scholarly journals Incorporating Guided Autobiography, Portfolios, and SoulCollage Into Undergraduate Gerontology Courses

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 675-675
Author(s):  
Lisa Cox ◽  
Gina Maguire

Abstract Although undergraduates don’t eagerly choose gerontology classes first, a hefty number of students have enjoyed content they have explored as they were enrolled in “Aging and Spirituality” and “Therapeutic Arts with Older Adults” courses. The ten universal life themes that help people tell their stories, through the empirically validated methodology of Guided Autobiography (GAB) are incorporated in classes designed for an inter-generational group (older adults and students). Student assembled portfolios created from activities connected to ‘the arts’ and spiritual literacy have enhanced the acquisition of gerontological competencies. Also, through the use of SoulCollage® (developed in the late 1980s by Seena B. Frost, M. Div.) students of all ages, with and without artistic abilities, use a creative collaging process to get in touch with their ego integrity—the eighth stage of development conceptualized by Erik Erikson. Over three years, students have grown in their knowledge of aging and artistic processes.

GeroPsych ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 246-251
Author(s):  
Gozde Cetinkol ◽  
Gulbahar Bastug ◽  
E. Tugba Ozel Kizil

Abstract. Depression in older adults can be explained by Erikson’s theory on the conflict of ego integrity versus hopelessness. The study investigated the relationship between past acceptance, hopelessness, death anxiety, and depressive symptoms in 100 older (≥50 years) adults. The total Beck Hopelessness (BHS), Geriatric Depression (GDS), and Accepting the Past (ACPAST) subscale scores of the depressed group were higher, while the total Death Anxiety (DAS) and Reminiscing the Past (REM) subscale scores of both groups were similar. A regression analysis revealed that the BHS, DAS, and ACPAST predicted the GDS. Past acceptance seems to be important for ego integrity in older adults.


2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung Ok Chang ◽  
Eun Sook Kong ◽  
Kwuy Bun Kim ◽  
Nam Cho Kim ◽  
Ju Hee Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Vera Gallistl

Abstract New interest in late-life creativity has arisen in gerontology. To date, such research has mainly focused on the positive impact creativity has on older adults, but has scarcely contextualised older adults’ creative engagement. Drawing on the sociology of valuation, this article aims to contextualise late-life creativity by critically exploring how creativity gains, stabilises and loses its value and how these processes are related to perceptions, images and discourses addressing old age. Data from 13 interviews with older (60+) adults involved in creative practices in Austria are used to explore these topics. Interviews examined perceptions of creative production, everyday routines and personal attitudes towards ageing. Interviews transcripts were analysed using the documentary method. The analysis revealed three registers of valuation in late-life creativity: economic value, in which valuable creativity was given away at a high revenue; field value, where valuable creativity was appreciated by institutions or other artists in the field; and lifecourse value, in which doing a creative activity for a long time meant being able to produce a creative product that was high in value. This article emphasises late-life creativity as a process of value production that is structured by the making and evaluating of creative products and adds to the current critique that the narrow view of late-life creativity in its associations with wellbeing present a reductionist picture of the capacities that the arts and creativity have for older adults. The results demonstrate the potential for valuation studies in gerontology as they highlight the circumstances and practices by which the activities of older adults are (de)valued. For policy and practice, this article suggests imagining arts-based interventions for older adults beyond the realm of health and wellbeing, and encourages thinking about how valuable artistic experiences can be supported in later life.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S198-S199
Author(s):  
Daniel B Kaplan ◽  
Gary Glazner

Abstract Poetry for Life (PFL), is a teaching and learning initiative that brings students together with older adults in meaningful community service workshops. PFL capitalizes on the skills and passions of young poets by offering opportunities to serve elders by leading poetry workshops at settings where older adults receive care. This study examines measurable impacts of training, exposure, and experience in poetry-based intergenerational workshops on students’ knowledge, attitudes, and values. Participating groups of students receive instruction in performing and creating poetry in group settings. They visit local elder care settings to facilitate PFL workshops and then write reflections on their experiences. Students agree to complete pre- and post-program surveys to document the impacts of PFL experiences on students' social/emotional health and on their knowledge, attitudes, and values related to older adults, dementia and dementia care, poetry and arts-based interventions, and careers in healthcare, aging fields, and the arts. To date, 33 young people from one middle school, one high school, and one graduate college program have volunteered to participate in the program and completed the study. Findings reveal significant impacts on students’ perceived capabilities working and communicating with people with dementia as well as leading poetry activities. Additionally, significant positive impacts were demonstrated on 12 of 20 items on the Dementia Attitudes Scale across participating students. The PFL experience did not, however, lead to significant impacts on student self-esteem or work interests. These findings suggest benefits and limitations of this service-learning experience. Implications for future programming will be discussed.


1988 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Rosel

Erik Erikson used the film character of Dr. Borg from Wild Strawberries to flesh out his life cycle conception of ego integrity versus despair in old age. The present application of Erikson is to three women: Augusta Turnley (fiction), Florida Scott-Maxwell, and Arie Carpenter-three distinctly different lifestyles and educational backgrounds. Both the dialectical struggle contained in Erikson's model of old age and the specific concepts of ego integrity, despair and wisdom are made concrete in this theoretical exploration.


2019 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miroslav Filip ◽  
Kateřina Lukavská ◽  
Iva Poláčková Šolcová

We examined two contradictory views of Erikson’s concept of ego integrity: as an outcome of the tension between integrity and despair, or as a dialogical process of balancing positive and negative life experiences. One hundred sixty-seven Czech older adults participated in the study. Dialogically integrated, outcome-integrated, and outcome-despairing participants were selected based on the Ego Integrity Scale and based on methods mapping life-reviewing dialogue. The three subsamples were compared in their psychological adaptation. The results showed that the dialogically integrated participants scored similarly in well-being and meaningfulness of life as outcome-integrated participants and better than outcome-despairing participants. However, the dialogically integrated participants were also prone to experiencing negative emotions. As they were older than the other two subsamples and reported worse physical health, we concluded that the life-reviewing dialogue helps them maintain a sense of meaning in life and a certain level of well-being. Hence, the results support relevance of the dialogical-process view.


HUMANIKA ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 25
Author(s):  
Laura Andri R.M.

In Indonesia, each province has its own traditional culture. Traditional arts are used to express the beauty of the human soul. In traditional artwork implicit message of the society of knowledge, ideas, beliefs and values norms. In addition to the function of rituals, traditional performing arts is also being used to honor and commemorate the influential figures in the local community, heroism, patriotism and nationalism. One example of a traditional art that has the functionality is Menak Koncer. Menak Koncer is a community-owned art Sumowono, Kabupaten Semarang, Jawa Tengah raised to preserve the culture and values in society. Through a qualitative descriptive approach with observation techniques and literature, it was found that at the next stage of development, especially in the modern society, arts performances Menak Koncer shift function just as mere entertainment. Menak Koncer existence as art and traditional culture in Indonesia progressively eroded by the expansion of global art and culture. Therefore, efforts must be made to preserve the arts and culture in the midst of changing times and foreign cultural influences have been increasing in Indonesia.


Gerontology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 612-622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Altaf Engineer ◽  
Esther M. Sternberg ◽  
Bijan Najafi

Background: With the increasing global population of older adults, there is a need for environmental interventions that directly affect their physical, psychological, and emotional well-being to help them maintain or regain their independence and autonomy – all of which promote longevity. Methods: To better understand potential opportunities and challenges associated with interior design and “future homes” that may promote well-being, aging in place, and independent living in older adults, the authors reviewed relevant literature and included their own expert opinions from a multidisciplinary point of view including interior design, wellness, and engineering. Results: After summarizing existing environmental interventions for the aging population and their effectiveness, this review reveals knowledge gaps in interior design for the well-being and longevity of older adults followed by a discussion of opportunities for future research that may fill these gaps. Some of these opportunities include finding habilitative design strategies that identify and address unique situational needs of each user, advancing multidisciplinary fields such as environmental gerontology that recreate security and independence for older adults even outside of their homes, implementing technically advanced design strategies, which are flexible and adaptive to individual needs; and integrating the Internet of things (IoT) into living environments, including voice-activated command technologies to improve seniors’ central role in enabling an optimized healthcare ecosystem. Conclusions: Knowledge of current evidence regarding the impact of different environmental factors may hasten adaptation of well-designed innovations that can provide optimal healing and living environments for the aging population. By effectively addressing older adults’ unique and specialized needs, design practitioners can become an indispensable part of their medical, social, and environmental team. One of the rapidly developing infrastructures promising to revolutionize the design of “future homes” is the IoT. While it is at an early stage of development, ultimately we envisage a connected home using voice-controlled technology and Bluetooth-radio-connected add-ons, to augment much of what home health does today. Bringing these approaches together into an effective strategy for a model of effective geriatric care is important and needs to become an integral part of both design education and practice.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Bian ◽  
Bing Ye ◽  
Alex Mihailidis

Abstract BackgroundEarly identification of frailty is crucial to prevent or reverse the syndrome but faces challenges due to frailty’s insidious onset. Monitoring behaviroal changes in real life may offer opportunities for early identifying frailty. Home-based technologies for assessing frailty have shown potentials. However, they are still in early stage of development with many types of technologies and behavioural and physical signs associated with frailty underexamined. This study presented a sensor-based system that used heterogeneous sensors and cloud technologies to monitor behavioural and physical signs of frailty from home settings. We aimed to validate the concurrent validity of the sensor system.MethodsThe sensor system consisted of motion, door, distance and mat sensors, a smart speaker, and a smart weight scale. The selection of these sensors was based on behavioural and physical signs found significantly associated with frailty. These signs included room-level physical activity, life space, sedentary behaviour, stair climbing, self-report exhaustion, and weight. Older adults’ voices were included in the system design. The sensor system prototype was tested in a simulated home lab environment with nine young, healthy participants. Cohen’s kappa and Bland-Altman Plot statistical methods evaluated the agreements between the sensor and ground truth measurements.ResultsExcellent concurrent validity was achieved for the smart speaker (100% agreement), the motion sensor (a kappa value of k=0.938), the door sensor (87.5% agreement, 100% if excluding outliers), the mat sensor (mean difference of -0.286, 95% limits of agreement) and the distance sensor (mean difference of 0.526, 95% limits of agreement). The smart weight scale and traditional weight scale had a significant difference in weight measurements. However, bivariate correlation showed a strong, positive correlation between the two measurements (r=0.942, n=24, p<0.001). ConclusionsOverall, FT is reliable for monitoring physical and behavioural signs of frailty in home settings. The ambient sensors and the smart speaker in FT showed excellent concurrent validity, while the smart weight scale needs further validation. This work laid the ground for the next step of the research to test the toolkit with frail and non-frail older adults to validate the system’s clinical effectiveness.


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