Journal of Applied Gerontology

The effectiveness of low-intensity physical activity for improving functional ability and psycho logical well-being in chronically impaired older individuals was demonstrated in a pilot study. Participants who completed 6 weeks of structured low-intensity exercise (N = 77) improved in the time and number of steps required to walk a measured course, in self-assessments of mobility and flexibility, and in three measures of well-being. Those who continued to exercise in a peer-led program (n = 32) maintained improvements in mobility and optimism after 18 weeks.

This research compares the perceptions of 522 adult daughters in five marital status groups on the significance of marital status for parent caregiving. The married women considered support from husbands and children a great benefit for caregiving, but the price of such support is competition between the demands of caregiving and obligations to family. For the nonmarried women, not having such competing demands is considered an advantage, but the cost is having less social support. To further explore competition between parent care and commitments to self and family, a subsample of respondents ranked priorities in their lives. Married women ranked husbands and children as first priorities; never-married women ranked care of elders first. In the caregiving context, marital status affects strain, support, and the evaluation of role priorities.

A crossover clinical trial was conducted comparing reusable and disposable incontinent briefs in a chronic care setting. Information from patients, families, and nursing staff was gathered before and after the study, which included 3 weeks experience with each product type. Skin condition and opinions concerning fit, leakage, odor control, ease of use, perceived cost, perceived environmental effects, and overall preference were outcome variables. No differential effect was found concerning skin condition. At the end of the study, 80% of respondents preferred the reusable product overall. Perceived advantages for the reusable product included cost and environmental friendliness.

Landlords are important "gatekeepers" for frail elderly tenants including those with urinary incontinence (UI). Interviews with 34 landlords reveal that most have dealt with problems of UI. Whereas most residential managers help incontinent tenants, some landlords are rejecting them. Rejection of older incontinent tenants occurs most often in residential hotels, in for-profit buildings, in buildings with more male than female tenants, and in cases of alcoholism or dementia. Incontinence cases that were not solved and remained public were considered appropriate for eviction or placement in more restrictive living environments. Thus UI is a condition that compromises continued community living among certain older renters.

This article describes the development and testing of the Cognitively Impaired Life Quality (CILQ) Scale to quantify differences in quality of life of severely cognitively impaired elderly patients as perceived by nursing caregivers. Two studies are reported. In study 1, focus groups with long-term care nurses were conducted using a vignette to elicit items most relevant to quality of life in cognitively impaired elders. These data were used to generate a 29-item version of the CILQ Scale. An exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure that included items related to social interaction, basic physical care, appearance of patient to others, and nutrition. In study 2, 67 nursing caregivers completed a shortened 14-item CILQ Scale using two actual patients as their reference. With these patients, the factor structure best resembled a three-factor solution including items related to social interaction, nutrition/comfort, and basic physical care.

Although many aspects of occupational stress have been investigated individually, few studies have successfully integrated different characteristics of stress. Moreover, little attention has been focused on staff stress in nursing homes. This article examines the literature on occupational stress in nursing staff and offers a comprehensive model of long-term nursing care stress. The literature review shows that a large number offactors affect occupational stress,from workplace issues such as institutional policies and residents' disabilities to the personal lives of the nursing staff. The stress in turn causes work dissatisfaction, followed by staff intent to leave, resulting in increased turnover. Staff stress also affects the individual worker in many ways. The model encompasses the antecedents, responses, and consequences of stress for individuals in an organization. The outcome variables affect the initial sources of stress and resources both at the job and at the personal levels, producing a cyclic process.

This study focuses on economic adjustment to a major life-cycle turning point, the entry into full retirement, and its immediate impact on income and spending patterns. Cross-sectional data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey interview tapes are analyzed for 1984-1987. Tobit regression analysis of socioeconomic variables on 31 expenditure categories reveals significant increased proclivities to spend on transportation, health, entertainment, and trips immediately after retirement. Older retirees spend less than do younger retirees for all expenditure categories except health insurance and gifts. Singlefemales suffer the most substantial decline in postretirement income, but this is not offset by concurrent expenditure decreases. This unsustainable dissaving rate after retirement poses a severe problem for single women.