted for inflation, was of primary interest, while MR and LOS were secondary outcomes. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted.

Results: Of 35,258,031 older adults, 263,865 (0.75%) had insomnia, 750,851 (2.13%) OSA and 21,814 (0.06%) OSD. Insomnia rates increased significantly (0.27% in …

How We Care: Provider Perspectives On Services For Vietnamese Elderly In Boston’S Dorchester Neighborhood, Loan Thi Dao

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

The need for culturally competent care for the elderly is of growing concern for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities and health providers. In 2012, a preliminary study was conducted to ascertain the perspectives of service providers about the cultural competency of services for elderly Vietnamese Americans in Boston, Massachusetts. The study includes interviews with key informants representing the five major community health centers (CHC) programs in Boston’s Vietnamese enclave in the Dorchester neighborhood. Secondary data collection from field observations and informal communications with other staff and elderly clients also inform the findings. While the study recognizes the value …

Salem For All Ages: An Age-Friendly Action Plan, Caitlin E. Coyle, Jan Mutchler

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The City of Salem is dedicated to being an ideal place for people of all ages and abilities to live, work, learn and play. Towards this goal the City applied, and was accepted, to the World Health Organization’s Network of Age-Friendly Communities in 2015. Almost entirely directed by passionate resident leaders from Salem and with the support and enthusiasm of Mayor Kimberly Driscoll and participating City Departments, a series of activities were undertaken to assess the needs of Salem’s older adult population. In June 2016, the City of Salem invited collaboration from the Center for Social & Demographic Research on …

Our Future Selves

SIGNED: The Magazine of The Hong Kong Design Institute

In 2009, Dr. Yanki Lee initiated a series of projects to challenge the concept of ageing as a problem to be solved, choosing instead to cast the ageing process as unique experience for each individual and a culture from which design lessons can be drawn. Her research is leading to a series of innovative design projects that will benefit all segments of the community.

New Measures To Capture End Of Life Concerns In Huntington Disease: Meaning And Purpose And Concern With Death And Dying From Hdqlife (A Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement System)., N E Carlozzi, N R Downing, M K Mccormack, S G Schilling, J S Perlmutter, E A Hahn, J S Lai, S Frank, K A Quaid, J S Paulsen, D Cella, S M Goodnight, J A Miner, M A Nance

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

PURPOSE: Huntington disease (HD) is an incurable terminal disease. Thus, end of life (EOL) concerns are common in these individuals. A quantitative measure of EOL concerns in HD would enable a better understanding of how these concerns impact health-related quality of life. Therefore, we developed new measures of EOL for use in HD.

METHODS: An EOL item pool of 45 items was field tested in 507 individuals with prodromal or manifest HD. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA and CFA, respectively) were conducted to establish unidimensional item pools. Item response theory (IRT) and differential item functioning analyses were applied to …

Hdqlife: Development And Assessment Of Health-Related Quality Of Life In Huntington Disease (Hd), N E Carlozzi, S G Schilling, J-S Lai, J S Paulsen, E A Hahn, J S Perlmutter, C A Ross, N R Downing, A L Kratz, M K Mccormack, M A Nance, K A Quaid, J C Stout, R C Gershon, R E Ready, J A Miner, S K Barton, S L Perlman, S M Rao, S Frank, I Shoulson, H Marin, M D Geschwind, P Dayalu, S M Goodnight, D Cella

Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine Departmental Research

PURPOSE: Huntington disease (HD) is a chronic, debilitating genetic disease that affects physical, emotional, cognitive, and social health. Existing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) used in HD are neither comprehensive, nor do they adequately account for clinically meaningful changes in function. While new PROs examining HRQOL (i.e., Neuro-QoL-Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders and PROMIS-Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System) offer solutions to many of these shortcomings, they do not include HD-specific content, nor have they been validated in HD. HDQLIFE addresses this by validating 12 PROMIS/Neuro-QoL domains in individuals with HD and by using established PROMIS …

Housing With Services, Paula C. Carder

Institute on Aging Publications

This report describes findings of an evaluation of the Housing with Services project in Portland, OR.

This evaluation was designed to assess the implementation process and impacts of a novel program of coordinated health and social services on behalf of over 1,400 residents of 11 affordable housing properties in Portland, Oregon. Affordable housing for older adults and persons with disabilities provides an important financial subsidy for persons with low incomes. To qualify for the affordable housing described in this report, individuals must have incomes of no more than $15,450 for a single person. In the U.S., over one million older …

Pengembangan Umkm Olahan Pangan Lokal Dalam Gerakan One Day No Rice (Odnr) Di Kota Depok, Endar Purnawan, Fentiny Nogroho

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

This thesis reveals the development of micro, small and medium local food entreprise. Furthermore, this descriptive research uses a qualitative approach. The result of this research show that ODNR action has encouraged the appearance of UMKM in a culinary sector and it also provided local food – non rice and non wheat. The roles of UMKM in a ODNR action is producing, supplying, distributing, marketing local food, conducting inovation, socializing ODNR action, creating new UMKM and job vacancies. Things supporting the development of UMKM are place, equipment, capital, human resources, skills, raw materials, and ODNR action itself. On the other …

Program Men Care Sebagai Upaya Pencegahan Kekerasan Dalam Rumah Tangga : (Studi Deskriptif Pada Yayasan Pulih, Jakarta), Clara Clara, Fentiny Nugroho

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

Domestic violence is a delicate matter in our society. Many efforts have been made by many institutions to decrease the violence that continues to increase every year. One of them is a prevention effort through a Men Care program that presents the male-engagement. Therefore, this study specifically describes the Men Care program implemented by Yayasan PULIH in Jakarta. This research uses descriptive method with qualitative approach. The results is to describe the forms of male-engagement including advantages and disadvantages faced by Yayasan PULIH in disseminating those issue, as well as strategies undertaken to attract the public participation into the program.

Proses Disclosure Dan Kondisi Psikososial Anak Dengan Hiv/Aids, Arini Dwi Deswanti, Johanna Debora Imelda

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

HIV-infected children have a longer life expectancy after the invention of antiretroviral treatment. Therefore, a well-prepared HIV status disclosure become a significant issue for children living with HIV/AIDS (CLWHA). Previous studies have shown that disclosing a status of children with chronic illness helps them to cope with the illness. However, delayed disclosure for various reasons which often influenced by parents or caregivers consideration affect children’s psychosocial condition. This paper will illustrate the psychosocial condition of CLWHA in relation to the preparation of their disclosure process.This descriptive study used a qualitative approach with observations, in-depth interviews, and Focus Group Discussion on …

Lansia Anggota Kelompok Bina Keluarga Lansia (Bkl) Adalah Sebuah Aset (Potensi) Bagi Pembangunan Di Masyarakat Rw 04 Pancoran, Jakarta Selatan, Juli Yanto, Wisni Bantarti

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

This research depict a new paradigm of elderly. All this time, the elderly have been thouht as an unproductive age group, dependent to the family, consumptive, used up of the health budget, and useless jugment in the community. However, the existing of the BKL IMPALA group in the community indicates that the elderly in the BKL IMPALA group as an asset or potential human resources to participate in the development of RW 04 Pancoran, and they are not family’s or development’s burden. The result of this research that the elderly have been health, and active in every BKL IMPALA’s or …

Upaya Perusahan Pembiayaan Non Bank Dalam Mengembangkan Usaha Mikro, Kecil Dan Menengah : (Studi Deskriptif Pemberian Dan Pengembalian Kredit Oleh Pt "X"), Iman Syahrizal, Sari Viciawati Machdum

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

Entrepreneurship basically is not an easy matter. Despite of the challenges, organizations of both government and non-governmental organizations have developed entrepreneurial development activities. As a non-governmental organization, profit-oriented PT “X” also plays a role in the process of entrepreneurship development by undertaking financing activities to micro enterprises. This article describes the efforts of PT “X” as a Non-Bank Company that implements the implementation of credit loan and return in UMKM. Based on qualitative research, the research result showed that PT “X” as a company has potential because it can give positive contribution to the development of UMKM in Indonesia. However, …

Examining The Interplay Between Spousal And Non-Spousal Social Support And Strain On Trajectories Of Functional Limitations Among Married Older Adults, Scott A. Adams

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Marriage is a key social status related to the distribution of later life disablement. One factor within the marital relationship thought to be consequential for disablement is social support from the spouse. Nonetheless, marriage is not inherently supportive and may also be a source of chronic strain. According to the social support/stress model spousal social support is expected to result in better functional health outcomes while spousal strain is hypothesized to produce poorer functional health in later life. Beyond spousal support and strain, marriage is also embedded in a broader web of emotionally close non-spousal ties that are also likely …

In The Information Age, Do Dementia Caregivers Get The Information They Need? Semi-Structured Interviews To Determine Informal Caregivers’ Education Needs, Barriers, And Preferences, Kendra Peterson, Howard Hahn, Amber J. Lee, Catherine A. Madison, Alireza Atri

Dartmouth Scholarship

Most patients with dementia or cognitive impairment receive care from family members, often untrained for this challenging role. Caregivers may not access publicly available caregiving information, and caregiver education programs are not widely implemented clinically. Prior large surveys yielded broad quantitative understanding of caregiver information needs, but do not illuminate the in-depth, rich, and nuanced caregiver perspectives that can be gleaned using qualitative methodology. We aimed to understand perspectives about information sources, barriers and preferences, through semi-structured interviews with 27 caregivers. Content analysis identified important themes

An Inductive Ethnographic Study In Elderly Woman Technology Adoption And The Role Of Her Children, Noshad Rahimi, Antonie J, Jetter, Charles M. Weber

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Elderly woman strives to have a streamlined life surrounded by ease and familiarity. As she is aging, her desire for simplicity grows, her self-efficacy weakens, her prudency intensifies and her overall inclination toward status quo strengthens. As a result, she delays, or refuses, making any decision that might bring complexity and disrupt the continuity in her life, particularly new and unfamiliar technologies (which often bring complexity, before providing ease). Consequently, her technology adoption has a much lower rate than that of other demographics. To open the black box of elderly woman technology adoption process, this study focuses on the role …

Living Below The Line: Economic Insecurity And Older Americans Insecurity In Massachusetts 2016, Jan E. Mutchler, Yang Li, Ping Xu

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

New estimates from the 2016 Elder Economic Security Standard Index^TM reveal that in Massachusetts, six out of ten older adults living alone, and three out of ten living in two-person households, cannot afford the basic necessities of life such as food, housing in a safe community and health care. The Gerontology Institute compares 2016 household incomes for adults age 65 and above living in one- and two-person households to the 2016 Elder Economic Security Standard Index^TM for Massachusetts to calculate Elder Economic Insecurity Rates (EEIRs), the percentage of independent adults age 65 or older living in households with …

Living Below The Line: Economic Insecurity And Older Americans Insecurity In The States 2016, Jan E. Mutchler, Yang Li, Ping Xu

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

New estimates from the 2016 Elder Economic Security Standard Index^TM suggest that half of older adults living alone, and one out of four older adults living in two-elder households, lack the financial resources required to pay for basic needs. The Gerontology Institute compares the 2016 household incomes for adults age 65 and above living in one- and two-person households to the 2016 Elder Economic Security Standard Index^TM for each state and Washington, DC to calculate Elder Economic Insecurity Rates (EEIRs), the percentage of independent older adults age 65 or older living in households with annual incomes that do …

The Age-Friendly Cities Project In Bowling Green: A Narrative History, Hannah Ruggles

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

An age-friendly city is one that “encourages active ageing by optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. In practical terms, an age-friendly city adapts its structures and services to be accessible to and inclusive of older people with varying needs and capacities.” Bowling Green was the seventh city in the US to join the World Health Organization’s Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and is currently in year three of a five-year project. The developments over the past two years have been guided by the principle that senior residents of Bowling …

Primetimes Newsletter, Fall 2016, Office Of Lifespan Studies

PrimeTimes Newsletter

PrimeTimes is the newsletter of the Office of Lifespan Studies in the College of Science at Coastal Carolina University.

Early Parental Loss, Socioeconomic Stressors, And Health In Later Life: Evidence For Gender Disparity, Rong Fu

Open Access Dissertations

Drawing from the stress process model and the cumulative disadvantage theory, this dissertation examined how childhood and later life stressors affected cognitive and subjective health in older adults. Using three main articles, this dissertation investigated (1) the effect of early parental loss on cognitive well-being in Chinese oldest old; (2) the effect of intergenerational socioeconomic mobility on cognitive and subjective health in advanced age; and (3) the effect of different dimensions of socioeconomic status and perceived financial strain on subjective health in later life. Data were derived from the 2002 and 2005 waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. …