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The effects of age on psychopathology, well-being and repressive coping
- Authors:
- ERSKINE James A. K., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 11(4), July 2007, pp.394-404.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This present study was conducted to test the hypothesis that the increased psychological well-being and positivity effect in old age can be related to a high prevalence of repressive coping in healthy older adults. Both older (mean age 73) and younger (mean age 20) adults completed a range of indices measuring psychopathology and repressive coping. Results showed that older adults scored lower than younger adults on almost all indices of psychopathology, and were more likely to be classed as repressive copers than younger adults (41% versus 11%, respectively). Furthermore, when the repressive copers and borderline repressors were removed from both samples, age effects on several, but not all, measures of psychopathology disappeared, indicating that even older non-repressors showed better mental health than young non-repressors. Possible mechanisms of increased positivity, in terms of repressive coping and reductions in intrusive thoughts and rumination in old age, are discussed.
The task of time in retirement
- Authors:
- EKERDT David J., KOSS Catheryn
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 36(6), 2016, pp.1295-1311.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Retirees' encounter with time has long interested social scientists, especially the negotiation of such an open-ended status. Pursuing theoretical suggestions that daily activities anchor a narrative of self-identity, this project examined the coherence of retirees' representations of their time use. Information is drawn from interviews with 30 retirees in the Midwestern United States of America who were invited to discuss their daily lives and activities. The retirees valued time sovereignty and accounted for their time use by describing schedules of activities in some detail. Daily time was not presented as improvised but rather as structured into routines. Recurring behaviours flowed from situations and structures in which people were implicated, such as body care and living with others. Even in replies to a specific question about the preceding day, people slipped into language about what they typically do. Retirees' ready narratives about routines were also accounts of who they are not. The findings suggest, first, that daily routines are instrumental for retirees in economising thought and behaviour. Second, the assertion of a routine is an assurance that one's life is ordered and proceeds with purpose, thus solving the task of time. Third, routines can be a means to signal conformity with ideals of active ageing. (Edited publisher abstract)
In search for the "humane": staffs' perspectives on everyday activities in a nursing home
- Authors:
- MONDACA Margarita, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 24(4), 2020, pp.679-688.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: To better understand how a dialogue about the influence of nursing home residents on their everyday activities evolve among diverse practitioners and to identify the consequences of such an understanding in practice. Methods: Inspired by a collaborative approach, five workshops, one focus group and follow up interviews were conducted. The participants were 19 diverse practitioners. Analysis followed a dialogical approach. Findings: Tensions, opportunities and challenges were articulated and discussed during the workshops and are developed in: a) Bypassing the “humane”? The dilemma between using shields preventing engagement or acting in a clandestine manner b)“What is our stance?” Seeking common ground on which to stand regarding everyday activities and c) Recognising expertise and seeking connections. Discussion: For the staff, acting in a clandestine manner seems to create ways of enabling “humane” practices towards nursing home residents. The “clandestine manners” seem to be grounded in an effort on the part of the staff to make sense of the everyday activities for the nursing home residents. These “clandestine manners” could be seen as responses to institutional routines and a lack of common ground on the understanding of everyday activities in the context of nursing homes. (Edited publisher abstract)
Doing as much as I can do: the meaning of activity for people with dementia
- Authors:
- PHINNEY Alison, CHAUDHURY Habib, O'CONNOR Deborah L.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 11(4), July 2007, pp.384-393.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
While it is assumed that persons with dementia benefit from being involved in meaningful activity, research examining this claim is limited. In particular, how individuals with dementia perceive this involvement is poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to determine what constitutes meaningful activity from the perspective of persons with dementia, and to explore how they perceive its significance in their lives. The authors conducted an interpretive phenomenological analysis of multiple interviews and participant observation conducted with eight community-dwelling elders with mild to moderate dementia. For several participants, the single most important driving force in their lives was being active, doing as much as they possibly could. They were involved in a wide range of activities including leisure pastimes, household chores, work-related endeavours, and social involvements. These activities were meaningful in three ways: Through their involvement, participants experienced feelings of pleasure and enjoyment; felt a sense of connection and belonging; and retained a sense of autonomy and personal identity. Findings suggest that familiarity of the social and physical environment promotes involvement in activities. This provides a sense of continuity for people with dementia, with implications for their quality of life and personhood. Further implications of these findings for dementia care and future research are discussed.
Role of behavioural disturbance in the loss of autonomy for activities of daily living in Alzheimer patients
- Author:
- LECHOWSKI L.
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18(11), November 2003, pp.977-982.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Cognitive impairment is associated with functional impairment in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Behavioural disturbance is very common in these patients. Nevertheless, there has been very little research into the relations between behavioural disturbance and functional status in AD. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between behavioural disturbance and functional status after taking account of cognitive impairment. 579 patients were prospectively evaluated at 16 French hospitals, all referents for AD, and were diagnosed with possible or probable AD. These patients were assessed with NeuroPsychiatric Inventory (NPI), cognitive subscales of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS-cog), Clinical Dementia Rating scale (CDR) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living scale (IADL). The number of men with available data for IADL total score was too small to make any analysis. Group A gathered 256 women for whom the relation between autonomy for Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and the other variables were determined. Group B, pooled 85 women for whom relations found were verified. Linear regression was used for the analysis. With age, cognitive impairment allows us to explain best (38%) the loss of autonomy for ADL. The role of behavioural disturbances in the loss of autonomy for ADL was not determinant in our study, whereas cognitive impairment and age were better able to determine the loss of autonomy for ADL. Further study is needed to explain the decline of functional status in AD patients
Elderly women's experiences of living with fall risk in a fragile body: a reflective lifeworld approach
- Authors:
- HALLRUP Leena Berlin, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 17(4), July 2009, pp.379-387.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the lived experience of fall risk from a lifeworld perspective in elderly women with previous fragility fractures. Thirteen elderly women with a high risk of fall and fracture, aged 76–86, living in their own homes in rural areas, were recruited from a voluntary fracture prevention programme. All women had a history of fragility fractures and were interviewed in their homes from spring to autumn 2004. A phenomenological reflective lifeworld approach was chosen to analyse in-depth interview data. The study was conducted within an interdisciplinary research group inspired by dialogical research. Elderly women's life space has been narrowed due to advanced age, physical injury or by efforts to prevent new injuries leading to changes in self-perception. However, the women seek strategies to challenge limitations and insecurity, and strive to retain mobility and daily life routines. The four major constituents of the phenomenon 'elderly women's experiences of fall risk' emerged in this study: a changing body, living with precaution, ambiguous dependency and influence and need for understanding. Employing the women's thoughts and resources in trust-based dialogues with caregivers may strengthen their concord and the prospects to continue an active life. Elderly women seek strategies to challenge limitations and feelings of insecurity, and strive to maintain mobility and daily life routines. A trust-based care respecting the preferences of the women seemed to stimulate behavioural change in maintaining an active life.
Dependence and autonomy in old age: an ethical framework for long-term care
- Author:
- AGICH George J.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Publication year:
- 2003
- Pagination:
- 207p.,bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Cambridge
Respecting the autonomy of disabled people is an important ethical issue for providers of long-term care. In this book, the author reveals the concrete threats to personal autonomy in this setting, where ethical conflict, dilemma and tragedy are inescapable. He argues that liberal accounts of autonomy and individual rights are insufficient, and offers an account of autonomy that matches the realities of long-term care. The book therefore offers a framework for carers to develop an ethic of long-term care within the complex environment in which many dependent and aged people find themselves.