Gerontologist

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to adapt and validate the Ambivalent Ageism Scale among paramedical students for use in the health care sector. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the following paramedical students: physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and nursing students. Six items were added based on the literature and the scale was evaluated by students and professors with experience working with older adults...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The world's population is aging while the Earth's climate is warming. The climate change crisis poses threats to our aging population and requires concerted action. Steps to address these threats present opportunities for improving livability for people of all ages while addressing the underlying drivers of climate change. Yet prominent action frameworks such as the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities do not explicitly include climate resilience and sustainability as essential elements of age-friendly communities...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The poor mental health of adults living in aged care needs addressing. Improvements to nutrition and exercise are important, but mental health requires a psychological approach. Self-determination theory finds that autonomy is essential to wellbeing while experiences of being controlled undermine it. A review of existing quantitative data could underscore the importance of autonomy in aged care, and a review of the qualitative literature could inform ways to promote autonomy and avoid control...

The visual is an underutilised modality through which to investigate experiences of memory loss in older people. We describe a visual ethnography with older adults experiencing subjective or objective memory loss, receiving a cognitive wellbeing group intervention designed to prevent cognitive decline and dementia (APPLE-Tree programme). We aimed to explore lived experiences of people with memory concerns, how participants engaged with this photography and co-design project, and how collaboration with an artist/photographer enhanced this process...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Meaningful engagement is essential for aged care residents living with dementia . Our knowledge pertaining to caring presence for residents living with dementia is limited. This study aims to understand care workers' experiences of providing care to residents , the challenges they face in being present with residents and support that enable them to be more present and provide person-centred care. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A mixed-methods approach using surveys and semi-structured interviews with care workers from three Australian residential aged care homes (RACHs) was adopted...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Social media has made online care facility reviews popular. By analyzing online reviews of nursing homes (NHs), managers and designers can acquire insight into the perceptions of the older adults and their families. This study aims to help improve the care and environment of NHs. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This study employed a mixed-methods approach to analyze online NHs reviews. An inductive thematic analysis was utilized to identify and develop themes, followed by a detailed content analysis using Jieba, a Python-based program...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Perceived control is an important psychological resource for middle-aged and older adults. Aging in place may help foster feelings of control, yet many community-dwelling older adults must rely on others-whether family, friends, or professionals-for physical assistance. This study investigated how receiving home care from different sources was associated with two facets of perceived control (mastery and perceived constraints) among adults with varying levels of physical disability...

Recent decades have seen exponential growth in research on modifiable risk factors for dementia across the lifespan which has considerably advanced our understanding of brain health. Not all modifiable risk factors are equal, however, in the ease with which they can be addressed. Some individuals and populations face significant barriers to engaging in dementia risk-reduction behaviors. With the evolution of the dementia prevention field, there is a need to broaden our approach from identifying individual risk-factors towards addressing inclusive and globally effective intervention strategies...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We systematically analyzed research on the culture change movement, in the context of global efforts to transform the provision of older adult care in institutional settings. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Using Web of Science and Scopus publications relevant to person-centered care, culture change, or older adult care settings, we built bibliometric networks for keywords and terms extracted from titles and abstracts. Overlays depicted corresponding authors' countries, publication recency, funding, scientific impact, and concept use...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Ageism is oftentimes sugarcoated within humor. Paper birthday cards are one delivery approach in which ageist messages are perpetuated and reinforced through humor. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A convenience sample of birthday cards (k = 227), all indicating a decade of age, were acquired from seven national retail stores in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The decades sampled ranged from 21 to 100. With a pre-developed codebook, three raters coded the decade birthday cards on various variables, including age group, ageist tone, and humor...

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: As part of the WHO Rehabilitation 2030 call for action, the WHO Rehabilitation Programme is developing its Package of Interventions for Rehabilitation (PIR) to support ministries of health around the globe in integrating rehabilitation services into health systems. As a vital step for this PIR development, we conducted a systematic review of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for dementia to identify interventions for rehabilitation and related evidence. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Following WHO Rehabilitation Programme and Cochrane Rehabilitation's methodology, quality CPGs published in English between January 2010 and March 2020 were identified using PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PEDro, Google Scholar, guideline databases, and professional society websites...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Around eight million older adults have internally migrated to take care of grandchildren in China. This study aimed to explore how Chinese migrant and non-migrant grandparents perceived successful aging and how they coped with challenges to successful aging. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Based on ecological systems theory, semi-structured interviews were conducted among 21 grandparents (12 migrants, median age = 59 years old) from urban areas in China who provided noncustodial grandchild care...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to explore how older adults perceived meaning and purpose in their lives. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants (N = 15) ranged in age from 66 to 89 years, and were asked to document purpose and meaning in their lives for 15 consecutive days by using photovoice and narrative methodologies. Latent thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. RESULTS: Findings indicated 3 themes including: (1) mindful practices, (2) active participation in society with a subtheme on technology, and (3) goal-oriented mindset...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Dementia-friendly training should be incorporated in neighborhood stores for people living with dementia to maintain engagement in social activities. However, there is a lack of evidence of dementia-friendly training in these workplaces, and existing trainings have time constraints. We developed a mobile microlearning program based on stigma theory and the bystander intervention model. This study aimed to evaluate the microlearning program's effectiveness. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Convenience store workers in Tokyo were recruited for a randomized, waiting-list, and controlled trial...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To protect residents with dementia from harm, nursing homes (NHs) often have closed-door policies. However, current research suggests a positive influence of freedom of movement, that is, the right to (decide to) independently move from one place to another, on the health of NH residents with dementia. This systematic review aims to collate, summarize, and synthesize the scientific evidence published to date on the influence of freedom of movement on health among NH residents with dementia...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: System navigation programs are becoming more available to meet the needs of patients with complex care needs. The aim of this review was to systematically assess the outcomes of navigation programs for persons with dementia and their family caregivers. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A systematic review methodology was employed. Ten databases were searched for all relevant articles published until October 30, 2021. English-language full-text articles were included if they focused on implemented navigation program(s) that primarily supported persons with dementia who were aged 50 or older...