Perceptions Of Older Adults Research Articles

Students' Perceptions of Older Adults: Effects of a Service-Learning Experience

Previous literature has established an improvement in student attitudes toward older adults after a service- learning experience with this population. This study furthered the research by conducting a mixed- method comparison group study with a sample of 151 traditional- aged BSW students. Both groups increased in positive perceptions toward older adults on the Polizzi's (2003) refined Aging Semantic Differential Scale, and there was no significant difference between them. Qualitative results specific to those working with seniors suggest that students either improved or maintained positive attitudes toward this population. Therefore service learning may not need to be specific to this population to improve attitudes but does assist in reinforcing classroom material. Findings illustrate a need for further study of the overall impact of the social work curriculum as well as possible cultural shifts in attitudes toward older adults.

Improving Older People’s Emotion Perception Using High-Freqeuncy Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS)

Event Abstract Back to Event Improving Older People’s Emotion Perception Using High-Freqeuncy Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS) Tao Yang1* and Michael Banissy1 1 Goldsmiths University, United Kingdom Extensive behavioral evidence have shown older people have declined ability in facial emotion recognition. Evidence from neuroimaging suggests that the inferior frontal gyri (IFG) degrades rapidly with aging, and plays a role in facial expression perception. The aim is to investigate whether high frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (high-frequency tRNS) applied to the IFG would improve emotion perception in older adults. Healthy older participants (60+ years) were recruited for this study. Fifteen participants was assigned to receive high-frequency tRNS and sixteen participants were assigned for sham condition. Age, gender, handedness were matched between two groups. Stimulation group received 20-minutes hightRNS (1mA, 15s fade in/out) over the stimulated regions F7 and F8. The results showed that there was a significant improvement for ‘anger’ perception following high-frequency tRNS. In contrast, the same tRNS stimulation did not significantly change the performance on other two face perception tasks.This finding is in line with previous findings from affective studies showing inferior frontal gyrus is more involved in processing negative emotions (anger) rather than positive (happiness) emotions. The findings also highlight tRNS as a potential tool to aid facial emotion perception in typical aging. References Baicy, K. (2008). Dissociation between neural processing and negative emotion in methamphetamine dependance. Google book. Duchaine, B., Yovel, G., & Nakayama, K. (2007). No global processing deficit in the Navon task in 14 developmental prosopagnosics. Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience, 2: 104-113. Fusar-Poli, P., Placentino, A., & Carletti, F., Landi, P. (2009). Functional atlas of emotional faces processing: a voxel-based meta-analysis of 105 functional magnetic resonance imaging studies. J Psychiatry Neurosci, 34, 6, 418–432. Ruffmana, T., Henryb, J.D., Livingstonec, V. & Phillipsd, L.H. (2008). A metaanalytic review of emotion recognition and aging: Implications for neuropsychological models of aging. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 32, 863–881. Turkeys, J. W. (1977). Exploratory Data Analysis. Reading, MA: Addison- Wesley. Keywords: Brain Stimulation, emotion recognition, transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS), normal aging, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) Conference: Belgian Brain Council 2014 MODULATING THE BRAIN: FACTS, FICTION, FUTURE, Ghent, Belgium, 4 Oct - 4 Oct, 2014. Presentation Type: Poster Presentation Topic: Basic Neuroscience Citation: Yang T and Banissy M (2014). Improving Older People’s Emotion Perception Using High-Freqeuncy Random Noise Stimulation (tRNS). Conference Abstract: Belgian Brain Council 2014 MODULATING THE BRAIN: FACTS, FICTION, FUTURE. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2014.214.00006 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 02 May 2014; Published Online: 24 Jun 2014. * Correspondence: Ms. Tao Yang, Goldsmiths University, London, United Kingdom, ytlele18@gmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Tao Yang Michael Banissy Google Tao Yang Michael Banissy Google Scholar Tao Yang Michael Banissy PubMed Tao Yang Michael Banissy Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

The Role of Podiatry in the Prevention of Falls in Older People

Given the age-related decline in foot strength and flexibility, and the emerging evidence that foot problems increase the risk of falls, established guidelines for falls prevention recommend that older adults have their feet examined by a podiatrist as a precautionary measure. However, these guidelines do not specify which intervention activities might be performed. Published in this special issue of JAPMA are nine high-quality articles, including seven original studies and two basic science reviews, focusing on the benefit and impact of footwear and foot and ankle interventions in reducing the risk of falling. The selected studies discuss various relevant questions related to podiatric intervention, including adherence to intervention; preference and perception of older adults in selecting footwear; benefit of insoles, footwear, and nonslip socks in preventing falls; fear of falling related to foot problems; benefit of podiatric surgical intervention; and benefit of foot and ankle exercise in preventing falls.

Getting on With Living Life

Providers in all settings are increasingly aware of the need to focus on transitional care needs and services across healthcare settings to improve quality of life, maintain optimal health, and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations. Home care is an essential piece of the transitional care puzzle, especially in providing services to support older adults with chronic comorbid conditions to remain at home safely with optimal health and psychosocial well-being. Home care is essential in bridging the gap from acute hospital care to home; however, little is known about the needs of older adults after discharge from home care. Our study investigated the perceptions of older adults with chronic health conditions after discharge from home care regarding their daily activities and healthcare needs and identified how these needs were met.

Visuoperceptual deficits and participation in older adults after stroke

Visuoperceptual deficits frequently occur after a stroke, but little is known about how they evolve over time. These deficits may have an impact on participation in daily activities and social roles. The aims were to (i) track changes over six months in the visual perception of older adults with persistent visuoperceptual deficits after a stroke; (ii) examine if these changes differed between participants who had and had not received rehabilitation services; and (iii) verify if participation differed between participants with and without visuoperceptual deficits. Visual perception as well as participation of 189 older adults who had had a stroke were evaluated in the first month (T1) after being discharged home from an acute care hospital (NO REHAB group) or rehabilitation unit (REHAB group). For visual perception, only participants presenting deficits at T1 were re-evaluated at three months (T2; n = 93), and those with deficits at T2 were re-evaluated at six months (T3; n = 61). A total of 57 people (30.2%) had visuoperceptual deficits six months after discharge home. Despite persistent deficits, approximately 45% of the participants in the two groups improved whereas 50% of the NO REHAB group and 24.3% of the REHAB group deteriorated. Changes in the mean scores on the MVPT-V were similar in the two groups. Participation, and especially participation in social roles, was more restricted in participants with visuoperceptual deficits (P < 0.001), independent of the severity of the stroke. Visuoperceptual deficits are common post-stroke. However, they evolve differently in different people and are associated with a reduction in participation.

“It’s Good for Me”: Physical Activity in Older Adults with Schizophrenia

Physical activity (PA) interventions to improve the physical function of older adults with schizophrenia are necessary but not available. Older adults with schizophrenia may have unique barriers and facilitators to PA. The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of older adults with schizophrenia about barriers and facilitators to engage in physical activities that promote physical function. We conducted qualitative interviews with 16 older adults with schizophrenia. Data were collected and analyzed with grounded theory methodology. Participants expressed interest in becoming more physically active for a variety of perceived benefits including psychiatric symptom management and maintenance of basic function. Key barriers and facilitators to PA emerged in five broad categories: Mental Health, No longer a spring chicken, Pride and Sense of Well-being, Comfort and Safety, and Belonging. Interventions in this population should address negative attitudes towards aging and promote routine physical activities that enhance well-being and companionship.

Experience Corps: A dual trial to promote the health of older adults and children's academic success

BackgroundAs the population ages, older adults are seeking meaningful, and impactful, post-retirement roles. As a society, improving the health of people throughout longer lives is a major public health goal. This paper presents the design and rationale for an effectiveness trial of Experience Corps™, an intervention created to address both these needs. This trial evaluates (1) whether senior volunteer roles within Experience Corps™ beneficially impact children's academic achievement and classroom behavior in public elementary schools and (2) impact on the health of volunteers. MethodsDual evaluations of (1) an intention-to-treat trial randomizing eligible adults 60 and older to volunteer service in Experience Corps™, or to a control arm of usual volunteering opportunities, and (2) a comparison of eligible public elementary schools receiving Experience Corps™ to matched, eligible control schools in a 1:1 control:intervention school ratio. OutcomesFor older adults, the primary outcome is decreased disability in mobility and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). Secondary outcomes are decreased frailty, falls, and memory loss; slowed loss of strength, balance, walking speed, cortical plasticity, and executive function; objective performance of IADLs; and increased social and psychological engagement. For children, primary outcomes are improved reading achievement and classroom behavior in Kindergarten through the 3rd grade; secondary outcomes are improvements in school climate, teacher morale and retention, and teacher perceptions of older adults. SummaryThis trial incorporates principles and practices of community-based participatory research and evaluates the dual benefit of a single intervention, versus usual opportunities, for two generations: older adults and children.

A dynamic auditory-cognitive system supports speech-in-noise perception in older adults

Understanding speech in noise is one of the most complex activities encountered in everyday life, relying on peripheral hearing, central auditory processing, and cognition. These abilities decline with age, and so older adults are often frustrated by a reduced ability to communicate effectively in noisy environments. Many studies have examined these factors independently; in the last decade, however, the idea of an auditory-cognitive system has emerged, recognizing the need to consider the processing of complex sounds in the context of dynamic neural circuits. Here, we used structural equation modeling to evaluate the interacting contributions of peripheral hearing, central processing, cognitive ability, and life experiences to understanding speech in noise. We recruited 120 older adults (ages 55–79) and evaluated their peripheral hearing status, cognitive skills, and central processing. We also collected demographic measures of life experiences, such as physical activity, intellectual engagement, and musical training. In our model, central processing and cognitive function predicted a significant proportion of variance in the ability to understand speech in noise. To a lesser extent, life experience predicted hearing-in-noise ability through modulation of brainstem function. Peripheral hearing levels did not significantly contribute to the model. Previous musical experience modulated the relative contributions of cognitive ability and lifestyle factors to hearing in noise. Our models demonstrate the complex interactions required to hear in noise and the importance of targeting cognitive function, lifestyle, and central auditory processing in the management of individuals who are having difficulty hearing in noise.

Promoting Asthma Awareness to Older Adults

The limited existing research on the asthma perceptions of older adults suggests that this population perceives asthma to be a childhood disease and, therefore, believe that they are not susceptible to developing the condition as an adult. The asthma mortality rate is much higher for older adults than for children, and there is considerable negative impact on health-related quality of life. However, health promotion regarding asthma is rarely aimed at this population. To address this issue, social marketing campaign messages and materials about asthma were developed for an older adult population based on quantitative survey data. Through a series of community focus groups, these messages and materials were pretested with older adults to establish the types of asthma health promotion messages, taglines, and images that engage this target audience. Materials that conveyed a “human element” appealed most to older adults, enabling them to relate to the individuals and situations depicted in the images. Positive, empowering messages containing novel information and asking questions of the target population resonated best with older adults. These features should be considered in the development of health promotion campaign materials about chronic disease targeting older adult populations.

The asthma knowledge and perceptions of older Australian adults: Implications for social marketing campaigns

ObjectiveThe purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of the asthma perceptions of older adults and identify gaps in their asthma knowledge. MethodsIn regional New South Wales, Australia, a stratified, random sample of 4066 adults, aged 55 years and over, both with and without an asthma diagnosis, completed a survey based on the Health Belief Model about asthma knowledge and perceptions. ResultsAlmost half of the sample had experienced symptoms of breathlessness in the past four weeks. Breathlessness was a predictor of lower health ratings and poorer mood. Older adults reported low susceptibility to developing asthma. The sample demonstrated poor knowledge of key asthma symptoms including shortness of breath, tightness in the chest and a cough at night. ConclusionThere is a general lack of asthma awareness in this age group. This could result in not seeking medical help, and thus a reduced quality of life. Practical ImplicationsOlder adults should be made aware of key symptoms and the prevalence of asthma in the older adult population, and be empowered to take control of their respiratory health. Audience segmentation for an intervention should be based on recent experience of breathlessness and asthma diagnosis.

Old Age Is a Part of Living: Student Reflections on Intergenerational Service-Learning

Analysis of student journals examined the effect intergenerational service-learning had upon undergraduate students' attitudes and perceptions of older adults. Students (N = 102) engaged in 12 hours of service-learning with older adults that included writing structured reflection journals. Coding involved open, axial, and selective coding with common themes identified from the journals. Results revealed a positive attitude shift toward older adults over the course of the semester, greater comfort with the idea of aging, and a propensity to describe the experience as being personally and professionally influential in their own lives. Students also reported increased course understanding and a desire to continue volunteering. Implications for intergenerational service-learning are discussed.

Older adult perceptions of the physicians’ role in promoting physical activity

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to explore the perceptions of independent living older adults regarding their physicians’ role in promoting physical activity (PA). Methods: A qualitative inductive analysis was undertaken using focus group discussions of independent living adults over age 60. Thirty-one participants were placed into focus groups based on their current level of PA (three focus groups of physically active persons, and three focus groups of physically inactive persons). Discussions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative data were open and axially coded and independently analysed by two researchers for emergent themes. Inter-rater reliability was established (κ = 0.89). Results: Themes for physically active and physically inactive groups included limited or inadequate discussions with their physician regarding PA, and the use of PA as a secondary prevention method. The physician as an extrinsic motivator of PA emerged only in the physically active group discussions. Some participants believed that their physician was uncomfortable discussing PA or that their physician was unable to provide them with sufficient PA guidelines. When PA counseling occurred, it was usually in relation to a preexisting illness. Discussion and conclusion: Although participants were looking to their physician for PA counseling, physicians were not initiating a regular PA dialogue. Possible reasons may include lack of physician knowledge or skill. Further research is needed to explore physicians’ knowledge and comfort when prescribing exercise or PA for their patients.Implications for RehabilitationPhysical activity and exercise are essential to maintain good health and prevent disease.Physicians can play an important role in promoting physical activity.In this small qualitative study, older adults perceived their exercise conversations with their physician as inadequate or only related to preexisting conditions.All health care providers should take collective responsibility for encouraging healthy life style choices including regular physical activity and exercise.

Step Perception in Older Adults: The Effect of Support on Perceived Height

Step Perception in Older Adults: The Effect of Support on Perceived Height

Bienestar Psicológico, Apoyo Social Percibido y Percepción de Salud en Adultos Mayores

This study examined the relationship between psychological well-being, perceived social support and health perception in older adults. The participants were 250 males and females with mean age of 71 years, from Concepcion (Chile). The results showed that psychological well-being had a higher relationship with perceived social support than with health perception, that males reported higher psychological well-being and better health perception than females, and that married participants reported higher psychological wellbeing and higher perceived social support than participants without a partner. Diverse explanatory factors for obtained results are proposed.

Moving Stories: Evaluation of a BSW Oral History Project with Older Adults with Diverse Immigration Histories

The purpose of this study was to evaluate an experiential learning project with BSW students to see if their perceptions of older adults have changed. The project consisted of an oral history project and presentation that matched BSW students with older adults from diverse ethnic backgrounds to gather their immigration narratives. The study used a single group pretest posttest design with 17 BSW students enrolled in an integrative field seminar class. Using a series of inferential analyses, BSW students’ attitudes towards older adults, future career plans, confidence with working with older adults from diverse backgrounds, and geriatric competencies were examined. Overall, a significant increase in BSW students who had varying levels of participation in project perceptions of geriatric social work competencies between pretest and posttest were found. Students who both conducted and presented the oral histories of older adults also were significantly more likely to report future plans to work with older adults compared to students who did not. Exposing BSW students to aging and diversity content has important implications towards fostering student interest in pursuing social work practice with older adults and preparing them for culturally competent social work.

The effect of combined sensory and semantic components on audio-visual speech perception in older adults.

Previous studies have found that perception in older people benefits from multisensory over unisensory information. As normal speech recognition is affected by both the auditory input and the visual lip movements of the speaker, we investigated the efficiency of audio and visual integration in an older population by manipulating the relative reliability of the auditory and visual information in speech. We also investigated the role of the semantic context of the sentence to assess whether audio–visual integration is affected by top-down semantic processing. We presented participants with audio–visual sentences in which the visual component was either blurred or not blurred. We found that there was a greater cost in recall performance for semantically meaningless speech in the audio–visual ‘blur’ compared to audio–visual ‘no blur’ condition and this effect was specific to the older group. Our findings have implications for understanding how aging affects efficient multisensory integration for the perception of speech and suggests that multisensory inputs may benefit speech perception in older adults when the semantic content of the speech is unpredictable.

A neural basis of speech-in-noise perception in older adults.

We investigated a neural basis of speech-in-noise perception in older adults. Hearing loss, the third most common chronic condition in older adults, is most often manifested by difficulty understanding speech in background noise. This trouble with understanding speech in noise, which occurs even in individuals who have normal-hearing thresholds, may arise, in part, from age-related declines in central auditory processing of the temporal and spectral components of speech. We hypothesized that older adults with poorer speech-in-noise (SIN) perception demonstrate impairments in the subcortical representation of speech. In all participants (28 adults, age 60-73 yr), average hearing thresholds calculated from 500 to 4000 Hz were ≤ 25 dB HL. The participants were evaluated behaviorally with the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) and neurophysiologically using speech-evoked auditory brainstem responses recorded in quiet and in background noise. The participants were divided based on their HINT scores into top and bottom performing groups that were matched for audiometric thresholds and intelligent quotient. We compared brainstem responses in the two groups, specifically, the average spectral magnitudes of the neural response and the degree to which background noise affected response morphology. In the quiet condition, the bottom SIN group had reduced neural representation of the fundamental frequency of the speech stimulus and an overall reduction in response magnitude. In the noise condition, the bottom SIN group demonstrated greater disruption in noise, reflecting reduction in neural synchrony. The role of brainstem timing is particularly evident in the strong relationship between SIN perception and quiet-to-noise response correlations. All physiologic measures correlated with SIN perception. Adults in the bottom SIN group differed from the audiometrically matched top SIN group in how speech was neurally encoded. The strength of subcortical encoding of the fundamental frequency appears to be a factor in successful speech-in-noise perception in older adults. Given the limitations of amplification, our results suggest the need for inclusion of auditory training to strengthen central auditory processing in older adults with SIN perception difficulties.

A Secondary Analysis of Perceptions of Quality of Life of Older Adults Residing in a Nursing Home and Assisted Living Setting Using an Integrated Conceptual Model of Measurement

Quality of life is difficult to measure but is fast becoming the standard for long-term care. A secondary analysis was conducted of quality-of-life perceptions of older adults residing in a nursing home and then an assisted living facility from the perspectives of older adults and their family members/friends. This study shows that using a comprehensive integrated model that incorporates six major life domains of physical well-being, social well-being, psychological well-being, cognitive well-being, spiritual well-being, and environmental well-being into the assessment process appears to be a promising approach to determining quality-of-life perceptions of older adults. Findings also suggest that healthcare and human services professionals should place more reliance on indicators of social and environmental well-being, including opportunities for choice, when striving to maximize quality of life of older adults. As the demographic composition of the United States changes, policies and services will need to be modified to accommodate the changing needs of older adults in a way that optimizes perspectives of quality of life.

Aging, perceptual learning, and changes in efficiency of motion processing

In the present study we examined the use of perceptual learning to improve motion processing in older and younger individuals. Using the Perceptual Template Model (Lu & Dosher, 1998, 1999), age-related differences in baseline perceptual inefficiencies and changes due to training were assessed for additive internal noise, tolerance to external noise, and internal multiplicative noise. In Experiments 1 and 2 we trained participants by manipulating contrast in noise embedded sine-wave gratings and Random Dot Cinematograms (RDCs). The results indicate that older observers have higher additive internal noise and lower tolerance to external noise compared to younger observers. The rate of perceptual learning in older observers was found to be similar to that of younger observers suggesting that plasticity of motion processing mechanisms is well preserved in advancing age. Transfer of learning between sine-wave gratings and RDCs for both older and younger observers was examined in an analysis of pre/post-test measurements. The results indicate that transfer of learning occurred for both age groups. This suggests that older individuals maintain a sufficient degree of plasticity to allow generalization between sine-wave gratings and RDCs. In addition, training with RDCs was found to produce greater perceptual learning than training with sine-wave gratings. These experiments provide important findings regarding changes in perceptual efficiency for motion perception in older adults and suggest that perceptual learning is an effective approach for recovering from age-related declines in visual processing.

Healthy Eating Perceptions of Older Adults Living in Canadian Rural and Northern Communities

Aging produces physiologic changes that can affect the nutritional health of the older adult. It is estimated that 80% of community-dwelling older adults have inadequate intakes of four or more nutrients. Socioeconomic factors, such as income and geographic location, can also play an important role in nutritional status; however, limited research is available that specifically explores this. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the healthy eating perceptions of older adults residing in rural and northern communities in one Canadian province. Five focus groups were conducted in three rural and two northern Manitoba communities. Thirty-nine older adults participated in audio-recorded focus groups. Five themes emerged from the discussions. All respondents stated that healthy eating was important, but knowledge deficits were observed regarding label reading, understanding and visualizing portion sizes, and vitamin D recommendations and sources. Food programs were not commonly attended by participants due to availably and resistance. Regularly delivered nutrition education programs would assist in providing current nutrition information to older adults and their families in rural settings.