Matching Items (21)
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Description
This research examined successful aging in a convenience sample of 14 women in Phoenix, Arizona. The study used a mixed methods approach involving individual interviews and administration of a standardized instrument designed to measure success using an alternative construct, gerotranscendence. Explorative questions were designed to gather data regarding diverse women's

This research examined successful aging in a convenience sample of 14 women in Phoenix, Arizona. The study used a mixed methods approach involving individual interviews and administration of a standardized instrument designed to measure success using an alternative construct, gerotranscendence. Explorative questions were designed to gather data regarding diverse women's lived experiences. In order to examine the impact of lived experiences on successful aging, demographics were collected and participants were administered the gerotranscendence scale further revised. Findings reveal that when success is conceptualized using gerotranscendence theory, women of color may still appear less successful than their white counterparts. Narratives yielded rich data regarding the influence of factors such as care giving and violated expectations. This research helps to expand the knowledge base on factors that impact successful aging of diverse women. This research contributes to the field of social work by providing insight into the complex factors that impact diverse woman, which may aid in the empowerment of social workers to advocate for more effective macro interventions for diverse older women.
ContributorsRansom, Nicole (Author) / Bonifas, Robin (Thesis advisor) / Anthony, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Gustavson, Kristen (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Description
Once perceived as an unimportant occurrence in living organisms, cell degeneration was reconfigured as an important biological phenomenon in development, aging, health, and diseases in the twentieth century. This dissertation tells a twentieth-century history of scientific investigations on cell degeneration, including cell death and aging. By describing four central developments

Once perceived as an unimportant occurrence in living organisms, cell degeneration was reconfigured as an important biological phenomenon in development, aging, health, and diseases in the twentieth century. This dissertation tells a twentieth-century history of scientific investigations on cell degeneration, including cell death and aging. By describing four central developments in cell degeneration research with the four major chapters, I trace the emergence of the degenerating cell as a scientific object, describe the generations of a variety of concepts, interpretations and usages associated with cell death and aging, and analyze the transforming influences of the rising cell degeneration research. Particularly, the four chapters show how the changing scientific practices about cellular life in embryology, cell culture, aging research, and molecular biology of Caenorhabditis elegans shaped the interpretations about cell degeneration in the twentieth-century as life-shaping, limit-setting, complex, yet regulated. These events created and consolidated important concepts in life sciences such as programmed cell death, the Hayflick limit, apoptosis, and death genes. These cases also transformed the material and epistemic practices about the end of cellular life subsequently and led to the formations of new research communities. The four cases together show the ways cell degeneration became a shared subject between molecular cell biology, developmental biology, gerontology, oncology, and pathology of degenerative diseases. These practices and perspectives created a special kind of interconnectivity between different fields and led to a level of interdisciplinarity within cell degeneration research by the early 1990s.
ContributorsJiang, Lijing (Author) / Maienschein, Jane (Thesis advisor) / Laubichler, Manfred (Thesis advisor) / Hurlbut, James (Committee member) / Creath, Richard (Committee member) / White, Michael (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
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Description
Family caregivers are a quickly growing population in American society and are potentially vulnerable to a number of risks to well-being. High stress and little support can combine to cause difficulties in personal and professional relationships, physical health, and emotional health. Siblings are, however, a possible source of protection for

Family caregivers are a quickly growing population in American society and are potentially vulnerable to a number of risks to well-being. High stress and little support can combine to cause difficulties in personal and professional relationships, physical health, and emotional health. Siblings are, however, a possible source of protection for the at-risk caregiver. This study examines the relational and health outcomes of gratitude exchange between caregivers and their siblings as they attend to the issue of caring for aging parents. Dyadic data was collected through an online survey and was analyzed using a series of Actor-Partner Interdependence Models. Intimacy and care conflict both closely relate to gratitude exchange, but the most significant variable influencing gratitude was role. Specifically, caregivers are neither experiencing nor expressing gratitude on the same level as their siblings. Expressed gratitude did not relate strongly or consistently to well-being variables, though it did relate to diminished negative affect. Implications for theory, the caregiver, the sibling, the elder, the practitioner, and the researcher are addressed in the discussion.
ContributorsAmaro, Lauren M (Author) / Miller, Katherine I. (Thesis advisor) / Alberts, Janet K. (Thesis advisor) / Updegraff, Kimberly (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Description
The effects of aging on muscular efficiency are controversial. Proponents for increased efficiency suggest that age-related changes in muscle enhance efficiency in senescence. Exercise study results are mixed due to varying modalities, ages, and efficiency calculations. The present study attempted to address oxygen uptake, caloric expenditure, walking economy, and gross
et

The effects of aging on muscular efficiency are controversial. Proponents for increased efficiency suggest that age-related changes in muscle enhance efficiency in senescence. Exercise study results are mixed due to varying modalities, ages, and efficiency calculations. The present study attempted to address oxygen uptake, caloric expenditure, walking economy, and gross
et cycling efficiency in young (18-59 years old) and older (60-81 years old) adults (N=444). Walking was performed at three miles per hour by 86 young (mean = 29.60, standard deviation (SD) = 10.50 years old) and 121 older adults (mean = 66.80, SD = 4.50 years old). Cycling at 50 watts (60-70 revolutions per minute) was performed by 116 young (mean= 29.00, SD= 10.00 years old) and 121 older adults (m = 67.10 SD = 4.50 years old). Steady-state sub-maximal gross
et oxygen uptake and caloric expenditures from each activity and rest were analyzed. Net walking economy was represented by net caloric expenditure (kilocalories/kilogram/min). Cycling measures included percent gross
et cycling efficiency (kilo-calorie derived). Linear regressions were used to assess each measure as a function of age. Differences in age group means were assessed using independent t-tests for each modality (alpha = 0.05). No significant differences in mean oxygen uptake nor walking economy were found between young and older walkers (p>0.05). Older adults performing cycle ergometry demonstrated lower gross
et oxygen uptakes and lower gross caloric expenditures (p< 0.05).
ContributorsFlores, Michelle (Author) / Gaesser, Glenn A (Committee member) / Campbell, Kathryn D (Committee member) / Angadi, Siddhartha S (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Description
The United States elderly population is becoming increasingly larger, there is a need for a more adequate housing type to accommodate this population. It is estimated that by 2020, there will be a need for approximately 1.6 to 2.9 million units of affordable Assisted Living (Blake, 2005). With limited income

The United States elderly population is becoming increasingly larger, there is a need for a more adequate housing type to accommodate this population. It is estimated that by 2020, there will be a need for approximately 1.6 to 2.9 million units of affordable Assisted Living (Blake, 2005). With limited income and higher health bills, adequate housing becomes a low priority. It is estimated that 7.1 million elderly households have serious housing problems. (Blake, 2005) The scope of this research will look at literature, case studies, and interviews to begin to create and understand the necessary design aspects of Assisted Living and Affordable Housing to better create a housing typology that includes both low income residents and Assisted Living needs. This research hopes to have an outcome of Design Recommendations that can be utilized by designers when designing for an Affordable Assisted Living typology.
ContributorsRothner, Colleen (Author) / Bender, Diane (Thesis advisor) / Shraiky, James (Committee member) / Stapp, Mark (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Description
The purpose of this study is to identify the needs of older adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) admitted to a rehabilitation setting where they are expected to physically and mentally function to their optimal level of health. To date, no studies have identified the needs and

The purpose of this study is to identify the needs of older adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD) admitted to a rehabilitation setting where they are expected to physically and mentally function to their optimal level of health. To date, no studies have identified the needs and concerns of ADRD patients in rehabilitation settings. The Needs-Driven Dementia-Compromised Behavior (NDB) Model, the researcher's clinical experience, and the state of the current scientific literature will help guide the study. An exploratory qualitative research approach was employed to gather data and discover new information about the ADRD patient's needs and related behavioral outcomes. The qualitative findings on the discrepancies and similarities in perceptions of ADRD patient needs were obtained by examining formal and informal caregivers' perceptions. The researcher recruited registered nurses and certified nurse assistants (RNs and CNAs, formal) and family/friends (informal) who have provided care to patients in inpatient rehabilitation facilities to participate in focus groups and individualized focused interviews. The data were collated and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. The overarching theme that developed as a result of this approach revealed discordant perceptions and expectations of ADRD patients' needs between the formal and informal caregivers with six subthemes: communication and information, family involvement, rehabilitation nurse philosophy, nursing care, belonging, and patient outcomes. The researcher provided recommendations to help support these needs. These findings will help guide the development of nurse-lead interventions for ADRD patients in a rehabilitation setting.
ContributorsAllen, Angela Marie (Author) / Coon, David W. (Thesis advisor) / McCarthy, Marianne (Committee member) / Uriri-Glover, Johannah (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Description
This study examines long-distance relationships between grandparents and their adolescent grandchild through the qualitative identification and analysis of relational turning points and trajectories. A sample of 30 grandparents yielding 99 individual turning points allowed for an in-depth understanding of these relational constructs that previous research neglects to explore from the

This study examines long-distance relationships between grandparents and their adolescent grandchild through the qualitative identification and analysis of relational turning points and trajectories. A sample of 30 grandparents yielding 99 individual turning points allowed for an in-depth understanding of these relational constructs that previous research neglects to explore from the perspective of a grandparent. A constant comparative analysis of these turning points reveals 8 distinct categories of relational turning points including Spending Time Together, Family Relational Dynamics, Geographic Distance, Lack of Relational Investment, Use of Technology, Relational Investment, Lack of Free Time, and Grandchild Gaining Independence. These turning points vary in how they positively or negatively impact relational closeness between participants and their grandchildren. The use of Retrospective Interview Technique (RIT) yields 30 individual relational trajectory graphs categorized into five trajectories including Decrease in Closeness, Increase in Closeness, Multidimensional Changes in Closeness, Minimal Changes in Closeness, and Consistent Relational Closeness. Results provide theoretical contributions to aging and family literature as well as practical findings pertaining to current and future grandparents. These implications as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.
ContributorsBangerter, Lauren Reed (Author) / Waldron, Vincent (Thesis advisor) / Kassing, Jeffrey (Committee member) / Kelley, Douglas (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
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Description
Identifying modifiable causes of chronic disease is essential to prepare for the needs of an aging population. Cognitive decline is a precursor to the development of Alzheimer's and other dementing diseases, representing some of the most prevalent and least understood sources of morbidity and mortality associated with aging. To contribute

Identifying modifiable causes of chronic disease is essential to prepare for the needs of an aging population. Cognitive decline is a precursor to the development of Alzheimer's and other dementing diseases, representing some of the most prevalent and least understood sources of morbidity and mortality associated with aging. To contribute to the literature on cognitive aging, this work focuses on the role of vascular and physical health in the development of cognitive trajectories while accounting for the socioeconomic context where health disparities are developed. The Assets and Health Dynamics among the Oldest-Old study provided a nationally-representative sample of non-institutionalized adults age 65 and over in 1998, with biennial follow-up continuing until 2008. Latent growth models with adjustment for non-random missing data were used to assess vascular, physical, and social predictors of cognitive change. A core aim of this project was examining socioeconomic and racial/ethnic variation in vascular predictors of cognitive trajectories. Results indicated that diabetes and heart problems were directly related to an increased rate of memory decline in whites, where these risk factors were only associated with baseline word-recall for blacks when conditioned on gender and household assets. These results support the vascular hypotheses of cognitive aging and attest to the significance of socioeconomic and racial/ethnic variation in vascular influences on cognitive health. The second substantive portion of this dissertation used parallel process latent growth models to examine the co-development of cognitive and functional health. Initial word-recall scores were consistently associated with later functional limitations, but baseline functional limitations were not consistently associated with later word-recall scores. Gender and household income moderated this relationship, and indicators of lifecourse SES were better equipped to explain variation in initial cognitive and functional status than change in these measures over time. Overall, this work suggests that research examining associations between cognitive decline, chronic disease, and disability must account for the social context where individuals and their health develop. Also, these findings advocate that reducing socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in cognitive health among the aging requires interventions early in the lifecourse, as disparities in cognitive trajectories were solidified prior to late old age.
ContributorsBishop, Nicholas Joseph (Author) / Kronenfeld, Jennie J. (Thesis advisor) / Haas, Steven A. (Committee member) / Eggum, Natalie D. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
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Greater than half of older adults who are admitted to an acute care setting experience delirium with an estimated cost between four to twenty billion dollars annually in the United States. As a strategy to address the gap between research and practice, this feasibility study used the Roy Adaptation

Greater than half of older adults who are admitted to an acute care setting experience delirium with an estimated cost between four to twenty billion dollars annually in the United States. As a strategy to address the gap between research and practice, this feasibility study used the Roy Adaptation Model to provide a theoretical perspective for intervention design and evaluation, with a focus on modifying contextual stimuli in a Trauma Intensive Care and a Trauma Orthopedic Unit setting. The study sample included older hospitalized patients in a Trauma Intensive Care and a Trauma Orthopedic setting where there is a greater incidence for delirium. Study participants included two groups, with one group assigned to receive either a music intervention or usual care. The music intervention included pre-recorded music, delivered using an iPod player with soft headsets, with music self-selected from a collection of music compositions with musical elements of slow tempo and simple repetitive rhythm that influence delirium prevention. For the proposed study a music intervention dose included intervention delivery for 60 minutes, twice a day, over a three day period following admission. Physiologic variables measured included systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate, which were electronically monitored every four hours for the study. The Confusion Assessment Method was used as a screening tool to identify delirium in the admitted patients. Specific aims of this feasibility study were to (a) examine the feasibility of a music intervention designed to prevent delirium among older adults, and (b) evaluate the effects of a music intervention designed to prevent delirium among older adults. Findings indicate there was a significant music group by time interaction effect which suggests that change over time was different for the music and usual care group.
ContributorsJohnson, Kari Elizabeth (Author) / Fleury, Julie (Thesis advisor) / Shearer, Nelma (Committee member) / McClain, Darya (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
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Description
Older adults diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI) often face a lifetime of psychiatric institutionalization, making them a very vulnerable population. However, music therapy research has not been conducted with this specific population. The purpose of this thesis was to develop an evidence-based proposed music therapy program for geriatric

Older adults diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI) often face a lifetime of psychiatric institutionalization, making them a very vulnerable population. However, music therapy research has not been conducted with this specific population. The purpose of this thesis was to develop an evidence-based proposed music therapy program for geriatric patients diagnosed with SMI utilizing both music-based and non-music based theoretical frameworks. The music-based approach used for the program is Dalcroze and the non-music based approach is Wellness with a focus on quality of life. The population diagnosed with SMI and the complications of aging for this population are discussed as well as the results of previous music therapy studies conducted with adults diagnosed with SMI. The components of the Dalcroze and Wellness approaches are described and the elements that are incorporated into the program include improvisation and eurhythmics and client strengths and the physical domain (movement). The proposed music therapy program will have the therapeutic goals of increased social interaction, increased self-esteem, and increased quality of life. The data collection tools are mentioned and how to measure results. The program is described in detail with session plans consisting of warm-up, improvisation, movement, and closing interventions. The recommendations for clinical evidence-based practice are discussed.
ContributorsPark, Hayley Susanne (Author) / Belgrave, Melita (Thesis advisor) / Elliott, Melissa (Committee member) / Sullivan, Jill (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019