Older Women and Mercy Killing

2001 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Sara Canetto ◽  
Janet D. Hollenshead
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Typical Case ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Older Woman ◽  
International Evidence ◽  
Mercy Killing ◽  
Hemlock Society

Mercy killing is usually defined as intentional killing, often by family members or friends, with the stated intent to end perceived suffering. International evidence suggests that mercy killing typically involves an older man killing his ailing wife. In this study, we examined U.S. cases of mercy killing recorded by The Hemlock Society for the period 1960–1993. We found that the typical case involved an older woman being killed by a man, often her husband, with her poor health as the justification for the killing. A firearm was often used in these incidents. These patterns of mercy killing are consistent with patterns of homicide-suicide among older adults. Future research should seek to understand why women are typically the targets, and men the agents of mercy killing.

The economic recession and subjective well-being in older adults in the Republic of Ireland

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. M. Duffy ◽  
K. Mullin ◽  
S. O’Dwyer ◽  
M. Wrigley ◽  
B. D. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older People ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Economic Recession ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Future Health

ObjectiveSubjective well-being in older people is strongly associated with emotional, physical and mental health. This study investigates subjective well-being in older adults in Ireland before and after the economic recession that commenced in 2008.MethodsCross-sectional data from the biennial European Social Survey (2002–2012) were analysed for two separate groups of older adults: one sampled before the recession and one after. Stratification and linear regression modelling were used to analyse the association between subjective well-being, the recession and multiple potential confounders and effect modifiers.ResultsData were analysed on 2013 individuals. Overall, subjective well-being among older adults was 1.30 points lower after the recession compared with before the recession (s.e. 0.16; 95% confidence interval 1.00–1.61; p<0.001) [pre-recession: 16.1, out of a possible 20 (s.d. 3.24); post-recession:14.8 (s.d. 3.72)]. Among these older adults, the pre- and post-recession difference was especially marked in women, those with poor health and those living in urban areas.ConclusionsSubjective well-being was significantly lower in older adults after the recession compared with before the recession, especially in women with poor health in urban areas. Policy-makers need proactively to protect these vulnerable cohorts in future health and social policy. Future research could usefully focus on older people on fixed incomes whose diminished ability to alter their economic situation might make them more vulnerable to reduced subjective well-being during a recession.

scholarly journals Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Trans Aging in a U.K. Context: Critical Observations of Recent Research Literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Almack ◽  
Andrew King
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
International Evidence ◽  
Care Systems ◽  
The Impact ◽  
People’S Perceptions

In this article, we provide critical observations of empirical research from leading U.K. researchers relating to the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans older adults. We suggest learning that may be applied in differing global contexts as well as contributing to the development of an international evidence base. We illustrate the importance of paying attention to distinct health and care systems and legislation, which present global differences as well as similarities in terms of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans people’s perceptions and access to resources. With this contextual background, we then discuss the cutting-edge U.K. research in this field from 2010 onward. We identify key strengths including the contribution our evidence has made to policy and practice and the development of theoretical insights such as the impact of intersectionality. The article concludes with a discussion of future research in this field which has relevance at national and international levels.

Baccalaureate Social Work Student Attitudes toward Older Adults

2001 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Philip Tan ◽  
MicheleJ. Hawkins ◽  
Ellen Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Male Student ◽  
Social Work Students ◽  
South Florida ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Spring Semester ◽  
Attitudes Toward Older Adults

This study investigated the attitudes of baccalaureate social work students concerning older adults using the instrument constructed by Sanders, Montgomery, Pittman, and Balkwell (1984). That instrument assesses respondents' attitudes on 20 distinct characteristics of older women and men in three age categories, the young-old (65–74), the old-old (75–99), and centenarians (100+). Data were obtained from 204 students from an accredited undergraduate social work program in a major south Florida university in the spring semester of 1999. The data revealed that the majority of students (93.8%) had not taken any gerontology classes. Only 6.9% of respondents indicated that they were definitely planning to do their field practicum in a geriatric setting, and 4.0% indicated that they definitely intended to work with older adults. Overall student attitudes toward older adults were generally in the neutral range, however, those attitudes were more negative toward older age categories. Female student attitudes were more positive than male student attitudes. Older women were more positively regarded than their male counterparts. Students who indicated that they were close to older adults and who took gerontology classes had more positive attitudes. Future research and implications for social work education are discussed.

scholarly journals Perspective of Family Members of Transitions to Alternative Levels of Care in Anglo-Saxon Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Merla ◽  
A. Wickson-Griffiths ◽  
S. Kaasalainen ◽  
V. Dal Bello-Haas ◽  
L. Banfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Support Groups ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Temporal Organization ◽  
Transitional Period ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Housing Options

This scoping review explores circumstances surrounding the decision about, and eventual experience of, transitioning older adults into alternative levels of housing (ALH), such as long-term care. This topic is examined from a family member perspective, given their exposure and involvement in the care of older adult relatives during this transitional period. The scoping review methodology is based on the framework of Arksey and O’Malley and subsequent recommendations from Levac, Colquhoun, and O’Brien. Approximately 470 articles were reviewed covering the period between 2000 and November 2014; 37 articles met inclusion criteria. A temporal organization of themes was used to describe the experiences of family members in the pretransition, active transition, and posttransition periods of moving older adult relatives into ALH. This paper highlights the transitional period as a time of crisis, with a lack of planning, support, and transparent discussion. This study identifies a need for future research on the potential benefits of family support groups, interim transitional housing options, different models of ALH, changing roles in the posttransition period, and the need for a comprehensive list of housing options for older adults. Results have the potential to inform policy/practice and improve the lives of older adults and their family.

scholarly journals Social networking sites and older users – a systematic review

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 1041-1053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Nef ◽  
Raluca L. Ganea ◽  
René M. Müri ◽  
Urs P. Mosimann
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Web Design ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Intergenerational Communication ◽  
Privacy Concerns ◽  
Older Users

ABSTRACTBackground: Social networking sites can be beneficial for senior citizens to promote social participation and to enhance intergenerational communication. Particularly for older adults with impaired mobility, social networking sites can help them to connect with family members and other active social networking users. The aim of this systematic review is to give an overview of existing scientific literature on social networking in older users.Methods: Computerized databases were searched and 105 articles were identified and screened using exclusion criteria. After exclusion of 87 articles, 18 articles were included, reviewed, classified, and the key findings were extracted. Common findings are identified and critically discussed and possible future research directions are outlined.Results: The main benefit of using social networking sites for older adults is to enter in an intergenerational communication with younger family members (children and grandchildren) that is appreciated by both sides. Identified barriers are privacy concerns, technical difficulties and the fact that current Web design does not take the needs of older users into account.Conclusions: Under the conditions that these problems are carefully addressed, social networking sites have the potential to support today's and tomorrow's communication between older and younger family members.

scholarly journals Self-Rated Health by Sexual Orientation Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults in Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 1747-1757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gajan Sivakumaran ◽  
Rachel Margolis
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Bisexual Women ◽  
Middle Aged

Abstract Objectives This article examines patterns of self-rated physical and mental health by sexual orientation among middle-aged and older adults in Canada, a rapidly growing subpopulation shown to be at risk of poor health. Method We use the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS 2015–2016) to estimate logit models predicting fair/poor self-rated physical and mental health by sexual orientation among middle-aged and older adults, stratifying by sex and age group. Results We find no differences in physical health for gay men and lesbian women compared with their heterosexual counterparts. However, middle-aged gay men are disadvantaged in terms of mental health, but not women. Bisexual women are disadvantaged in terms of physical health, and for mental health in some model specifications. Respondents who did not know their sexual orientation have poorer health across some measures of health and age groups. Discussion Our findings add to the paucity of research on older sexual minorities in Canada. They highlight the importance of separating out sexual minority groups because bisexual women have distinct health profiles. In addition, this is the first study to examine the health of respondents who “do not know” their sexual orientation, and future research should distinguish between different explanations for their poor health.

Refining Evidence-Based Treatments for Late-Life Depression

GeroPsych ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-76
Author(s):  
Grace C. Niu ◽  
Patricia A. Arean
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Brain Plasticity ◽  
Late Life ◽  
Aging Population ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Late Life Depression ◽  
Evidence Based Treatments

The recent increase in the aging population, specifically in the United States, has raised concerns regarding treatment for mental illness among older adults. Late-life depression (LLD) is a complex condition that has become widespread among the aging population. Despite the availability of behavioral interventions and psychotherapies, few depressed older adults actually receive treatment. In this paper we review the research on refining treatments for LLD. We first identify evidence-based treatments (EBTs) for LLD and the problems associated with efficacy and dissemination, then review approaches to conceptualizing mental illness, specifically concepts related to brain plasticity and the Research Domain Criteria (RDoc). Finally, we introduce ENGAGE as a streamlined treatment for LLD and discuss implications for future research.

Dowagers, Debs, Nuns and Babies: The Politics of Nostalgia and the Older Woman in the British Sunday Night Television Serial

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 769-784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Estella Tincknell
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Mature Female ◽  
Older Woman ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
The Past ◽  
Political Position ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Popular Television

The extensive commercial success of two well-made popular television drama serials screened in the UK at prime time on Sunday evenings during the winter of 2011–12, Downton Abbey (ITV, 2010–) and Call the Midwife (BBC, 2012–), has appeared to consolidate the recent resurgence of the period drama during the 1990s and 2000s, as well as reassembling something like a mass audience for woman-centred realist narratives at a time when the fracturing and disassembling of such audiences seemed axiomatic. While ostensibly different in content, style and focus, the two programmes share a number of distinctive features, including a range of mature female characters who are sufficiently well drawn and socially diverse as to offer a profoundly pleasurable experience for the female viewer seeking representations of aging femininity that go beyond the sexualised body of the ‘successful ager’. Equally importantly, these two programmes present compelling examples of the ‘conjunctural text’, which appears at a moment of intense political polarisation, marking struggles over consent to a contemporary political position by re-presenting the past. Because both programmes foreground older women as crucial figures in their respective communities, but offer very different versions of the social role and ideological positioning that this entails, the underlying politics of such nostalgia becomes apparent. A critical analysis of these two versions of Britain's past thus highlights the ideological investments involved in period drama and the extent to which this ‘cosy’ genre may legitimate or challenge contemporary political claims.

scholarly journals Social Engagement and Episodic Memory in Non-Hispanic Black and White Older Adults

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 343-343
Author(s):  
Abbey Hamlin ◽  
A Zarina Kraal ◽  
Laura Zahodne
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Social Engagement ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Social engagement may confer cognitive benefits in older adulthood, but studies have typically been restricted to largely non-Hispanic White (NHW) samples. Levels of social engagement vary across race such that NHW report larger social networks, more frequent participation in social activities, and greater social support than non-Hispanic Blacks (NHB). Associations between social engagement and cognition may also vary by race, but research is sparse. The current cross-sectional study examined associations between different aspects of social engagement and episodic memory performance, as well as interactions between social engagement and race among NHB and NHW participants in the Michigan Cognitive Aging Project (N = 247; 48.4% NHB; age = 64.19 ± 2.92). Social engagement (network size, activities, support) was self-reported. Episodic memory was a z-score composite of immediate, delayed, and recognition trials of a list-learning task. Separate hierarchical linear regression models quantified interactions between race and each of the three social engagement variables on episodic memory, controlling for sociodemographics, depressive symptoms, and health conditions. Results showed a main effect of more frequent social activity on better episodic memory, as well as an interaction between race and social support indicating a significant positive association in NHB but not NHW. These preliminary findings suggest that participating in social activities may be equally beneficial for episodic memory across NHB and NHW older adults and that social support may be particularly beneficial for NHB. Future research is needed to determine the potential applications of these results in reducing cognitive inequalities through the development of culturally-relevant interventions.

scholarly journals Spontaneous Eye Blinks Predict Executive Functioning in Seniors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessika I. V. Buitenweg ◽  
Jaap M. J. Murre ◽  
K. Richard Ridderinkhof
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Executive Functioning ◽  
Cognitive Training ◽  
Functional Decline ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Memory Updating ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Working Memory Updating

AbstractAs the world’s population is aging rapidly, cognitive training is an extensively used approach to attempt improvement of age-related cognitive functioning. With increasing numbers of older adults required to remain in the workforce, it is important to be able to reliably predict future functional decline, as well as the individual advantages of cognitive training. Given the correlation between age-related decline and striatal dopaminergic function, we investigated whether eye blink rate (EBR), a non-invasive, indirect indicator of dopaminergic activity, could predict executive functioning (response inhibition, switching and working memory updating) as well as trainability of executive functioning in older adults. EBR was collected before and after a cognitive flexibility training, cognitive training without flexibility, or a mock training. EBR predicted working memory updating performance on two measures of updating, as well as trainability of working memory updating, whereas performance and trainability in inhibition and switching tasks could not be predicted by EBR. Our findings tentatively indicate that EBR permits prediction of working memory performance in older adults. To fully interpret the relationship with executive functioning, we suggest future research should assess both EBR and dopamine receptor availability among seniors.

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