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Factorial structure and psychometric properties of the reminiscence functions scale
- Authors:
- ROBITAILLE Annie, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 14(2), March 2010, pp.184-192.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The Reminiscence Functions Scale (RFS) is a 43-item self-report instrument introduced in 1993 and used to assess the frequencies of reminiscence, or recalling our personal past, for distinct functions. The reminiscence components specified in the RFS are: identity; problem solving; death preparation; teach/inform; conversation; bitterness revival; boredom reduction; intimacy maintenance. The purpose of this study was to conduct an exploratory factor analysis investigating the psychometric properties and the factorial structure of the RFS, looking particularly at the 8-factor structure, whether this operated equivalently across gender, and to test internal consistency. Data was collected from 453 participants via the internet in the context of a larger study on the functions of reminiscence in old age. The results supported an 8-factor structure similar to the original one, yet question the value of a few of the items. The multi-group analysis suggested that the RFS functions equally across males and females. Tests of reliability and internal consistency demonstrate that it is a psychometrically sound instrument to use with older adults. An improved version of the RFS consisting of 29 items is suggested.
Social network patterns among the elderly in relation to their perceived life history in an Eriksonian perspective
- Authors:
- RENNEMARK M., HAGBERG B.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 1(4), November 1997, pp.321-331.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Looks at how past research has shown that social network patterns, the remembered past, and sense of coherence are all important factors for well-being in old age. In this article, these interrelationships are examined, with special attention given to the gender differences, concerning structures and functions of the social network. Suggests that structures and functions of the social network are sometimes used as compensation for shortcomings in the internal-based self-concept.
Randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of community group and home-based falls prevention exercise programmes on bone health in older people: the ProAct65+ bone study
- Author:
- DUCKHAM Rachel L.
- Journal article citation:
- Age and Ageing, 44(4), 2015, pp.573-579.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Objective: To evaluate the skeletal effects of home (Otago Exercise Programme, OEP) and group (Falls Exercise Management, FaME) falls prevention exercise programmes relative to usual care in older people. Methods: Men and women aged over 65 years were recruited through primary care. They were randomised by practice to OEP, FaME or usual care. BMD, bone mineral content (BMC) and structural properties were measured in Nottingham site participants before and after the 24-week intervention. Results: Participants were 319 men and women, aged mean(SD) 72(5) years. Ninety-two percentage of participants completed the trial. The OEP group completed 58(43) min/week of home exercise, while the FaME group completed 39(16) and 30(24) min/week of group and home exercise, respectively. Femoral neck BMD changes did not differ between treatment arms. There were no significant changes in BMD or BMC at other skeletal sites, or in structural parameters. Conclusions: Falls prevention exercise programmes did not influence BMD in older people. To increase bone strength, programmes may require exercise that exerts higher strains on bone or longer duration. (Edited publisher abstract)
An audit of referrals to occupational therapy for older adults attending an accident and emergency department
- Authors:
- SMITH Tony, REES Val
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(4), April 2004, pp.153-158.
- Publisher:
- Sage
The greater number of older people in communities is reflected in their increasing demands on the services of accident and emergency (A&E) departments. Recognition of the complex needs of older adults attending A&E departments has resulted in many National Health Service trusts employing occupational therapists in these departments. The occupational therapists are required to assess and evaluate a patient's functional status and, using a team approach, to make decisions about his or her wider needs, including therapeutic requirements and social provision. Presents an audit of the provision of the occupational therapy service in an A&E department. Data were collected monthly over a 3-year period in a single district general hospital on the referrals made by medical and nursing staff. The mean age of the patients referred was 80 years. The majority of the patients were female and living alone. The most common presenting problem was that of a fall, with a resulting fracture in half of the patients. The occupational therapy input in the A&E department was demonstrated in this study to save admissions to acute hospital care, amounting to an equivalent of two beds saved in each of the years covered by the audit.
Differences between older men and women in the self-rated health-mortality relationship
- Author:
- BATH Peter A.
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 43(2), June 2003, pp.387-395.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The aims of this study were to examine differences between older men and women: in the ability of self-rated health to predict mortality, in the effect of different follow-up periods on the self-rated health mortality relationship, and in the relative importance of self-rated health and self-rated change in health in predicting mortality. By using data from the Nottingham Longitudinal Study of Activity and Ageing, the author assessed relationships between self-rated health and self-rated change in health and 4- and 12-year mortality in separate unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models in men and women. The differences between men and women in the hazard ratios for poor self-rated health were not significant, although there were differences in the explanatory factors. The relationship between self-rated health and short-term and long-term mortality was explained by age and health among men. The relationship between self-rated health and short-term mortality was explained by age, physical and mental health, and physical activity among women. The relationship between self-rated health and long-term mortality was explained by age, physical health, and physical activity among women. The relationship between self-rated change in health and short-term mortality was explained by age among men and women. The relationship between self-rated change in health and long-term mortality was explained by age and physical health among men and women. Social engagement was an independent predictor of short- and long-term mortality among men and women in this study. The finding that low self-rated health was not an independent predictor of mortality among men or women, contrary to many, but not all, previous studies, may be related to differences in study design and/or across cultures. Further research investigating relationships between self-rated health and mortality and potential explanatory variables should analyze men and women separately and should consider the length of follow-up period. The benefits of individual physical and social activities in reducing mortality merit further investigation.
Concepts of self-rated health: specifying the gender difference in mortality risk
- Authors:
- DEEG Dorly J. H., KRIEGSMAN Didi M. W.
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 43(2), June 2003, pp.376-386.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Purpose: This study addresses the question of how the relation between self-rated health (SRH) and mortality differs between genders. In addition to the general question, four specific concepts of SRH are distinguished: SRH in comparison with age peers, SRH in comparison with one's own health 10 years ago, and current and future health perceptions. For these concepts, the gender-specific risks of mortality were evaluated for a short and a longer follow-up period. Baseline and mortality data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (N = 1917, initial ages 55-85 years) were used. Mortality risks were evaluated in Cox regression models at 3 and 7.5 years of follow-up, both adjusted for age and for sociodemographic characteristics, indicators of functional and mental health, lifestyle, and social involvement. All SRH measures were scaled from 1 (positive) to 5 (negative). Baseline correlations between SRH concepts were similar for men and women. After 3 years, 12% of the men and 7% of the women had died; after 7.5 years, these percentages were 27 and 15, respectively. In fully adjusted models, current health perceptions predicted 3-year mortality in men (risk ratio of 1.33). At 7.5 years, mortality in men was predicted by current health perceptions and by SRH compared with age peers (risk ratios of 1.25 and 1.23, respectively). In women, no SRH concept predicted either 3-year or 7.5-year mortality. SRH was a predictor of mortality only in men, not in women. The gender difference showed most clearly at longer follow-up, in the SRH concept "comparison with age peers."
Are gender differences in the relationship self-rated health and mortality enduring?: results from three birth cohorts in Melton Mowbray, United Kingdom
- Authors:
- SPIERS Nicola, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 43(2), June 2003, pp.406-411.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The purpose of this study was to assess whether there is an enduring gender difference in the ability of self-rated health to predict mortality and investigate whether self-reported physical health problems account for this difference. Cox models for 4-year survival were fitted to data from successive cohorts aged 75-81 years registered with a primary care practice in the U.K. Midlands surveyed in 1981, 1988, and 1993-1995. Self-rated health was consistently a stronger predictor in men (hazard ratio ; 95% confidence interval 2.1-3.5) than it was in women ( 1.5-2.4). Women surveyed in 1993-1995 were more likely than men to report problems that were disabling but not life-threatening, whereas men were more likely to report potentially life-threatening problems. However, these differences did not explain the association of self-rated health with mortality. More than half of those who reported a potentially life-threatening problem said that their health was good. Self-rated health is more strongly associated with mortality in men, but this is unlikely to be explained by differences in the nature of their physical health problems.
Sweden and the United States: is the challenge of an aging society leading to a convergence of policy?
- Author:
- PARKER Marti G.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 12(1), 2000, pp.73-90.
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The ageing of the population is one of many forces behind a current reconstruction of welfare benefits in both Sweden and the United States. While both countries represent ideological polarities regarding social policy, they are struggling to meet their welfare goals with limited resources, and both are adopting similar strategies, for example, decentralisation, targeting, and an increased emphasis on privatisation and evaluation. Summarises some of the differences between Sweden and the United States and describes some of the forces at work that are lessening the differences between the two countries in strategies and policy regarding care services for elderly people.
Linking depressive symptoms and functional disability in late life
- Authors:
- GALLO J. J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 7(6), November 2003, pp.469-480.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The authors hypothesized that the relationship of depressive symptoms to functional disability might be mediated by cognitive processes such as memory and problem-solving. The study sample consisted of 147 community-dwelling older adults (mean age = 74.0 years, SD = 5.9). In regression models that included terms for age, gender, and years of education, depressive symptoms were significantly inversely associated with two performance-based measures of functioning: everyday problems test (g = m0.15, p = 0.04) and observed tasks of daily living (g = m0.14, p = 0.02). When memory and problem-solving ability were added to the model, the relationship of depressive symptoms with function was attenuated. A structural equation model based on our conceptual framework revealed that both memory and problem-solving abilities were important mediators in the relationship of depressive symptoms and functional disability. The results suggest that intervention studies intended to limit functional disability secondary to depression among older adults may need to consider the effect of depression on cognition.
Gender differences in the self-rated health-mortality association: is it poor self-rated health that predicts mortality or excellent self-rated health that predicts survival?
- Authors:
- BENYAMINI Yael, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 43(2), June 2003, pp.396-405.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This study investigates gender differences in the association between self-rated health (SRH) and mortality. This association has been well-documented, but findings regarding gender differences are inconsistent. The specific objectives were (a) to examine these differences in a short and a long time frame, (b) to examine these differences among old and old-old people, and (c) to address the question of whether this association is based on the accuracy of poor SRH as a predictor of future decline, and/or of better SRH as a predictor of longevity. The study is based on an Israeli nationally representative sample of 622 women and 730 men who were interviewed about their SRH, as well as sociodemographic information and other measures of health, physical functioning, cognitive status, and depression. For both genders, SRH was associated only with shorter term mortality (within the next 4 years) and not with longer-term mortality (9 years of follow-up). This association was strongest among the old (ages 75-84) women, compared with the old men and with the old-old (85-94) women and men. A possible explanation may be related to differences in the accuracy of excellent SRH at very old age. The SRH-mortality association may differ among age and gender groups. Identifying the conditions under which it is more accurate will enable researchers and practitioners to know when it can be utilized. It is important to assess differences in the accuracy of poor SRH as well as of excellent SRH as predictors of future health outcomes.