Sex, Dementia, and Long-Term Care: Public Perspectives

The current mixed methods study utilized an ecological framework to examine public perspectives toward sexual behaviors among long-term care residents with dementia. Analyzing attitudes of the public is an integral component of understanding the entire ecological system that affects the development and overall well-being of a long-term care resident. Attitudes were examined using a multiple segment factorial vignette with a probability sample of 329 respondents from a southern state. Results indicate that attitudes were not statistically affected by sex or the elapsed time since diagnosis, and age, spousal disposition, and degree of intimacy predicted attitudes. A respondent’s education level also predicted attitudes across segments; those who attained higher levels of education were consistently more accepting of sexual behaviors, less likely to expect staff intervention in adulterous relationships, and were supportive of the healthy spouse beginning a new relationship. An ecological perspective provided a framework for guiding and informing future research on the influences of long-term care on sexual development and, in turn, for the development of relevant long-term care policy

Translating Policy, Systems, and Environmental Change for Use in the Family Context

Theorists argue that emphasizing changes to the policies, systems, and environments in which individuals live has more economical and sustainable impact on human health than interventions targeted directly to individuals (Kegler et al., 2015). We believe, however, that the ecology of the family remains an essential context for influencing individual behavior and contend it crucial that family life educators acknowledge the impact of family-level health-improvement initiatives. As such, we propose a behavior-change model for the family context that reflects the impact of interconnected family rules (policy), family relationships (systems), and the home (environment) on individual behavior, and acknowledge the underlying philosophical values that influence decisions about development, well-being, and health (see Figure 1; Bates & Yelland, 2018). Although the four framework concepts are interrelated, each can be conceptualized and operationalized uniquely. Future research will delineate techniques for evaluating how changes to family rules, family relationships, and the home impact human health

An Analysis of Aging-Related Needs and Programming Across the Extension North Central Region

As the U.S. population ages, Extension\u27s need for associated organizational readiness increases. We conducted a needs assessment with a sample of 1,028 Extension professionals in the Extension North Central Region (NCR) to identify the current scope of aging-related community needs. Health care, chronic disease prevention and management, housing, and transportation emerged from qualitative analysis as top aging-related needs. A rank-order analysis identified finances, healthy aging, and aging-friendly communities as chief community concerns. Additionally, the NCR Extension professionals indicated the importance of resources and programs and need for community capacity building related to aging issues, regardless of their programming area and/or responsibilities

Forming a Multistate Network: From Passion and Coincidence to Vision and Sustainability

The North Central Region Aging Network (NCRAN) formed out of a need to strengthen the potential for meeting curricular and educational demands related to the topic of aging. By pooling resources, establishing interactive and consistent methods of idea sharing, working collectively to assess community needs, and launching professional development initiatives, network members are able to effectively and efficiently address constituent needs across state lines. Early success and sustainability of NCRAN can be largely attributed to four lessons learned: (a) visioning, (b) shared leadership, (c) connection, and (d) data-driven decision making. Other Extension professionals seeking to address constituent needs may find success in forming similar collaborative networks