Older Adults Coping With the Stress Involved in the Use of Everyday Technologies
This study was conducted to examine the frequency of reported use of everyday technologies (EDT) and its associations with self-efficacy, stress appraisal, and coping strategies.
Design and Methods:
Cross-sectional data were collected from 150 participants (aged ≥65 years), measuring use of EDT by means of self-report questionnaires and a computerized simulator of an automatic teller machine (ATM), and EDT-related self-efficacy, stress appraisal, and coping strategies questionnaires.
Results:
Structured equation modeling analysis showed that EDT-related self-efficacy was related to higher use of EDT, through the media...
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - January 4, 2016 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Yagil, D., Cohen, M., Beer, J. D. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Book Review: Kinship and cohort in an aging society: From generation to generation
(Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology)
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - December 17, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Jensen, C. Tags: Book Review Source Type: research
Feasibility and Utility of Experience Sampling to Assess Alcohol Consumption Among Older Adults
In the literature on alcohol use and aging, drinking has often been conceptualized as a means of coping with negative feelings, such as stress, yet much of the literature on older adults and drinking has utilized cross-sectional or other data ill-suited for exploring dynamic processes. Experience sampling methods have the ability to measure and analyze dynamic processes in real time, such as relations between alcohol use and mood states. Nonetheless, these approaches are intensive and may burden respondents. Therefore, this study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and validity of a modified daily diary to measure al...
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - December 17, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Sacco, P., Smith, C. A., Harrington, D., Svoboda, D. V., Resnick, B. Tags: Brief Report Source Type: research
Stress, Social Support, and Burnout Among Long-Term Care Nursing Staff
Long-term care nursing staff are subject to considerable occupational stress and report high levels of burnout, yet little is known about how stress and social support are associated with burnout in this population. The present study utilized the job demands–resources model of burnout to examine relations between job demands (occupational and personal stress), job resources (sources and functions of social support), and burnout in a sample of nursing staff at a long-term care facility (N = 250). Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that job demands (greater occupational stress) were associated with more e...
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - December 17, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Woodhead, E. L., Northrop, L., Edelstein, B. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Inpatient Rehabilitation Outcomes in a National Sample of Medicare Beneficiaries With Hip Fracture
Effects of patient characteristics on rehabilitation outcomes (functional status at discharge, discharged home) were assessed in a retrospective study of Medicare beneficiaries admitted to Medicare-certified inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) following hospitalization for hip fracture in 2009 (N = 34,984). Hierarchical regression analysis showed significantly higher functional status at discharge (p < .0001) for patients with these characteristics: White or Asian, younger, female, lived alone, higher functional status at admission, fewer comorbidities, no tier comorbidities, and longer IRF length of stay (LOS). ...
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - December 17, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Cary, M. P., Merwin, E. I., Oliver, M. N., Williams, I. C. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Quality of Life and Psychological Distress Among Older Adults: The Role of Living Arrangements
This study asks (a) What are the relationships between types of living arrangements and psychological well-being for older adults? and (b) How do these relationships differ by gender? Data come from the 2010 wave of the National Health Interview Survey and include non-institutionalized adults aged 65 and older (N = 4,862). Dependent variables include self-rated quality of life and psychological distress. The study finds that older adults living alone or with others fare worse than those living with a spouse only. Yet, the outcomes of different types of living arrangements for older adults vary by gender. Women living with ...
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - December 17, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Henning-Smith, C. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Driving Cessation Anno 2010: Which Older Drivers Give Up Their License and Why? Evidence From Denmark
This study focuses on the decision to either stop or continue driving among a cohort of Danish seniors whose driving licenses expire, for the first time, at the age of 70. Based on 1,537 standardized telephone interviews with licensed drivers, we compared persons who intended to renew or not to renew their licenses. The results partly recapture the findings of earlier studies. However, in contrast to former cohorts, a much higher percentage of older drivers intended to keep their licenses. The strongest factors predicting the intention to renew were active car use, feeling safe as a driver, and not having illnesses that im...
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - December 17, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Siren, A., Haustein, S. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
The Attitudes and Perceptions of Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment Toward an Assistive Robot
The purpose of this study was to explore perceived difficulties and needs of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and their attitudes toward an assistive robot to develop appropriate robot functionalities. Twenty subjects were recruited to participate in either a focus group or an interview. Findings revealed that although participants reported difficulties in managing some of their daily activities, they did not see themselves as needing assistance. Indeed, they considered that they were capable of coping with difficulties with some compensatory strategies. They therefore declared that they did not need or wa...
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - December 17, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Wu, Y.-H., Cristancho-Lacroix, V., Fassert, C., Faucounau, V., de Rotrou, J., Rigaud, A.-S. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Measuring Empathetic Care: Development and Validation of a Self-Report Scale
This study describes the development of a self-report survey measure of empathetic care. Empathetic care is defined as caregiving that supports clients’ socioemotional capabilities and addresses their emotional needs. It is distinct from instrumental care, which involves assisting with physical needs such as activities of daily living.
Design and Method:
Based on a literature review, structured interviews, and focus groups, we identify three dimensions of empathetic care: extra-role behavior, emotional support, and relational richness. We then developed a large pool of items that could tap into these dimensions and ...
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - October 27, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Lamberton, C. M., Leana, C. R., Williams, J. M. Tags: Process Evaluation Source Type: research
Identifying Mobility Types in Cognitively Heterogeneous Older Adults Based on GPS-Tracking: What Discriminates Best?
Heterogeneity in older adults’ mobility and its correlates have rarely been investigated based on objective mobility data and in samples including cognitively impaired individuals. We analyzed mobility profiles within a cognitively heterogeneous sample of N = 257 older adults from Israel and Germany based on GPS tracking technology. Participants were aged between 59 and 91 years (M = 72.9; SD = 6.4) and were either cognitively healthy (CH, n = 146), mildly cognitively impaired (MCI, n = 76), or diagnosed with an early-stage dementia of the Alzheimer’s type (DAT, n = 35). Based on cluster analysis, we identified...
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - October 27, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Wettstein, M., Wahl, H.-W., Shoval, N., Auslander, G., Oswald, F., Heinik, J. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Religious Coping in Caregivers of Family Members With Dementia
The degree of depression experienced by caregivers of individuals with dementia was examined in relation to religious coping strategies, religious practice, and spirituality in the framework of the stress and coping model. Caregivers of 191 persons with dementia completed the Religious Coping Scale, self-report measures of religious practices and spirituality, burden, and depression. There was no evidence that any religious coping strategy or religious practice moderated the relationship between caregiving stress and depression. Certain types of religious coping strategies had a direct effect on depression. Higher levels o...
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - October 27, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Rathier, L. A., Davis, J. D., Papandonatos, G. D., Grover, C., Tremont, G. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Targeting Socially Isolated Older Adults: A Process Evaluation of the Senior Centre Without Walls Social and Educational Program
The Seniors Centre Without Walls (SCWOW) program provides free social and educational programming for older adults via telephone. The target population for SCWOW is socially isolated older adults, a hard to reach population. The aim of this process evaluation was to examine whether SCWOW was reaching its target population and to gather participant feedback about program implementation and the perceived satisfaction and impact of the program. Telephone interviews were conducted with 26 participants (92% females; aged 57-85 years). Forty-two percent of the sample was socially isolated and more than half reported being lonely...
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - October 27, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Newall, N. E. G., Menec, V. H. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
Changing Prevalence of Diabetes for Texas Nursing Home Residents, 1999-2009
This article examines change in the composition of the Texas nursing home population between 1990 and 2009 in relation to the changing prevalence of diabetes. Data from the federal Minimum Data Set for Texas for 1999 and 2009 were analyzed for change in proportion of age groups by the Two-Sample Proportion Test. Change by gender within age groups while controlling for race/ethnicity was analyzed by the Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel test. The percentage of nursing home residents aged 50 to 64 years increased from 8% in 1999 to 12% in 2009, and the change was statistically significant for each race/ethnic group and bot...
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - October 27, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Coxe, L. M., Lennertz, K., McCullough, S. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
2015 Year in Review
(Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology)
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - October 27, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Gaugler, J. E. Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
Independent Living Oldest Old and Their Primary Health Provider: A Mixed Method Examination of the Influence of Patient Personality Characteristics
This study has deepened understanding of the complexity inherent to the healthy oldest olds’ relationship with their PHP. The findings suggest this relationship relates to the PHP’s personal characteristics, the older adult patients’ personality, and the influence of the accompanying patient escort. (Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology)
Source: Journal of Applied Gerontology - August 30, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Stadtlander, L. M., Giles, M. J., Sickel, A. E., Brooks, E., Brown, C., Cormell, M., Ewing, L., Hart, D., Koons, D., Olson, C., Parker, P., Semenova, V., Stoneking, S. Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research
