Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
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Multi-purpose senior services program deinstitutionalization screen
- Authors:
- MORROW-HOWELL Nancy, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Work, 12(3), Summer 1987, pp.197-204.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
A six-item screen and tables that allows the determination of probability of a patient being successfully discharged from a nursing home.
Organizational support and volunteering benefits for older adults
- Authors:
- TANG Fengyan, CHOI EunHee, MORROW-HOWELL Nancy
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 50(5), October 2010, pp.603-612.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This study aimed to develop and test a theoretical model of volunteering benefits. In particular, it examined the mechanism through which volunteering benefits older adults, investigating whether organisational support is associated with increased volunteer commitment and socioemotional benefits, and whether socioemotional benefits are related to mental and physical health among older volunteers. A total of 253 older adult volunteers serving in 10 volunteer programmes completed mailed surveys in 2005 and 2006. Structural equation modelling was used to define the latent variables and to test direct and indirect relationships among organisational support, socioemotional benefits, and self-reported health. The results showed that organisational support, measured by choice of volunteer activity, training, and ongoing support, had significant direct associations with two latent factors of socioemotional benefits, that is, perceived contribution and personal benefits. Perceived contribution was significantly related to mental health. Additionally, older volunteers with lower socioeconomic status committed more hours and perceived more personal benefits than higher socioeconomic peers. The findings suggest that volunteer programmes can provide various organisational supports to older volunteers, especially to low-socioeconomic volunteers, in order to promote the socioemotional and health benefits of volunteering to older adults.
Assessment of the refined aging semantic differential: recommendations for enhancing validity
- Authors:
- GONZALES Ernest, TAN Jing, MORROW-HOWELL Nancy
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 53(4), May 2010, pp.304-318.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The Aging Semantic Differential (ASD) (Rosencranz and McNevin, 1969) is the most commonly used instrument in gerontological and geriatric education, and is designed to evaluate the stereotypical attitudes young people have toward older people. Polizzi (2003) updated the ASD with current adjectives and reduced the instrument to a single latent factor – attitude. This paper investigates the validity of this instrument and describes its strengths and weaknesses. The instrument was applied to 199 medical students, from eight universities across the United States who participated in a national pilot project – Vital Visionaries, funded by National Institute on Aging. Analysis using structural equation modelling was used. Qualitative data captured stereotypic attitudes young people have toward older adults. Structural equation modelling indexes suggest that one-factor structure had a poor fit. Qualitative analyses indicated that medical students hold multiple dimensions of stereotypic attitudes toward older adults. In conclusion, the authors suggest that the latent factor, attitude, can be assessed with fewer observed items, thereby creating room for the additional latent factors. The resulting instrument could be just as short, but offer a more comprehensive assessment of young people's stereotypic attitudes toward older adults.
Low-income older adults' acceptance of depression treatments: examination of within-group differences
- Authors:
- CHOI Namkee G., MORROW-HOWELL Nancy
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 11(4), July 2007, pp.423-433.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Using the 11-item Treatment Evaluation Inventory (TEI), a community sample of 79 homebound and 127 ambulatory older adults rated their acceptance of four depression treatments for two hypothetical cases with mild-to-moderate or severe levels of depressive symptoms. The four treatments were clinic-based cognitive therapy (CT), in-home cognitive bibliotherapy (CB), antidepressant medication (AM), and regimented physical exercise (PE). Older adults had significantly less favourable attitudes toward AM than CT as a treatment for mild-to-moderate symptoms, and they were less accepting of CB than CT for severe symptoms. Concerns about becoming dependent on medication and about its side effects as well as the understanding of loneliness and isolation as causes of depression appear to have affected their scores. African American and Hispanic older adults showed attitudes that were as favourable as those of their non-Hispanic white peers toward all four types of depression treatments. Homebound older adults had less favourable attitudes toward CB than did their ambulatory peers.
Setting priorities for gerontological social work research: a national Delphi study
- Authors:
- BURNETTE Denise, MORROW-HOWELL Nancy, CHEN Li-Mei
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 43(6), December 2003, pp.828-838.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
An increasingly important task for all disciplines involved in aging research is to identify and prioritize areas for investigation. This article reports the results of a national Delphi study on setting research priorities for gerontological social work. Delphi methodology, a structured process for eliciting and correlating informed opinions from a panel of experts on a specific topic, was used. A national expert panel of 46 gerontological social workers completed three successive Web-based questionnaires with controlled feedback to delimit a set of high-priority research topics. There were 49 independent research topics identified, 16 of which attained high or highest priority and high or moderate consensus ratings. The top-priority topic was developing and testing psychosocial interventions across specific populations and conditions. Three additional topics on intervention research achieved similar ratings, as did all four topics on services research. The research priorities identified by expert panelists in this study represent critical knowledge needs for the social work profession in aging, and they overlap and complement the current research agendas of the National Research Council and the National Institute on Aging. They are thus expected to help guide the development and prioritization of social work and interdisciplinary research to improve practice and policies affecting older adults and their families.
A standardized menu for Goal Attainment Scaling in the care of frail elders
- Author:
- MORROW-HOWELL Nancy
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 38(6), December 1998, pp.735-742.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), an individualised measurement approach, is particularly attractive for the evaluation and care planning of frail elders, who often experience multiple, complex problems. Some service providers find GAS too unwieldy for routine use. A modified version of GAS that uses a standardized menu of goals and attainment levels has been developed by a regional referral hospital in Nova Scotia, Canada. This article reviews the development, implementation, benefits and challenges of the standardised menu, as well as the results of a retrospective descriptive study of its measurement properties.
Adequacy of care: the concept and its measurement
- Authors:
- MORROW-HOWELL Nancy, PROCTOR Enola K, DORE Peter
- Journal article citation:
- Research on Social Work Practice, 8(1), January 1998, pp.86-102.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This article presents a methodology for measuring the adequacy of care, both formal and informal, and how well they meet the needs of the elderly living in the community. The measure of adequacy of care derives an assessment of need and assistance received in 14 activities of daily living. In each activity area where the elderly need assistance, assessments are made of the quantity and quality of care received from formal and informal sources. Describes how the scores can be useful to social workers for both clinical and research purposes.
An integrated program for dementia evaluation and care management
- Author:
- MORROW-HOWELL Nancy
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 39(3), June 1999, pp.356-361.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The growth of the geriatric population and the emergence of managed care dictate new approaches to dementia care. Reports on the Alzheimer's Disease Education Program (ADEP) which seeks to reduce the burden of caregiving experienced by families. Objectives of ADEP include early detection of AD through dementia screening followed by caregiver education and support. This article outlines an effective method of dementia evaluation and management.
A multidisciplinary ethics teaching conference on a geropsychiatric service
- Author:
- MORROW-HOWELL Nancy
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 39(1), February 1999, pp.105-108.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This article describes an ethics case conference on a multidisciplinary geropsychiatric service in the USA and its unique clinical, training and research benefits. Describes the structure of the conference, the major topics addressed, the perceived advantages and the research implications. Concludes that the care of older patients, the education of students and trainees interested in ageing issues and cutting-edge geriatric research are all advanced by such a conference.
Evaluating an intervention for the elderly at increased risk of suicide
- Authors:
- MORROW-HOWELL Nancy, BECKER-KEMPPAINEN Susan, JUDY Lee
- Journal article citation:
- Research on Social Work Practice, 8(1), January 1998, pp.28-46.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Presents an evaluation of Link-Plus, a social work service provided in the USA under the auspices of a suicide prevention hot line agency. The programme targets the elderly at increased risk of suicide by virtue of depression, social isolation, and unmet needs. The evaluation found that the outreach strategy and telephone intervention service was moderately effective in treating older adults with depressive symptomatology, social isolation, and unmet need.