scholarly journals The Self as Subject and Object: Reflections on Being a Double Agent of Aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 671-671
Author(s):  
Phillip Clark
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Academic Life ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Double Agent ◽  
Research And Education

Abstract Being both a gerontologist and an older adult places one in a double narrative: one is the scientific story and academic life of research and education, the other is the personal experience of living through this phase of life. These two narratives become intertwined in a way that both enriches and poses challenges. This paper explores what being a “double agent of aging” means as an individual and a scholar, and offers some insights for the field of gerontology. These implications include: (1) the growing importance of values and life wisdom, (2) health behavior hypocrisy, and (3) the experience of ageing and marginalization. The implications for the field of gerontology include: (1) valuing the voices of older adults in our research and teaching, (2) being more active in confronting ageism in our own institutions, and (3) acknowledging the limitations of studying aging as a younger adult.

scholarly journals Development of a health behavior scale for older adults living alone receiving public assistance

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayano Isozaki ◽  
Etsuko Tadaka
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Behavior ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Public Assistance ◽  
The Self ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Personal Power ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Behavior Scale ◽  
Fit Index

Abstract Background To reduce health disparities, prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCD) by performing desirable health behavior in older adults living alone with low socioeconomic status is an essential strategy in public health. Self-perception of personal power and practical skills for daily health are key elements of desirable health behavior. However, methods for measuring these concepts have not been established. This study aimed to develop a health behavior scale for older adults living alone receiving public assistance (HBSO). Methods The self-administered mail survey covered 2818 older adults living alone receiving public assistance (OAP) randomly selected from the list of people receiving public assistance (Seikatsu-hogo in Japanese) at all 1250 local social welfare offices across Japan. Construct validity was confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha. The self-efficacy for health promotion scale and Health check-up status were administered to assess the criteria-related validity of the HBSO. Results In total, 1280 participants (response rate: 45.4%) responded, of which 1069 (37.9%) provided valid responses. Confirmatory factor analysis identified 10 items from two factors (self-perception of personal power and practical skills for daily health) with a goodness of fit index of 0.973, adjusted goodness of fit index of 0.953, comparative fit index of 0.954, and root mean square error of approximation of 0.049. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.75. The total HBSO score was significantly positively correlated with the self-efficacy for health promotion scale (r = 0.672, p < 0.001) and the group with health check-up had significantly higher HBSO scores than the group without it (p < 0.001). Conclusions The HBSO is an easy-to-self-administer instrument that is reliable and valid for OAP. The HBSO could facilitate appropriate assessment of OAP who need to improve their health behavior to prevent NCD, and could be used to determine effective support.

“Citizens Too”: Safety Setting Collaboration Among Older Adults with Memory Concerns

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Nora Mcdonald ◽  
Helena M. Mentis
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Service Provider ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Diary Study ◽  
Close Collaboration ◽  
Memory Concerns ◽  
With Memory

Designing technologies that support the cybersecurity of older adults with memory concerns involves wrestling with an uncomfortable paradox between surveillance and independence and the close collaboration of couples. This research captures the interactions between older adult couples where one or both have memory concerns—a primary feature of cognitive decline—as they make decisions on how to safeguard their online activities using a Safety Setting probe we designed, and over the course of several informal interviews and a diary study. Throughout, couples demonstrated a collaborative mentality to which we apply a frame of citizenship in opensource collaboration, specifically (a) histories of participation , (b) lower barriers to participation, and (c) maintaining ongoing contribution. In this metaphor of collaborative enterprise, one partner (or member of the couple) may be the service provider and the other may be the participant, but at varying moments, they may switch roles while still maintaining a collaborative focus on preserving shared assets and freedom on the internet. We conclude with a discussion of what this service provider-contributor mentality means for empowerment through citizenship, and implications for vulnerable populations’ cybersecurity.

Intergenerational Choir: A Qualitative Exploration of Lived Experiences of Older Adults and Student Music Therapists

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 406-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sekyung Jang
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
New Members ◽  
Emerging Themes ◽  
Research And Education

Abstract The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the essence of an intergenerational choir experience for older adults and student music therapists. Data were gathered through a series of open-ended individual interviews with older adult participants (n = 10) and student participants (n = 5). Analysis of data revealed four emerging themes common to both older adults and students: mutual learning, social bonding and support, feelings of accomplishment, and appreciation and enjoyment. Emerging themes unique to the older adult community members were that (a) participation challenges came from differences in musical culture; (b) intergenerational choir promoted experience of emotional health and helped maintain an active lifestyle; and (c) community members were passionate about recruiting new members to expand the choir. Emerging themes unique to the student music therapists were that (a) intergenerational choir provided unique ensemble experiences and (b) students reported positive changes in perception of older adults. Implications of intergenerational music engagement for music therapy clinical practice, research, and education are discussed.

Autoethnographic International Relations: exploring the self as a source of knowledge

2010 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 779-798 ◽  
Author(s):  
MORGAN BRIGG ◽  
ROLAND BLEIKER
Keyword(s):  
International Relations ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Knowledge Communities ◽  
Personal Involvement ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractResearch is all about a person's engagement with an issue. But most approaches to International Relations actively discourage personal involvement by the researcher. We question the adequacy of this norm and the related scholarly conventions. Instead, we explore how the personal experience of the researcher can be used as a legitimate and potentially important source of insight into politics. But we also note that simply telling the story of the researcher is inadequate. We engage the ensuing dilemmas by discussing how to both appreciate and evaluate autoethnographic insights. Rather than relying on pre-determined criteria, we argue that methodological uses of the self should be judged within knowledge communities and according to their ability to open up new perspectives on political dilemmas. We then advance two related suggestions: one advocates conceptualising research around puzzles; the other explores the methodological implications of recognising that producing knowledge is an inherently relational activity.

Transformative Power in Performance

Matatu ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-93
Author(s):  
Yvette Ngum
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Subject Matter ◽  
Personal Experience ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Transformative Power ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Female Bodies ◽  
A Performance

Abstract Despite the crucial role that performative arts play in enabling progressive transformation, education, healing and psychological protection for abuse on certain female bodies, often the intentions or agenda of such performances habitually outweighs the transformative potentials therein. In the context of this paper, my association with transformation is related to power in a performance that invites participants to reclaim the broken pieces of their lives as a form of agency. Tears in the Mirror, is based on my personal experience narrated in a performance-based project on sexual violence. In my position as the artist directing the play, I took down notes over a period of one-week rehearsal with the actor, representing my experience. The autoethnographic performance method for information sourcing was used with the actor. I used observation and discussion in the process and each stage reflected a continuing process of integrating the ‘doing’ of autoethnography with a critical reflection upon the subject matter. My findings showed that victims of sexual violence are more likely to identify with narratives of other victims during a performance. This is because in viewing the image of the actor on stage one is simultaneously viewing the self in the mirror of the other.

Reminiscence functions scale: factorial structure and its relation with mental health in a sample of Spanish older adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (9) ◽  
pp. 1521-1532 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Ros ◽  
J. C. Meléndez ◽  
J. D. Webster ◽  
T. Mayordomo ◽  
A. Sales ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Factorial Structure

ABSTRACTBackground:The reminiscence functions scale (RFS) is a 43-item self-report instrument designed to assess the use of reminiscence for different functions. This study aims, on one hand, to analyze the factorial structure and the psychometric properties of the RFS and, on the other, to examine the relationship between the functions of reminiscence and mental health.Methods:RFS scale and measures of depressive symptomology, despair, and life satisfaction were administered to a sample of persons over the age of sixty (n = 364).Results:After eliminating three conflictive items from the original scale, the confirmatory factor analysis results present a factorial structure comprising eight traditional factors and adequate reliability scores (from 0.73 to 0.87). Using structural equation modeling, we find that these reminiscence factors are organized in three second-order factors (self-positive, self-negative, and prosocial). Results show that the self-positive factor relates negatively and the self-negative factor relates positively with symptoms of mental health problems.Conclusions:These results, on one hand, confirm that the RFS scale is a useful instrument to assess reminiscence functions in a sample of Spanish older adults and, on the other, that the three-factor model of reminiscence is a better predictor of mental health than the alternative four-factor model.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Food Waste at a Portuguese Geriatric Institution

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2452
Author(s):  
Margarida Liz Martins ◽  
Ana Sofia Henriques ◽  
Ada Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Food Waste ◽  
Service System ◽  
Food Service ◽  
The Other ◽  
Plate Waste ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Waste Food

Care institutions attending to older adults are responsible for their food supply, which influences their health and quality of life. Food waste at care institutions has been reported to be a matter of great concern, that requires regular monitoring. In this study, we aim to quantify food waste in the food service of an elderly institution, both as leftovers and plate waste. Data collection was performed over 15 consecutive days, at lunch and dinner served to older adults. The aggregate weighing of food was performed before and after distribution, as well as after consumption. Leftovers and plate waste were calculated by the differences in weight. During the study period, 2987 meals were evaluated, corresponding to 1830 kg of food produced, of which only 67% was consumed. For each meal, approximately 610 g of food was produced per older adult, and only about 410 g were consumed, corresponding to 150 g of leftovers and 50 g of plate waste. Food waste represented 36.1% of meals served, composed of 24.1% leftovers and 12.0% plate waste. The wasted meals would be enough to feed 1486 older adults and would correspond to annual losses of approximately €107,112. Leftovers and plate waste were above the limits of acceptability (below 6% and 10%, respectively), indicating excessive food waste. High values of leftovers are related to the food service system and staff, pointing to the need for improvements during the planning and processing of meals. On the other hand, high plate waste values are associated with consumers, indicating the low adequacy of the menu regarding to older adults’ habits and preferences.

Descending into the Indeterminate State between the Determinate

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-128
Author(s):  
Megumi Yama
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
The Self ◽  
The Other ◽  
Childhood Memories ◽  
The West ◽  
Native Culture ◽  
Folk Tale ◽  
Diverse Backgrounds ◽  
The World ◽  
Different Cultures

Abstract When Jung received the manuscript of the Taoist-alchemical treatise entitled The Secret of the Golden Flower from Richard Wilhelm he realized what his drawings of mandalas meant and received confirmation of his theories about the Self. At the same time, Jung realized that he had encountered ‘the East’ within, as he was digging into the depths of his own psyche. Today, thanks to the publication of The Red Book (RB) and Memories, Dreams, Reflections (MDR), we can understand that through that process, Jung held dialogues with the dead. This is considered to mean that he had contact with the world of death to reach another culture—the East. Yama argues that the indeterminate state between the determinate culture and another is chaotic and uncertain, a space which may possibly lead to the world of death. Nowadays, amongst rapid globalization, many people from diverse backgrounds have opportunities to encounter different cultures for various reasons, sometimes out of interest and sometimes out of necessity. In some cases, but not all, individuals simply step across into the other culture without the experience of ‘descending into the depth,’ as Jung had. Yama explores Jung’s inner journey and his childhood memories from the view of what was taking place while he was moving symbolically from the West to the East. For further exploration of the life of someone who is destined to live between different cultures, Yama introduces a Japanese old folk tale and presents clinical material, as well as her personal experience as one who spent her adolescence outside of her native culture.

Older Adult Performance on an Altered Version of the SSI Test

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy L. Aarts ◽  
Elizabeth M. Adams ◽  
Kathy R. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Pure Tone ◽  
The Other ◽  
Speech Understanding ◽  
Pure Tone Average ◽  
Adult Performance ◽  
Equivalent Test ◽  
Interstimulus Intervals

The Synthetic Sentence Identification (SSI) test has been used extensively in investigations of reduced speech understanding skills in older adults. In this study the SSI test was altered by adding noise to the competing message and by administering practice lists and equivalent test lists, as well as versions of the test that have 4- and 12-s interstimulus intervals (ISIs), along with the standard 8-s ISI. The purpose was to determine the effect of these alterations on performance in a group of older adults with average pure-tone average 2 values less than 33 dB HL. Performance changed as a function of the ISI, with less rollover occurring for the 4-s ISI condition than the other 2 ISIs.

La contribution des bénévoles au soutien à domicile des personnes âgées: les frontières de leur action

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrée Sévigny ◽  
Aline Vézina
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Community Organization ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The Other ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Professional Health

ABSTRACTThis article presents the results of a qualitative study on the contributions made by volunteers from a volunteer community organization to the home care of older adults living in a rural setting. In this study, the volunteer was considered as part of a social care system made up of a number of groups (the elderly themselves, those close to them, professional health providers, and volunteers). Results show that the lines delimiting the responsibilities of these various groups are neither clear nor precise. The place of the volunteer must take into account the nature of the participation of the other groups. How far the services offered by volunteers are used depends upon the characteristics that define their contributions and on the type of relationship they develop with a given older adult.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document