<p> This dissertation investigated the impact of maternal emotional maltreatment on older adult men with respect to mental, physical, substance abuse, and employment outcomes. The goal of this study was to explore and explain how the role of protective factors across the life span of older adult men who experienced psychological maltreatment from their maternal figures impacted their mental and physical health. Specifically, a secondary data analysis was conducted on the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) dataset to explore the overall aim of the study. This dissertation also investigated the intersection of demographics of advantaged and disadvantaged older adult men and these same outcomes.</p><p> The presence of poorer mental and physical health outcomes, along with an increase in alcohol-related problems among these men was noted only when examining those who were more disadvantaged in terms of family configuration and financial wellbeing in early childhood. Results also found significant differences in individuals who attrited from the study on outcomes measures. Future research should explore way to combat attrition in populations who have experience trauma. Policy and practice approaches should utilize a trauma-informed approach to ensure a gender informed approach to prevent men from being re-traumatized. Furthermore, utilization of a public health model for prevention strategies as well as to identify and serve those at-risk is of utmost importance as emotional abuse is challenging social workers to identify.</p><p>

<p> Many different organizations and service providers in Long Beach provide services and care to older adults. Since the majority of these organizations operate independently, they tend to use separate resource guides to assist clients with finding appropriate referrals to services that they do not directly provide. The Long Beach Senior Center (LBSC), which will become the &ldquo;Long Beach Office on Aging&rdquo; in an attempt to unify and coordinate organizations throughout Long Beach, currently uses an outdated resource guide last updated in 2005. This project updated the resource guide for the Long Beach Office on Aging as an internet-based resource that can be easily updated and shared with organizations and service providers throughout Long Beach. Previous resources were contacted and updated through phone calls, emails, or personal visits by the project director. Meetings between various organizations and representatives from the Long Beach Office on Aging will continue to unify the network of support services to serve older adults in Long Beach.</p><p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to investigate Baby Boomers? knowledge of Alzheimer?s disease (AD) and how a boomer?s age, race/ethnicity, sex, and contact with the disease were associated with knowledge levels. Knowledge was tested using the Alzheimer?s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS). Results included 86 participants and indicated that there was a direct relationship between the age of Baby Boomers and their overall knowledge of AD in that the older the individual the more knowledgeable they were about AD. Furthermore, the following results were obtained about knowledge of AD based on the subscales of the ADKS: the older an individual, the more knowledge they had about symptoms, females were less knowledgeable about the risk factors than males in the sample, Hispanics were less knowledgeable about assessment and diagnosis of AD than other ethnicities, the longer an individual had contact with someone with AD, the more knowledgeable they were on the course of the disease process.

<p>Demographics in the United States are changing, and there is a larger older adult population than ever before. While some older adults have aged healthily and can maintain their own health and finances, that is not the case for other older adults. Older adults aging with dementia and other incapacitating illnesses, with no family or friends to assist them, may be referred for probate conservatorship. The purpose of this project was to revise an existing curriculum to train new conservators about the aging process, legal process of conservatorship, and estate management. By understanding these components of conservatorship, new conservators will be able to provide better service to conservatees. This project will utilize classroom training in addition to shadow training with conservators and conservatees. The training was reviewed by an expert panel and revised to its final version. It will be provided to the Office of the Public Guardian for implementation.

This exploratory study addressed two research questions: What are the perspectives on patterns and themes in the life development of exemplary Canadian women over the age of 70 who have been active in leadership roles in volunteer and/or paid work in their communities? Do these patterns and themes support the concept of the Feminist Attributes of Leadership (caring, courage, collaboration, vision, and intuition) within a relational leadership context as identified by Regan and Brooks (1995)? Following a qualitative research design with twelve participants who were leading active, exemplary lives in late adulthood, data were collected in three phases: (1) Individual interviews designed to elicit recollections of leadership experience and a brief life history. (2) Focus groups in which participants discussed their leadership experience and involvement in pro-social activities. (3) A questionnaire completed by someone selected by the participants and able to offer another perspective on their lives and leadership contribution. Analysis revealed that the women were characterized by the descriptors wise, courageous, and action-oriented. Each in her own way, given her varied opportunities and gifts, had lived the well-lived life. Each had made an exemplary contribution to her community over a period of many years. Each was in the process of successfully resolving Erikson's eighth psycho-social crisis, integrity vs. despair (Erikson, 1982). Support was found for Regan & Brooks (1995) Feminist Attributes of Leadership within a Relational Leadership style. A new model, The Exemplary Leadership Model, was created to summarize the findings. It presents a perspective on leadership featuring the descriptors wise, courageous, and action-oriented. The "L" of Exemplary Leadership is firmly embedded within the "C" of Caring, and grounded on a three tier foundation. Social conscience, arising out of love, empathy, sympathy, and identity is the upper tier of the model's foundation. The first tier consists of family, community, culture, and social connectedness. Results of the study have implications for those who work with the elderly and for those involved in education, leadership, community activism, and volunteerism.

Cette étude méthodologique est une validation d'une partie de l'activité s'habiller d'OPTIMAGE, la mise des chaussures, auprès de personnes atteintes de démence de type Alzheimer et hébergées en établissement de soins de longue durée. Un groupe d'experts a contribué à la validité de contenu d'une grille comprenant quatre tâches de 8 énoncés tirés du cadre conceptuel des fonctions exécutives de Lezak (1995); les tâches relèvent du choix des chaussures, de la préparation à l'enfilage, de l'enfilage et de la fermeture des chaussures. La fidélité inter-observateurs de la grille a été estimée auprès de 5 observateurs visionnant les bandes vidéo de 10 sujets filmés pendant la mise des chaussures; les estimés montrent que seuls les items du choix des chaussures avec un nombre plus élevé de coefficients acceptables de kappa pondéré sont prometteurs à une utilisation clinique.

Although mortality rates from heart disease and stroke have generally declined over the past decade (Statistics Canada, 1997) they continue to be the number one cause of death for women in Canada and the United States (American Heart Association, 1992; Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, 1997). Research has started to focus on women and heart disease, however, there is a paucity of work that identifies the unique needs of women over 65 years of age. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the experiences of recovery in women 65 years of age and older in the first two weeks following a myocardial infarction. The qualitative methods of Heideggerian phenomenology and feminist approaches were used to gain a better understanding of personal reflections of recovery. In depth, semi-structured, audio-taped interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 7 women. Data analysis revealed that recovery was highly contextual, multivariate and consisted of an active process resembling a mosaic, in which the women described how they "created a new picture for themselves". The data clustered into four substantive themes which included: Life is Scattered; Trying to Make Sense of It; Learning to Live With It and Getting Settled. These themes were compared and contrasted with the broader literature to confirm findings and to highlight existing gaps in therapy and treatment. Specific interventions and strategies have been proposed to address the unique physical, emotional and learning needs of these older women.

La presente these examine l'impact de la stigmatisation sociate du lesbianisme sur les reseaux informels et formels au moment de la vieillesse. Pour ce faire, l'auteure analyse les entrevues dirigees menees avec 19 lesbiennes agees de 50 a 67 ans dans l'Outaouais quebecois et ontarien. Si les relations avec la famille immediate et les enfants sont en general cordiales, elles restent plutot distantes en raison notamment du rejet et de l'occultation de l'identite lesbienne. La crainte des sanctions mene aussi les lesbiennes interviewees a eviter de socialiser avec leurs collegues de travail. Leurs reseaux informels se composent donc surtout d'autres lesbiennes qu'elles frequentent generalement dans leurs foyers respectifs. Leurs contacts avec les reseaux formels, c'est-a-dire les groupes officiels et les diverses activites de la communaute lesbienne et gaie, sont episodiques. L'auteure conclut que l'absence des lesbiennes agees des elements qui composent la vie lesbienne publique et collective pourrait nuire a la realisation de leur projet d'une maison de retraite pour leur vieillesse.

The focus of this thesis was on aging women residing in a nursing home and their lived experiences in relation to falls. The study examined the issue of falling and its impact on the women's autonomy and quality of life. In addition, the issue of physical activity experienced in their younger years and currently, was explored in relation to falling and fear of falling. A qualitative methodology was used and individual interviews were conducted among 10 elderly women (79 to 95 years old) residing in a nursing home in the Ottawa region. Most of the women entered the nursing home for reasons of solitude, or not wanting to burden their children with their care, or because of injuries sustained from a fall. The results showed that the majority of the women were forced to change many of their previous life patterns as a result of a fall and its consequences. Their falls all resulted in injuries, often traumatic experiences, and left most of the women with feelings of helplessness, annoyance and frustration. Fear of falling again was a feeling shared by most of the women in this study and this fear made them careful with their movements in the nursing home. As a result, they relied quite heavily on the use of assistive devices for mobility within their environment. Most of the women did not pursue many physical activities for pleasure purposes when they were younger. Their activity came from working around the home and the farm as well as walking to destinations. Within the nursing home environment, the majority of the women did not participate in the physical activity programs offered and found it difficult to imagine what could draw them into physical activity, given their advanced age and fear of falling again.

This study is a two-part study of day-hospital patients and NPHS data. Objectives. To determine the prevalence of potentially inappropriate medication use among the elderly; to examine the relationships between selected variables and this outcome; to construct a model to identify higher risk individuals. Predetermined criteria were used to identify potentially inappropriate medication use. 11.1% ($\pm$10.3) of male and 23.1% ($\pm$10.2) of female day-hospital patients were classified with this outcome. Univariate LR identified five variables; multivariate LR identified five variables. 7.3% ($\pm$1.6) of Canadian elderly men and 7.1% ($\pm$1.3) of Canadian elderly women, taking at least one medication, were classified with this outcome. Univariate LR identified 14 variables; multiple LR identified five variables. Reducing the occurrence of potentially inappropriate medication use will lead to reduced drug-related morbidity, lower health care costs, and increased quality-of-life.