Gerontology Commons^™

Ageism, Honesty, And Trust, Eric Schniter, Timothy W. Shields

ESI Publications

Age-based discrimination is considered undesirable, yet we know little about age stereotypes and their effects on honesty and trust. To investigate this aspect of ageism, we presented older adults (over age 50) and younger adults (under age 25) with incentivized belief elicitation tasks about anticipated interaction behaviors and then a series of same, different, and unknown-aged group interactions in a strategic-communication game. All adults shared consensual stereotypes about uncooperative younger adults and cooperative older adults that demonstrated “wisdom of crowds”. While the out-group was consistently stereotyped as relatively different and more dishonest and suspicious than observed to be, the in-group …

Balance And Power In Older Adults With And Without A History Of Falls, Stephanie Michelle Gray

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to observe the differences between power and balance in older adults over the age of 65 with and without falls. A total of 62 community dwelling older adults between the ages of 65 and 92 participated in the study. Two groups consisted of 25 fallers and 37 non-fallers. No statistical differences were found between groups on age, height, weight, or BMI. Testing included the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) to test balance, the Tendo Weightlifting Analyzer (TWA) during a sit-to-stand to test lower body power, and the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) to …

Tracing The Origins Of Success: Implications For Successful Aging, Nora M. Peterson, Peter Martin

French Language and Literature Papers

Purpose of the Study: This paper addresses the debate about the use of the term “successful aging” from a humanistic, rather than behavioral, perspective. It attempts to uncover what success, a term frequently associated with aging, is: how can it be defined and when did it first come into use? In this paper, we draw from a number of humanistic perspectives, including the historical and linguistic, in order to explore the evolution of the term “success.” We believe that words and concepts have deep implications for how concepts (such as aging) are culturally and historically perceived.

Design and Methods: We …

Primetimes Newsletter, Summer 2014, 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.

Social Networks, Decision Aids, And Patient Decisions Regarding Knee-Replacement Surgery, Francis G. Caro, Susanne Hoffmann, Alison Gottlieb, Iris Kesternich, Joachim Winter

Gerontology Institute Publications

Objective: Examine how information from social networks is associated with patient decisions in the presence of information from multiple professional sources including decision aids.

Methods: We conducted a stated-choice experiment in which respondents made recommendations for hypothetical patients about whether full knee-replacement surgery should be performed to treat knee osteoarthritis. In addition, we administered a background questionnaire in which we explicitly asked respondents about the experience of people in their social network with knee osteoarthritis and possible treatment options. We examined the manner in which respondents’ recommendations for vignette persons were associated with the experiences of members of …

Gender, Race, And Ethnic Differences In The Effects Of Education On Depression In Later Life: The Mediating Roles Of Mastery And Stress, Cathy Mae Wong

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The central objective of this study was to examine gender, race, and ethnic differences in the effects of education on late-life depression. This study differentiated education from other measures of SES due to the psychosocial resources developed through schooling. Education provides intrinsic resources, such as perceived mastery, that are beyond monetary value. Higher levels of education is hypothesized to increase perceived mastery throughout the life course and result in lower levels of stress, influencing psychological well-being in later life. The Stress Process Paradigm was the conceptual framework used for this study. The Stress Process Paradigm includes elements of Ross and …

Patterns Of Dissaving Among U.S. Elders, Deborah Gray

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This paper examined patterns of decumulation and the role that health events and marital disruption play in forming those patterns. Study data were drawn from six biennial waves of the HRS (1998 - 2008), and merged RAND HRS data files for the period 1998 - 2008. The a priori expectation was that there will be variation in drawdown strategies households employ.

Findings suggest that patterns of dissaving are heterogeneous. The five most prevalent patterns were discussed. Households predominantly transitioned between oversaving and overspending. Households are expected to have a goal of on target spending therefore the observed cycle's dissaving will …

The Social Environment, Apoe-E4, And Dementia: The Social Environment As A Moderating Factor Among Individuals Genetically Predisposed To Develop Dementia, Judith L. Poey

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Many studies have shown a relationship between the APOE-e4 allele and dementia, as well as a relationship between the social environment and dementia. However, relatively little investigation into the potential moderating effect of the social environment on the relationship between the APOE-e4 allele and cognitive well-being has been reported. Further, studies that did examine these relationships typically have employed clinical populations, along with regional and non-U.S. samples. This study contributed to the research literature, in part, by using the first U.S. nationally representative sample of older adults that included clinical diagnosis of cognition and dementia (Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study …

Participation In Recreation And Leisure Activities In Long-Term Care Facilities And Health Related Quality Of Life, James Michael Duncan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper was to examine predicted variations in Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among individuals over the age of 65 residing in Long Term Care (LTC) facilities. Variables related to self-care, depression, gender, social support, and leisure activities were examined. Univariate analysis was conducted from data collected from 110 LTC residents from 15 assisted living facilities (ALF) and nursing homes (NH) throughout Arkansas and a standard multiple regression was employed. Linear combinations of independent variables were significantly correlated to variations of HRQoL. More specifically, higher ratings in depression were positively correlated to lower ratings of HRQoL. …

Successful Aging In The United States And China : A Theoretical Basis To Guide Nursing Research, Practice, And Policy., Valerie Lander Mccarthy, Hong Ji, Jiying Ling

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Successful aging is an idea gaining increasing attention given the exponential growth in the older adult population. Criteria and definitions within multiple disciplines vary greatly in Western literature, with no consensus on its meaning. Moreover, sociocultural, economic and political differences between the Western view of successful aging and its use in China – with the world’s largest older adult population – add to the confusion. Similarities and differences in the meaning of successful aging in the United States and China are examined and the potential for a common definition that is useful to nursing in both countries is explored. Using …

Factors Influencing The Completion Of Advance Directives, Andrea B. Emmanuel

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Morehead State University in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Master of Arts by Andrea B. Emmanuel on April 18, 2014.

Nursing Home Referrals Within The Veterans Health Administration: Variation By Site And Payment For Care, Edward Alan Miller, Stefanie Gidmark, Emily Gadbois, Marylou Guihan, Orna Intrator

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Background: Veterans may receive Veterans Health Administration (VHA)-paid nursing home (NH) care in VHA Community Living Centers (CLCs), state veterans homes (SVHs), or community NHs; Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) must provide VHA-paid NH care to highly service connected (mandatory) Veterans; VAMCs have discretion to provide VHA-paid care to other Veterans, if resources allow. Study Objective: To examine how Veterans’ eligibility for different types of payment sources—VHA, Medicare, Medicaid, other—informs NH referral within the VHA.

Pension Action Center, Pension Action Center, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Pension Action Center, (PAC) strives to improve retirees’ and workers’ standard of living in retirement through individual case advocacy; referrals to appropriate programs and professionals; and issue analysis and reform of public policy. The center, which is part of the Gerontology Institute at UMass Boston, focuses on the experience of participants in retirement plans throughout its work. The PAC is a one-of-a-kind organization in New England that touches the lives of thousands of people.

Evaluating Needs Of Older Adults In Massachusetts Communities, Hayley P. Gleason, Caitlin Coyle, Bernard A. Steinman, Ceara R. Somerville, Jan Mutchler

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Throughout Massachusetts, the ongoing demographic shift toward an older population has required most cities and towns to reevaluate the adequacy of services and programs for older adults. By 2030, the vast majority of municipalities in Massachusetts will have unprecedented proportions of people age 60 or over.

Addressing The Supportive Transportation Challenges Of Community-Residing Older Adults, Nina M. Silverstein, Kristina M. Turk, Laura Adams, Holly Belanger, Linnea Burke, Stephen Jones, Lauren Lee, David Lopez, Keith Sherman, Lee Paradis, Erin O’Neill, Alycia Rao, Rachael Solano

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The ability to get to where you want to go, when you want to go there is a key factor for aging-in-place in our communities. It is often taken for granted until that ability is compromised. The informal network of family and friends, if it exists, is not likely to be a sustainable transportation alternative for persons with cognitive impairment or for older adults with limitations that may not fit eligibility criteria for senior transportation services, where they exist. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of communities to address the specialized supportive mobility needs of community-residing …

Community-Based Recommendations For The Kalamazoo County Elder Abuse Prevention Task Force, Janet S. Hahn, Jeana Brown

Center for Gerontology Reports and Publications

Kalamazoo County Elder Abuse Task Force,

A Western Michigan University gerontology class created a project which was composed of interviews with those who are in contact with vulnerable older adults, led by Janet S. Hahn, Ph.D. The students created a questionnaire based on occupation, knowledge and training on elder abuse, and if the professional had ever witnessed elder abuse personally without giving any identifiers.

The interviewees were recruited through the students’ personal contacts or willing participants from the Kalamazoo Area Professionals Focused on Aging organization. The interviews were geared at gaining recommendations from those in the field and also any …

[Sabbatical Report], Dana Burr Bradley

Sabbatical Reports

Write, submit and present information on geriatrics.

Pelaksanaan Program Children Educational Support Dalam Mengurangi Prevalensi Anak Jalanan Oleh Yayasan Indonesian Street Children Organisation (Isco) : Studi Deskriptif Di Sanggar (Isco) Kelurahan Kebun Melati, Tanah Abang, Wirda Amalia, Dwi Amalia Chandra Sekar

Jurnal Ilmu Kesejahteraan Sosial

This article discusses about the implementation of children educational support in reducing prevelance of street children by ISCO Foundation. Motivated by many poor children vulnerable to be street cause the difficulty of access to educational services. This research used a qualitative approach. Collecting data using observation and interview with 9 informant. The study results show that implementation of program has already ran fairly well characterized by reduced child beneficieris who took the streets due to provision of assistance in formal and non-formal education. This made the fulfillment of poor children needs to get an education from early age so the …

Aging In Boston: Preparing Today For A Growing Tomorrow, Jan E. Mutchler, Bernard A. Steinman, Caitlin Coyle, Hayley Gleason, Jiyoung Lyu, Ceara Somerville

Gerontology Institute Publications

Boston’s population is becoming older than ever before. The oldest Baby Boomer is approaching 70 and reinventing what it means to be a “senior citizen.” Waves of Boomers will forge a new path into later life, creating a population of seniors that is larger and more long-lived than previous cohorts, and diverse in new ways. In 2010, more than 14% of Boston’s residents were 60 years or older, representing 88,000 older people. By 2030, projected increases in the older population will result in as many as 130,000 seniors residing in Boston. How will Boston accommodate its growing older population? What …

Impersonal Trust In Versus Dependence On Fda, Amanda C. Meyer

Masters Theses

This study emerged following an examination of the work by Susan Shapiro (1987) delineating the construct of impersonal trust, and Shapiro's analysis of trust was applied to an understanding of the impersonal trust relationship which Americans have with Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Few fields outside of organizational studies have undertaken efforts to operationalize impersonal trust and to distinguish it from other related constructs, so this exploratory study assessed whether variables associated with interpersonal trust as outlined by Meyer and Ward (2009) were also associated with impersonal trust in FDA. This study further examined whether measures of impersonal trust could …