Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Philosophy, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Aug. 14, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 122-127). Also issued in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1991. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-53). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-76).

This thesis will investigate the significance of the Eastern Orthodox perspective of theosis, for the bioethical principle of autonomy, specifically with regard to its respect for the elderly. Theosis is a central doctrine of the Orthodox Church which pertains to the salvation of human persons and their free and cooperative response to God's grace, and as such, has an intimate relationship with the Eastern Orthodox understanding of personhood. / On the one hand there are a number of areas of mutual concern or overlap between the concept of respect for autonomy and the Orthodox understanding of personhood and the goal of theosis. There are, however, significant differences which prevent them from being viewed as synonymous or even as totally compatible. / There are complementary aspects, some of which will be identified in this initial study. It is hoped that such an investigation can help to further develop Eastern Orthodox thinking with regard to bioethical issues and be of value when dealing with the complex issues related to the elderly. This topic will also be of interest to a wider audience involved in bioethical reflection from both Christian and secular perspectives.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to develop an instrument to measure perceived food autonomy (PFA) among cognitively alert residents in state licensed Assisted Living (AL) facilities, and to investigate the influence of PFA on food satisfaction, while controlling for functional (physical, social, and psychological) status, general health, and demographic characteristics. The study was designed to achieve four objectives: 1) to define a theoretical framework for food autonomy among residents in AL settings and to develop an instrument accordingly; 2) to evaluate the content and construct validity of the PFA scale; 3) to evaluate the reliability of the PFA scale; and 4) to investigate the effect of perceived food autonomy, functional (physical, social and psychological) status, and general health on food satisfaction in AL settings. Definitions for food autonomy and three underlying dimensions were developed based on conceptualizations of personal autonomy for older adults in long-term care settings, which provided a theoretical framework for the PFA scale development. Content validity was established by expert panel evaluation and a pilot study. Construct validity was achieved from factor analysis procedures with a sample of 120 residents from eleven AL facilities. Cronbach's alpha measure of internal consistency showed the 11-item PFA scale to be reliable (alpha = .71). Multiple linear regression analysis examined the effect of residents' PFA, health and functional status, and demographic characteristics on food satisfaction. Food satisfaction was measured by a highly reliable (alpha = .87) scale that was compiled for this study. Perceived food autonomy was the most significant predictor of food satisfaction, explaining 37% of its variance. Residents' perceptions of daily pain along with the joint effect of ADL needs and dentures use made a lesser but significant contribution. Altogether, the above variables explained 48% of the variance in residents' food satisfaction. Application of reliable%instruments such as the PFA and FS scales can be used by AL provider to guide food service quality improvement efforts. Residents' PFA and food satisfaction should be periodically measured due to the typical decline in overall health and functional status of AL residents. / Graduation date: 2004

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-162). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Why is independence a central theme for proponents of assisted living facilities? How do assisted living providers respond to this theme? These questions are pursued in an ethnographic study centered on Oregon's assisted living program. Assisted living facilities (ALF), defined and monitored by Oregon's Senior and Disabled Services Division (SDSD), are a type of housing for disabled, primarily elderly, persons. Oregon Administrative Rules (OAR-411-56) define independence, requiring ALF providers to support resident independence. Using social worlds theory as a sensitizing concept, assisted living is treated as a distinct social world. The activities of key groups, including SDSD staff, an ALF professional group, and assisted living managers, are described. These members commit to a “social model” approach to long-term care for which independence is the unifying construct. This approach offers a value-practice “package” that explains how to implement the value of independence (Fujimura, 1997). Three arenas where this package is apparent are described: marketing, manager training, and daily operations. Content analysis of marketing brochures from 63 assisted living facilities shows that independence is a dominant theme, promoted like any other product. These materials indicate that assisted living operators promote resident independence by providing a barrier-free environment, helping residents with daily tasks, and allowing residents control over their decisions. Manager training programs are another arena where the policy value of independence is evident. Here, new managers learn “who we are” and “what we do” in this social world. They learn a new vocabulary and are introduced to tools for daily practice. They learn the boundaries of this social world, and above all, how to behave differently from nursing facilities that they associate with the “medical model.” In daily practice, managers use institutional conventions, including the “negotiated service agreement” and "managed risk agreement." These tools are designed to respond to the tension between supporting independence and providing care to chronically ill, disabled individuals. Observations of marketing, management training, and resident assessments indicate that the social world of assisted living is in a formative stage, as members attempt to define and legitimate who they are and what they do.

No description available.

As the number of elderly individuals in the population continues to increase, the demand for alternatives to group care settings will also increase. Homes for adults represent an example of the diversification of long term care options by providing care to elderly individuals in a setting that is more home-like and less institutionalized than traditional nursing homes. Since previous research is often limited to nursing home residents, the study of home for adult residents offers a fresh approach to sample selection, and provides reassurance that the needs of elderly residents are indeed being met not only in terms of custodial care but also in a therapeutic sense that enhances life satisfaction. In this study, the relationship of integrity/despair, locus of control, and life satisfaction was examined in a sample of elderly persons who reside in homes for adults. The participants were 17 males and 83 females, ranging in age from 60 to 95 and reporting fair to good health. It was hypothesized that elderly individuals who felt in control of their lives would also be more satisfied with life, Additionally, it was proposed that elderly individuals who looked back on their lives and were not satisfied would be afraid to die and would feel little or no control over their lives. Death anxiety, as measured by the Death Anxiety scale (Templer, 1970) was used to define integrity/despair. The indicator of locus of control was the Mastery Scale (Pearlin & Schooler, 1978), and life satisfaction was assessed with the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (Lawton, 1975). Correlation analysis yielded the following results: (a) the more internal an individual’s locus of control score, the lower the death anxiety score, (b) the more internal the locus of control, the higher the life satisfaction score, and (c) the higher the life satisfaction, the lower the death anxiety score. These findings supported the hypotheses and indicate that elderly individuals who feel in control are also satisfied with their lives and are not afraid to die. / Master of Science

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-08-22T12:16:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Joseílda do Nascimento Bezerra.pdf: 1137100 bytes, checksum: 57c096979cfb48f6814b8b488d2ac2e0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T12:16:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Joseílda do Nascimento Bezerra.pdf: 1137100 bytes, checksum: 57c096979cfb48f6814b8b488d2ac2e0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-27 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The Radio Program has followed the lives of all the people in our country for decades. Especially in places where, at present, digital technologies take place gradually in the daily lives of the elderly, radio continues to be the way people get information, have their entertainment in it, occupy their ears at last, while they are busy with other activities. At this threshold of the 21st century, with the elderly segment experiencing the privilege of longevity, and aspiring to a more active participation in society, a question arises: Will a radio program manage to move the elderly to a more active participation by interacting with your presenter / speaker? Or: Would the elderly participate in a collaborative way with a radio-media directly addressed to those of their age group? It is a qualitative, descriptive-explanatory study, whose answers to the open questions made to the elderly were analyzed according to the interactionist-gerontological approach. The general objective is to describe and evaluate the subjective / social effects / resonances, a proposal involving the production, and the weekly broadcast of a radio program for the elderly, where they have the opportunity to speak out, raising questions and receiving the answers, through their direct participation, in real time. Specific objectives: (i) Introduce the conceptual discussion of media education for aging through radio; (ii) To verify, in the programming offered by the radio, how the production of the most critical and / or more participative content (polemics) is produced, precisely to recover those who say the most about the needs of the elderly; (iii) Explain how programming can promote the participation of the elderly, leading them to be co-producers of the radio program; (iv) To make it more objectively possible for elderly radio listeners to receive answers to their questions about the problematic they are experiencing, including by intensifying intergenerational dialogue in their homes. It was concluded that the elderly, when given the opportunity to present themselves live on a radio program: (i) they receive answers to their questions about the problematic they experience, increasing sociability, intergenerational dialogue; (ii) they began to collaborate pari passu for the construction of specific radio programming, becoming as co-producers in providing ideas for topics to be discussed, gaining, and enthusiasm for the new practice practiced voluntarily; (iii) by this way, these elderly reinforce their socialization, their social emancipation by empowering their autonomy, promoting, in short, the citizenship of these elderly, through these socio-cultural practices of media interaction / O Programa de Rádio acompanhou a vida de todas as pessoas em nosso país, durante décadas. Especialmente em lugares onde, no presente, as tecnologias digitais acontecem de forma gradativa no cotidiano dos idosos, o rádio continua a ser a forma de as pessoas receberem, prontamente, informações, terem nele seu entretenimento, ocuparem seus ouvidos enfim, enquanto continuam ocupados com outras atividades. Neste limiar do século XXI, com o segmento idoso vivenciando o privilégio da longevidade, e aspirando a uma participação mais ativa na sociedade, uma pergunta se coloca: Será que um programa de rádio conseguiria mover os idosos para uma participação mais ativa, ao interagirem com seu apresentador/locutor? Ou: Participariam os idosos de forma colaborativa com uma mídia-rádio diretamente dirigida àqueles de sua faixa etária? Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo, descritivo-explicativo, cujas respostas às questões abertas feitas aos idosos foram analisadas segundo a abordagem interacionista-gerontológica. São Objetivos Gerais: (i) Descrever e avaliar os efeitos/ressonâncias, de ordem subjetivo-social, obtidos por meio da idealização de uma proposta de produção e veiculação semanal de um programa de rádio, destinado ao segmento idoso; (ii) Possibilitar a participação do ouvinte-idoso de modo direto e em tempo real, a fim de interagir com o programa radiofônico e receber resposta às suas dúvidas. São Objetivos Específicos: (i) Introduzir a discussão conceitual da educação midiática para o envelhecimento, por meio de rádio, discutindo seus efeitos em uma comunidade; (ii) Explicitar como a programação radiofônica pode promover a discussão e participação dos ouvintes idosos, conduzindo-os a serem como co-produtores de um programa de rádio; (iii)Propiciar que os ouvintes idosos da rádio possam receber respostas às suas indagações sobre as problemáticas que vivenciam, recrudescendo o diálogo intergeracional. Concluiu-se que os idosos, ao terem a oportunidade de se manifestarem ao vivo em um programa de rádio: (i) recebem respostas às suas indagações sobre a problemática que vivenciam, incrementando a sociabilidade, o diálogo intergeracional; (ii) eles passaram a colaborar pari passu para a construção da programação da rádio específica, tornando-se como que co-produtores ao fornecerem ideias para tópicos a serem discutidos, ganhando, entusiasmo pela nova prática exercida voluntariamente; (iii) por essa via, esses idosos reforçam sua socialização, sua emancipação social ao potencializar sua autonomia, promovendo-se, em suma, a cidadania desses idosos, por meio destas práticas socioculturais de interação midiática