High-Tech Amenities for the Elderly: The Technological Assistance Needs of Elderly Koreans Aging at Home

This study builds on existing literature regarding residential technological systems and the elderly. This study investigates elderly Koreans’ needs for technological systems in their residential environments and makes appropriate suggestions for creating high-tech amenities to support their aging at home. This study surveyed 60 elderly Koreans and presented them with 5 categories of 24 technological systems to evaluate. Results of this study show that participants were willing to adapt technological systems in their residential environment without any technophobia. In terms of their needs, the participants ranked the safety and security system category first, the indoor environment control system category second, and the health-related system category third. The results of this study suggest that residential environments, including individual housing and apartment properties, should incorporate technological systems to extend elderly residents’ independent living at home.     

Suicide intervention training for college staff: Program evaluation and intervention skill measurement

Objective: Suicide remains a pressing issue for college communities. Consequently, gatekeeper trainings are often provided for staff. This study examines the effect of one such program, Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST). Participants: 51 college employees received ASIST in August of 2014 and were compared to 30 wait-list control participants. Methods: Repeated Measures ANOVA were used to analyze pre- and post-training: (a) skills at responding to students-at-risk; (b) attitudes toward suicide; (c) knowledge about suicide; and (d) comfort/competence/confidence at helping a student-at-risk. Results: Significant positive training effects were observed for ASIST on self-report measures and also for objectively assessed skill at responding, after adjusting for a potential scoring limitation of the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory, Revised (SIRI-2). Conclusions: ASIST improved the self-perception of college staff at working with students-at-risk of suicide and also their skills at performing an intervention. Further, analysis of SIRI-2 data provides support for a potential instrument revision.     

Interviewing Elderly Residents in Assisted Living

The interpretation of interview data requires an understanding of its context. In this study, the context was Assisted Living (AL). Twenty-one interviews were conducted with elderly residents of 4 Midwestern Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs). Institutional fear and loneliness associated with ALF living framed residents’ interpretation of and responses to the interview questions. Residents feared transfer to a nursing home, and they experienced the loneliness of being cut off from their homes and put into the care of busy staff members. Their framing of and responses to questions (both qualitative and quantitative) reflected this context, and included the invocation of impairments, the reluctance to criticize staff, and the refusal to complain about the ALF or their present situation.

Fiduciary Abuse of the Elderly:

Fiduciary abuse of the elderly is an increasingly recognized social problem. While all seniors are potential victims, the oldest members of society are at greater risk. This article identifies those at risk, profiles those most likely to commit financial abuse, describes indicators of abuse, defines commonly encountered crimes, and explains the roles of service professionals and the criminal justice system in responding to incidents of financial abuse.     

Race Relations: A Survey of Potential Intervention Strategies

Despite a broad sociological consensus that racism is indefensible, it is not always obvious which is the best way to intervene to prevent it. The primary strategies available are (1) the moral model, (2) the social engineering model, (3) the clinical/educational model, and (4) the cultural/structural model. Each of these, however, has its limitations, with the last being the most comprehensive and historically informed.     

Living Arrangements and Informal Support for the Elderly

ABSTRACT

A network of informal care and support provided by family, friends and neighbors often forms the basis for elderly care. Changes in the structure of Chinese family alter this supportive function, and changes in traditional values affect the nature of the network and support provided. This is especially so in modernized Hong Kong where the traditional role of the family and especially children's duty of care for their aged parents (“filial piety”) may be weakening. This proposition was investigated by a qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 50 older persons in a modern new town (Tuen Mun) in Hong Kong. Living arrangements, geographical proximity and the quality of relationships between potential caregivers and the elderly affected needs for and provision of informal support. Traditional Confucian filial piety is undergoing modification, perhaps erosion, implying ongoing changes in inter-generational relations in this modernized Asian society.     

Gender Differences in Income Sources of the Elderly in Peninsular Malaysia

Objectives of this study were to identify and compare the sources and amounts of income received by elderly males and females. Specifically, this study examined gender differences in income receipt for a sample of 1,841 residents of Peninsular Malaysia who were aged 55–75. Significant differences were found in the source and amount of income of elderly males and females. Although the majority of elderly of both genders received income from their children, there were profound gender differences in the receipt of work-related and investment-related income.     

Impact of Environment on Social and Activity Behavior in Public Housing for the Elderly

The study examines the inter-relationshps of physical design and service environments on the social and activity behaviors of residents in public housing for the elderly. It compares the observed behavior patterns found in the common spaces of 11 apartment buildings administered by a midwest housing authority. The findings indicate that building height, number of apartment doors ajar and provision of meal service can facilitate increased resident sociability in the public spaces of senior housing buildings.     

Multiple Predictors of Korean Elderly Men's Leisure Participation

This study examines the leisure constraints experienced by elderly men and investigates how leisure constraints affect their level of participation in leisure activities. A convenience sampling of the independent elderly, sixty or older, residing in Seoul and the province of Kyenggi in Korea comprised the study sample. Of the total 275 participants, 164 were male. The study employed hierarchical multiple regression analysis including demographic, health status, financial status, and leisure constraint factors impacting participation in leisure activities. The findings of the study highlight the importance of interpersonal constraints of elderly men in leisure participation. The elderly men reported significantly higher levels of interpersonal constraints than the elderly women. Financial status factors, such as leisure allowance and employment status, were confirmed to be more influential predictors in determining the elderly men's leisure participation. Practice implications include considering interpersonal constraints or financial status to enhance elderly men's leisure life.     

Influence of Income on Energy Beliefs and Behaviors of Urban Elderly

Although public attention toward residential energy costs has diminished in the past few years, meeting energy costs remains a concern for the elderly population. The impact of income on energy beliefs and behaviors of urban elderly indicate that lower income elderly may be adversely affected by residential energy costs. The results of this study indicate that urban elderly with lower incomes engage in more lifestyle cutbacks and curtailment behaviors than do those with higher incomes. This research emphasizes the need to investigate energy policies that target low income elderly.     

Wealth Holdings and Portfolio Allocation of the Elderly: The Role of Marital History

This paper investigates the role of marital history in terms of explaining differences in wealth holdings and portfolio allocation of older individuals by studying data from the first wave of Health and Retirement Study which was conducted in 1992. The results generally suggest that both men and women suffer from the negative shocks of past marital dissolutions in terms of household wealth accumulation. The significance level, however, differs across currently married couples, single males, and single females. The examination of the asset components of net worth also indicates that both the probability of owning a particular asset and the fraction of wealth allocated to that asset might vary depending on the elderly individuals’ marital history.

中国心理健康量表(老年残疾人版)简版的 编制及应用研究

老年残疾人受到身体残疾与衰老两方面的影响,其心理健康状况令人忧虑。本研究使用编制的初始量表,在全国7个省市共回收有效问卷2469份,经过项目分析与验证性因素分析,剔除部分题目后得到三因素模型,各项拟合指标理想。修订后的《中国心理健康量表(老年残疾人版)简版》共23个项目,具有良好的信效度,是科学有效的测量工具。对我国老年残疾人心理健康状况分析后发现,老年残疾人的心理健康存在着人口学差异,男性的心理健康水平显著高于女性,老年残疾人的心理健康水平随年龄增长而下降,多重残疾老年人在心理健康总分及各维度上均得分最低。     

Elderly narrative reflections on the contradictions in Turkish village family life after migration of adult children

International and domestic labor migrations are changing the face of many countries. Those economic and demographic transitions collide with cultural expectations and ways of conducting intergenerational relations. This paper is a narrative analysis of some of those changes from the perspective of the elderly who remain behind in a small village in central Turkey. In particular, their narratives focus on filial expectations of sons and daughters, the status of mothers-in-law, health and economic well-being, and the future of village life. While these “left behind” elderly feel a loss of status and control and fear for their futures as their children pursue lifestyles unfamiliar and threatening to them, they are nevertheless gradually negotiating these changes and redefining late life to adapt to new circumstances and maintain their family relations.     

An mHealth Approach to Extend a Brief Intervention for Adolescent Alcohol Use and Suicidal Behavior: Qualitative Analyses of Adolescent and Parent Feedback

Abstract

Mobile health (mHealth) tools that supplement inpatient psychiatric care can maintain and enhance intervention effects following hospitalization. Adolescents hospitalized following a suicidal event represent a vulnerable population who could greatly benefit from such an mHealth intervention. In specific, suicidal adolescents who drink alcohol are in need of robust interventions that address the bidirectional relationship between alcohol use and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, because it puts them at especially high risk for suicide upon discharge. The purpose of this study was to conduct qualitative interviews to gather feedback to improve a brief alcohol intervention provided to suicidal adolescents during psychiatric hospitalization, and to develop a mHealth tool to extend care after discharge. Participants, eight adolescents and their parents, identified the need for a smartphone application to deliver intervention content to adolescents and parents during the posthospitalization period. Adolescents sought support in meeting alcohol- and mood-related goals, while parents desired general resources as well as tips for conversations with their adolescent about mood and alcohol use.     

A Comparison of Spanish and American Housing Policy Frameworks Addressing Housing for the Elderly

Abstract

Housing policies in Spain and die United States have important similarities and dissimilarities mat affect housing for the elderly. Spain, even more so than me United States, promotes homeownership. Bom countries face significant challenges in addressing the housing needs of the elderly, particularly those challenges associated wim aging in place. The paper reviews me broader housing policy frameworks in bom countries in order to understand me context for elderly housing policy. The paper identifies lessons from the American experience mat can expand housing policies in Spain.     

The Mobility of Elderly Residents Living in Suburban Territories

Abstract

Many authors have observed die elders' unanimous aspirations to age in place. Such residential aspirations echo theoretical concepts such as “environmental-fit.” Aging residents adapt to their residential environment according to their autonomy level, their financial and social resources, as well as the meanings they invest in both residential situations and lifestyle (Lord, 2004; Wagnild, 2001). Therefore, the suburbs constitute a challenge for aging residents' intentions to remain in their home for as long as possible. These low-density environments encourage car dependency for almost every daily activity. In that regard, many studies have investigated the daily mobility patterns of elders living in such areas. However, most of them have focused on aspects linked to transportation and driving security (Rosenbloom, 2003). In this context, with a socio-anthropological (in-depth interviews) method, the elders' daily mobility is explored in a complex layering of issues. Two interdisciplinary qualitative researches on the daily and residential mobility of elderly suburbanites have been used: a group living in Quebec City's Post-War suburbs in Canada (n = 56) and another in Marseille's periurban suburbs in France (n = 36). The results show that we must investigate beyond the elders' “emotional attachment”to their “home” in order to explain the everyday tensions underlying accessibility and daily mobility. Aging in a single-family house is more than a deliberate choice. Moving away from one's neighborhood is considered a last resort alternative by the majority. Instead, the elderly from both milieus will adapt their lifestyles to the environment by redesigning their daily activities and their mobility practices in order to age in place. Therefore, adapting daily mobility practices to social interactions and social representations all become a sine qua nonecondition.     

Comprehensive College Student Suicide Assessment: Application of the BASIC ID

Whether one knows someone who is thinking of suicide, has attempted suicide, or has completed suicide, nearly all individuals who encounter suicide are affected. The influence and residual affects of suicide are further amplified as the issue reaches across communities such as college or university campuses. College and university staff must improve their response to suicidal ideation with comprehensive assessment and intervention. The authors discuss risk factors and basic screening methods for suicide risk. They present Lazarus' BASIC ID tool (ie, Behavior, Affective Responses, Sensations, Images, Cognitions, Interpersonal Relationships, and Drugs or Biological Influences) as a method for conducting a comprehensive suicide assessment. The authors demonstrate assessment procedures through a case vignette.     

Quality of Life of the Elderly Receiving Old Age Pension in Lesotho

The southern African country of Lesotho introduced an old age pension scheme in 2004 with the aim of enhancing the quality of life (QoL) of the nation’s elderly population. This study is the first to assess the physical, psychological, social, and environmental aspects of the health-related QoL of the elderly in Lesotho since the pension scheme was adopted. Data for this study were gathered using the World Health Organization QoL-BREF questionnaire. Mean QoL scores were compared across demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical variables using analysis of variance, t test, and regression analysis. Findings indicate that respondents were least satisfied with the environmental and physical domains of QoL. They also indicate that the overall QoL of the elderly in Lesotho was mainly affected by marital status, level of education, type of housing, source of income, and level of satisfaction with income. These factors should thus be taken into account when developing interventions aimed at improving the QoL of the elderly in Lesotho.