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The social benefits of belonging to a 'dance exercise' group for older people
- Author:
- PAULSON Susan
- Journal article citation:
- Generations Review, 15(4), October 2005, pp.37-41.
- Publisher:
- British Society of Gerontology
Using combination of ethnographic and qualitative interviewing methods, this research study explored the experiences of older people who belonged to a 'dance exercise' group. The article focuses on the social benefits, which range from small acts of care and concern within the actual 'dance exercise' sessions, to coffee mornings, shared meals and public performances of an 'item'.
Quality of life in the third age: key predictors of the CASP-19 measure
- Author:
- WIGGINS
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 24(5), September 2004, pp.693-708.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This article aims to identify and analyse the lifecourse and contextual factors that influence the quality of life in early old age. The authors conceptualise quality of life as distinct from the factors which influence it, and employ a model of the quality of life that is derived from an explicit theory of human need. The operational measure (CASP-19) consists of 19 Likert-scaled items which cover four theoretical domains: control, autonomy, self-realisation and pleasure. A postal questionnaire was sent to 286 British people aged 65–75 years who were members of the sample for the 1930s Boyd-Orr study of health and diet and who had been followed up through retrospective interviews during the late 1990s. The 286 were broadly representative of their age group. The survey's response rate was 92 per cent. Respondents provided information on a number of contextual influences on their quality of life in early old age, notably social support and participation, the quality and quantity of social contact, feelings of trust and reciprocity about the local neighbourhood, health and financial security. In the analyses reported here, a series of conceptual and operational influences on quality of life in early old age is identified using block regression models. Finally, the relative impact of each predictor on CASP-19 is examined. The findings suggest that the legacy of the past tends to be best captured by people's feelings about the adequacy of their pensions and their status as owner-occupiers as well as a feeling that the area in which they live is deprived. The quality of the social contact people describe and how close they feel to those around them will ameliorate the negative impacts of the past and the immediate environment. In addition, we must recognise that people remain vulnerable to the impact of loss: recent bereavement, and major illnesses can impact on a person's quality of life.
Attachment in African American and European American older adults: the roles of early life socialization and religiosity
- Authors:
- MONTAGUE Diane P. F., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Attachment and Human Development, 5(2), June 2003, pp.188-214.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The significance of attachment relationships in later life has recently emerged as an important topic of study. Yet little attention has focused on attachment dynamics among older minority adults. This paper extends the literatures on ethnicity, attachment, and later life by examining attachment patterns in two large community-dwelling samples of older (65 + years) African American (n = 671) and European American (n = 447) adults. Data gathered during face-to-face interviews included demographic information, adult attachment, early rearing experiences, and current religiosity. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that adult attachment dimensions were differentially predicted by childhood socialization patterns and current religiosity. Significant ethnic differences in relations between adult attachment and childhood socialization practices also were found. The results highlight the importance of examining contextual differences in attachment in later life.
The impact of religious practice and religious coping on geriatric depression
- Authors:
- BOSWORTH Hayden B., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 18(10), October 2003, pp.905-914.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Both religiousness and social support have been shown to influence depression outcome, yet some researchers have theorized that religiousness largely reflects social support. We set out to determine the relationship of religiousness with depression outcome after considering clinical factors. Elderly patients (n = 114) in the MHCRC for the Study of Depression in Late Life while undergoing treatment using a standardized algorithm were examined. Patients completed measures of public and religious practice, a modified version of Pargament's RCOPE to measure religious coping, and subjective and instrument social support measures. A geriatric psychiatrist completed the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) at baseline and six months. Both positive and negative religious coping were related to MADRS scores in treated individuals, and positive coping was related to MADRS six months later, independent of social support measures, demographic, and clinical measures (e.g. use of electro-convulsive therapy, number of depressed episodes). Public religious practice, but not private religious practice was independently related to MADRS scores at the time of completion of the religiousness measures. Religious coping was related to social support, but was independently related to depression outcome. Clinicians caring for older depressives should consider inquiring about spirituality and religious coping as a way of improving depressive outcomes.
Definition, measurement, and correlates of quality of life in nursing homes: toward a reasonable practice, research, and policy agenda
- Author:
- KANE Rosalie
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 43(Special Issue II), April 2003, pp.28-36.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This article identifies challenges in defining, measuring, and studying quality of life of nursing home residents. A theoretical analysis was conducted based on literature and the author's own large-scale studies of quality of life of nursing home residents. Measuring quality of life is a relatively low priority in nursing homes because of focus on markers of poor quality of care, pervasive sense that nursing homes are powerless to influence quality of life, and impatience with research among those dedicated to culture change. The research argues that the resident voice must be sought in reaching operational definitions for quality of life and as reporters on the quality of their own lives, and that resident burden is a spurious concern that should not deter direct interviews with residents. Five challenges in measuring quality of life were identified: designing questions with appropriate response categories and time frames, developing a sampling strategy, aggregating information at the individual and facility level, validating what are ultimately subjective constructs, and developing an approach using observations and proxies to assess quality of life for approximately the 40% of the residents who will be impossible to interview. Although residents' perceived quality of life is partly a product of their health, social supports, and personalities, nursing homes can directly influence quality of life through their polices, practices, and environments, and, indirectly, through their approaches to family and community. A research agenda is needed, which includes both methodological research and studies of the correlates of quality of life.
Integrating theory, basic research, and intervention: two case studies from caregiving research
- Authors:
- PILLEMER Karl, SUITOR Jill, WETHINGTON Elaine
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 43(Special Issue), March 2003, pp.19-28.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The premise of this article is that interventions should be based explicitly on theory and basic research findings. Although there appears to be general agreement with that assertion, the connections among theory, research, and intervention in the field of gerontology are often tenuous or nonexistent. In this article, we argue for better integration of these three domains, providing two case studies that illustrate the positive role theory and research can play in intervention designs and broader applicability of findings. Study 1 involved a social support intervention for persons making the transition to becoming a family caregiver. Study 2 was an organizational intervention designed to improve interpersonal relationships and increase mutual support between family caregivers and staff in nursing homes.