Department of Family Studies and Gerontology
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Browsing Department of Family Studies and Gerontology by Subject "Aging"
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- ItemA 10-year portrait of theorizing in family gerontology: Making the mosaic visible(Journal of Family Theory & Review, 2020-06) Humble, Áine M.; Seidel, Amber J.; Yorgason, Jeremy B.; Redden, MarcoBased on a content analysis of family gerontology empirical studies in 13 journals (2009–2018), this article identifies theories currently being used and provides suggestions for future family gerontology theorizing. Family gerontologists are now using a greater range of theories than they were in the 1990s, including many middle‐range ones, and more scholars are citing multiple theories in their publications. Ways to advance family gerontology theorizing are to integrate more gerontology content into family theory textbooks, link middle‐range theories to broader general theories, and discuss how to use multiple theories effectively in research. Commonly used and emerging theories in family gerontology research can also be closely examined, and findings related to intersectionality and intergenerational ambivalence are briefly examined as examples of emerging theories used to study later‐life families.
- ItemAn exploration of how individual characteristics and facility features influence long-term care residents‟ personal relationships(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2014-09) Nadeau, Sacha; Keefe, JanicePersonal relationships are intrinsically connected to resident quality of life (QOL). In 2012, analysis of the Care and Construction project‟s InterRAI QOL resident survey indicated the personal relationships domain was the lowest scoring. Applying a mixedmethods ecological perspective, this research investigates how individual and/or environmental factors influence the domain of residents‟ personal relationships through a secondary data analysis of surveys of 319 long-term care residents from 23 facilities in Nova Scotia. Multi-level modeling was deemed inappropriate since environmental level variables between facilities (facility type, rural/urban) only accounted for 3% of variance in residents‟ relationships. As such, hierarchical regression analyses were used to determine the contributions of within-facility factors on residents‟ personal relationships. Statistically significant QOL domains within facilities included comfort, autonomy, food, activities, staff bonding and staff responsiveness. Individual risk factors for low personal relationships were widowhood and being over 85. Qualitative analyses of open-ended questions illustrated the lived-experience of residents and how care provision and facility features helped or hindered the maintenance and development of personal relationships. Results suggest that improved social engagement within facilities is needed; newer facility designs are not sufficient to foster the social engagement of residents. Holistic care should address both physical and social needs. As governments and the LTC sector strive to achieve the best fit between cost containment and improving QOL for residents, this research sheds light on the social experience of residents.
- ItemIntroduction to the special issue on theorizing in family gerontology: Beyond broad strokes to the finer details(Journal of Family Theory & Review, 2020) Rauer, Amy; Humble, Áine M.; Radina, M. Elise
- ItemMoving from ambivalence to certainty: Older same-sex couples marry in Canada(Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 2013-06) Humble, Áine M.A qualitative study, within a life course perspective, explored the transition into marriage for mid- to later-life same-sex couples. Twenty individuals (representing 11 couples) were interviewed – 12 lesbians, seven gay men, and one bisexual man. At the time of their marriages, participants were between 42 and 72 years old (average age: 54) and had been with their partners from six months to 19 years (average: 7.5 years). Three processes highlighted the ways in which these same-sex couples’ experiences of deciding to marry were influenced by their life course experiences. First, individuals had to integrate marriage into their psyches (integration). Second, they had to consider why they would marry their specific partner (rationale). Third, the study participants demonstrated how their experiences of wedding planning and their wedding characteristics were imbued with intentionality as a result of lifetime experiences of homophobia and/or heterosexism (intentionality).
- ItemNot All Positive: A Feminist Phenomenological Analysis of Women’s Experiences of Botox Treatment and Other Injectable Facial Fillers(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2014-04) Berwick, Sandi; Humble, ÁineNon-cosmetic procedures to the face (e.g., Botox and other injectable fillers) have been widely popularized in the media for how they reduce facial signs of aging, yet significantly misunderstood with respect to their impact on women, particularly those who have negative experiences. To fill this research gap, seven women who had negative or mixed emotions about having had Botox or other facial injectables were interviewed. The women were from Canada and the United States, and ranged in ages from 38 to 62 years old. Data was analysed using feminist moral theory and a hermeneutic phenomenological method, focusing on corporeal modes of being, as well as temporal and relational modes. Four women had serious physical and psychological side effects (e.g., heightened sensitivity to noise, anxiety, problems sleeping, and depression) (The Fractured Body), and others had impacts ranging from minor and unwanted physical skin changes to fear of potential, future side effects (e.g., fear of potential addiction) (The Reflective Body). Participants acknowledged influences of sexism and ageism and recognized the impact of patriarchal and capitalistic ideologies (The Commodified Body). Questionable ethical practices were evident in the medical profession, plastic surgery industry, and pharmaceutical industry (The Abandoned Body). Results also explore their transformations in terms of their relationships to their bodies and themselves (e.g., guilt over having had the procedure done yet a more positive outlook on aging), to others, to society (e.g., trust in the medical profession), and to the future (The Transformed Body). Although most people seem to not have negative side effects, there needs to be more room for these women’s voices, as well as a responsive and supportive medical industrial complex, rather than one that silences them.
- ItemOlder LGBT adults’ end-of-life conversations: Findings from Nova Scotia, Canada(Atlantis, 2018-08-02) Gahagan, Jacqueline; Humble, Áine M; Gutman, Gloria M.; de Vries, BrianAlthough increasing research attention inNorth America is being paid to the health and social disparities experienced among older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations, end-of-life (EOL) preparations among these populations are not yet well understood. This study explored olderLGBT individuals’ EOL preparations and service providers’ perceptions of such provisions. In this qualitative study, we conducted three focus groups with 15 LGBT adults aged 60 and older who have at least one chronic health condition and live in NovaScotia. We also conducted one focus group with four service providers. We identified four themes: (a)LGBT communities of care have changed over time,(b) difficulties in asking others for help, (c) hesitancy in thinking about end-of-life, and (d) varying views on the helpfulness of internet technology. The findings illustrate ongoing tensions between being“out” about one’s sexual orientation or gender identity and being able to engage with social and health care providers in determining EOL planning.
- ItemOlder women’s negative psychological and physical experiences with injectable cosmetic treatments to the face(Journal of Women & Aging, 2017) Berwick, Sandi; Humble, Áine M.Seven women (43 to 64 years old) who had negative or mixed emotions about having Botox and/or facial filler injections to the face to reduce signs of aging were interviewed about the impact of the procedures. Impacts ranged from disappointment to all-encompassing, lingering physical and psychological effects, and some women felt abandoned by the medical industrial complex when they turned to it for help with their symptoms. A feminist phenomenological analysis focused on corporeal, temporal, and relational existential modes of being. We describe their bodily experiences as (a) commodified, (b) fractured.
- ItemQualitative research in the CJA/RCV: An 18-year analysis (1995–2012)(Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement, 2016-03) Humble, Áine M.; Green, MaureenSome researchers have suggested that qualitative research is increasing in the gerontology field, but little systematic analysis has tested this assertion. Using the Canadian Journal on Aging/La Revue canadienne du vieillissement as a case study, we analysed articles reporting on original research from 1995 to 2012. One in four articles were qualitative, and results in three-year intervals show a clear increase in qualitative research findings during this 18-year time frame: (a) 1995-1997: 10 per cent; (b) 1998-2000: 19 per cent; (c) 2001-2003: 25 per cent; (d) 2004-2006: 25 per cent; (e) 2007-2009: 29 per cent; and (f) 2010-2012: 43 per cent. In all time intervals (with the exception of 2004-2006), French language articles were more likely to use a qualitative research design compared to English language articles. Topics, methodologies, and data collection strategies are also discussed.