Unprecedented shifts in age structure has important implications for the number of people ages 65 and older living with disabilities and requiring long-term care. Further, health care trends, including the early discharge of hospital patients and the transition of Medicaid funds away from nursing home care to community-based care (Stillman and Black 2005), has resulted in increasing numbers of older adults relying on assistance from family, especially adult children (Freedman and Spillman 2014). While it is known that adult children play an instrumental role in caring for their aging parents, relatively little is known about how this arrangement impacts the well-being of the parent. Using data from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study, this dissertation examines care receipt and care provision among functionally limited older adults and their adult children, as well as their associations with mental health. Unlike previous research examining care (receipt and provision) between older adults and their adult children, this study pays greater attention to potential gender differences in the type of care given or received, as well as their associations with mental health. In my first analysis I use logistic regression analysis to examine how sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and health factors affect the likelihood of giving and receiving various types of care. Results examining care receipt revealed that parents who are most in need of care – for example, women, race/ethnic minorities, and those with fewer socioeconomic resources and poorer health – are also more likely to receive it from their adult children. Results examining care provision revealed that parents with greater socioeconomic resources were most likely to provide financial support to adult children, while women, non-Hispanic Blacks and non-married parents were more likely to provide delayed care provision, including a will/trust or life insurance benefit. In my second set of analyses address I use negative binomial regression to examine how care (receipt and provision) are associated with mental health. I also examine how associations between care (receipt and provision) and mental health vary by gender and by level of functional limitation. Results for care receipt reveal that receiving help with IADLs is associated with better mental health and that this association is stronger for women and for those with greater functional limitations. Results for care provision reveal that including a child in a will or as a life insurance beneficiary was associated with better mental health, on average. In contrast, providing financial support to adult children was associated with worse mental health for women and those with more functional limitations. This study underscores the importance of examining specific types of care received and given and highlights the importance of considering the gender of care recipients when examining the association between care and mental health. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sociology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2018. / May 4, 2018. / Care Provision, Care Receipt, Functionally Limited, Intergenerational Transmission of Care, Mental Health / Includes bibliographical references. / Anne E. Barrett, Professor Directing Dissertation; Ming Cui, University Representative; Miles G. Taylor, Committee Member; John Taylor, Committee Member.

Unprecedented shifts in age structure has important implications for the number of people ages 65 and older living with disabilities and requiring long-term care. Further, health care trends, including the early discharge of hospital patients and the transition of Medicaid funds away from nursing home care to community-based care (Stillman and Black 2005), has resulted in increasing numbers of older adults relying on assistance from family, especially adult children (Freedman and Spillman 2014). While it is known that adult children play an instrumental role in caring for their aging parents, relatively little is known about how this arrangement impacts the well-being of the parent. Using data from the 2010 Health and Retirement Study, this dissertation examines care receipt and care provision among functionally limited older adults and their adult children, as well as their associations with mental health. Unlike previous research examining care (receipt and provision) between older adults and their adult children, this study pays greater attention to potential gender differences in the type of care given or received, as well as their associations with mental health. In my first analysis I use logistic regression analysis to examine how sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and health factors affect the likelihood of giving and receiving various types of care. Results examining care receipt revealed that parents who are most in need of care – for example, women, race/ethnic minorities, and those with fewer socioeconomic resources and poorer health – are also more likely to receive it from their adult children. Results examining care provision revealed that parents with greater socioeconomic resources were most likely to provide financial support to adult children, while women, non-Hispanic Blacks and non-married parents were more likely to provide delayed care provision, including a will/trust or life insurance benefit. In my second set of analyses address I use negative binomial regression to examine how care (receipt and provision) are associated with mental health. I also examine how associations between care (receipt and provision) and mental health vary by gender and by level of functional limitation. Results for care receipt reveal that receiving help with IADLs is associated with better mental health and that this association is stronger for women and for those with greater functional limitations. Results for care provision reveal that including a child in a will or as a life insurance beneficiary was associated with better mental health, on average. In contrast, providing financial support to adult children was associated with worse mental health for women and those with more functional limitations. This study underscores the importance of examining specific types of care received and given and highlights the importance of considering the gender of care recipients when examining the association between care and mental health. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sociology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2018. / May 4, 2018. / Care Provision, Care Receipt, Functionally Limited, Intergenerational Transmission of Care, Mental Health / Includes bibliographical references. / Anne E. Barrett, Professor Directing Dissertation; Ming Cui, University Representative; Miles G. Taylor, Committee Member; John Taylor, Committee Member.

archives@tulane.edu / To learn and form memories, synapses must maintain both the flexibility to adapt in new scenarios and the stability to preserve integrity of the neural circuits associated with those memories. Impairments in synaptic connectivity have been linked to cognitive deficits in both a variety of disorders and in healthy aging. However, the anatomical and structural bases of this impairment have not been identified yet. A hallmark of neural plasticity in young adults is short-term synaptic rearrangement, yet aged animals already display higher synaptic turnover rates at baseline. Using two-photon excitation (2PE) microscopy, we explored if this elevated turnover alters the aged brain’s response to a sensory plasticity-inducing scenario by examining dendritic spine behavior in the tuft of layer V pyramidal neurons of primary somatosensory cortex. Following a sensory-evoked plasticity protocol involving whisker stimulation, aged mice displayed a reduction in spine dynamics (gain, loss, and turnover), decreased spine clustering, lower spine stability, and a spine morphological phenotype of synaptic weakening when compared to young adult mice. These results suggest a deficiency of the cortical neurons of aged mice to structurally incorporate new sensory experiences, in the form of clustered, long-lasting synapses, into already existing cortical circuits. This research provides the first evidence linking experience-dependent plasticity with in vivo spine dynamics in the aged brain and supports a model of both reduced synaptic plasticity and reduced synaptic tenacity in the aged somatosensory system. This thesis contributes to an understanding of information processing deficits in the aged brain with a focus on aberrant plasticity of synapses in the distal apical tuft and ways distal tuft plasticity may be modified. / 1 / Rebecca Lynn Voglewede

Problem: Only 13% of older adults reach the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines (CPAG) aerobic activity recommendations. Walking cadence (steps per minute) is a strategy proposed to increase walking at the intensity recommended by the CPAG. Methods: Inactive older adults (N = 51) were instructed to walk 150 minutes per week at no specified intensity during phase 1 (6 weeks). In phase 2 (6 weeks), duration was maintained but the group one (N = 23) received instructions on how to reach moderate intensity, using a pedometer and individualized walking cadence, while group two (N = 22) did not. Results: During phase 1, MVPA time and MVPA in 10-minute bouts increased (p ≤ 0.05), and in phase 2 group one continued to increase MVPA time and time in MVPA in 10-minute bouts (p ≤ 0.01), while the group two significantly decreased (p ≤ 0.01). Discussion: Previously inactive older adults can improve time in MVPA in 10-minute bouts, as recommended by the CPAG, by using prescribed walking cadence, a pedometer to track moderate intensity, and practicing walking at this cadence. / October 2015

Lifespan results from the complex interaction between genetic, environmental and stochastic factors, and therefore varies widely even among isogenic individuals. In C. elegans , the action of molecular mechanisms on aging can be inferred from their statistical effects on the distribution of lifespans within populations. However, such investigations are hindered by limitations in the methods available for collecting lifespan data. To enable the rapid collection of survival curves at any desired statistical resolution, we developed an automated platform for determining the lifespans of large populations of nematodes.

This exploratory study is based on two assumptions. The first assumption is that the world we live in is socially constructed. The second assumption is that patient participation in healthcare decisions is essential. The patient, as the end-user of medications, needs to be involved in order to improve the quality of medication use. Despite increasing attention to geriatric pharmacotherapy, there is little information available concerning the older adults’ perspectives on the use of medications. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore the attitudes and practices regarding medication use by two groups in the aging population: aging with a disability and aging into disability. A qualitative approach, using in-depth semi-structured interviews, was used. Ten individuals aged 65 years plus, who use five or more prescription and/or over-the-counter medication, and who reside in the community answered questions about their experiences using medication. These findings indicated that older adults’ expectations of their medications are grounded in the reality of their experiences, attitudes, beliefs and social or health care situations. The thematic framework developed from the data demonstrated that older adult’s perceptions of medication use linked to five themes through activities that helped them confirm or modify their perceptions. The five themes are: knowledge and experience, relationship with health care provider, drug management, attitude and impact of medical condition/or disability. It is hoped that this study will provide valuable knowledge of the unique concerns of the older adults in relation to the use of medication.

This exploratory study is based on two assumptions. The first assumption is that the world we live in is socially constructed. The second assumption is that patient participation in healthcare decisions is essential. The patient, as the end-user of medications, needs to be involved in order to improve the quality of medication use. Despite increasing attention to geriatric pharmacotherapy, there is little information available concerning the older adults’ perspectives on the use of medications. Therefore, the aim of the study was to explore the attitudes and practices regarding medication use by two groups in the aging population: aging with a disability and aging into disability. A qualitative approach, using in-depth semi-structured interviews, was used. Ten individuals aged 65 years plus, who use five or more prescription and/or over-the-counter medication, and who reside in the community answered questions about their experiences using medication. These findings indicated that older adults’ expectations of their medications are grounded in the reality of their experiences, attitudes, beliefs and social or health care situations. The thematic framework developed from the data demonstrated that older adult’s perceptions of medication use linked to five themes through activities that helped them confirm or modify their perceptions. The five themes are: knowledge and experience, relationship with health care provider, drug management, attitude and impact of medical condition/or disability. It is hoped that this study will provide valuable knowledge of the unique concerns of the older adults in relation to the use of medication.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xiii, 155 p.; also includes graphics (some col.) Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-141). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis (M.A.)--Carleton University, 1992. / Also available in electronic format on the Internet.