Motion sensor-based monitoring technologies are designed to maintain independence and safety of older individuals living alone. These technologies use motion sensors that are placed throughout older individuals' homes in order to derive information about eating, sleeping, and leaving/returning home habits. Deviations from normal behavioral…

Purpose: This study illuminates the concept of "aging in place" in terms of functional, symbolic, and emotional attachments and meanings of homes, neighbourhoods, and communities. It investigates how older people understand the meaning of "aging in place," a term widely used in aging policy and research but underexplored with…

Purpose: Very few studies have examined cognitive decline in caregivers versus noncaregivers, and only 1 study has examined mediators of such decline. We evaluated the relationship between caregiver status and decline on the digit symbol test (DST; a measure of processing speed, attention, cognitive-motor translation, and visual scanning) and…

Purpose: To describe a standardized observation protocol to determine if nursing home (NH) staff offer choice to residents during 3 morning activities of daily living (ADL) and compare the observational data with deficiency statements cited by state survey staff. Design and Methods: Morning ADL care was observed in 20 NHs in 5 states by research…

Purpose: Using the Activity Card Sort (ACS), we derived a measure of lifestyle-adjusted function and examined the distribution of this measure and its correlates in a community sample of older adults at risk for disability transitions. Design and Methods: Participants in the Sources of Independence in the Elderly project (n = 375) completed the…

Purpose: Most individuals with Alzheimer's are cared for in their homes by unpaid family members. Research on caregiving focuses disproportionally on costs of care, service utilization, and negative psychosocial outcomes. Few narrative accounts of Alzheimer's exist; those that do suffer similar pejorative framings and narrow foci. No studies that…

Purpose: To examine perceptions about aging well in the context of cognitive health among a large and diverse group of older adults. Design and Methods: Forty-two focus groups were conducted with older adults living in the community ( N = 396; White, African American, American Indian, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Hispanic). Participant descriptions …

Purpose: The aim of this work is to examine the relationship between aspects of objective and perceived housing and aspects of healthy aging, defined as independence in daily activities and subjective well-being. Furthermore, this research examined the comparability of relationships between housing and healthy aging in the five European countries.…

Examined how well older frail households cope with requirements of independent living (household operation activities, housing consumption adjustments, health-related activities). Found that those lacking financial resources and informal supports were less likely to cope with independent living requirements and that families carried major burden…

Purpose: This study examined the association between cognitive functioning and completion of a durable power of attorney for health care. Design and Methods: Participants were from the Second Longitudinal Study on Aging (LSOA II), a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling persons who were at least 70 years of age at the time of…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine racial/ethnic differences in the relationship between functional disability and the use of health care services in a nationally representative sample of older adults by using the Andersen behavioral model of health services utilization. Design and Methods: The study used 12 years of longitudinal…

Used data from survey of elderly persons on Java to investigate prevalence of dependency status (functional, economic, residential) and implications of dependency status for happiness with old age. Dependency on kin was not negative situation, but having economic dependents appeared burdensome. Gender, being able to provide inheritance, and…

Describes project helping frail elders to live independently. Describes community forums through which elders engaged in problem solving with health care professionals and policymakers. Notes that, when asked about remaining independent, 102 elders' responses fit into themes: safety; problems communicating with health care providers;…

Purpose: To identify the most common beliefs concerning the negative consequences of falling and determine whether these motivate avoidance of activity. Design and Methods: A questionnaire assessing feared consequences of falling was completed by 224 community-living people aged older than 75. Beliefs about the consequences of falling were related…

Examines the perceptions of older, community-dwelling adults about factors they consider essential for remaining independent. In-depth interviews with 103 residents revealed that they considered finances, health, family support, a sense of identity, and a feeling of independence as contributing to their ability to remain in the community. (RJM)