scholarly journals “Not as Bad as I Thought”: Undergraduate Students’ Perspectives on Aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 5-5
Author(s):  
Nasreen Sadeq
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Course Completion ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Positive Aging ◽  
The Social ◽  
Upper Level

Abstract Ageism remains prevalent in our society and negatively affects older adults. Undergraduate education could be a potential avenue for combating ageism among individuals moving into the workforce. The current investigation is a pilot study in which students enrolled in an upper-level undergraduate course were asked to reflect on how their perspectives on aging had changed following the completion of the course. The course, Psychology of Aging, provides students with an overview of the psychological aspects of aging, including cognitive, physical, and social changes. Consensual qualitative methods were used to explore student responses (N=150) and analyzed using Atlas.ti 7. The results indicated that majority of students had a more positive view of aging following course completion. The three most common themes that emerged were 1) positive aging, 2) living arrangements, and 3) social relationships. For the positive aging theme, students recognized the positive aspects of aging, with many commenting that aging was not as bad as they originally thought. Nearly all the responses in the living arrangements theme reflected students’ previous assumptions that most older adults live in nursing homes. In the social relationships theme, students realized that aging does not make people value social connection any less. The findings suggest that providing students with accurate information about aging has the potential to correct their negative views of aging, and highlight the importance of gerontology coursework in higher education, particularly for those pursuing careers in which they will regularly interact with older adults.

scholarly journals Complexities of elder livelihoods: Changing age-inscriptions and stable norms in three villages in rural West Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tabea Häberlein
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Social Norm ◽  
Nuclear Family ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Creative Solutions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Biological Children ◽  
Intergenerational Contract

The intergenerational contract seems to be a dominant social norm of senior care all over the world, in which  older adults are cared for reciprocally by those for whom they have cared. Yet in three villages in northern  Benin and northern Togo, this intergenerational norm seems to be breached, with older adults living alone  and in poverty. However, standardized surveys from a comparative research project established that kin  groups do not abandon their older adults, if one considers the kin group to be containing classificatory  children instead of the nuclear family with biological children and remittances to substitute for daily care.  This article argues that the apparent contradictions between the intergenerational contract and the actual  practices of providing care in old age are not so stark. The creative living arrangements of older adults in  response to social changes of migration do not challenge the intergenerational contract, but instead are the  ways of fulfilling it. The analytical concept of age-inscription (see Alber & Coe in this issue) helps to explain  the gap between discursive norms and individual creative solutions of senior care. The social norm of the  intergenerational contract persists through new age-inscriptions.

Can Undergraduate Students Help Change Older Adults’ Confidence for Making Nutrition-Related Decisions in a 45-Minute Nutrition Workshop?

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Rakhshan Kamran ◽  
Giulia Coletta ◽  
Janet M. Pritchard
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
Outcome Expectations ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Dietary Choices ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: The Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) suggests health behaviour can be modified by enhancing knowledge of health benefits and outcome expectations of changing behaviour, improving self-efficacy (confidence), and developing goals to overcome barriers to behaviour change. This study aimed to determine the impact of student-led nutrition workshops on participants’ confidence related to SCT constructs for making dietary choices that align with evidence-based nutrition recommendations. Methods: Level-4 Science students developed and delivered 9 workshops on nutrition recommendations for the prevention and management of age-related diseases. Participants attending the workshops completed pre- and post-surveys to assess SCT constructs. For each SCT construct, participants rated their confidence on a 10-point Likert scale. The number (%) of participants who rated their confidence as ≥8/10 on the pre- and post-surveys were compared using the χ2 test. Results: Sixty-three community members (60% female, mean ± SD age 71 ± 7 years) attended the workshops. The number of participants rating confidence as ≥8/10 for each SCT construct increased after the workshops (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Undergraduate students can positively influence community members’ confidence for making nutrition-related decisions. Involving students in interventions where SCT-structured workshops are used may help conserve health care resources and reach older adults who may not have access to dietitian services.

Socioeconomic resources and living arrangements of older adults in Lebanon: who chooses to live alone?

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
RANIA A. TOHME ◽  
KATHRYN M. YOUNT ◽  
SARA YASSINE ◽  
OLLA SHIDEED ◽  
ABLA MEHIO SIBAI
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Family Health ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Economic Resources ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Socioeconomic Resources ◽  
Western Model

ABSTRACTDuring recent decades, Lebanon has experienced demographic and social changes which, coupled with political instability, have led to waves of youth migration and a higher proportion of older adults living alone. This paper uses the 2004 data of the ‘Pan Arab Project for Family Health’ to assess the levels of various living arrangements and to examine the correlates of living alone, with a focus on economic resources. The findings reveal that 12 per cent of older adults in Lebanon lived alone (17.3 per cent of women and 6.2 per cent of men). Financially better-off older adults and those who reported being satisfied with their income were, respectively, 4.4 and 1.7 times significantly more likely to live alone than their counterparts. The incomes of Lebanese older adults were mainly provided by their children (74.8%) and a relatively small share derived from pension schemes. Contrary to findings from other Arab countries, variations in living arrangements among Lebanese older adults seem to follow the western model whereby wealthier older individuals are more likely to live alone and to be residentially independent. Further studies are warranted to examine to what extent this trend is the result of past migration of adult children who are now established elsewhere and sending remittances home.

scholarly journals Quality of life among older adults resident in long-stay care facilities

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1186-1195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciano Magalhães Vitorino ◽  
Lisiane Manganelli Girardi Paskulin ◽  
Lucila Amaral Carneiro Vianna
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Epidemiological Study ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Leisure Activity ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The Social ◽  
Care Facilities

OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the older adults' perceptions of their quality of life (QoL) in two long-stay care facilities in Pouso Alegre and Santa Rita in Sapucaí, in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil , and to identify the sociodemographic and health variables which interfere in this perception. METHOD: a cross-sectional epidemiological study of 77 older adults resident in institutions. The instruments used were: personal characterization; WHOQOL-bref and WHOQOL OLD. RESULT: the highest average obtained in the instruments was: the "Social Relationships" domain in the WHOQOL-bref (68%) and the "Sensory abilities" aspect in the WHOQOL-OLD (73.7%). The variables age, sex, physical activity and level of schooling have a significant correlation with the WHOQOL-bref and the variables sex and leisure have the same with the WHOQOL OLD. CONCLUSION: older adults who are younger, with higher levels of schooling and who undertake physical and leisure activity have, on average, better perceptions of their QoL. The older adults' QoL in this study had higher rates than that reported in the literature and was similar to that in the community. The results suggest the need to train those involved with older adults in institutions so that they may develop strategies which promote the adaptation, adjustment and maintenance of QoL.

Correlates of Life Satisfaction for Old Libyans Compared with the Judgments of Libyan Youth

1987 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bashir L. Shebani ◽  
Hannelore Wass ◽  
Wilson H. Guertin
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Young Male ◽  
Social Changes ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Social Prestige ◽  
The Family ◽  
Old Men

Two hundred fifteen Libyans—106 young male and female undergraduate students and 109 aged male and female relatives—responded to a questionnaire designed to measure correlates of life satisfaction in old age. It was predicted that current cultural and social changes associated with the industrialization of Libya would result in significant differences in responses between young and old men and women. The young Libyan men rated close ties with their children, social relationships with individuals outside the family, and having basic physical needs met as more important than did the old Libyan men who considered social prestige, living with their spouse, and independence as more important for satisfaction in old age. The young Libyan women also considered social relationships outside the family and having basic physical needs met in old age as more important than did their older counterparts. Health and adequate living conditions were rated more highly by the young Libyan women than by the old. All participants rated social prestige equally high, but old women rated it higher than any other aspect except belief in God and self-understanding. Findings and implications for services to Libya's elderly are discussed.

scholarly journals Friendships Forged in Fitness: An Ethnographic Exploration of Older Women’s Social Experiences in Water Aerobics

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 470-470
Author(s):  
Britteny Howell ◽  
Samantha Wanner
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Social Supports ◽  
Thick Description ◽  
Fitness Centers ◽  
The Social ◽  
Water Based

Abstract Research shows that participants, especially older women, are more likely to adhere to a fitness program when they have social supports. Gerontology research also demonstrates that the social relationships forged by older women at community and fitness centers can be long-lasting and provide a variety of supportive functions. Older adults respond well to pool- or water-based aerobic exercises that are safe on the joints and provide a comfortable environment away from the intimidating nature of the gym. Therefore, water-based classes provided at community fitness centers are well positioned to provide ample social opportunities to further reinforce continued physical activity for older women, resulting in health and quality-of-life improvements. This project is a 5-month ethnographic exploration of the social relationships created and maintained in the context of water-based fitness classes (water aerobics) at a local community center (YMCA) that is attended by a culturally diverse group of older adults. The friendships forged by women in the pool at the YMCA provide a variety of social supports that help to maintain healthy aging outcomes among participants. Drawing on components of Activity Theory and Social Support Theory, this presentation utilizes participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires (N=35) to provide an anthropological “thick description” of the important role that fitness center friendships can form in the social lives of older women in the U.S.

scholarly journals The Impact of Social Environment on the Sexual Self-Regulation of University Students in Uganda

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-88
Author(s):  
Musa Muwaga ◽  
Fuad Nashori ◽  
Achmad Sholeh
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Factor Loading ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

Most societies consider sexual self-regulation to represent a general temptation control mechanism, postponing gratification. This study aims to determine the social environment's impact on university students' sexual self-regulation in Uganda. The data were obtained using convenience technique sampling of undergraduate students at university "X" in Uganda. Students voluntarily completed the questionnaire in a regular classroom setting. The questionnaire elicited information regarding sexual regulative capacities like seeking accurate information from social environments like family, peer, and university environments. The data were analyzed using both univariate analyses (chi-square and analysis of variance and logistic regression. The results indicated that the social environment had a positive and significant relationship with sexual self-regulation and university students with a value of 1t1 ≥1.96, and factor loading≥0.50 was significant. These results should be considered by those working with university students in human sexuality and human development

scholarly journals The Study of Peace Awareness among Undergraduate Students

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Anjum Ahmed ◽  
Siam Iftekhar
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Peace Education ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Natural Phenomena ◽  
Basic Point ◽  
Economic Exploitation ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
The Individual

The word peace can be defined well through three basic point <strong>inner peace</strong> (peace with self), <strong>social peace</strong> (means the social understanding, social adjustments and social relationships between the individuals who live in the society) and <strong>peace with nature</strong> (means to stay in harmony with nature, to obey the natural phenomena and not to disturb the natural dignity through environment and economic exploitation and stratification). Peace education is an umbrella term and can be difficult to define. In a very simple word, peace education give the learners the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values which are necessary to end violence and injustice in the society and promote a culture, inner, social peace within the individual. Peace education is an essential component of quality basic education. It is concerned with helping learners to develop an awareness of the process and skills that are necessary for achieving understanding, tolerance and goodwill in the world today. The present study aims to find out the awareness of peace education among the undergraduate students of the AMU, Aligarh. A sample of 300 undergraduate students was selected by using stratified random sampling. The results and implications of the findings are discussed in the paper.

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