The experience of falling of older people with dementia and their carers

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Falling by older people is of significant global concern as the population ages, because of subsequent injury, disability, admission to long-term care and mortality. Older people experiencing dementia are twice as likely to fall with more severe consequences. Unsurprisingly, carer-burden increases when a care-recipient falls. Older people are rarely asked about their falls experiences and those with dementia less so. The studies presented in this thesis explore the experiences of falling of older people with dementia and memory problems, and their carers. The studies were informed by contextualism and the primary study used interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore the experiences of nine older people with dementia and their 10 carers, using one-to-one and joint interviews, and three focus groups with nine older people experiencing memory problems and 12 carers from a branch of the Alzheimer’s society. Analysis of the data considered the falls experience itself and the perceived consequences of falls within two higher level themes: ‘Falling as a malevolent force’ as two themes - ‘Going back to the experience’, ‘Reactions, responses and coming to terms with events’, and ‘Falling as the manifestation of dementia’ as two themes - ‘Self, identity and falling’, ‘The caring relationship’. The secondary study elaborated upon primary study data using an inductive interpretative approach unaligned to any tradition. Older people recently diagnosed with dementia and carers from another Alzheimer’s Society branch participated in two focus groups. Participants discussed stimulus cards with quotations from primary study participants. Thematic analysis suggested four major themes: Making sense of falls, The personal and social significance of falling, Falling, self and identity and Struggling to care. The findings demonstrate how falling and dementia are enmeshed and embodied experiences for participants. Spouse-carers’ discussion of their own falls emphasise the need for joint assessment and intervention to reduce carerburden and preserve couplehood

Reflection as praxis : an exegesis of the work of Jurgen Habermas and a consideration of the implications of his thought for a radically-motivated education.

EducationDoctor of Education (Ed.D.

The Role of Distress Tolerance in Aggressive Behavior

Berkowitz (1989) proposed that the degree of negative affect experienced following a frustrating event determines whether one will respond aggressively, suggesting that one possesses a certain amount of tolerance for distressing emotions. However, little research has been conducted on the relation between distress tolerance and aggression. Moreover, no published study has examined the relation between distress tolerance and behavioral aggression using a multi-modal assessment approach, nor examined the potential mediating role of negative affect in the relation between distress tolerance and aggression. To address this gap in the literature, college students (N = 87) aged 18 to 49 years (M = 20.93, SD = 4.65) completed self-report measures assessing aggressive behavior and tendencies, general negative affect, and ability to tolerate distressing emotions. In Phase II, participants completed two ostensibly frustrating and difficult laboratory tasks assessing distress tolerance. After completing these tasks, participants completed a measure of negative affect as well as a reaction-time task against a fictitious opponent assessing aggressive behavior in the laboratory. It was predicted that (1) self-reported aggression would be positively related to behavioral aggression, (2) distress tolerance would be inversely related to aggressive behavior, (3) general negative affect would mediate the relation between self-reported distress tolerance and aggression, and (4) pre- to post-task change in negative affect as well as overall post-task negative affect would mediate the relation between distress tolerance and aggressive behavior observed in the laboratory. Results indicated that most self-report measures of aggression were positively related to behavioral aggression. Distress tolerance was inversely related to most self-report measures of aggression as well as average aggression in the laboratory. Nevertheless, none of the mediational models were significant. Theoretical and clinical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed. Masters thesis: http://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/247

Predicting Amphibian Occurrence Based on Wetland and Landscape Level Factors in Montana

Amphibians have a complex life history that requires a mosaic of habitats, including breeding, foraging, and over-wintering areas. Historically, regulators have focused on wetland breeding habitat quality to explain amphibian presence. Recently, other habitat requirements including landscape level factors have been examined. Data collected from amphibian surveys in Montana were used to determine if wetland quality factors or landscape level factors were better determinants of amphibian occurrence at breeding sites. Twenty-six habitat models were constructed a priori for eight species of amphibians in Montana. This included five models containing parameters associated with wetland quality, ten landscape level models, and ten models that combined both local and landscape covariates. Logistic regression analysis with an information theoretic approach was used to select the best approximating model. Results indicate that habitat models including only wetland variables were not good predictors of presence for most amphibians. The landscape scale at which habitat models were best supported varied among species and was consistent with differing life history traits. The presence of Ambystoma macrodactylum, the western population of Ambystoma tigrinum, Bufo boreas, and Rana luteiventris was best predicted by landscape covariates. Models with a combination of local and landscape covariates were best supported for Rana pipiens, Bufo woodhousii, Pseudacris maculata, and Pseudacris regilla. The probability of Ambystoma macrodactylum presence is highest at breeding sites that are surrounded by forested areas. The western population of Ambystoma tigrinum was positively associated with an increased distance to forest and a higher density of wetlands around a breeding site. The eastern population of Ambystoma tigrinum was negatively associated with higher elevations. Bufo boreas and Rana luteiventris were positively associated with increased forest within 1,000 m, and negatively associated with increased distance to forest and aquatic sites in an agricultural landscape. Bufo woodhousii and Pseudacris maculata were positively associated with open landscapes dominated by natural grasses. The presence of Rana pipiens was positively associated with open landscapes dominated by natural grasses. This project highlights the importance of maintaining intact landscapes around amphibian breeding ponds in order to meet the habitat requirements of amphibians during all stages of their life cycle

The Relationship of Testosterone and 5-HT to Aggressive, Self-Aggressive, and Antisocial Behavior in Men

Studies of humans show an inconsistent relationship between aggression and T, as well as between T and antisocial and self-aggressive behavior. Other biological variables, including cortisol and brain serotonin, have been implicated as having an effect on the regulation of antisocial and self-aggressive behavior. Researchers have suggested that inconsistencies in the T-aggression relation may be due to the presence of moderating variables. One theory posits that serotonin moderates the relation between T and aggression. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between T (as well as cortisol and 5-HT) and aggression-related constructs. A second purpose was to determine if 5-HT functioning moderates the relation between T and aggression and related constructs. Participants for the current study were derived from two archival datasets. Participants (N = 98) who completed the Life History of Aggression semi-structured interview were also administered placebo or paroxetine. Cortisol, free and total testosterone, and 5-HT activity were measured by assaying serum samples via venipuncture at four time points. Results showed that cortisol was negatively correlated with antisocial behavior and that blunted cortisol response (i.e., decreased 5-HT activity) predicted increased aggressive behavior, both of which were consistent with expectations. However, results also showed that increased aggressive and antisocial behavior predicted lower total testosterone levels, which was contrary to hypotheses. No moderating effects for 5-HT were found. The implications and limitations of the current study are discussed. Suggestions for future research are also noted. Doctoral dissertation: http://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/192

The knowledge-in-use of expert and experienced supervisors of PhD students in the social sciences

This thesis examines what expert and experienced PhD supervisors in the social sciences do well and how they do it. It is set in the context of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) initiatives in the early 1990s to broaden the purposes of an academic research training and to promote timely PhD submissions. Many have claimed that PhD supervisors play a central role in the PhD process and this research aspired to achieve clearer understandings of the expertise involved in fulfilling that role. The research was informed by Schutz's phenomenological analysis of common sense and related concepts. It involved a student survey and six supervisor case studies. The survey aimed to determine the criteria in terms of which students judged supervision to be successful, and to identify those expert supervisors who most fully met these criteria. In going beyond criteria identified by students, the aim of the case studies was to ask how successful supervision could be achieved. 'Expert' supervisors agreeing to participate were observed over several supervision sessions and asked later in interview to talk about the various actions they took in the observed sessions. Conclusions drawn from the student survey and the case studies included a close match between student and supervisor criteria and priorities for supervision. A clear emphasis was placed by both supervisors and students on bridging gaps between student knowledge, skills and motivation at any stage and what was necessary to achieve success in their PhD studies. The distinctive nature of supervisory expertise and the willingness of supervisors to reflect usefully on their taken for-granted expert practices were thought to have important implications for the initial and continuing education of PhD supervisors, the relationships between supervision and formal research training, ESRC research training policy, and future research on the craft of PhD supervision

There’s no apprenticeship for Alzheimer’s: The caring relationship when an older person experiencing dementia falls

© Cambridge University Press 2011Older people experiencing dementia are twice as likely to fall with consequences of serious injury, reduction in everyday activity, admission to long-term care and mortality. Carers of people with dementia are themselves at greater risk of physical and mental ill health, which increases as the dementia progresses. Unsurprisingly, carer burden also increases when a care-recipient falls. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of falling of community-living older people with dementia and their carers. A qualitative approach was taken using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Nine older people with predominantly Alzheimer's disease and their ten carers were recruited from a large mental health National Health Service trust and participated in one-to-one and joint in-depth interviews. Three dyads participated in repeat interviews. Three focus groups were also carried out, with nine older people experiencing memory problems and 12 carers from a local Alzheimer's Society branch. The antecedents, falls events and consequences of falls were discussed. This paper reports specifically on the impact of falls on the caring relationship. Three themes emerged: ‘learning as you go’, ‘we're always together’, ‘nobody was interested’. The findings demonstrate how falling accentuates the impact of dementia on the dyad. Spouse-carers' discussion of their own falls emphasise the need for joint assessment of health and wellbeing to reduce carer burden and preserve the couplehood of the dyad.The South West London NHS Mental Health Care Trust which part-funded this researc

An investigation of data compression techniques for hyperspectral core imager data

We investigate algorithms for tractable analysis of real hyperspectral image data from core samples provided by AngloGold Ashanti. In particular, we investigate feature extraction, non-linear dimension reduction using diffusion maps and wavelet approximation methods on our data

Practicing what we preach: Assessing communication center client and staff perspectives of positive communication conferencing practices

Using Mirivel's (2014) Positive Communication Model as a communication center conferencing training framework, both clients and staff were surveyed to determine  to what extent positive communication behaviors were present in communication center client/staff interactions as well as to what extent center staff self-perceptions of positive communication conferencing behaviors align with client perceptions of staff behaviors. Overall, all positive communication behaviors were present in interactions and client and staff perceptions closely aligned. The findings support the use of the Positive Communication Model as a useful framework for training communication center staff on effective conferencing behaviors