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This study was conducted to explore how the identity processes of assimilation and accommodation work together to enable older adults to adjust to age-related physical and cognitive change. The study introduces of the concept of micro and macro levels of identity processes to Whitbourne's identity model as a means of further understanding the concept of a identity balance, an approach to identity that employs both assimilation and accommodation, and is theorized to be the optimal approach to maintaining well-being and positive self-esteem in later life. A sample of 50 community-dwelling adults between the age of 50 and 93 (M = 72.42) completed a structured interview that included measures of identity and self-esteem. It was hypothesized that participants would use identity assimilation in response to the impact of age on overall sense of self (macro identity), and identity accommodation in response to most salient physical or cognitive changes (micro identity). The results indicate that identity assimilation was used most at the macro level, but was not positively correlated with self-esteem. Identity assimilation was also used most at the micro level; however, it was not clear whether the structured interview accurately assessed assimilation and accommodation at the micro level due to a contradiction in reporting by a substantial percentage of the identity assimilators. The results suggest that a balanced approach to overall identity, as well as engaging in behavior to manage physical or cognitive change, are most effective in maintaining positive self-esteem in later life. The relationship of engaging in behavior to identity at both the micro and macro levels of identity was explored, and a model based on the findings was proposed for understanding how identity at both levels can be employed in order to maintain a high self-esteem and a balanced sense of self.

In this study, the author investigated the hypothesis that an animal visitation program could alleviate depressed behaviors among a group of elderly subjects residing in a nursing facility. The program consisted of twice weekly visits of volunteers accompanying their dogs. The effect of the visits upon the patients was evaluated regularly using two behavioral monitoring devices (the Geriatric Rating Scale, and the Social Interaction Rating Scale) and two self-report questionnaires (the Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Profile of Mood States). Twenty-five subjects participated in the treatment. The performance of this group was compared with that of a matched no-treatment group. At the conclusion of the twelve week treatment, experimental subjects reported less depression, anxiety, anger, fatigue, and confusion. There were significant reductions in apathetic, withdrawn behaviors and significant increases in prosocial behavior. Control subjects were unchanged. The Pet Attitude and Experience Questionnaire (PAEQ) provided a quantitative representation of the quality of the subject's past experiences with and current attitudes toward pet animals. Grouping subjects by PAEQ scores revealed that experimental subjects who reported strongly positive experiences and attitudes improved significantly over control subjects, while experiments subjects with less positive attitudes and experiences failed to show significant improvement on the dependent measures. The role of pet-facilitated therapy as a behavioral treatment for depression in institutionalized elderly is discussed.

Data about dietary status and the relationship between acculturation, socioeconomic and health factors of Puerto Rican (PR) elderly in the United States is sparse. The purpose of this research was to examine the Dietary Quality (DQ) of the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES) PR elderly and its relationship to acculturation, health and socioeconomic factors. In addition, exploratory analyses were conducted in order to look at cultural foods of the PR elderly, which were used to construct a cultural food scale for measuring acculturation levels. The HHANES PR sample of this study consisted of 281 subjects (55-74 years of age). Analysis of health and socioeconomic variables was done using descriptive statistics. Acculturation was measured with the HHANES language-based acculturation scale. DQ was estimated using both, Mean Adequacy Ratios (MAR) and Food Group Scores. Multiple regressions, ANOVA and t-tests were applied to look at associations between DQ and acculturation, health and socioeconomic factors. To construct the cultural food scale, cultural foods were chosen based on the most frequently consumed foods by the less acculturated PR elderly. The results indicated that PR elderly had adequate intakes of protein, vitamin B-12, vitamin C, and phosphorus. The group had low intakes of energy, zinc, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin E and vitamin B-6, with significantly lower intakes in females than in males. Although the higher proportion of subjects were classified as having high DQ based on MARs, important proportions had low or moderate DQ. When DQ was measured in terms of the Food Group Score, it was noted the highest proportion of the group had moderate DQ, but, again, with important proportions in the low DQ category. Based both on the HHANES acculturation scale and the newly generated cultural food scale, it was found that PR elderly were predominantly monocultural. The cultural food score was able to measure acculturation of PR elderly. Acculturation did play an important role in DQ of PR elderly. Other socioeconomic and health factors such as sex, education, marital status, poverty level, and biting or chewing conditions, were also important in determining DQ.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of South Australia, 2004. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 1, 2005). Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia create challenges for those living with neurodegenerative cognitive impairment and their care partners. Pharmacological approaches for treatment of challenging behaviors seen in dementia have limited success and serious side effects. Because of this, nonpharmacological approaches are being investigated with increasing frequency. Of particular interest are nonpharmacological approaches involving environmental stimulation to change behaviors. Success of such approaches relies on sensory processing systems, personal preferences, and environmental congruence. There is limited evidence describing behaviors of persons with cognitive impairment in relation to these components. Currently, there is no guiding model for implementation of environmental and sensory-based strategies with this population. The overall goal of this project is to elaborate on an emerging model describing the relationship among environment, behavior, sensation, and cognitive impairment for community-dwelling adults with mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Three studies allow for deeper understanding of this relationship. Study one compared behaviors seen in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with exhibited behaviors of individuals with mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Of neurological conditions similar to dementia, ASD has been chosen as an exemplar for comparison of behavioral expression because evidence supports sensory-based theory and interventions to improve behaviors for those with ASD. Results indicate that ASD behaviors are reported in those assessed, with highest rates of behaviors in those with young age of onset and advanced cognitive impairment severity. Study two described presentation of behavior, sensory processing, and environment for community-dwelling adults with cognitive impairment in the context of the caregiver situation. Findings reflect dyadic experiences for the person with cognitive impairment and the primary care partner. Emergent themes included consideration of the passage of time, environmental contexts, behavioral adjustments while aging, and overall influences of living with cognitive impairment. Sensory processing assessment using the Adult Sensory Profile identified that all participants had some atypical sensory processing patterns, highlighting a need for attention to environmental congruence to promote adaptive behaviors. Using data collected in study one and study two, a model was created describing interactions among the person with cognitive impairment, sensation, and the environment as these interactions evolve over time. Areas for future research are conceptualized for implementation of the model. Future research is needed for assessment of the model to test for validity and reliability. Creation of an instrument is needed to place individuals within the model given their behavior and cognitive impairment progression. And, future research is needed to create and test interventions in order to aid in environmental congruence. Long-term goals are to improve care for adults with cognitive impairment and dementia via environmental interventions.

This thesis concerns the asymmetric mechanism by which the "molecular aging clock" is reset in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is of great interest considering that many organisms' cells--including human stem cells--undergo this process. When yeast divides, it ages a generation, while daughter cells begin life at generation zero. One theory surrounding this process in yeast is the extrachromosomal rDNA circle (ERC) aging theory. ERCs are generated spontaneously in mother cells as they age, and thus accumulate exponentially in older cells. Daughter cells from young mothers benefit from asymmetric aging, but as mothers age, they produce daughters that prematurely senesce. Studies suggested that ERCs may be a cytoplasmic senescence factor that is passed from mother to daughter as the mother ages, possibly due to the mother's inability to maintain cellular pathways responsible for asymmetric processes as she ages. ASH1 is a gene that encodes an asymmetrically-distributed protein that halts expression of HO endonuclease--an enzyme critical to mating-type switch--in daughter cells. Previous studies in our lab showed that deleting ASH1 led to a decrease in daughter lifespan compared to wild-type strains. In this thesis, I present evidence of a possible connection between ASH1 and cell cycle regulation. Furthermore, the detection of ERC accumulation via Southern blotting in the mutant ASH1 strain, but not the wild-type strain, provides support that ERCs may be a senescence factor in yeast. Lastly, preliminary microarray analysis reveals several genes related to cell cycle regulation being affected by the deletion of ASH1.

No description available.