A descriptive study was conducted to explore the relationship among three measures of decision making capacity: (1) clinicians' opinions, (2) Pfeiffer's (1975) SPMSQ, and (3) a developmental instrument by Fitten et al. (1990) designed to measure patient clinical decision making ability. Another purpose of the study was to replicate portions of the work by Fitten et al. (1990). A convenience sample of 41 patients, four physicians, and three nurse practitioners was studied. Quantitative research techniques were employed for data collection and analysis. Significant correlations were found among all measurements of decision making capacity indicating that the developmental instrument appears to be a valid method of determining decision making capacity according to results obtained for convergent validity. The findings of this study support those reported by Fitten et al. (1990).

No description available.

<p> Anxiety and behavior disturbances are a significant problem for geriatric residents living in a facility. Currently treatment for these symptoms is pharmacological. While medications are necessary in some cases, significant uncomfortable side effects can result. The availability of effective treatments that are non-pharmacological allows nurses to offer an alternative option for these symptoms. The purpose of this project was to investigate animal-assisted therapy (AAT) and the effects this therapy has on anxiety and behavioral symptoms for geriatric patients living in a facility. A four week study was conducted with adult subjects age 55-85 who were diagnosed with anxiety or behavior symptoms and live in a facility. A dog was utilized for the therapy. Evidence suggests the effectiveness of AAT for a multitude of disease states and medical conditions. Use of ATT in this study revealed several behavioral changes for individual participants.</p>

<p> The purpose of this grant proposal was to develop and seek funding from the Archstone Foundation to implement program &ldquo;Tech Connect,&rdquo; which bridges gaps between generations of college students and older adults in Long Beach, California. The grant writer identified a need for older adults to be more connected socially and technologically as well as a need for more geriatric social workers. The Tech Connect program will take place at Menorah Housing Foundation's Long Beach Senior Housing building and will work with students from California State University Long Beach&rsquo;s School of Social Work. The Tech Connect program outlines how students will teach older adults to use iPads while students learn about the lives of older adults and experience meaningful connections through games. The goals of the program include older adult participants reporting less loneliness and social isolation, continuing to use iPads, and student participants reporting a higher interest in working with older adult populations.</p>

<p>The purpose of this directed project was to develop a four-hour workshop for Gerontologists and associated health professionals to assist older adults in understanding the Medicare products available to them. The workshop was specifically developed for delivery through a non-profit called ?In Transition Planning,? which is an educational platform to assist aging individuals with the aging process through education, community involvement and training. The four-hour workshop was based on the ?Medicare and You? booklet developed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent to older adults prior to turning 65 years old and annually. This workshop covers the basics of Medicare planning, which includes elections on basic Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Supplemental Plans that a senior receiving Medicare needs to consider. Workshop materials were sent to three expert reviewers, who gave suggestions for revision. General suggestions included adding material about Medicaid and rules for dual eligibles, discussing identity theft as it relates to one?s Social Security card, including breaks in the presentation, and condensing some of the material for the time allotted. The workshop will educate Gerontologists and associated health professionals about the different components of Medicare and insurance coverage available to older adults.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the writings of early American sociologists for attitudes and theoretical ideas concerning aging which individually and collectively have formed the basis for current social theory in gerontology.

<p> The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to develop a fall prevention intervention that includes an evidence-based strategy, Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance (TJQMBB), in a low-income, senior independent living apartment building, Providence Gardens, with its non-profit partner, Las Palmas Housing Foundation. An extensive literature review determined that fall prevention can enhance quality of life and aging in place. The program will offer TJQMBB classes which increase strength and balance, as well as home safety evaluations, by a Tai Chi certified instructor and a Service Coordinator. The specific objectives include increased strength and balance and decreased fear of falling.</p><p> The Archstone Foundation was chosen as an appropriate funder due to its focus on supportive housing. The actual submission of the grant was not a requirement of the thesis project.</p>

Loneliness in older adults is a problem. Loneliness negatively impacts the physical, mental and social health of an individual leading to problems including increased risk of poor health, cognitive decline, and death. As older adults utilize over 2.7 times more of U.S. personal health care expenses than should occur given their proportion of the population, the health of older adults is a societal issue. The current study examines the feasibility of a method to reduce loneliness in older adults by teaching participants various methods of computer-mediated communication (CMC). Participants were older adults who qualified as lonely utilizing a loneliness scale. The study was conducted in two phases. The first phase was a test of the intended intervention – a course on computer-mediated communication taught to a group of lonely older adults. In Phase 1, the researcher examined participant loneliness scores before and after the course was given, and the course on computer-mediated communication was examined for areas of improvement. The second phase implemented the intervention, with the changes recommended in Phase 1. The second phase also included the examination of hypotheses related to: the connections between CMC training and the level of use of computer mediated communication by older adults, the link between CMC training and computer self-efficacy in older adults, the determination of if an increase in CMC use by older adults is followed by improvement in social support or social network (two constructs linked with loneliness), and the determination if CMC use is followed by a reduction in social or emotional loneliness. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester 2018. / October 16, 2018. / computer, computer-mediated communication, gerontology, loneliness, older adults, social media / Includes bibliographical references. / Bruce A. Thyer, Professor Directing Dissertation; Mia Liza A. Lustria, University Representative; Stephen J. Tripodi, Committee Member; Penny A. Ralston, Committee Member.

An analysis of existing theory and research in the fields of anger and of the aged is presented in this study. Data on the variables of anger arousal, anger expression, physiological aspects of anger and social and cultural aspects of anger for young and old people is summarized. Drawing upon this data, original theoretical propositions regarding the nature of anger in the aged are presented. It is proposed that physiological arousal in the aged is attenuated due to aging changes in the organism, and hence the cognitive labeling of the emotion anger will occur infrequently. The inability of the aged system, once aroused, to return to homeostasis is proposed to account for willingly decreased anger arousal and expression due to the unpleasantness of extenuated arousal, and due to the discontinuity between arousal and appraisal of socially appropriate behavior. The negative stereotypes held about the aged, including the perceived status of the elderly, are proposed to lead to decreased anger arousal and expression by instilling a belief in older people that thwarting and demeaning treatment is justified. It is proposed that unless modeled in the environment, older people will have a significantly decreased level of expression of anger because anger does not achieve desired outcomes and may, in fact, lead to further lowering of self-esteem. Those individual older people who see anger as an acceptable emotion, are active participants in society, who are afforded relatively high status and power and who have found anger instrumental in achieving desired outcomes are proposed to be more likely to be aroused to anger and to express that anger. In addition, it is proposed that adequate social, economic, physical and psychological resources are variables which, if present, will increase the likelihood of anger arousal and expression in the aged. Research proposals are presented to confirm or disconfirm these propositions, and implications for practice are discussed. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-06, Section: A, page: 2629. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

The effectiveness of an eight-week nutrition education program on sodium and health in 41 elderly subjects was investigated. A four-group experimental design was used consisting of the following groups: hypertensive treatment (HT); hypertensive control (HC); normotensive treatment (NT); normotensive control (NC). Effectiveness of the program was determined by changes in knowledge, changes in urinary sodium and dietary sodium, potassium and calcium intake, and taste preference for NaCl. / The program was effective in increasing knowledge with the HT and NT having a significant gain in pre- to posttest scores, (p $\leq$ 0.01 and p $\leq$ 0.05, respectively). A post-posttest, given six weeks after the nutrition classes, showed that HT retained more knowledge than NT, (15% and 6%, respectively). The only significant dietary change was an increase in dietary calcium in HT (p $\leq$ 0.05). Urinary sodium, dietary sodium and potassium decreased in the HT, levels of sodium and potassium increased slightly in the NT group. Nutrition education on sodium restriction did not affect taste preference for NaCl. A weak correlation (p = 0.057) was noted between sodium intake and taste preference for NaCl. Elderly Title III meal participants consumed more sodium, slightly more calcium and less potassium than nonparticipants. / The education program was more effective in the HT group than the NT. This result indicated that elderly with a medical need for dietary modification, such as hypertension, are more likely than elderly without a medical need to change dietary habits and increase knowledge from a nutrition education program. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-09, Section: B, page: 4282. / Major Professor: Nancy Green. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.