Late life relocation for the purpose of receiving care may be one of the more challenging transitions for older adults because of being uprooted from their long-time home and the perceived loss of independence. Of available supportive housing options for older adults, assisted living facilities are growing in popularity. A family life review intervention, with an older adult resident and a selected family member, was facilitated to support older adults transition to assisted living through mutual storytelling and acceptance. Sixteen dyads participated in one, ninety-minute family life review (FLR) session. A semi-structured follow up interview was conducted approximately one month later to explore the perspective of families on participating in FLR during a relocation transition. Emergent themes (e.g., raising emotions in families, seeing self in systems, and navigating the relocation transition) suggest that FLR facilitated positive connections and enhanced existing relationships, ameliorated older adults negative feelings, and promoted an acceptance of self and new family narratives. Participating in the FLR allowed dyads to reflect, during and after the session, on their resilience earlier in life and how this resilience prompted an easier recovery to some of the more challenging components of the relocation transition (e.g., relational challenges with decision making, disagreements with the ALF). Personal and relational factors including the older adults physical health status, mental health concerns (e.g., depression and loneliness), and family involvement and dynamics impacted families experience and openness during the FLR as well as their perspective of the overall intervention process. Avenues for future research and clinical implications include randomized control trials testing the effectiveness of FLR on relationship satisfaction, coping, decision-making, and individual outcomes (e.g., depression, loneliness, life satisfaction) and using family challenges as opportunities for reconciliation and promoting resilience. / Ph. D.

This paper supports the exhibition entitled Uniform Series, on display in Slocumb Galleries at East Tennessee State University from March 17 to March 21, 2008. The pieces in the exhibit explore the processes of dyeing, printing, and stitching on cottons and sheer silks. The imagery contained in the pieces springs from the use of the artist's first grade school uniform which functions as a symbol of the images, memories, and themes suggested by the artist's life review process. The redemption of the past in order to arrive in the present mirrors the repeated processes involved in dyeing, discharging, and over-dyeing the cloth. The thesis discusses artistic influences and the integrating role of life review. The author explores the culture of the "art quilt" and its relationship to the artist's personal life.

This study involves listening to illness narratives embedded in in-depth life review processes. The method of multiple interview and multi-modal analysis and reflective responding utilised in the study aims to add to the existing field of research by expanding the understanding of what it is like to be heard or not heard, for people who are either patients, or family members. The study also aims to demonstrate how self-aware ,compassionate and reflective listening, particularly in healthcare relationships, can allow meaning to emerge from within the illness experience, thus enriching the wellbeing of patients, family members and their various healthcare professionals. / Stories of disruption arising within healthcare settings often confronted me during more than forty years of nursing experience and also resonated within my personal experiences. These stories express a gulf between patients, family members, or residents in healthcare institutions, and the healthcare organization and its staff. A recurring theme was that these people felt that they had not been listened to by those they trusted to give them care, with a lasting sense of disruption to their wellbeing. In focusing on the dimensions of reflective listening and intersubjective responding, the implications of being heard on the well being of both narrator and listener can be elucidated. An objective of the research became to articulate the attributes and values of compassionate, reflective listening and elucidate the complex nature of the narrating and listening relationship. (For complete abstract open document)

This study involves listening to illness narratives embedded in in-depth life review processes. The method of multiple interview and multi-modal analysis and reflective responding utilised in the study aims to add to the existing field of research by expanding the understanding of what it is like to be heard or not heard, for people who are either patients, or family members. The study also aims to demonstrate how self-aware ,compassionate and reflective listening, particularly in healthcare relationships, can allow meaning to emerge from within the illness experience, thus enriching the wellbeing of patients, family members and their various healthcare professionals. / Stories of disruption arising within healthcare settings often confronted me during more than forty years of nursing experience and also resonated within my personal experiences. These stories express a gulf between patients, family members, or residents in healthcare institutions, and the healthcare organization and its staff. A recurring theme was that these people felt that they had not been listened to by those they trusted to give them care, with a lasting sense of disruption to their wellbeing. In focusing on the dimensions of reflective listening and intersubjective responding, the implications of being heard on the well being of both narrator and listener can be elucidated. An objective of the research became to articulate the attributes and values of compassionate, reflective listening and elucidate the complex nature of the narrating and listening relationship. (For complete abstract open document)

Life review involves a systematic, chronological review of an individual’s life from birth to death as well as an examination of the meaningfulness of life experiences and events. The purpose of the current study was to discover the effects of life review on happiness and life satisfaction in the older population. Participants from 71 to 85 years of age completed a demographics questionnaire, the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). SHS and SWLS were completed every other day from the beginning to the end of the data collection process. Once a consistent baseline was reached for the individual, the life review process began. Participants shared experiences from childhood and adolescence, adulthood, and older adulthood during the course of three sessions. At the end of the third session, participants were asked to write a letter to their younger self. It was hypothesized that engaging in the life review process would increase life satisfaction and happiness in the elderly. Results revealed that the life review intervention did not affect participants’ levels of life satisfaction and subjective happiness, with the exception of participant four who displayed increases in these variables.

This descriptive ethno-theatre case study explored the impact of intergenerational engagement through a reminiscence theatre arts initiative on the psychosocial quality of life for older adults with mild to moderate cognitive decline. Study participants were comprised of 11 adults 65 years and older residing in a dementia-specific residential care facility unit, and 13 University of Victoria Theatre students. Both qualitative and quantitative procedures were integrated into the case study. Qualitative processes consisted of older adult life history interview transcriptions, ethno-theatre field notes of theatre devising and performance processes, and post-program drama evaluations. Quantitative measures included pre- and post-administered instruments: CASP-19; Alzheimer’s Disease-related Quality of Life (ADRQL) – Revised; and older adult health perception surveys. Overall, it appears from the data that active engagement in reminiscence theatre (the process of creating and performing theatre from real life memories and stories) results in a positive impact on older adults’ well-being – increased self-esteem, elevated mood and social engagement, decreased isolation and boredom, and desire to continue with activities. This study’s findings suggest that the integration of reminiscence arts initiatives into residential care plans for older adults with mild to moderate cognitive impairment can substantially enhance psychosocial quality of life. These findings are consistent with reminiscence and life review theory in that intergenerational engagement in these processes promotes healthy aging. This study demonstrated that intergenerational connection between young and older adults through drama and storytelling activities occurred. The creative reciprocal initiatives of reminiscence arts in turn fostered a context for social and emotional engagement that appeared to reduce older adults’ isolation. / Graduate

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Detta är en studie av åldrande och minne i Sigrid Combüchens trilogi Värme, Korta och långa kapitel samt En simtur i sundet. Det övergripande syftet med avhandlingen är att visa hur skönlitteratur kan bidra till forskningen om åldrande, och hur litteraturanalys som metod kan utveckla det forskningsfält som i huvudsak har ägnat sig åt frågeställningar om åldrande utifrån ett skönlitterärt material, det vill säga litteraturgerontologi. Syftet är även att problematisera hur man gör litteraturstudier om åldrande och synliggöra antaganden om åldrande i skönlitteratur. Litteraturgerontologer har i stor utsträckning intresserat sig för två företeelser i skönlitteratur: det ena är gestaltningar av äldre huvudpersoner och det andra är gestaltningar av ett liv i olika faser, vilka ofta har analyserats som antingen en positiv eller en negativ utveckling. Forskningsinriktningen har drivits så långt att det finns anledning att fråga sig om det finns ett slags ”kronologisk mall” för gestaltningar av åldrande. Den kronologiska mallen gör sig gällande på tre olika sätt. För det första har huvudpersonens ålder fått stor betydelse för om en roman ska komma ifråga i en litteraturanalys om åldrande. För det andra ska romanens struktur ge illusionen av att huvudpersonen ser tillbaka på sitt liv för att erfarenheter av att åldras ska synliggöras. Och till sist, gestaltningen av huvudperson och tidsmönster ska följa en utvecklingsordning som leder fram till resultatet åldrande. Analysen av huvudpersonen i Sigrid Combüchens romaner visar att denne inte kan göras till föremål för en viss tidsmässig mall. Gestaltningarna av Göran Sager-Larsson syftar inte till att framställa en individ vars liv liknar en verklig människas, utan Göran Sager-Larsson är framför allt ett tidsexempel som återkommer i tre romaner. Gestaltningarna av Göran Sager-Larsson i trilogin synliggör olika samtider och tidsuppfattningar, bland andra åldrande och minne. Analysen av Göran Sager-Larsson visar att analyser av åldrande inte nödvändigtvis måste kopplas till en viss ålder eller en viss fas i livet, utan är något som kan analyseras i skönlitteratur med huvudpersoner i olika åldrar. / This is a study of ageing and memory in Sigrid Combüchen’s trilogy Värme, Korta och långa kapitel and En simtur i sundet. The overarching aim of this dissertation is to show how the literary arts can contribute to the study of ageing, and how literary analysis as a method can contribute to the development of a field that primarily uses literary material to shed light on issues of ageing – that is to say, literary gerontology. A further aim is to problematize the process of literary study and make visible the assumptions about ageing that are present in literary works. The direction of the research has led to a point where it has become necessary to ask the question of whether there is a chronological pattern for the representation of ageing. This pattern is emergent in three ways: Firstly, the old age of the main character has become an important criterion for a novel to be considered for the study of ageing. Secondly, it is taken that the structure of the novel should present an illusion of reminiscence, in order to make the experience of ageing visible. Lastly, the representation of the main character and the presentation of time should appear cumulative and leads to a result we recognize as ageing. The analysis of the trilogy shows that the function of the main character, Göran Sager-Larsson, is a temporal one. The narration of Göran Sager-Larsson is not an attempt to imitate a flesh-and-blood individual. Rather, he is a temporal example, or to be precise, three such examples in the trilogy. As such, the different narrations of Göran Sager-Larsson make it possible for us to notice other understandings of time and the present, among others ageing and memory. Furthermore, the analysis of ageing need not be tied to specific ages or a specific life stage. The analysis of Göran Sager-Larsson shows that ageing in literature can be analyzed using protagonists of all ages.

: Midlife Crisis is a very popular concept describing middle adulthood. Faced with imminent death, people stop on the way to achieve their goals, to review their achievements and to assess what you already have and what you still want to achieve to fulfill their dreams. The theoretical part deals mainly with the definition of middle adulthood, midlife crisis, life satisfaction and personal well-being and also presents an overview of basic theories and research on these topics. Empirical part is focused on finding how this concept is understood and whether their own lives and the lives of their loved ones this stage recognize as life stage specific symptoms within the definition of midlife crisis and how this developmental stage experience. The work also deals with the psychological differences in experiencing developmental stages middle-aged men and women and ways of coping. Key words: middle age, crisis, adulthood, life span development, individuation, life review

Abstract This study focuses on the information behaviour of older adults. The interdisciplinary approach combines everyday life information-seeking, a gerontological notion of successful ageing and research on media use. First, the media repertoires of older adults are examined from the perspective of their course of life. Their information behaviour when they have retired is analysed in Pamela McKenzie's terms of information practices, i.e. 1) active seeking, 2) active scanning, 3) non-directed monitoring and 4) getting information by proxy. A new viewpoint to information use in information studies is independent and activating media use. The theoretical framework applies a gerontological life course approach, which connects former life events to latter events in one's information behaviour. The framework in this study encompasses everyday information behaviour more generally than information-seeking. The main concepts of the framework are information practices, media use, and as a new concept, enactment. The study is based on a qualitative approach that utilizes methodological triangulation. The empirical data was gathered from 319 elderly Finns. The longitudinal material was gathered from 13 retired teachers. The methods used were interview (2004), questionnaire (2001 & 2004), sentence completion task (2001 & 2004) and the Depression-Happiness Scale (2004). A second set of material consisted of 306 media diaries from the national Yksi päivä mediaa (Media use in one day) material collected in 2001. The main methods of analysis were a narrative life review and content analysis. Different methods and material collected at two different times increase the reliability of the results and illustrate changes in the explored phenomena. This study indicates that the life course approach should be taken into account in information studies, at least when research focuses on older adults. An interesting result is the concept of enactment, which describes the activating role of media. Analysis of the data indicated that media use of older adults is connected, for example, to organising their daily programme, food, physical exercise and health, language skills, civil debate, crosswords, competitions and games, time of devotion, and lending, borrowing and recycling of material. Another notable result is the application of McKenzie's model of information practices to structure the information behaviour in everyday life. The model is also improved by applying a new information practice, abstaining from information. Its role in the information behaviour of everyday life should be studied further. The activating role of media use among populations other than the elderly is another important issue in a media environment that will be more interactive in the future. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimus kohdistuu ikääntyneiden informaatiokäyttäytymiseen. Tieteidenvälisessä tarkastelussa yhdistyvät informaatiotutkimuksen arkielämän tiedonhankinnan tutkimus, gerontologiasta omaksuttu käsitys onnistuvasta vanhenemisesta ja viestinnän alan mediankäytön tutkimus. Aluksi tarkastellaan ikääntyneiden mediarepertuaarien muutoksia heidän elämänkulkunsa ajalta. Eläkkeellä olon aikaista informaatiokäyttäytymistä analysoidaan arjen informaatiokäytäntöinä, joita Pamela McKenzien teoreettisen mallin mukaisesti ovat 1) aktiivinen etsintä, 2) aktiivinen seuranta, 3) kohdentumaton havainnointi ja 4) informaation saaminen toisen henkilön kautta. Informaatiotutkimuksessa uutena tiedonkäytön sovellusalana on omaehtoinen ja aktiivinen mediankäyttö. Teoreettisessa viitekehyksessä sovelletaan gerontologista elämänkulun lähtökohtaa. Sen mukaisesti ihmisten aiemmilla elämänkokemuksilla on yhteyksiä heidän myöhempään informaatiokäyttäytymiseensä. Viitekehys kattaa tiedonhankintaa yleisemmin arkielämän informaatiokäyttäytymisen. Siinä keskeisiä ovat informaatiokäytäntöjen ja mediankäytön käsitteet sekä uutena esitetty toimintaan aktivoitumisen (enactment) käsite. Tutkimus perustuu laadulliseen lähestymistapaan, jossa sovelletaan menetelmätriangulaatiota. Empiirinen aineisto on koottu yhteensä 319 ikääntyneeltä suomalaiselta. Pitkittäisaineisto koostuu 13 opettajaeläkeläiseltä saaduista tiedoista. Menetelminä olivat haastattelu (2004), kysely (2001 ja 2004), lauseentäydennystehtävä (2001 ja 2004) ja The Depression-Happiness Scale -mittari (2004). Toisena aineistona olivat 306 mediapäiväkirjaa, jotka on kerätty Yksi päivä mediaa -kirjoitustapahtumassa (2001). Pääasiallisina analyysimenetelminä olivat narratiivinen elämäntarkastelu ja sisällönanalyysi. Eri menetelmillä ja kahtena eri ajankohtana kerätyn aineiston analyysi lisää tulosten luotettavuutta ja nostaa esille tutkittavien ilmiöiden muutoksia. Tutkimuksen perusteella elämänkulun lähtökohta tulisi ottaa huomioon informaatiotutkimuksen teoreettisissa malleissa. Tämä koskee ainakin ikääntyneiden informaatiokäyttäytymistä. Kiinnostava tulos on toimintaan aktivoitumisen käsitteen esittäminen. Käsite kuvaa sitä, miten mediankäyttö aktivoi toimintaan. Esimerkiksi päiväohjelman organisointi, ravinto, liikunta ja terveys, kielitaidon ylläpitäminen, yhteiskunnalliseen keskusteluun osallistuminen, sanaristikot, kilpailut ja pelaaminen, hiljentyminen sekä aineiston vaihto, lainaaminen ja kierrätys nousivat esille aineiston analyysissä. Merkittävä tulos on myös McKenzien informaatiokäytäntöjen mallin soveltaminen ihmisten arkisen informaatiokäyttäytymisen jäsentämiseen sekä mallin täydentäminen informaatiosta pidättäytymisen informaatiokäytännöllä. Informaatiokäyttäytymisen käsitteen vakiinnuttaminen alan suomenkieliseen terminologiaan selkiyttäisi arkielämän tiedonhankinnasta käytettyä käsitteistöä. Jatkotutkimuksissa olisi selvitettävä informaatiosta pidättäytymistä osana laajempaa informaatiokäyttäytymistä. Mediankäytön toimintaan aktivoivaa merkitystä olisi tutkittava myös muista väestöryhmistä kuin ikääntyneistä. Lisäksi olisi tutkittava sitä, millaisia vaikutuksia median vuorovaikutuksellisuuden lisääntymisellä on ihmisten arkiseen toimintaan.