Clifton E. Barber

Family Care of Alzheimer's Patients: The Role of Gender and Generational Relationship on Caregiver Outcomes

In this study of 262 individuals caring for victims of Alzheimers disease, the time-invariant factors of caregiver gender and generational relationship were analyzed for their negative impacts on caregiving. Caregiving impacts included strain in family relationships, restrictions in social activity, and decline in health. Results indicate that the impacts of caregiving are not distributed uniformly among caregivers but vary according to both caregiver gender and the generational relationship between the caregiver and the care recipient. Caregiver gender influences strain in family relationships and decline in caregiver health; generational relationship affects restrictions in caregiver social activity. To a lesser extent, caregiving involvement is affected by both gender and generational relationship.

On defining wisdom.

Many gerontologists propose definitions of wisdom. Usually these are “empirical,” as opposed to a-priori or “real” definitions. In this article we defend an a-priori definition of wisdom. We briefly explain a-priori and empirical definitions, and how they relate to each other in research. After rejecting two classical a-priori definitions of wisdom, we present and defend our own, and examine its ability to predict key findings of recent empirical studies. Finally, we describe some implications of our approach for future empirical studies of wisdom.

Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity as Predictors of Burnout Among Staff Caring for Elderly Dementia Patients

Self-administered questionnaires were completed by 75 staff providing direct care to institutionalized elderly patients with Alzheimers Disease or a related dementia. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to investigate the relative influence of four sets of predictor variables on burnout: (a) staff characteristics, (b) workload and caregiving involvement, (c) work environment characteristics, and (d) social support. The guiding hypothesis was that work environment characteristics (role conflict and role ambiguity) collectively would be the best predictors of burnout. Staff burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and specifically the Emotional Exhaustion subscale of the MBI. Work environment characteristics accounted for more than 60% of the explained variance in burnout; the majority of this variance being explained by the factor of role conflict. Implications for re-structuring the work environment in long-term care settings are described.

Olfactory acuity as a function of age and gender: a comparison of African and American samples.

A frequently reported finding in age-related sensory impairment is that olfaction shows consistent and uniform decline with age. In most studies, discerning whether loss in olfaction is due to aging per se or to factors extrinsic to the aging process (e.g., smoking, chemical exposure, head injury) is difficult. Moreover, studies of olfaction have generally relied on data collected from samples drawn primarily from Western societies. As such, little is known regarding differences in olfaction involving non-Western cultures. Using international data from the 1986 National Geographic Smell Survey, responses of 19,219 American respondents and 3,204 respondents from Africa were analyzed. All respondents were screened for factors negatively affecting olfaction. Measures of olfactory acuity included odor detection, identification, intensity, and quality. The odor of interest was androstenone, a scent produced by bacteria on the human body and appearing in sweat. The results indicate that some measures of olfactory acuity tend to decline across age groups, but that this decline is less marked than reported in previous studies. The most important finding is that loss of olfaction is not consistent or uniform between geographic regions of America or Africa, between male vs. female respondents, or among the four measures of olfactory acuity. African respondents (both men and women) had significantly higher percentages of detection than did American respondents, women generally reported higher levels of olfactory functioning than did men, and some measures of olfaction were stable across age groups, or were higher among older respondents (e.g., odor identification).

Utilization of Formal Support Services Among Hispanic Americans Caring for Aging Parents

Abstract Most studies of formal service utilization among ethnic minority groups reveal little about the within-group variation in formal service use by caregiving families. The present study explores patterns of formal service utilization among 43 Hispanic caregiving families that vary according to differences in level of acculturation. In so doing, the utility of Andersens behavioral model of health care service utilization is called into question.

Gerontology Training in Marriage and Family Therapy Accredited Training Programs

Abstract Against the demographic backdrop of an aging society, this study investigated the degree to which accredited Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) programs incorporate gerontological content in their curricula and the extent to which faculty affiliated with these programs have gerontological interests and/or are engaged in scholarly work related to gerontology. Data were collected from program “self-study” reports submitted to the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). Documentation in these reports includes both course syllabi and faculty vitae. The studys findings indicate that only minimal coverage of gerontological and later-life family issues is addressed by the accredited MFT programs. Only 8.9% of the MFT courses in these programs incorporated gerontological or later-life family content to some degree.

Ethical Issues in Family Care of Older Persons with Dementia: Implications for Family Therapists

ABSTRACT Despite a considerable literature on family care of the elderly, comparatively little attention has been devoted to the ethical dimensions of caring for frail and dependent older family members. Nor is there an extensive literature available to guide family therapists or others in the helping professions who work with families experiencing ethical dilemmas and issues associated with caring for elderly loved ones. The purpose of this paper is to highlight some of the ethical dilemmas families face in caring for an elderly loved one, and to identify several ethical principles that can be used to address these dilemmas. There is an explicit focus on families caring for aged parents afflicted with a dementia such as Alzheimers disease.

RESPONSE FORMAT AND CODING PROCEDURES IN RESEARCH ON TIME PERSPECTIVE: A METHODOLOGICAL COMMENTARY

The dimension of time perspective for extension of personal future was examined as it may be affected by response format and coding procedures. A total of 75 undergraduate students responded to a questionnaire containing one of three formats for reporting anticipated future life-events, varying in the structure imposed on responding. Temporal estimates of life-event occurrence were coded using two procedures, each of which permitted a near and a far value. Analyses suggest that the greatest degree of caution should occur in considering the representativeness of far estimates of extension provided under an open-event format. While coding procedures each produced a significant near/far difference, cross-procedure comparisons were not as impressive, despite also being significant. Questions can therefore be raised regarding techniques for obtaining time perspective data and preparing them for analysis.

Plato's Theory of Aging

Platos writings express a positive attitude toward elderly people. But do his writings also show a serious theoretical interest in issues of aging? We approach this question by comparing what Plato says about aging to major theoretical issues in gerontology. We argue that many of Platos subtler observations of the behavior of elderly people and many of his ideas about aging anticipate specific research and theoretical advances in contemporary gerontology. We compare passages in Platos works to the debate between activity and disengagement theories, the concepts of continuity and gerotranscendence, Robert Butlers discovery of “the life review,” and recent theories of old age wisdom. Platos anticipation of these ideas and issues related to them suggests that his writings may contain still other major insights into aging which are not yet articulated in gerontology. We suggest three possibilities.

Is Religiosity a Protective Factor for Mexican-American Filial Caregivers?

Using interview data collected from 47 Mexican-American families, this study explored whether two measures of religiosity—prayer and/or meditation, and participation in religious services—predicted caregiving outcomes in filial caregivers. Dependent variables included the perceived benefits derived from caregiving, and the subjective appraisal of caregiving as burdensome. Treated as covariates were caregiver age and income, care receiver co-residence, cultural orientation, the care receiver’s functional impairment, restrictions on the caregiver’s social activities, and the caregiver’s sense of mastery and competence in caregiving. Use of prayer and/or meditation was predictive of the perception that caregiving resulted in perceived benefits, and participating in religious services/meetings/activities was predictive of lower levels of subjective burden.