Thesis (MBus)--University of South Australia, 1996

Thesis (M.A.) -- Central Connecticut State University, 2007. / Thesis advisor: David Truly. "... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geography" Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-102). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of New South Wales, 2000. / Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2004. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 89-97).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Waikato, 2007. / Title from PDF cover (viewed March 14, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 403-447)

Thesis (M.S.P.D. (Prof)) - University of Queensland, 2006. / Includes bibliography.

No description available.

As the mean age of the population continues to rise, increasing attention is being given to how and where the elderly will live. Since health of this age group varies considerably, living arrangements which offer a full spectrum of services and attend to a continuum of needs have arisen over the past few decades. Called Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs), these places offer three levels of living: individual apartments, assisted living and the nursing center. Residents can move freely among these three levels as the need arises. While the educational needs of the elderly have been discussed theoretically and explored in a variety of practical contexts, no research to the author's knowledge has investigated the context of CCRCs and the population within. This study filled that gap in the literature. Framed by the seminal research of McClusky which identified five categories of educational needs of the elderly (coping, expressive, contributing, influencing and transcending), the purpose of this study was to investigate the educational needs of the residents as perceived by residents and to determine if selected demographic variables differentiated among responses; a corollary aim was to learn more about the residents' learning formats used, and current satisfaction as well as future interest in educational activities. Results of a questionnaire distributed to residents of two not-for-profit CCRCs in northern Virginia served as a data base, with a response rate of 68% for residents. The questionnaire, designed by the researcher, was validated through multiple iterations by content and process experts and piloted with a CCRC not in the study. Data were appropriately coded and analyzed using SPSS. Confidentiality of the respondents was maintained at all times. The results indicated that residents were highly educated, financially secure, and in good health. Ages range from 67 to 100 years old. Both current participation as well as future interest in educational activities was high, but only a few demographic variables seemed to differentiate responses. Educational activities dealing with coping and transcending needs seemed to take priority, involvement in self-directed learning activities was high, and when involved in programmatically organized and structured activities, the format of small groups preferred. These findings could be significant for any practical intervention implication. Implication for future research include inquiry into this growing special population; for example, the why and how of their self-directed learning projects. / Ed. D.

This study was designed to investigate influences on and content of communication between retirement housing providers and retirees who are their potential customers. This included communications: 1) prior to deciding on a retirement apartment, 2) the actual deciding process, and 3) postpurchase influences. Data gathered during the pre-decision stage indicated that the expectations of many seniors are influenced by various groups and individuals. The expectations formed are the basis for future communications with retirement communities. Second, the actual deciding process involved determining what "triggers" the seniors' decisions to begin shopping for retirement apartments. Third, the study focused on postpurchase influences which included communications with seniors who were apartment owners' or renters' regarding attitudes based on their experiences of living in retirement apartments. The research was conducted in two retirement communities, one was located in Florida and the other in Indiana. Information from the two retirement communities was compared and contrasted. The data indicate that each retirement community was unique in many ways. One important uniqueness was the values of the retirement community management organization. Seniors either found a particular retirement community attractive or unattractive based on how it fit their value systems. Seniors depend on person-to-person communication. Most tend to drawn conclusions about the retirement communities based on what they have learned about the retirement communities over a period of years. It was also learned that many seniors in the shopping process do a good amount of self-evaluation during the deciding process. Most seniors don't see clear differences between nursing homes and retirement communities which provide multiple levels of care when both are located on the same site. This makes the decision to move into a retirement apartment a more difficult one. Seniors miss many of the benefits of retirement apartment living because they wait until they are incapacitated in some way before moving into a retirement apartment. / Department of Educational Leadership

Thesis (L.L.M.)--University of Waikato, 2007. / Title from PDF cover (viewed September 30, 2008) Includes bibliographical references (p. 194-207)