The purpose of this study was to observe the response of serum hormones to a progressive resistance strength training program. Basal levels of serum growth hormone and total testosterone were measured before and after a 12-week strength training program in 8 young men (mean age= 23 years) and 13 elderly men (mean age= 63 years). The response of growth hormone and testosterone to an acute bout of strength training exercise was also measured. Changes in lean body mass, percent fat, fat weight, VO2max and girth measurements were determined.Sessions were started with walking and static stretching exercises for the major muscle groups. This was followed by 45-60 minutes of isotonic strength training exercise which consisted of the leg-press, leg-extension, leg-curl, torso extension, bench-press, pull-down, pull-over, horizontal arm adduction, arm adduction, and modified sit-ups on an abdominal platform. Subjects were told to increase weight at a station when they could successfully complete three sets of ten repetitions at that station. At weeks 2 and 12 of the study subjects were strength tested at the leg-press, leg-extension, and bench-press stations. Strength was measured as the most weight that could be lifted for six repetitions. Blood samples were drawn from an antecubital vein pre and post training, and before, immediately following and 15 minutes after an exercise session.There was a significant increase (p <0.001) in strength for both groups for the leg press, leg extention and bench press. However, the young group was significantly stronger (p <0.001) than the elderly group in both pre and post test for all muscles measured. There was a significant increase (p <0.01) in lean weight in the elderly group which was correlated with increased strength on the leg press, leg extension and bench press on the post test. There was a significant increase (p <0.05) in growth hormone for both groups in response to an acute bout of exercise on both the pre and post test with the rise being significantly higher (p <0.025) in the young group. The increased strength in the young group correlated positively with increased serum growth hormone following an acute bout of exercise on the post test. There was no significant change in serum testosterone in response to an acute bout of exercise in either group. Basal levels of growth hormone and testosterone did not change.

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

The major focus of this study was the development of a college level course on health and aging. Because a conceptual framework was chosen as the structure for the course design and its implementation, the purposes of the study were: 1) the formulation of behavioral objectives; 2) the determination of topics or course content dealing with health and aging; 3) the identification of available teaching materials; 4) the determination of learning experiences; and 5) the development of appropriate evaluation activities for each behavioral objective.Four techniques were used in the selection of the concepts, subconcepts and behavioral adjectives formulated for the course. These techniques were: 1) a study of courses offered by other educational institutions, 2) an extensive review of the gerontological literature, 3) a health survey administered to seventeen women and thirteen men over the age of sixty, residing in Delaware County, Muncie, Indiana, and 4) the use of a jury of experts on gerontology from thirteen professions related to aging.The course syllabi and gerontological literature were reviewed in terms of content, learning experiences, evaluation activities and teacher-student resources.The material from the survey of older people was analyzed on a retrieval system called the Terrratrex. Any item responded to by 70% or more of the sample was considered significant enough to be included in the course.The material from the jury of experts was recorded bay raw score, percentage and then assigned a rank order to deter line relative significance of each item. A comparison of the ten highest with the ten lowest ranked items was made.A master list of content items was compiled from the study of courses, review of literature, health survey of older people and the responses of the jurymen. The items from the master list were developed into a conceptual framework of the ideas or major generalizations that provided structure for the curriculum. The framework of the course wary developed similiarly to that of the Teacher-Learning Guide from the School Health Education Study. Thus, the framework identified the concepts, behavioral objectives, content, learning activities, evaluation activities and teacher-student resources.Analysis of the data led to the following conclusions: 1) Men and women perceive their health as good if they are ambulatory.2) The use of medical services is viewed essential by both old people and experts.3) There is no difference between men and women and their expressed general health status after the age of 65.4) All of the concepts in the course are essential or desirable for college students to know about health and aging.5) Either the jury was in total agreement on all 25 items of the survey or the items were not sufficiently discriminatory.6) A college level course concerned with health needs and health practices should emphasize more than the physical and mental aspects of aging. For instance, in order for the older person to avert physical change resulting from nutrient deficiencies, the curriculum should consider the role of companionship in relation to meals and other social situations.

Introduction: To date, there has been little research on driving or transportation use in retirement living seniors or the associations with quality of life, including staying active, socially engaged and connected with the outside community. This thesis is part of a larger project being conducted by a team of researchers at the University of Waterloo to examine these issues in collaboration with the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, the Schlegel Villages and Luther Village on the Park. Purpose: The primary objectives of this thesis were to: 1) examine the actual driving practices and other modes of travel in relation to functional abilities and other characteristics; 2) examine associations between driving and other modes of travel with community engagement; 3) examine fall status and compare fallers and non-fallers; and 4) compare current drivers to a sample of former drivers with respect to falls, balance confidence, depression, activity levels in and out of Village (engagement) and travel patterns. Methods: A convenience sample of 55 drivers (mean age 81.9 ± 6.2, 49% male) from five retirement villages located in Southern Ontario were assessed between February and October, 2013. Participants completed questionnaires (background and driving history, activities inside and outside the village), scales (depression, well-being, self-reported driving restrictions, perceived driving abilities, balance and driving confidence) and assessments of cognition and executive function, lower body mobility and contrast sensitivity. In addition, participant vehicles were equipped with two electronic data logging devices (vehicle diagnostics and GPS) for two weeks, while they concurrently kept trip logs (for driving trips) and travel diaries (for non-driving trips). Falls were assessed through both self-report and incident reports from the villages. Similar data (from scales, questionnaires, travel diaries, falls) previously collected on a sample of 20 former drivers from these retirement villages was merged into the database to permit statistical comparisons between current and former drivers. Primary Results: Overall, the sample reported driving less after moving to the villages. Compared to prior studies with community seniors, older drivers living in the retirement villages had more restricted driving practices. Residents who were considering driving cessation were not only restricting their driving, but had diminished functional abilities, were more likely to fall, had worse balance and driving confidence, and were less engaged with the community. Compared to current drivers, former drivers were more likely to have fallen in the past year, had lower balance confidence, and were less active outside the village, although they were equally socially engaged. Level of independent living (townhomes versus apartments or suites, versus assisted living rooms) emerged as a significant predictor of community engagement. When level of independent living was controlled for, greater community engagement was associated with younger age, being able to walk 1/4 mile and better balance confidence scores. Driving status approached significance with higher community engagement scores associated with being a current (versus former) driver. Conclusions: The results indicate that although residents of retirement villages may not drive as much as community living seniors, continuing to drive enables them to stay more connected to the broader community. Although few had considered driving cessation prior to relocation, about half the sample were now considering this transition. Retirement living may make the transition to driving cessation easier, particularly for those who take advantage of village shuttle buses and retain the ability to walk to shops and services in the area. Alternate modes of transportation are critical as older adults retire from driving to ensure continued mobility and independence, as well as to maintain productive community and social engagement.

Residential downsizing in later life is a complex process often laden with emotional stress. This design practicum explores the adverse effects of this transition, and how they might be mitigated through interior design. Central to this analysis is the significance of home and the presence of memory in sentimental environments. The primary lens for investigation is phenomenology. This theoretical perspective dissects the lived world as a set of phenomena, exploring the relationships between humans, as sensory beings, and the given world. To consider phenomenology in relation to context and design programme, numerous and diverse investigations are conducted. Investigations include: contextual analysis, precedent analysis, and theoretical literature review. Each exploration supplements the design process and proposal of the hypothetical Assisted Living Residence, “170 Ashland Avenue”.

<p> The purpose of this study was to identify, through meta-analytical techniques, evidence-based recommendations for the type, frequency, and duration of exercise to slow the progression of dementia. Inclusion criteria were that the research had to be published between January 2000 and January 2012 and include both pre- and post-Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. After conducting extensive computer-aided and manual searches, eight studies were chosen for analysis. Of those eight studies, one study in particular indicated the optimal type, frequency, and duration of exercise to slow the progression of dementia, which was walking four times per week for thirty minutes per session. Future research should include the impact of other forms of exercise on the progression of dementia and the role of physicians in the prescription of exercise to slow the progression of dementia.</p>

Mobility plays an important role in determining quality of life in older adults as it is closely tied to health, participation, and independence in later years. Although much of the literature to date has focused on walking and stair climbing, mobility also encompasses driving and the use of public transportation to access the community. Comprehensive definitions of mobility and techniques for objectively measuring community mobility are generally lacking. This thesis describes a new theoretical framework for mobility that illustrates how impairments can lead to limitations in accessing different life-spaces, and stresses the associations among determinants that influence mobility. The feasibility of using global positioning system (GPS) watches and accelerometers to monitor community mobility in older adults was also examined. Data acquired from the equipment were quite variable. While the technology offers promise for capturing detailed information (e.g., the timing, distances covered, and speeds reached on foot and in-vehicle), new GPS solutions are required to allow for data collection over an extended period of time. In addition, projects were conducted to examine ankle strength and power in older women because these muscle groups are important for physical function and mobility. Test-retest reliability on the dynamometer was found to be generally good for isotonic and isokinetic tests, but relatively poor for isometric rate of torque development. Measures of dorsiflexion (DF) and plantar flexion (PF) strength and power-related variables were significantly correlated with functional performance (gait speed, stair climb power, and foot movement time). An intervention study was conducted to determine the effects of ankle DF and PF resistance training performed concentrically “as fast as possible” on movement time in a brake response task. Power training with elastic bands resulted in the greatest reduction in movement time, which suggests that this low-cost, practical form of exercise may benefit older adults in circumstances when rapid generation of ankle torque is required. This thesis adds to the literature by examining mobility from a number of perspectives. Mobility determinants are comprehensively defined, community and laboratory-based measures are examined, and the effects of an intervention are evaluated to improve mobility assessment and treatment techniques in older adults.

The aim of this study is to better understand age differences in well-being using Ryan, Huta, and Deci’s (2008) theory. According to this theory, four constructs are responsible for living a full and deeply satisfying life (i.e., eudaimonia) and experiencing pleasure and an absence of psychological pain (i.e., subjective well-being): (1) pursuing intrinsic goals and values, (2) behaving in autonomous ways, (3) living mindfully, and (4) behaving to satisfy the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. Results indicate that aging was positively associated with the pursuit of intrinsic goals and values, autonomous behaviour, mindfulness, and mental health. Although age had a positive effect on the basic psychological need for autonomy, it had no effect on relatedness, and a negative effect on competence. The mixed influence of age on basic psychological needs may explain why older adults experienced greater levels of hedonic well-being but lower levels of eudaimonic well-being.

Immigrants, like everyone else, age. Given that well over 13 million immigrants have arrived in Canada since 1901 (Statistics Canada, 2001), it is surprising that researchers have largely failed to examine their mental health in later life. This thesis utilizes data from the Canadian Community Health Survey—Healthy Aging (2010) to compare the mental health of immigrants to that of Canadian-born among the population over the age of 60. Anthony Giddens’ (1984) structuration theory provides a theoretical framework which facilitates examination of the complex relationship among various structural and behavioural independent variables. Findings show that connecting immigrant women with health care providers, encouraging healthy behaviours among immigrant men, ensuring nutritional needs are met in Canada, and boosting opportunities for social support are all ways that we can increase life satisfaction and decrease mood and anxiety conditions in our society.

This study explored the nature of attitudes and expectations about support and caregiving in seven adult stepchild-stepparent (matched) dyads (N=14) using qualitative interviews analyzed with thematic and constant comparative methods. Findings indicated that all stepchildren in the sample would consider contributing some sort of care/support to their aging stepparents if necessary, but that not all stepchildren considered it their responsibility to do so. Likewise, most stepparents would expect at least some kind of care and/or support if they needed it. For stepparents this was often qualified as emotional support and certain kinds of instrumental help. In summary, the expectations of stepchildren and their stepparents are tied to four major factors: (1) family history and family ties; (2) gender; of stepchild (3) history of exchange and support; and (4) feelings of loyalty of stepchildren towards their biological parent. / Graduate