26,072 research outputs found

    Aging and Technology Perspectives of Web-Based Chronic Disease Self-Management

    Get PDF
    Many people suffer from chronic disease; however, older adults are at greatest risk of chronic conditions. Although social workers regularly engage with chronically ill older adults, they are not noticeably involved with the research and development of chronic disease management. As such, with recent movements toward health information technology, the efficacy of technology-based chronic disease management is not well established for older adults. Informed by theories of self-management, human development, and technology design, this research investigated lifespan differences of web-based chronic disease self-management. Using a sequential mixed methods design, a secondary data analysis of a diabetes specific web-based self-management intervention (n=462) was performed, followed by qualitative focus groups with 40 older intervention participants, and then mixed for overall interpretation. Results indicated that social workers must take a leadership role in the evaluation and implementation of web-based self-management for older adults to address identified lifespan differences

    Homeless Over 50: The Graying of Chicago's Homeless Population

    Get PDF
    In the winter of 2006, the Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness teamed with Loyola University's Center for Urban Research and Learning to undertake a nine-month study of people in Chicago who were homeless and aged 50 to 64.This study, funded by the Retirement Research Foundation, was undertaken in response to reports from homeless service agencies that this cohort of people was growing. Starting in 2005, agencies including Matthew House, Featherfist and Deborah's Place reported a fast-growing number of people aged 50-64 using homeless services, and that they seemed to both share issues with the rest of the homeless population and face circumstances unique to their age and stage of life.The goal of this study, then, was threefold:1. To obtain a demographic profile of people who are homeless in Chicago and are between the ages of 50 and 64;2. To understand how the various systems designed to serve this population do and do not meet their needs; and3. To begin to suggest a range of policy and programmatic responses to the needs of this population

    Barriers to active participation of school-aged children

    Get PDF

    Designing assisted living technologies 'in the wild' : preliminary experiences with cultural probe methodology

    Get PDF
    Background There is growing interest in assisted living technologies to support independence at home. Such technologies should ideally be designed ā€˜in the wildā€™ i.e. taking account of how real people live in real homes and communities. The ATHENE (Assistive Technologies for Healthy Living in Elders: Needs Assessment by Ethnography) project seeks to illuminate the living needs of older people and facilitate the co-production with older people of technologies and services. This paper describes the development of a cultural probe tool produced as part of the ATHENE project and how it was used to support home visit interviews with elders with a range of ethnic and social backgrounds, family circumstances, health conditions and assisted living needs. Method Thirty one people aged 60 to 98 were visited in their homes on three occasions. Following an initial interview, participants were given a set of cultural probe materials, including a digital camera and the ā€˜Home and Life Scrapbookā€™ to complete in their own time for one week. Activities within the Home and Life Scrapbook included maps (indicating their relationships to people, places and objects), lists (e.g. likes, dislikes, things they were concerned about, things they were comfortable with), wishes (things they wanted to change or improve), body outline (indicating symptoms or impairments), home plan (room layouts of their homes to indicate spaces and objects used) and a diary. After one week, the researcher and participant reviewed any digital photos taken and the content of the Home and Life Scrapbook as part of the home visit interview. Findings The cultural probe facilitated collection of visual, narrative and material data by older people, and appeared to generate high levels of engagement from some participants. However, others used the probe minimally or not at all for various reasons including limited literacy, physical problems (e.g. holding a pen), lack of time or energy, limited emotional or psychological resources, life events, and acute illness. Discussions between researchers and participants about the materials collected (and sometimes about what had prevented them completing the tasks) helped elicit further information relevant to assisted living technology design. The probe materials were particularly helpful when having conversations with non-English speaking participants through an interpreter. Conclusions Cultural probe methods can help build a rich picture of the lives and experiences of older people to facilitate the co-production of assisted living technologies. But their application may be constrained by the participantā€™s physical, mental and emotional capacity. They are most effective when used as a tool to facilitate communication and development of a deeper understanding of older peopleā€™s needs

    Title Examination of Somatic Symptomatology Using the Cleveland Adaptive Personality Inventory and the Dimensional Somatic Questionnaire

    Get PDF
    This study was designed to assess the reliability and validity of the Cleveland Adaptive Personality Inventory (CAPI) and the Dimensional Somatic Questionnaire (DSQ) on the chronic pain population, depression population, and healthy control population. A total of 178 chronic pain participants, 208 depression participants, and 220 healthy control participants were collected, though not all were used for analysis due to missing data. Each participant was administered an online version of the CAPI with the Dimensional Somatic Questionnaire. Both questionnaires were significantly shortened during or prior to analysis. The questionnaires were shortened to make them more practical for use in the clinical setting. This study documented acceptable to excellent reliability for all 10 main scales of the CAPI across all three groups. Additional findings for the CAPI showed that the somatic scale and depression scale were highly sensitive and specific to the chronic pain and depression populations, respectively. The DSQ demonstrated excellent overall reliability. The DSQ was not found to be useful in distinguishing between chronic somatic symptomatology and chronic emotional symptomatology and was not found to have three constructs (e.g. mental health, emotional health, and behavioral health). However, it was found sensitive and specific to chronic pain patients and would be useful in deciphering the amount of functional impairment a chronic pain participant may have

    Title Examination of Somatic Symptomatology Using the Cleveland Adaptive Personality Inventory and the Dimensional Somatic Questionnaire

    Get PDF
    This study was designed to assess the reliability and validity of the Cleveland Adaptive Personality Inventory (CAPI) and the Dimensional Somatic Questionnaire (DSQ) on the chronic pain population, depression population, and healthy control population. A total of 178 chronic pain participants, 208 depression participants, and 220 healthy control participants were collected, though not all were used for analysis due to missing data. Each participant was administered an online version of the CAPI with the Dimensional Somatic Questionnaire. Both questionnaires were significantly shortened during or prior to analysis. The questionnaires were shortened to make them more practical for use in the clinical setting. This study documented acceptable to excellent reliability for all 10 main scales of the CAPI across all three groups. Additional findings for the CAPI showed that the somatic scale and depression scale were highly sensitive and specific to the chronic pain and depression populations, respectively. The DSQ demonstrated excellent overall reliability. The DSQ was not found to be useful in distinguishing between chronic somatic symptomatology and chronic emotional symptomatology and was not found to have three constructs (e.g. mental health, emotional health, and behavioral health). However, it was found sensitive and specific to chronic pain patients and would be useful in deciphering the amount of functional impairment a chronic pain participant may have

    GROWING UP IN IRELAND. Cohort '08 (Infant Cohort). Design, Instrumentation and Procedures for Cohort ā€™08 of Growing Up in Ireland at 9 Years Old (Wave 5)

    Get PDF
    Growing Up in Ireland is the national longitudinal cohort study of children that commenced in 2006. The study has followed two groups of Irish children: Cohort ā€™98 (so-called because most of them were born in 1998; formerly called the ā€˜Child Cohortā€™); and Cohort ā€™08 (most of whom were born a decade later in 2008; formerly called the ā€˜Infant Cohortā€™). The primary aim of the study is to provide a strong evidence base to improve the understanding of childrenā€™s and young peopleā€™s health and development across a range of domains. This information is used to inform government policy in relation to children, yong people and their families

    Work Participation Interventions for Individuals with Disabilities: An Evidence-Based Practice Project

    Get PDF
    This Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) project considered the following question: What are the characteristics of interventions, programs, and services that are effective in supporting work participation for individuals with disabilities and their employers
    • ā€¦
    corecore