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Postcards to God: exploring spiritual expression among disabled older adults
- Authors:
- BRENNAN Mark, LADITKA Sarah B., COHEN Amy
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 45(1/2), 2005, pp.203-222.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Postcards to God was a creative method to allow individuals to express their spirituality. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of this innovative method. At a skilled nursing facility in a geriatric residence in the United States, 19 older disabled workshop participants created collage and message “Postcards to God,” and completed a brief survey. Postcard content and construction were coded and analyzed using qualitative methods around self-reports along two attitudinal dimensions: a) making a postcard to God; and b) level of religiousness. Spiritual and religious dimensions were related to postcard thematic content. Postcards were used for expressions of spirituality and prayer across all levels of self-reported religiousness. The Postcards project seems like useful way to facilitate spiritual expression. If validated in further study, this method may prove a useful way to promote spiritual expression in a variety of older and frail populations. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Understanding older Americans' attitudes, knowledge and fears about vision loss and aging
- Authors:
- BRENNAN Mark, HOROWITZ Amy, REINHARDT Joann P.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, 3(3), 2004, pp.17-37.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The purpose of the present study was to identify factors associated with attitudes, knowledge, and fear of age-related vision impairment in a representative sample of US adults age 55 and older. Data were obtained from a national telephone survey. Attitudes toward vision impairment and aging were positive, but fears were extensive and knowledge was lacking. Higher socioeconomic status and experience with nonrelated persons who were visually impaired predicted better attitudes and greater knowledge. Being a women and having experience with persons who were visually impaired predicted lower fear. Findings emphasize the importance of accurate knowledge and training about visual impairment for practitioners working with this population. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580)
I am the fighter until the last moment: the relationship of race/ethnicity and education to self-reported coping strategies among older adults with visual impairment
- Authors:
- LEE Eun-Kyyoung, BRENNAN Mark
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, 2(4), 2003, pp.3-28.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This study examines how race/ethnicity and educational attainment are related to coping strategies and adaptation to age-related visual impairment among older adults. Narrative data from two previous studies of adaptation to vision impairment (n's = 155 and 343, respectively) were analyzed with qualitative methods. Results indicated that ethnicity of informants played an important role in relation to the type of coping strategies reported, which reflected differences in value systems and sociocultural contexts for each racial group. Educational levels were related to differences in the informants' help-seeking behaviors, attitudes toward learning, and the different kinds of coping resources available. These findings underscore the complexity of needs in the older visually impaired population. Implications of these findings for practitioners working with this population are discussed. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street Binghamton, NY 13904-1580)
The use of preexisting and novel coping strategies in adapting to age-related vision loss
- Authors:
- BRENNAN Mark, CARDINALI Gina
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 40(3), June 2000, pp.327-334.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This study presents data in the form of spontaneous comments or responses to open-ended questions from three previous quantitative studies of adaption to age-related vision loss. Self-reported coping strategies were identified using a "Grounded Theory" approach, and then examined for evidence of whether the strategy was recently utilized (novel) or whether it had been used prior to vision loss (preexisting). Results supported the utilization of novel coping strategies in the process of adaptation to a chronic impairment among older adults. Overall, the use of novel coping strategies was found to be associated with better adaptational outcomes, emphasizing perspective, stress and coping in response to stressful life circumstances.