<p> The purpose of this investigation was to determine if an 8-week exercise intervention, using the In-Trinity^&reg; Board, could improve physical and mental characteristics linked to fall risk. A secondary purpose was to determine if the improvements would be greater among the In-Trinity^&reg;^&reg; group than those found in a movement-matched floor group or the control group. </p><p> Thirteen older adults aged 67.15 &plusmn; 9.84 years participated in the study. Participants completed assessments evaluating muscular strength, muscular endurance, balance, flexibility, agility, and balance confidence. </p><p> Results of a Two-way mixed design MANOVA showed the Group x Time interaction was not significant. The main effects of group and time were also not significant. Improvements were seen in the In-Trinity^&reg; group as well as the movement-matched floor group. Based on these results, the In-Trinity^&reg; program could be utilized to improve multiple characteristics related to fall prevention, although significant changes have yet to be determined. </p><p>

<p> Early detection of Alzheimer&rsquo;s disease (AD) is crucial. The risk of progressing to advanced stages is higher among those in the earliest stages of AD, and early diagnosis can lead to more effective treatment. Language assessments can be effective in diagnosing AD early. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of action fluency tasks in detecting early AD. An individual with early AD and a normal aging individual participated in three verbal fluency tasks: letter, category, and action. Results revealed that the individual with early AD performed more poorly than the normal aging individual on most verbal fluency tasks, including action fluency. Comparison of these results to performance on a discourse production task revealed a correlation between the category and action fluency tasks and the discourse production task but no correlation with the letter fluency task. The findings add support to the effectiveness of action fluency tasks in detecting early AD.</p><p>

The population of older adults has grown rapidly in recent years and is expected to continue to grow into the middle of this century. The aging of the population means that nurses need to have specialized gerontological knowledge in order to properly care for older adults. In spite of the current need for specialists in this field, gerontological nursing is not a popular choice and nurses often lack adequate preparation to care for older adults. The complex reasons behind these issues are rooted in the history of the development of this specialty. This study takes a historical look at the development of gerontological nursing in British Columbia through the stories of seven nurse educators who were leaders and innovators in their field. The findings of the study tell a story of the nurses’ work to change unacceptable nursing practice, improve standards of care and professional status of gerontological nursing and advocate for older adults. In doing so, these nurses challenged cultural values about aging and care of older adults and worked toward giving gerontological nurses a voice in policy and decision-making. The findings from this study can be used to guide today’s gerontological nurses as they continue to develop this specialized field of nursing knowledge. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Nursing, School of / Graduate

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This thesis, as part of the project Iniquites geographiques et bien-etre: la population agee de l'Outaouais, has two objectives: finding out if retirement influences the retired people's perceived well-being, and attempting to target characteristics that influence the 55--75-year-old retired people's well-being. The exhaustive literature review is followed with a description of the Outaouais region and its people, a conceptual frame, and research questions analyzing the impact of retirement on well-being, before identifying the effect of several characteristics (sex, social capital, human capital and some geographic characteristics) on the retired people's well-being. Following is the methodology describing our survey and the statistical methods used to analyze the data. Presented in two chapters, the first one descriptive and the second one analytical, the results between retirement and well-being are not conclusive. It is a different story for characteristics influencing the retired people's well-being, as some have a subtle influence on life conditions' satisfaction and others have a huge influence on the retired people's well-being. Sex and marital status have little influence on the retired people's life conditions, whereas human capital and mobility have a large, influence on both the retired people's well-being and their life conditions' satisfaction. In conclusion, we think that retirement is not a major event, but its effect, combined with other factors; would have an impact on the retired people's well-being in Outaouais.

Différents types d'entraînement sont disponibles pour améliorer la qualité de vie des personnes âgées. Cependant, l'entraînement le plus efficace pour améliorer l'équilibre et diminuer le risque de chuter demeure une question actuelle. Il a été démontre qu'un entraînement par biofeedback visuel peut améliorer l'équilibre et la demande attentionnelle des personnes âgées. Et d'après les études avec les patients cardiaques et ceux souffrant d'un traumatisme crânien, un entraînement par réalité virtuelle pourrait être bénéfique pour l'entraînement de l'équilibre chez les personnes âgées. Le but de cette étude était de comparer l'efficacité d'un entraînement d'équilibre dynamique par réalite virtuelle et par biofeedback visuel pour améliorer l'équilibre et la demande attentionnelle des personnes âgées. Au total, 24 personnes âgées en bonne santé ont participé à un programme d'entraînement de 10 semaines à une fréquence de 2 fois par semaine. Les participants s'entraînant par réalité virtuelle (n = 12) devaient jongler avec un ballon virtuel alternant de gauche à droite de façon imprévisible. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The objectives of this study were to determine whether games-based computerized biofeedback training using the NeuroGym system reduces the attention demands of balance tasks in active community-dwelling older adults. Specifically, this study examined whether postural sway, reaction time, functional balance, and composite fitness changed following the training. Sixteen community-dwelling adults over the age of 65 who were experienced chair exercise participants were assigned to either a training group (n=9) or a control group (n=7). Participants in the training group followed an 8-week training program (2 x 30 minute sessions each week) consisting of five separate exercise routines using the NeuroGym system. The training routines required participants to play a computerized tennis game by shifting their body weight. Postural sway, reaction time, functional balance, and composite fitness were evaluated prior to training, after completion of the training and following a two week retention period.

This study investigated the effect of variables that may influence the decision of seniors over the age of 60 not to participate in adult learning activities and literacy skills. Three research questions were of interest to the researcher. First, which of five socio-economic status (SES) variables (age, income, gender, employment status, education) are the best predictors of deterrents to participation in adult learning activities by seniors 60 years of age and over? Second, which of six deterrents to participation (lack of confidence, lack of course relevance, time constraints, low personal priority, cost, and personal problems) are the best predictors of participation in adult learning activities by seniors 60 years of age and over? Finally, is participation in adult learning activities by seniors 60 years of age and over a predictor of seniors' literacy skills? To measure seniors' reasons for not participating in adult learning activities, the Deterrents to Participation Scale-General was administered. Literacy skills were measured by the Tests of Applied Literacy Skills document literacy domain. To test the factors that were expected to affect non-participation, a survey questionnaire was administered to two groups, those who were currently participating in an organized adult learning activity and those who were not. Multiple regression estimates demonstrated that none of the regression lines could be plotted against any of the six deterrents to participation as criterion variables on the five SES variables as predictors. However, when the SES variables were held constant, only the effect of the variable employment status using the deterrents to participation lack of course relevance and low personal priority had a tendency to deliver the strongest explanatory power among all other predictor variables. Furthermore, regression estimates demonstrated that none of the six deterrents to participation had any effect on participation and that document literacy skills could not be predicted as a function of participation. In addition, the DPS-G showed low reliability estimates suggesting that the instrument needs to be revised taking into consideration other dimensions of deterrents to participation that are more relevant to seniors' lives.