Josep Fabà

What Happens in Their Bedrooms Stays in Their Bedrooms: Staff and Residents' Reactions Toward Male–Female Sexual Intercourse in Residential Aged Care Facilities

This study aimed to investigate and compare the reactions of staff and residents of residential aged care facilities (RACFs) toward male–female sexual intercourse taking place in a private space within the facility. A total of 53 professionals and 47 residents from five RACFs located in Catalonia, Spain, were asked to reflect upon what they would think and do if they entered the bedroom of a resident and found him or her having sex with another resident of the opposite gender. The results suggest that male–female partnered sexual activity would generally be considered acceptable and would be respected, although some respondents called into question the appropriateness of such behavior and stated that they would react in a restrictive way. Overall, professionals appeared to be more accepting and permissive than were residents. Although our findings are broadly optimistic, they also suggest that male–female sexual intercourse may be considered an unwelcome sexual practice by some residents and professionals even if it occurs in a private space within the RACF. The fact that both staff and residents may also react in a negative way to the event could constitute a barrier to sexual expression among institutionalized older people.

As Long as They Keep Away From Me: Attitudes Toward Non-heterosexual Sexual Orientation Among Residents Living in Spanish Residential Aged Care Facilities

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY The purpose of this article is to shed light on the attitudes of older people living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) toward non-heterosexual sexual orientation. DESIGN AND METHODS Forty-seven residents living in 5 RACFs located in Catalonia (Spain) were interviewed in relation to the way they would think and react if another resident told them he/she felt sexually attracted to people of the same gender and that he/she had maintained sexual relationships with another man/woman in the home, and whether they would have any problem in sharing common spaces or a room with this resident. RESULTS Most residents expressed some kind of negative reaction ranging from staying away from the resident in question to extreme rejection, although positive and neutral reactions also emerged. Participants were far more reluctant to share a room with that resident than to share common spaces. IMPLICATIONS The prevalence of homophobic attitudes among older people living in RACFs seems to be high. This may be a barrier for LGB residents, making the expression of their sexual identity more difficult and leading to discriminatory practices.

Draw a Young and an Older Person: Schoolchildren's Images of Older People

The goal of this study was to explore stereotypes of older people as expressed in drawings by a sample of primary school children. Sixty children from fourth to sixth grades (30 boys and 30 girls aged 9 to 12 years) were asked to draw a young man, a young woman, an old man, and an old woman. The drawings were content analyzed. Children in our sample seemed to represent old people in varied or multidimensional ways, indicating, thus, that the image they held about elders was less negative than concluded in similar investigations. In fact, although some drawings had negative content, most pictured a positive—and even friendly—image of old people. Moreover, some of the drawings included both positive and negative traits at the same time. Compared with images of young men and women, those of the elderly seem to be more homogeneous and less complex, since there was more agreement on represented details. Suggestions for future research are proposed.

Staff Reactions Toward Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual (LGB) People Living in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) Who Actively Disclose Their Sexual Orientation

Fifty-three staff members currently working in residential aged care facilities located in Barcelona, Spain, were asked about the way they would react if a resident told them that he or she felt sexually attracted and had maintained sexual relationships with another resident of the same gender. Acceptance of non-heterosexual sexual orientation was a frequent answer, and around one in four professionals stated that they would try helping the resident in question, by offering a private space or giving some emotional support. However, some reactions were not consistent with a respectful approach toward sexual diversity, as, for instance, informing the resident’s family or advising the resident to keep his or her sexual orientation hidden. We highlight the importance of developing formal policies and offering formal training to staff in order to address the specific needs of older LGB people living in RACFs.

Staff members’ perceived training needs regarding sexuality in residential aged care facilities

ABSTRACT The purpose of the article is to ascertain if staff members of residential aged care facilities (RACF) perceive the need for training regarding residents’ sexuality, and what, if any, benefits from the training were perceived, and to compare perceived benefits of training between care assistants and professional/managerial staff. Interviews were conducted with 53 staff members of five different RACF in Spain. Their responses to two semistructured questions were transcribed verbatim and submitted to content analysis. Results show that most interviewees said they lacked training about sexuality and aging. Two potential highlighted benefits of the training are knowledge/attitudinal (countering negative attitudes regarding sexuality) and procedural (developing common protocols and tools to manage situations related to sexuality). Care assistants and professional staff agreed on the need for training, though the former emphasized the procedural impact and the latter the knowledge/attitudinal benefits. The results suggest that RACF staff should have an opportunity to receive training on residents’ sexuality, as sexual interest and behavior is a key dimension of residents’ lives.

Development of a measure to evaluate gains among spanish dementia caregivers: The gains associated with caregiving (GAC) scale

BACKGROUND The study is aimed at developing a new measure devised to evaluate gains associated with caregiving for a person with dementia. METHODS We conducted two studies with Spanish informal caregivers. In Study 1 a total of 152 participants responded to a preliminary set of 62 items referred to gains related with caregiving. After exploring their psychometric properties, we studied its factor structure, concurrent validity, and internal consistency reliability by means of, respectively, an exploratory factor analysis (EFA), its correlation with the similar measures, and Cronbachs alpha coefficients. In Study 2 we undertook a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to obtain further evidence regarding the scale dimensionality and we studied its construct validity by calculating its correlations with the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), the Geriatric Depression Scale - Short Form (GDS-SF), and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). RESULTS The final version of the Gains Associated with Caregiving (GAC) scale comprised 22 items, all of which seemed to belong to the same factor according to both the EFA and the CFA. The correlation between the GAC scale and similar measures was statistically significant and strong, and the Cronbachs α coefficient was 0.95. Statistically significant correlations in the expected direction were found between the GAC and the ZBI, the GDS-SF, and the SWLS. CONCLUSIONS The high internal consistency of the GAC scale, and its adequate concurrent and construct validity suggest that it is a suitable instrument for evaluating gains among Spanish informal dementia caregivers.

Tell Me Your Life: Including Life Stories in an Adult Development and Aging Course

The goals of this study were to determine the learning impact of an assignment that consisted of interviewing and analyzing older people’s life stories, and to explore how the assignment was evaluated by students. Participants in the study were 122 first-year social education students enrolled in an adult development and aging course. They evaluated the assignment using an eight-adjective questionnaire and were asked about the benefits of the task. Their answers to the questionnaire were then reviewed using content analysis. The results indicated that marks on the life story assignment predicted marks on an exam about basic course concepts. Students considered that the assignment was interesting, useful, and integrated into the course, although most of them also thought that it was very time-consuming. They identified benefits related to the explicit goals of the course (improvement in the learning of developmental concepts, the acquisition of research-related skills, and the deactivation of aging stereotypes) and personal, growth-related benefits. The authors discuss the difficulties posed by the assignment and its usefulness as a complement to more traditional, lecture-based teaching methods in adult development and aging courses.

Policies Regarding Sexual Expression in Spanish Long-Term Care Facilities for Older People: Sexual expression policies

1. Lee T, Woo BK. Association between neighborhood cohesion and selfneglect: Exploring mental health in Asian Americans. J Am Geriatr Soc 2018;66:1042–1043. 2. Hei A, Dong X. Association between neighborhood cohesion and self-neglect in Chinese American older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 2017;65:2720–2726. 3. Iris M, Ridings JW, Conrad KJ. The development of a conceptual model for understanding elder self-neglect. Gerontologist 2010;50:303–315. 4. Dong X. Elder Abuse. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing AG; 2017. 5. Dong X, Simon M. Prevalence of elder self-neglect in a Chicago Chinese population: The role of cognitive physical and mental health. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016;16:1051–1062. 6. Dong X, Simon M, Beck T et al. A cross-sectional population-based study of elder self-neglect and psychological, health, and social factors in a biracial community. Aging Ment Health 2010;14:74–84. 7. Dong X, Chang ES. Social networks among the older Chinese population in the USA: Findings from the PINE Study. Gerontology 2017;63:238–252. 8. Li M, Dong X. Is social network a protective factor for cognitive impairment in US Chinese older adults? Findings from the PINE Study. Gerontology 2017 Dec 22. [Epub ahead of print] 9. Richard L, Gauvin L, Raine K. Ecological models revisited: Their uses and evolution in health promotion over two decades. Annu Rev Public Health 2011;32:307–326. 10. Alaimo K, Reischl TM, Allen JO. Community gardening, neighbourhood meetings, and social capital. J Community Psychol 2010;38:497–514.

Regulación de la expresión sexual de los mayores ingresados en residencias: la visión de los profesionales

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to determine the opinion of professionals working in residential aged care facilities on the regulation of sexuality in these settings. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty-three professionals from five residential aged care facilities located in the metropolitan area of Barcelona answered several questions regarding the advisability of establishing measures for the regulation of sexuality in RACFs, the elements that could contribute to this, and the aspects that such regulations should consider. RESULTS Around 50% of the participants recognized the advisability of having some type of measures for sexuality regulation in residential aged care facilities. According to their responses this should be developed taking into account professional opinions, but also the points of view of the residents and their relatives. The most frequently mentioned regulations were those that ensured that any kind of sexually charged situation occurred in a private environment. The development of strategies are suggested to distinguish those people with dementia that are competent to consent to sexual acts from those who are not. CONCLUSIONS The opinion of professionals working in RACFs regarding the advisability of establishing measures for sexuality regulation seems to be considerably divided. Thus, whilst around 50% of them recognize their potential usefulness, the other half consider them unnecessary or even counterproductive for the sexual freedom of residents. Associating regulation with prohibition and sexuality with sexual activity was not uncommon among the responses of the participants.

Policies Regarding Sexual Expression in Spanish Long-Term Care Facilities for Older People.

1. Lee T, Woo BK. Association between neighborhood cohesion and selfneglect: Exploring mental health in Asian Americans. J Am Geriatr Soc 2018;66:1042–1043. 2. Hei A, Dong X. Association between neighborhood cohesion and self-neglect in Chinese American older adults. J Am Geriatr Soc 2017;65:2720–2726. 3. Iris M, Ridings JW, Conrad KJ. The development of a conceptual model for understanding elder self-neglect. Gerontologist 2010;50:303–315. 4. Dong X. Elder Abuse. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing AG; 2017. 5. Dong X, Simon M. Prevalence of elder self-neglect in a Chicago Chinese population: The role of cognitive physical and mental health. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016;16:1051–1062. 6. Dong X, Simon M, Beck T et al. A cross-sectional population-based study of elder self-neglect and psychological, health, and social factors in a biracial community. Aging Ment Health 2010;14:74–84. 7. Dong X, Chang ES. Social networks among the older Chinese population in the USA: Findings from the PINE Study. Gerontology 2017;63:238–252. 8. Li M, Dong X. Is social network a protective factor for cognitive impairment in US Chinese older adults? Findings from the PINE Study. Gerontology 2017 Dec 22. [Epub ahead of print] 9. Richard L, Gauvin L, Raine K. Ecological models revisited: Their uses and evolution in health promotion over two decades. Annu Rev Public Health 2011;32:307–326. 10. Alaimo K, Reischl TM, Allen JO. Community gardening, neighbourhood meetings, and social capital. J Community Psychol 2010;38:497–514.