This diploma thesis was focused on the study of integrity, its aspects, forms and resources in seniors, which we have identified as persons with a high degree of integrity based on established criteria. The aim of this work was to capture and understand the unique life experience of these seniors. The work consists of a theoretical and empirical part. The theoretical part consists of explanation of concepts of integrity and old age, in particular we focus on Erikson's conception of integrity and concept of successful aging. The empirical part consists of qualitative research aimed at finding sources and manifestations of integrity in three unique life stories of seniors aged 75-91. We obtained data for our research in a home for the elderly through semi-structured interviews, which we then analyzed using the method of interpretative phenomenological analysis. The results are presented from two perspectives. The first is an analysis of the experience of individual seniors, the second represents the perspective of themes that are important for integrity and appeared in most of our respondents. These themes are: Activity, Moral Integrity, Trust - Acceptance - Surrender, Ways of Living, Modesty, Relationship Orientation and Spirituality. We also created a category for unique qualities, which appeared...

No description available.

Purpose: Working from lifespan development theory and the theory of Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC), I provide theoretical analyses to inform and direct research on Taijiquan where research questions involve issues of adaptive development (optimization of gains, maintenance of function, and prevention of lost resources). I also used these frameworks to construct a biopsychosocial mind-body practices model that seeks to explain and predict the role of key aspects (curriculum, practice, context) in Taiji-related development. The above frameworks are further substantiated through a comparative analysis of health status between Taijiquan practitioners (N =120; age range = 24-83, M = 54.77) and a nationally representative sample (N = 414,629; age range = 18-99, M = 54.86) collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The model's predictive potential is explored through an analysis of health status within a subset of experienced Taiji practitioners (N = 94; age range = 24-83, M = 55.82). Design: Theoretical and cross-sectional; between- and within-group comparisons. Methods: Responses from a convenience sample of Taiji practitioners were collected using an online survey. The instrument was designed to collect data on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), lifestyle variables, and Taiji practice regimens. Data from Taiji practitioners were merged with the CDC's 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) dataset, forming three groups: no exercise, some exercise, and Taiji exercise. Health status was regressed on exercise group while controlling for age, income, and education, as well as the interaction between age and exercise group. Further analyses were also conducted on a subset of the Taiji data (N=94). These analyses examined the relationships among self-reported health, practice regimens, and diet while controlling for age and experience. Results: In the first set of analyses (see paper one), I controlled for the effects of age, income, education, and the differential effects of age on exercise group, while determining associations between health and group membership. A significant interaction effect (p < 0.001) occurred between age and exercise group membership. This interaction showed little difference between exercise groups in the young adult age range, but among older adults, Taijiquan practitioners displayed the best HRQoL. In the second set of analyses (see paper 2), I found significant interaction effects between (a) curricular complexity and out-of-class practice (p < 0.05) and (b) curricular complexity and diet (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The extraordinary health status trajectory among Taiji practitioners may be attributable to several conditions including: (a) the implied presence of SOC-related strategies, (b) the general benefits of psychophysical expertise, and (c) concomitant structure between Taiji-related goals and health behaviors that contributes to optimal aging. Specifically, intervention designers, Taiji teachers, and practitioners should consider the potential benefits of well rounded Taiji curricula, regular out-of-class practice, and healthy diet for optimizing health-related gains and minimizing losses typically associated with aging. / Ph. D.

Aging in the new millennium is greatly influenced by both global and region-specific factors. In Asia, the aged population is increasing at a faster rate than both Europe and North America, making issues related to older adults needing immediate attention of researchers & planners. This study aims at identifying the predictors of successful aging. Successful aging as a construct often has an integration of good social engagement, sense of purpose in life, maintaining cognitive capacity and functional autonomy. One hundred fifty participants in India completed the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire, Geriatric Depression Scale, Health Awareness Schedule, and the Leisure Time Activity Record. Firstly, it is mainly evident that social support network is larger for older adults residing in a joint family as compared to a nuclear family setup. Further, married males in a joint family have the largest network size compared to all the other groups. The study however, reveals an interesting reverse trend of widowed females having a larger network size compared to widowed males. Statistical analysis found measures of successful aging to be highly correlated with each other, with subjective health and depression being significant predictors of life satisfaction. Further, life satisfaction, depression levels, and leisure time activities were all significant predictors of subjective health. Significant gender differences were found on life satisfaction and subjective health with married males living in joint families reporting the highest scores on all the above measures. In addition, widowed women showed the highest levels of depression, which relates to their lower life satisfaction, poor ratings of health and low involvement in leisure activities. The study achieved a higher understanding of successful aging and presented a novel finding of educational level being significantly correlated with all measures of successful aging. This study is the first of its kind to measure successful aging in an urban Asian-Indian population. However, more research is needed to examine other age-related variations to enable generalization of results to a larger culturally diverse population.

No description available.

Cette thèse a pour objet les habitats alternatifs aux dispositifs gérontologiques institués pour personnes âgées « fragiles » et « dépendantes ». Ces formules résidentielles s’inscrivent dans le prolongement d’un mouvement à contre-courant amorcé en France dès la fin des années 1970. Dans une comparaison critique avec les infrastructures existantes, structurées autour des deux pôles du maintien à domicile et de l’hébergement institutionnel, il s’agit pour les porteurs de projets de réinventer les lieux du vieillir et d’imaginer de nouveaux modèles d’accueil et d’accompagnement viables, si possible, « jusqu’à la mort ». Nous appréhendons ces réalisations novatrices comme des laboratoires d’expérimentation. Les habitats alternatifs amorcent une ouverture du champ des possibles. Cette ouverture suppose de faire un « pas de côté » pour repenser ou se substituer à l’institué et répondre aux besoins jugés insatisfaits ou mal satisfaits des populations vieillissantes « fragiles » et « dépendantes ». Cette recherche s’appuie sur des enquêtes empiriques menées dans plusieurs formules alternatives et sur un corpus de 49 entretiens directifs approfondis avec les différents acteurs qui évoluent dans les lieux (initiateurs, équipes de coordination et de médiation, aidants professionnels, familiaux et familiers, usagers). / This research studies alternative housings for the elderly with frailty and dependence. These new habitats forms have been built in France since the end of the 1970th in order to deal with the shortcomings of the gerontological facilities: the traditional nursing homes, which are highly criticized, and the home-care support. The projects leaders aim to reinvent the place to grow old and to create new welcome and support facilities for the elderly until the end of life. We define these innovated habitats as experimental laboratory which aim to respond, in a different way, the unmet need of the elderly with frailty and dependence.This PhD is based on empirical research conducted in several alternative housings and 49 semi-structured interviews with actors operating in these (projects leaders, coordination and mediation teams, professional families and friend’s caregivers, users). From a comparative and a comprehensive approach, we can address convergence and divergence of the alternative housing, understand the social experiment path, return the logic and the dynamics of reception and support methodologies, evaluate stress points between the modelled field with the initiators and the field with experienced by users, but we can also question the scope and meaning of the gerontological alternative in a broader perspective. Indeed, alterative housings are initiated in a context promoting values like autonomy and self- realization which may be seen as new normative injunctions.

Striving for personal goals is one important aspect of composing one is life within a developmental context. In this realm, personal life investment (PLI) measures the amount of energy (action and thought) that people report investing in central life domains (e.g., health, family, leisure, independence). This study aimed at understanding the functional relations of PLI, its development between 70 and over 100 years, and its role for successful aging. Obligatory and optional PLI were distinguished to differentiate between life domains where older individuals need to invest energy to maintain a basis for their development and domains that allow for many more degrees of freedom as to where and when to invest. Cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the Berlin Aging Study (BASE) showed that optional PLI, in contrast to obligatory PLI, had only positive motivational and affective correlates, declined between age 80 and 90, and contributed to successful aging as long as older people had enough resources to invest in optional domains. / Das Streben nach persönlichen Zielen ist für die eigene Lebensgestaltung innerhalb eines veränderlichen Entwicklungskontextes zentral. Dabei erfasst das Konstrukt des persönlichen Lebensinvestments (PLI) einen Aspekt der Lebensgestaltung: das Ausmaß an Energie, das in Form von Handlungen und Gedanken in zentralen Lebensbereichen, wie z.B. Gesundheit, Familie, Freizeit oder Unabhängigkeit, investiert wird. Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war die Untersuchung der funktionalen Zusammenhänge des PLI, der Entwicklung von PLI zwischen 70 und über 100 Jahren und der Rolle des Investments beim erfolgreichen Altern. Hierbei wurde zwischen obligatorischem und optionalem PLI unterschieden, also PLI in Lebensbereichen, die im Alter Investment erfordern, um die Grundlagen für die eigene Entwicklung zu erhalten, und PLI in Lebensbereichen, die weitaus mehr Freiheitsgrade hinsichtlich des Ausmaßes und Zeitpunktes des Investments bieten. Analysen von Quer- und Längsschnittdaten der Berliner Altersstudie (BASE) zeigten, dass optionales PLI, im Gegensatz zu obligatorischem PLI, nur positive motivational-affektive Korrelate aufweist, zwischen 80 und 90 Jahren leicht reduziert wird und zum erfolgreichen Altern beitragen kann, sofern die betreffende ältere Person über ausreichende Ressourcen verfügt, um sie in optionalen Bereichen zu investieren.

During the past thirty years several models for lifelong education after retirement have been developed worldwide, one of them being the University of the Third Age (U3A). This study explored the contributions of the U3A to the educational needs of older adults and evaluated the benefits they perceived from their participation in U3A by means of a literature study and an empirical investigation. The latter used a survey to explore the experiences of U3A members of two U 3As and presidents of 68 U3As in Victoria, Australia by means of two different questionnaires. As only 1.47 percent of the over-55 population of Victoria are U3A members, the survey also investigated barriers to U3A participation in general and with special reference to the male population. The findings indicated that member respondents were very satisfied with their U3A experiences which had made substantial differences in their lives. Both male and female respondents saw personal, mental, social, and physical improvement as a result of U3A participation. The majority indicated that participation had improved their intellectual development. Significant differences in the perceptions of male and female participants emerged: female members outnumbered males by three to one. Both the presidents and the members expressed some programmatic concerns, primarily obtaining tutors and classroom availability. The subject areas covered by courses presented were extensive. There was a difference in the subjects desired by males and female respondents; very few courses are offered in science and economics. Some barriers to participation identified are a lack of awareness of U3A, the stereotypical attitudinal barrier of `I am too old' and negative past educational experiences. Moreover, U3As should increase marketing endeavours. Although most U3As advertise, almost a third of the respondents indicated that they would have joined earlier if aware of U3As. A contributing factor appears to be a virtual lack of research and information provided in educational academic journals and other media about lifelong education after retirement. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for future research and for improved practice in the U3A environment as a means to enhance the quality of life for older adults. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Comparative Education)

During the past thirty years several models for lifelong education after retirement have been developed worldwide, one of them being the University of the Third Age (U3A). This study explored the contributions of the U3A to the educational needs of older adults and evaluated the benefits they perceived from their participation in U3A by means of a literature study and an empirical investigation. The latter used a survey to explore the experiences of U3A members of two U 3As and presidents of 68 U3As in Victoria, Australia by means of two different questionnaires. As only 1.47 percent of the over-55 population of Victoria are U3A members, the survey also investigated barriers to U3A participation in general and with special reference to the male population. The findings indicated that member respondents were very satisfied with their U3A experiences which had made substantial differences in their lives. Both male and female respondents saw personal, mental, social, and physical improvement as a result of U3A participation. The majority indicated that participation had improved their intellectual development. Significant differences in the perceptions of male and female participants emerged: female members outnumbered males by three to one. Both the presidents and the members expressed some programmatic concerns, primarily obtaining tutors and classroom availability. The subject areas covered by courses presented were extensive. There was a difference in the subjects desired by males and female respondents; very few courses are offered in science and economics. Some barriers to participation identified are a lack of awareness of U3A, the stereotypical attitudinal barrier of `I am too old' and negative past educational experiences. Moreover, U3As should increase marketing endeavours. Although most U3As advertise, almost a third of the respondents indicated that they would have joined earlier if aware of U3As. A contributing factor appears to be a virtual lack of research and information provided in educational academic journals and other media about lifelong education after retirement. Based on the findings, recommendations were made for future research and for improved practice in the U3A environment as a means to enhance the quality of life for older adults. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Comparative Education)

Enjeu important pour le marketing des seniors, le concept de bien vieillir demeure peu investigué par la recherche en marketing. Nous introduisons un nouveau concept, le Bien Vieillir Désiré (BVD), qui fait référence aux objectifs psychologiques, physiques, sociaux et financiers, poursuivis dans la quête du bien vieillir. Nous en proposons un modèle de mesure bifactoriel, fiable et valide, en quatre dimensions : le BVD général, le BVD physique, le BVD social et le BVD financier. Son influence est testée sur huit comportements de consommation relatifs aux secteurs suivants : alimentation, e-santé, chirurgie esthétique, loisirs, placements financiers, réseaux sociaux et sites de rencontres. L’échelle de mesure et un modèle global antécédents-manifestations-effets sont validés à partir d’un échantillon de 900 seniors âgés de 50 à 80 ans. Les résultats suggèrent le développement d’une nouvelle approche marketing des seniors : le marketing du bien vieillir. Son investigation et sa mise en œuvre sont ancrées dans quatre concepts clés : le BVD, le vieillissement perçu, les attentes d’ajustement au vieillissement et la consommation du bien vieillir. / Aging well is now a key stake for senior marketing, yet this concept remains little investigated by consumer research. A new concept is introduced in marketing research: Desired Aging Well (DAW), which refers to the psychological, physical, social and financial objectives, pursued in the quest for aging well. This research provides a reliable and valid bifactor measurement model for Desired Aging Well, in four dimensions: general DAW, physical DAW, social DAW and financial DAW. Its influence is tested on eight consumer behaviors related to the following sectors: food, e-health, plastic surgery, leisure, financial investments, social networks and dating sites. The Desired Aging Well scale and the overall antecedents-manifestations-effects model are validated on a sample of 900 French senior people aged from 50 to 80. The results suggest the development of a new marketing approach for seniors: aging well marketing. Its investigation and implementation are rooted in four key concepts: Desired Aging Well, perceived aging, adjustment to aging expectations and aging well consumption.