This study assessed falls efficacy and confidence-related changes among participants attending the a Matters of Balance/Volunteer Lay Leader (AMOB/VLL) falls prevention program for older adults, based on their residential location. Data were examined from 431 older Texans enrolled in AMOB/VLL during a two-year period, and assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Results indicate that participants significantly increased falls efficacy, reduced activity interference due to their health, and decreased the number of days limited from usual activity. Regression models show that participants, despite entering the program with lower reported health status, reported greater rates of positive change for falls efficacy and health interference compared with their baseline pre-intervention counterparts. Overall program attendance and attendance at major sessions showed the greatest influence. Findings contribute to the understanding of cognitive restructuring and strengthening variations with falls prevention program outcomes.

The purpose of this study is two-fold: (1) to examine the correlation between frequency of sexual activity and general happiness among older Americans and (2) to examine the correlation between frequency of sexual activity and marital happiness among older married Americans. This study employed quantitative data drawn from the 2004-2008 General Social Surveys. Two samples were used. The first sample included all respondents 65 years of age and older with valid responses for the dependent, independent, and control variables. The second sample was a subset of the first and included only the married respondents. Both bivariate cross-tabulations and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. As expected, the data support a positive association between sexual activity and general happiness in both the total elder sample and the married elder sample (p < 0.05). Also, as expected, the data support a positive association between frequency of sexual activity and marital happiness in the married elder sample (p < 0.05). Even with the introduction of control variables, frequency of sexual activity was found to be a significant predictor of both general and marital happiness (p < 0.05). This study suggests that sexual activity does indeed contribute the happiness and well-being of older Americans.

No description available.

The purpose of this capstone project was to develop the content for an online training module entitled Promoting Older Adults’ Health through Policy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Aging and Health Work Group was interested in complementing their workshop, Promoting Older Adults’ Health: Opportunities and Resources for CDC Professionals with an online training module on aging and policy. This project highlights significant pieces of U.S. legislation that promotes older adults’ health and draws attention to emerging policy, systems, and environmental changes on the horizon. An anticipated short-term outcome is a demonstrated sensitivity to population aging in all CDC centers, divisions, programs, and initiatives. Similarly, an anticipated long-term outcome is growth in the number, quality, and scope of collaborative efforts across CDC centers, divisions, programs, and initiatives that focus on older adults’ health. Two perspectives, “Healthy Aging” and “Successful Aging,” provide the foundation for a discussion of legislation and policies oriented towards older adults’ health. Various policy frameworks, i.e., cost-benefit, problem, political, vision, and a futures policy approach frame the discussion of policy development. Significant legislation that promotes older adults’ health, i.e., Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Older Americans Act of 1965 provide a historical context for a discussion of emerging policy, systems, and environmental changes that promise even greater advances. The mobility challenge for older adults as a population group in the U.S. provides the thematic thrust of this section of the module. Examples of CDC’s work exploring the link between older adults’ health and mobility, the built environment, and emergency preparedness are highlighted based on several criteria: burden of the problem, preventability, relationship to other CDC initiatives, and usefulness to practitioners are critical considerations. The module also discusses how legislation and policies designed to promote health aging also improve the quality of life for all population groups. Policies focused on healthy aging lay the groundwork for an integration of a “health in all policies” approach (World Health Organization/ WHO, 2006), working in tandem with the “health for all” framework (WHO, 1998) and the “society for all ages” construct (United Nations, 1999).

This research sought to determine the impact of the Older Americans Act of 1965 and its subsequent amendments on the ages population in Portland-Multnomah County from 1965 to 1977. After a comparative analysis of ages services prior to the Act of 1965, and the elderly services subsequent to the Act, the conclusions revealed that there was a significant impact made upon the lives of seniors in Portland-Multnomah County area.