Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 27(6), 2014, pp.555-563.
Publisher:
Wiley
... ageing process in this population.
(Publisher abstract)
Background: A population sample of people with Down syndrome has been studied from infancy and has now been followed up again at age 47 years.
Methods: Intelligence and language skills were tested and daily living skills assessed. Memory/cognitive deterioration was examined using two test instruments.
Results: Scores on verbal tests of intelligence changed little. Those on a non-verbal test, on self-help skills and on both memory tests showed some decline, even when the scores of those already suffering from dementia were discounted.
Conclusions: At age 47, scores on most tests of even the majority of the cohort (i.e. those not definitely diagnosed with dementia) showed some decline. While this includes the scores of people who may subsequently develop dementia, it may also reflect the normal ageing process in this population.
(Publisher abstract)
Objectives: To examine perceived age discrimination in a large representative sample of older adults in England.
Methods: This cross-sectional study of over 7,500 individuals used data from the fifth wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), a longitudinal cohort study of men and women aged 52 years and older in England. Wave 5 asked respondents about the frequency of five
(Publisher abstract)
Objectives: To examine perceived age discrimination in a large representative sample of older adults in England.
Methods: This cross-sectional study of over 7,500 individuals used data from the fifth wave of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), a longitudinal cohort study of men and women aged 52 years and older in England. Wave 5 asked respondents about the frequency of five everyday discriminatory situations. Participants who attributed any experiences of discrimination to their age were treated as cases of perceived age discrimination. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratios of experiencing perceived age discrimination in relation to selected sociodemographic factors.
Results: Approximately a third (33.3%) of all respondents experienced age discrimination, rising to 36.8% in those aged 65 and over. Perceived age discrimination was associated with older age, higher education, lower levels of household wealth and being retired or not in employment. The correlates of age discrimination across the five discriminatory situations were similar.
Conclusion: Understanding age discrimination is vital if we are to develop appropriate policies and to target future interventions effectively. These findings highlight the scale of the challenge of age discrimination for older adults in England and illustrate that those groups are particularly vulnerable to this form of discrimination.
(Publisher abstract)
This article providing empirical evidence concerning the relative age-friendliness of purpose-built retirement communities. Adopting a new definition – ‘underpinned by a commitment to respect and social inclusion, an age-friendly community is engaged in a strategic and ongoing process to facilitate active ageing by optimising the community's physical and social environments and its supporting infrastructure’ – the article analyses the age-friendliness of one retirement community in England. The Longitudinal Study of Ageing in a Retirement Community (LARC) encompassed two waves of a survey with residents, interviews and focus groups with stakeholders involved in staffing, managing and designing the community, and other qualitative data collected from residents. Reviewing the different data sources, the article argues that purpose-built retirement communities have the potential to be age-friendly settings but might better involve residents in a regular cycle of planning, implementation, evaluation and continual improvement if they are to facilitate active ageing. In addition, more clarity is needed on how such developments can better fit with the age-friendly agenda, particularly in terms of their capacity to support ageing in place, the accessibility of the wider neighbourhood, opportunities for intergenerational interactions, and the training of staff to work with older people.
(Edited publisher abstract)
This article providing empirical evidence concerning the relative age-friendliness of purpose-built retirement communities. Adopting a new definition – ‘underpinned by a commitment to respect and social inclusion, an age-friendly community is engaged in a strategic and ongoing process to facilitate active ageing by optimising the community's physical and social environments and its supporting infrastructure’ – the article analyses the age-friendliness of one retirement community in England. The Longitudinal Study of Ageing in a Retirement Community (LARC) encompassed two waves of a survey with residents, interviews and focus groups with stakeholders involved in staffing, managing and designing the community, and other qualitative data collected from residents. Reviewing the different data sources, the article argues that purpose-built retirement communities have the potential to be age-friendly settings but might better involve residents in a regular cycle of planning, implementation, evaluation and continual improvement if they are to facilitate active ageing. In addition, more clarity is needed on how such developments can better fit with the age-friendly agenda, particularly in terms of their capacity to support ageing in place, the accessibility of the wider neighbourhood, opportunities for intergenerational interactions, and the training of staff to work with older people.
(Edited publisher abstract)
... of rhythmanalysis is intended to be a transdisciplinary theory that could be used to theorise ‘everyday life’. The writer superimposes this concept on the activity and disengagement theories of ageing to add meaning to the ethnographic data gathered and argues that ageing is not a simple matter of activity or disengagement. These Chinese elders coped with change through a flexible and ongoing process of adapting to different rhythms of life. This paper aims to contribute to the empirical understanding of ageing for a minority in Britain and to present a novel theoretical perspective on research approaches to ageing.
(Publisher abstract)
This paper examines how some elderly Chinese tenants in a cluster of housing schemes in the north of England differed in their perception, consciousness and management of time. It examines how there was too much or too little time for some of these tenants and how time played a part in their personal and social identification arising from their experiences of migration. Lefebvre's concept of rhythmanalysis is intended to be a transdisciplinary theory that could be used to theorise ‘everyday life’. The writer superimposes this concept on the activity and disengagement theories of ageing to add meaning to the ethnographic data gathered and argues that ageing is not a simple matter of activity or disengagement. These Chinese elders coped with change through a flexible and ongoing process of adapting to different rhythms of life. This paper aims to contribute to the empirical understanding of ageing for a minority in Britain and to present a novel theoretical perspective on research approaches to ageing.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
Chinese people, sheltered housing, ageing, migration;
International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 29(9), 2014, pp.915-919.
Publisher:
Wiley
Objective: Phonemic verbal fluency (PVF) is a cognitive function that involves serial processes termed clustering and switching and which is impacted in both normal aging and dementia. The cognitive reserve hypothesis suggests that appropriate cognitive stimulation could maintain or improve cognitive performance. This study examines the effect on PVF performance of a brief crossword-based intervention in a cognitively normal, community-based sample.
Methods: Thirty-seven members of active retirement groups volunteered to participate and were randomly assigned to a crossword group and a control group. The former attempted a crossword daily for 4 weeks while the latter kept a daily gratitude diary for the same period.
Results: 2 × 2 mixed analyses of variance revealed that the crossword group performed significantly better over time than the control group in both total PVF score and in the cluster size component.
Conclusion: Daily crosswords may be a simple and effective means of bolstering PVF performance in older people.
(Publisher abstract)
Objective: Phonemic verbal fluency (PVF) is a cognitive function that involves serial processes termed clustering and switching and which is impacted in both normal aging and dementia. The cognitive reserve hypothesis suggests that appropriate cognitive stimulation could maintain or improve cognitive performance. This study examines the effect on PVF performance of a brief crossword-based intervention in a cognitively normal, community-based sample.
Methods: Thirty-seven members of active retirement groups volunteered to participate and were randomly assigned to a crossword group and a control group. The former attempted a crossword daily for 4 weeks while the latter kept a daily gratitude diary for the same period.
Results: 2 × 2 mixed analyses of variance revealed that the crossword group performed significantly better over time than the control group in both total PVF score and in the cluster size component.
Conclusion: Daily crosswords may be a simple and effective means of bolstering PVF performance in older people.
(Publisher abstract)
Purpose: This study estimates the cross-sectional association between physical and social challenge in the home environment and use of assistive devices (AD) for mobility in the home, controlling for lower extremity physical performance (short physical performance battery [SPPB]) and other factors. Design and Methods: Data are from the Women’s Health and Aging Study I, a prospective study of the factors related to physical disability in a sample of moderately to severely disabled older women. The study describes these associations in the baseline sample overall and also within subsets who do and do not have both a baseline and a 3-year follow-up observation. Results: On average, physical challenge in the home environment is inversely associated with level of AD use in the overall sample, independent of SPPB, living alone, and other factors. No significant association was found between social challenge and the level of AD use in the overall sample. Findings by follow-up responder status were similar (with minor variability). Implications: Future cohorts who are better educated and more receptive to technology may confront challenges in the home environment that limit their ability to age in place. Findings suggest that the physical challenges of the home are significantly related to AD use. Future analyses that explore the mechanisms of the home environment as a source of challenges to independent functioning could help in the design of future interventions for these cohorts as they age.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Purpose: This study estimates the cross-sectional association between physical and social challenge in the home environment and use of assistive devices (AD) for mobility in the home, controlling for lower extremity physical performance (short physical performance battery [SPPB]) and other factors. Design and Methods: Data are from the Women’s Health and Aging Study I, a prospective study of the factors related to physical disability in a sample of moderately to severely disabled older women. The study describes these associations in the baseline sample overall and also within subsets who do and do not have both a baseline and a 3-year follow-up observation. Results: On average, physical challenge in the home environment is inversely associated with level of AD use in the overall sample, independent of SPPB, living alone, and other factors. No significant association was found between social challenge and the level of AD use in the overall sample. Findings by follow-up responder status were similar (with minor variability). Implications: Future cohorts who are better educated and more receptive to technology may confront challenges in the home environment that limit their ability to age in place. Findings suggest that the physical challenges of the home are significantly related to AD use. Future analyses that explore the mechanisms of the home environment as a source of challenges to independent functioning could help in the design of future interventions for these cohorts as they age.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 57(5), 2014, pp.421-437.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
Place of publication:
Philadelphia, USA
An increasing number of Australia’s ageing population are aging with long-term physical impairments. This study explored the life experiences of this group using a qualitative approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 disabled Victorians, aged between 51 and 84 years, and an inductive thematic analysis undertaken. A relationship was found between the adaptive strategies
(Publisher abstract)
An increasing number of Australia’s ageing population are aging with long-term physical impairments. This study explored the life experiences of this group using a qualitative approach. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 disabled Victorians, aged between 51 and 84 years, and an inductive thematic analysis undertaken. A relationship was found between the adaptive strategies that participants developed as they moved through life phases and the impairment stages. The implications of the emergence of a cyclical process of adaptation across the life course. and particularly in respect of aging, delivery of aged-care services and social workers in this sector are discussed.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
older people, ageing, physical disabilities, life events;
In this editorial, the author reviews the findings of seven studies on the topic of late life depression and compares these studies with the state of the field in terms of empirical research when he wrote his 1982 book.
(Original abstract)
In this editorial, the author reviews the findings of seven studies on the topic of late life depression and compares these studies with the state of the field in terms of empirical research when he wrote his 1982 book.
(Original abstract)
Subject terms:
older people, ageing, depression, mental health problems;
OGLE Christin M., RUBIN David C., SIEGLER Ilene C.
Journal article citation:
Aging and Mental Health, 18(3), 2014, pp.316-325.
Publisher:
Taylor and Francis
Objectives: The present study examined the impact of cumulative trauma exposure on current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity in a nonclinical sample of adults in their 60s. The predictive utility of cumulative trauma exposure was compared to other known predictors of PTSD, including trauma severity, personality traits, social support, and event centrality.
Method: Community-dwelling adults (n = 2515) from the crest of the Baby Boom generation completed the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire, the PTSD Checklist, the NEO Personality Inventory, the Centrality of Event Scale, and rated their current social support.
Results: Cumulative trauma exposure predicted greater PTSD symptom severity in hierarchical regression analyses consistent with a dose–response model. Neuroticism and event centrality also emerged as robust predictors of PTSD symptom severity. In contrast, the severity of individuals’ single most distressing life event, as measured by self-report ratings of the A1 PTSD diagnostic criterion, did not add explanatory variance to the model. Analyses concerning event categories revealed that cumulative exposure to childhood violence and adulthood physical assaults were most strongly associated with PTSD symptom severity in older adulthood. Moreover, cumulative self-oriented events accounted for a larger percentage of variance in symptom severity compared to events directed at others.
Conclusion: The authors findings suggest that the cumulative impact of exposure to traumatic events throughout the life course contributes significantly to posttraumatic stress in older adulthood above and beyond other known predictors of PTSD.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Objectives: The present study examined the impact of cumulative trauma exposure on current posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity in a nonclinical sample of adults in their 60s. The predictive utility of cumulative trauma exposure was compared to other known predictors of PTSD, including trauma severity, personality traits, social support, and event centrality.
Method: Community-dwelling adults (n = 2515) from the crest of the Baby Boom generation completed the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire, the PTSD Checklist, the NEO Personality Inventory, the Centrality of Event Scale, and rated their current social support.
Results: Cumulative trauma exposure predicted greater PTSD symptom severity in hierarchical regression analyses consistent with a dose–response model. Neuroticism and event centrality also emerged as robust predictors of PTSD symptom severity. In contrast, the severity of individuals’ single most distressing life event, as measured by self-report ratings of the A1 PTSD diagnostic criterion, did not add explanatory variance to the model. Analyses concerning event categories revealed that cumulative exposure to childhood violence and adulthood physical assaults were most strongly associated with PTSD symptom severity in older adulthood. Moreover, cumulative self-oriented events accounted for a larger percentage of variance in symptom severity compared to events directed at others.
Conclusion: The authors findings suggest that the cumulative impact of exposure to traumatic events throughout the life course contributes significantly to posttraumatic stress in older adulthood above and beyond other known predictors of PTSD.
(Edited publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
ageing, older people, traumas, post traumatic stress disorder;
Purpose: The article aims to examine the extent to which ageism is connected with the social integration of older adults in their neighbourhoods and to identify factors that explain social integration. Design and Methods: A convenience sample that included 300 older adults aged 65 and older and 300 younger people under the age of 65 who resided in 3 neighbourhoods in Tel-Aviv with varied socioeconomic status were interviewed. Kogan’s Attitudes toward Old People scale was used to probe ageism. Social integration index included 3 dimensions: frequency of participation in activities in the neighbourhood, familiarity with neighbours, and sense of neighbourhood. Hierarchical regression analyses examined 3 groups of independent variables: older adults’ sociodemographic characteristics, their perceived health and outdoor mobility, and neighbourhoods’ characteristics including level of ageism. Results: Neighbourhoods varied by levels of ageism and social integration. Higher level of social integration of older neighbourhoods’ residents was explained by a combination of factors: younger age, better self-rated health, and fewer limitations of outdoor mobility, lower levels of ageism reported by a sample of younger respondents, and higher socioeconomic status of the neighbourhood. Implications: To enable better social integration, intergeneration programmes should be developed to decrease ageism, and in order to make communities more age-friendly, there is need to facilitate accessibility to services and public spaces.
(Publisher abstract)
Purpose: The article aims to examine the extent to which ageism is connected with the social integration of older adults in their neighbourhoods and to identify factors that explain social integration. Design and Methods: A convenience sample that included 300 older adults aged 65 and older and 300 younger people under the age of 65 who resided in 3 neighbourhoods in Tel-Aviv with varied socioeconomic status were interviewed. Kogan’s Attitudes toward Old People scale was used to probe ageism. Social integration index included 3 dimensions: frequency of participation in activities in the neighbourhood, familiarity with neighbours, and sense of neighbourhood. Hierarchical regression analyses examined 3 groups of independent variables: older adults’ sociodemographic characteristics, their perceived health and outdoor mobility, and neighbourhoods’ characteristics including level of ageism. Results: Neighbourhoods varied by levels of ageism and social integration. Higher level of social integration of older neighbourhoods’ residents was explained by a combination of factors: younger age, better self-rated health, and fewer limitations of outdoor mobility, lower levels of ageism reported by a sample of younger respondents, and higher socioeconomic status of the neighbourhood. Implications: To enable better social integration, intergeneration programmes should be developed to decrease ageism, and in order to make communities more age-friendly, there is need to facilitate accessibility to services and public spaces.
(Publisher abstract)
Subject terms:
older people, ageing, social inclusion, communities;