Search results for ‘Subject term:"very old people"’ Sort:
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Social relations, language and cognition in the ‘oldest old’
- Authors:
- KELLER-COHEN Deborah, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 26(4), July 2006, pp.585-605.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This paper reports a study of the associations between social relations, language and cognition among people aged 85 or more years (hereafter the ‘oldest old’). Although the links between cognition and both social relations and language ability are well-established, less is known about the relationship between social relations and language skills, especially among the oldest old. With a sample of 20 adults aged 85–93 years living independently in two retirement communities (a seniors' apartment complex and independent apartments in a continuum-of-care setting), we used the approach of the Rochester Interaction Record to assess the frequency, purpose and quality of their social interactions over one week. It was hypothesised that aspects of social relations, as well as the type of residential setting, would associate with both cognitive skills (measured using the Composite Cognistat) and language skills (measured using the Boston Naming Test). It was found that participants who had a low proportion of interactions with family members, or a high proportion with friends, as well as those with diverse relationships, performed better on the cognitive and language tasks. Furthermore, those from the setting with more programmed activities performed better on the language task. The conclusion critically examines the findings about the influence of family relationships and the importance of residential setting.
Culture change in long-term care: educating the next generation
- Author:
- ROTH Dwight
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 45(1/2), 2005, pp.233-248.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Long-term care facilities for frail elders are usually based upon the medical model, which is focused primarily on the biological functioning of these elders. The medical model allows for little choice on the part of the residents of these facilities. By way of contrast, culture change is a new approach to long-term care. This model of care seeks to meet a wide variety of needs for the elders and aims to expand their choices. This article presents the observations of college students responding to interactions with frail elders and looks at the implications of culture change for young adult college students. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Migration in later life: evidence from the British Household Panel Study
- Authors:
- EVANDROU Maria, FALKINGHAM Jane, GREEN Marcus
- Journal article citation:
- Population Trends, 141, Autumn 2010, pp.74-91.
- Publisher:
- Office for National Statistics
Using annual data from 17 waves of the British Household Panel Study (1991-2007), this study looked at the residential mobility, or the likelihood of changing address, demographic, socioeconomic and health details of adults over 50 years, including older people and very old people. The authors ask what new factors are associated with migration in later life, and try to link data from people in late middle age (50-59) right through to 'the oldest-old' (90 and over) who move within a 12 month period of other life course events such as changes in partnership status through, bereavement, divorce and/or remarriage and of course, the impact of retirement and employment status. The results are discussed and illustrated with data tables and graphs on the migration characteristics, household tenure, and self-reported health status (including detail on changes in health status and limiting long term illnesses). Those most likely to move are identified as 50-59 year olds and very old people who were 90 years plus. The authors describe this 'relationship driven migration' in the UK as 'likely to become more common in later life', with higher divorce and remarriage rates resulting in life course transitions.
Exploring perceptions of quality of life of frail older people during and after their transition to institutional care
- Author:
- ESRC GROWING OLDER PROGRAMME
- Publisher:
- University of Sheffield. Department of Sociological Studies
- Publication year:
- 2003
- Pagination:
- 4p.
- Place of publication:
- Sheffield
Reports on research to investigate the quality of life of older people with severe physical and/or mental conditions or disabilities at the end of their lives. The research aims to contributed to the understanding of the quality of life for frail older people, from the perspective of older people themselves. The research used a symbolic interactionist framework and takes a subjective, qualitative approach to quality of life as a multi-dimensional concept, including social, psychological, emotional, cultural, spiritual and environmental dimensions. This ethnographic research included six focus groups, naturalistic observation, and interviews with 52 individuals who had moved into care homes in the previous six months.
Effects of cognition on driving involvement among the oldest old: variations by gender and alternative transportation opportunities
- Authors:
- FREUND Barbara, SZINOVACZ Maximiliane
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 42(5), October 2002, pp.621-633.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Cognitive impairment is associated with driving restriction and cessation, although a noteworthy minority of mildly and severely cognitively impaired individuals continue to drive. Partner's driving and involvement and presence of other drivers in the household moderated the effect of cognition on driving restriction and cessation. The decision processes surrounding an individual's restricting or stopping driving are complex and may include consideration not only of competence, but also of sense of self-worth and relationship with a partner.
Attachment among older adults: current issues and directions for future research
- Authors:
- BRADLEY J. Michael, CAFFERTY Thomas P.
- Journal article citation:
- Attachment and Human Development, 3(2), September 2001, pp.200-221.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Reviews the extant research applying attachment theory to older populations; preliminary findings suggest that attachment issues hold particular relevance for older adults, given the increased potential for separation, loss and vulnerability associated with aging. Although many of the studies reviewed are somewhat limited methodologically, the overall pattern of results suggests that attachment patterns are associated with a variety of outcomes in later life (such as adaptation to chronic illness and caregiver burden among family members, reactions to the death of a loved one, and general well-being) in a theoretically consistent manner. The implications of and questions raised by current findings are reviewed, and directions for future research are discussed.
I'm still me: ...a narrative for coordinated support for older people
- Authors:
- REDDING Don, et al
- Publishers:
- UCLPartners, National Voices, Age UK
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 16
- Place of publication:
- London
The set of narrative statements published in this document describes the way older people want high quality coordinated care to support them. The document is based on interviews with 74 older people about what matters most to them in their lives and about the support and care they receive as well as focus groups and a literature review and is intended to be used as an extension to the Narrative for person centred coordinated care published by National Voices and Think Local Act Personal in May 2013. It outlines five themes that older people say are key to coordinated support: independence, community interactions, decision making, care and support and terminology. It also sets out a series of ‘I statements’ that summarise what older people have said that they want their support to look like. These include: “I can maintain social contact as much as I want”; “I am recognised for what I can do rather than assumptions being made about what I cannot”; “I am supported to be independent”. The document discusses implications for health and social care services and asks professionals, at all levels, to reflect on whether they are truly addressing the issues identified as being important to older people. It also calls for a national debate on the use of the word ‘frail’, which is often used to define groups of older people who could be vulnerable to a crisis but is emphatically rejected by older people themselves who do not want their lives to be defined by their health conditions. Health and social care services have the challenge of identifying people at risk of ‘frailty’ to ensure that they get the right support, but the report suggests that this needs to be in a way that is acceptable to the very population they are trying to support. (Edited publisher abstract)
The role of social relationships in predicting loneliness: the national social life, health and aging project
- Authors:
- SHIOVITZ-EZRA Sharon, LEITSCH Sara A.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Research, 34(3), September 2010, pp.157-167.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Using data collected (July 2005-March 2006, two-hour in-home interviews) with 3,005 adults, older people and very old people (57-85 years, 1,445 men and 1,550 women), during the National Social Life, Health and Aging project in the United States, this paper explores associations between objective and subjective social network characteristics and loneliness in later life. The authors used hierarchical linear regression to look at the associations between measures of objective and subjective social network characteristics and how they relate to predictions of loneliness, across marital status, in later life. With the whole sample, as well as the cohabiting/married sample, objective indicators such as frequency of contact with members of social networks were negatively linked to feeling of loneliness, “net of background characteristics.” Subjective perceptions of social ties, the quality of married, or cohabiting, life in later years and the quality of familial ties for those not in intimate relationships are also important, says this author. For example, in the cohabiting/married sample subjective perceptions of one’s relationship with the partner explained 7% of the variance in loneliness, while the quality of interpersonal relationships within families accounted for an additional 6% of the loneliness in the ‘non-partnered’ sample. The author lists practical implication for social workers and other professionals, such as the implementation of group, as well as one-to-one interventions.