scholarly journals Homeless on Main Street: Using Photovoice to Highlight Older Adults Among the Hidden Homeless

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 728-728
Author(s):  
H Shellae Versey
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Service Agency ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Formerly Homeless

Abstract Homelessness is a reality for a growing number of Americans living in small towns and rural areas. However, unlike in cities, housing instability may be less visible. Using a photo-elicitation method (i.e., Photovoice), this study explores the meaning of place and obscured visibility to currently and formerly homeless older adults living in a small town in central Connecticut. Participants (N = 27) were recruited from a local service agency, given cameras and asked to photograph areas around town that were meaningful to them. Photographs were developed and followed by in-person, semi-structured interviews with participants in which photos and experiences during the project were discussed. Primary themes included belonging, generativity, social isolation, and place-making as meaning-making. The study culminated in a community photography exhibition in which photographs from the project were displayed in public spaces around town. Implications for community-based interventions to reach homeless groups in rural areas are discussed. Part of a symposium sponsored by the Qualitative Research Interest Group.

scholarly journals INTEREST GROUP SESSION—RURAL AGING: INNOVATIONS THAT SUPPORT RURAL OLDER ADULTS’ HEALTH AND WELL-BEING: MODELS, NETWORKS, CASE STUDIES, REFLECTIONS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S552-S552
Author(s):  
Roger O’Sullivan ◽  
Lyn Holley ◽  
Marc A Guest
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Adult Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Educational Game ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Rural Aging ◽  
Rural Older Adults

Abstract Access of rural older people to health and wellness services is limited and becoming progressively more limited as trends toward increasing centralization of Government and private services continue. “Top-down” or urban centric models for rural service delivery often miss context essential to effectiveness and sustainability. In this symposium, each presenter in this multidisciplinary group of researchers presents innovative, community-based interventions that address these challenges using different methodologies and in respect to different needs Maiden (Psychology) compares the utilization of mental health services by rural older adults over time with their need for such services. Through the lens of social gerontology Holley examines networks of support that have intersected successfully to generate local solutions to unmet needs of rural-dwelling older adults. Crowther and Ford within a nursing and care context explore community-based models that draw upon the role of culture to integrate care for rural older adults. Katz, from an adult development perspective, reports on an educational game-intervention developed to reduce cognitive decline which is tailored specifically for older adults in rural areas. Wiese presents evidence from a pilot home-based approach that demonstrates a model for increasing rates of AD detection and treatment in a rural retired farm worker community in Florida. Our discussant, an emerging scholar in the field of rural gerontology, will reflect on the major themes that emerge from these multidisciplinary perspectives, especially the role of intersecting networks in community-based innovations and rural aging.

A participatory mixed-methods evaluation of a falls awareness programme

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Elliott ◽  
Hannah Watson ◽  
Amy Lewis ◽  
Carolyn Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
General Health ◽  
Sheltered Housing ◽  
Methodological Issues ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Behaviour Changes ◽  
Awareness Programme

Purpose Falls are common in older adults and are associated with injuries and serious ongoing problems. This paper aims to present a participatory evaluation of a Falls Awareness Programme implemented in South Wales for older adults living in sheltered housing schemes or in the community. It identifies methodological issues and provides recommendations for evaluation design and methods for community-based interventions in the future. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods study combining a non-experimental pretest–posttest design with face-to-face focus groups. Findings Concerns about falling and self-reported general health at baseline were worse for participants living in sheltered housing schemes, compared to participants in the community. There was no statistically significant change between baseline and follow-up in general health or concerns about falling; however, the data suggesting the programme may be more effective for people in sheltered housing schemes. Participants reported making small, but sustainable behaviour changes following the programme and described unexpected outcomes from the programme, e.g. socialising and meeting new people. Originality/value This paper demonstrates the benefit of engaging older adults in research using a participatory approach, highlights key components of community-based interventions for older people and identifies some methodological issues when conducting evaluations in the community. Specifically, it highlights the importance of selecting appropriate measurement tools for data collection and the utility of continuous monitoring where programme participation is flexible and fluid.

scholarly journals Through Their Lens: Using Visual Methods to Illuminate the Lived Experiences of Diverse Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 727-727
Author(s):  
Jarmin Yeh ◽  
Tam Perry
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
New Jersey ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Civic Participation ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Visual Methods

Abstract Visual methods, like photovoice and photo-elicitation, have attracted modest attention in gerontological inquiry with diverse and vulnerable community-dwelling older adults. Visual methods are based on the idea of inserting images, produced by informants or not, into research interviews, allowing informants to be the experts of knowledge and meaning-making while the researcher becomes the student. The empowerment of informants as subject-collaborators in the research process is a distinctive feature of visual methods. Benefits include revealing unique insights into diverse phenomena by evoking elements of human consciousness, feelings, and memories that words may not easily express and surveys may not easily capture. This symposium presents qualitative research using visual methods to illuminate the lived experiences, voices, and perspectives of diverse and vulnerable older adults living in New Jersey, Connecticut, and California. Reyes’ research critiques how the operationalization of mainstream notions of civic participation becomes exclusionary and provides a more inclusive understanding of how civic participation is enacted and performed through the practices of Latinx and African American older adults living in New Jersey. Versey’s research with homeless older adults subverts the attention often focused within cities by interrogating the meaning of place with informants whose needs and desires are often overlooked or obscured by residing in a small, rural town in central Connecticut. Yeh’s research on aging in place inequalities chronicles the everyday lives of housed and unhoused older San Franciscans to reveal their tactics for negotiating a moving tension between the daily interiority of identity and contingencies of a changing environment. Qualitative Research Interest Group Sponsored Symposium.

scholarly journals The Effect of Music Therapy on Cognitive Functioning Among Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 784-784
Author(s):  
Kuei-Min Chen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Older People ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Functioning ◽  
Brain Health ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Therapy Interventions ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Music creates and fosters connection and interrelationships between individuals and encourages social interaction. Indeed, community-based interventions are a powerful way to engage older people. This presentation will provide an overview of music therapy and the impact it can have on the cognitive functioning of older people. Examples of music therapy interventions in the community can be found in nursing homes, hospitals, or communities. Differences in receptive (passive) music therapy and active music therapy will be discussed along with the impact these therapies may have on individuals experiencing cognitive decline. Moreover, studies of music therapy combined with other activities, such as exercise or art will be discussed. This research will be presented within the context of the recommendations put forth by the Global Council on Brain Health aimed at adults aged 50+.

scholarly journals Using Visual Demonstrations of Learning to Promote Age-Integrated Problem Solving

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 353-353
Author(s):  
Lisa Borrero
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Concept Maps ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Cultural Perceptions ◽  
Multimedia Presentations ◽  
Older Adulthood ◽  
Perceptions And Attitudes ◽  
Future Selves ◽  
Problem Solve

Abstract Working to dismantle the “othering” of older adults requires active effort to reverse deeply ingrained cultural perceptions and attitudes. As gerontology educators, we are uniquely positioned to “move the needle” on this issue by providing students with the opportunity to engage with older adults in meaningful ways and to see the world from their perspective. In this presentation, visual demonstrations of student learning will be shared that allow students to demonstrate their mastery of course concepts in a creative way and to problem-solve a particular issue by engaging with their own future selves. This approach also allows for a deviation from the routine of written demonstrations of learning by appealing to a different set of student skills. Approaches discussed will include concept maps to deconstruct community collaboration; book bentos to explore optimal aging; multimedia presentations on meaning-making in older adulthood; and a photo elicitation project to address outdoor fall hazards.

Improving Mobility of Transportation-Disadvantaged Older Adults through Community-Based Interventions

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 101186
Author(s):  
Siwon Jang ◽  
Savana Wright ◽  
Chanyoung Lee ◽  
Rebecca Liller ◽  
Yu Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Transportation Disadvantaged

Creating a Supportive Environment for Living with Stroke in Rural Areas: Two Low-Cost Community-Based Interventions

2009 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne M. Newell ◽  
Renee Lyons ◽  
Ruth Martin-Misener ◽  
Cindy L. Shearer
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Supportive Environment
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