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Disability and Age Studies
Published in Joel Michael Reynolds, Christine Wieseler, The Disability Bioethics Reader, 2022
Age studies is an interdisciplinary field similar to disability studies in that they both “explore the meanings and consequences of embodied differences—of age and/or disability—within society, with the goal of understanding the mechanisms of and reducing experiences of ageism and/or ableism” (Lamb and Garden 2019, 148). Similar to the social model of disability, age studies considers how the challenges experienced by old people are not simply rooted in inevitable bodily decline (a medical model of aging) but are significantly influenced by social, cultural, political, historical, and economic factors. Thus, age studies tends to position itself as distinct from, and sometimes critical of, the fields that explore the biological mechanisms of aging, seek policy solutions for a growing aged population, and treat age-related medical concerns—namely, gerontology and geriatrics. This relationship may be akin to the way disability studies has at times been critical of rehabilitation medicine as a field looking to ameliorate disability (understood on a medical model of disability) instead of focusing on improving the environment in which disabled people live.
Age and aging
Published in Laeth Sari Nasir, Arwa K Abdul-Haq, Caring for Arab Patients, 2018
There is substantial overlap between “geriatrics” and “gerontology”, but these terms are not synonymous. Geriatrics refers to the clinical practice by physicians and other healthcare professionals involved in treating elderly patients. On the other hand, gerontology is the inter-disciplinary study of older persons, including fields such as economics, psychology, sociology, political science and many other academic and applied areas. It is critical that healthcare providers, both professionals and para-professionals, understand both geriatric care and gerontology. That is, in addition to knowing about the diseases and conditions being treated, they also need to know about older individuals, both as people and as patients. They need to know how to effectively communicate with older persons, how to be supportive and to appropriately respond to their complex array of concerns and problems.
Selected Functional Foods That Combat Inflammation
Published in Robert Fried, Lynn Nezin, Evidence-Based Proactive Nutrition to Slow Cellular Aging, 2017
Glucose control and insulin sensitivity play a significant role in metabolic syndrome, a source of chronic systemic inflammation. In fact, low-grade inflammation is characteristic of metabolic syndrome (Devaraj et al. 2009). That point is driven home by the title of a study, “Low-grade systemic inflammation connects aging, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease,” appearing in the journal Interdisciplinary Topics in Gerontology, in 2015.
Reduction of multiple-caregiver assistance through the long-term use of a transfer support robot in a nursing facility
Published in Assistive Technology, 2023
Kenji Kato, Tatsuya Yoshimi, Keita Aimoto, Kenji Sato, Naoki Itoh, Izumi Kondo
A total of 17 full-time caregivers (male, 6; female, 11; age, 46 ± 14 years; work experience, 9.6 ± 6.8 years) who were involved in the use of Resyone participated in this study. The caregivers consisted of 16 certified care workers with a national qualification in the area of nursing care and one care helper. Of the 16 certified care workers, four were also licensed care helpers and one was a licensed practical nurse. The duties of care workers and care helpers are similar, but certified care workers are in charge of a unit and provide care instructions to the other caregivers. The average height and weight of the caregivers in the unit in each phase were calculated for each sex (Table 1). The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethics and Conflicts of Interest Committee of the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology (acceptance no. 1275) and all participants provided written informed consent.
Enhancing Behavioral Health Assessment of Older Adults
Published in Clinical Gerontologist, 2022
A final set of papers considers assessment tools and science related to concepts of burden and function. An important paper by another new and emerging professional in gerontology describes the development of Geriatric Feelings of Burdensomeness Scale to assess when older adults perceive themselves to be a “burden” related to functional challenges (Lutz, Katz, Gallegos, Spalding, & Edelstein, 2020). Two subsequent papers address relationships between depression and financial capacity. In the first, higher depressive symptom scores are associated with reduced financial capacity initially and at one year later in adults with mild cognitive impairment (Giannouli, Stamovlasis, & Tsolaki, 2022). In the second, depressive and anxiety symptoms scores are found to be associated with financial exploitation (Weissberger, 2022). Both these papers highlight the complexity of financial capacity and exploitation, and the importance of considering multiple risk factors for functional changes. Other papers in this issue find that the relationship between cognitive performance and function is moderated by cognitive reserve (Robinson, Gogniat, Jean, & Miller, 2020), and that cognitive function is associated with the frequency and perceived enjoyment of activities (Gardner, Strong, & Mast, 2020). We thank the authors of these papers for all their hard work to develop, validate, and/or culturally adapt assessment approaches relevant to high quality care and investigation focusing on older adults.
Perceptions of older adults? Measuring positive, negative, and physical descriptors using the stereotype content and strength survey
Published in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2022
Kristy J. Carlson, David R. Black, Daniel C. Coster
This survey was developed by examining data for 117 descriptive terms identified in the research literature regarding older adults (Almerico & Fillmer, 1988; Boduroglu et al., 2006; Polizzi & Steitz, 1998; Robinson & Anderson, 2006; Rosencranz & McNevin, 1969; Schmidt & Boland, 1986). Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in introductory and advanced-level Gerontology courses at two state colleges in Nebraska were eligible to participate in the study. Students were directed to “think about their perceptions of older adults” and indicate how many from this group they believed could be described using the terms listed on a 5-point Likert-type scale (None/Few/Some/Most/All).” Approximate time to complete the survey was 20 minutes. This study was approved by the University of Nebraska Medical Center Institutional Review Board (#602-14-EP).