Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Verbal and nonverbal indicators of quality of communication between care staff and residents in ethnoculturally and linguistically diverse long-term care settings
Abstract Linguistic and ethnocultural diversity in long-term residential care is a growing trend in many urban settings. When long-term care staff and residents do not share the same language or ethnocultural background, the quality of their communication and care are jeopardized. There is very little research addressing how staff and residents communicate when they experience a mismatch in their language and ethnocultural backgrounds. Thus, the goals of the present study were to 1) document the verbal and nonverbal behaviours used by staff and residents in diverse interactions, and 2) identify and accoun...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - August 10, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Idioms of Distress Among Depressed White-Non-Mexican and Mexican-Origin Older Men
This study investigates: a) the range of idioms of distress that emerge in the narratives of depressed older men, and b) the use of these idioms among depressed WNM and Mexican-origin older men. The present report is based on qualitative data collected through the Men’s Health and Aging Study (MeHAS), a mixed-method study of clinically depressed WNM and Mexican-origin older (65 and above) men recruited in primary care settings. Qualitative analysis of 77 interviews led to identification of idioms of distress and informed idiom categories. Study findings show that: a) both groups of men utilized a range of idioms of distr...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - July 25, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Sources of Response Bias in Older Ethnic Minorities: A Case of Korean American Elderly
Abstract The present study was undertaken to investigate potential sources of response bias in empirical research involving older ethnic minorities and to identify prudent strategies to reduce those biases, using Korean American elderly (KAE) as an example. Data were obtained from three independent studies of KAE (N = 1,297; age ≥60) in three states (Florida, New York, and Maryland) from 2000 to 2008. Two common measures, Pearlin’s Mastery Scale and the CES-D scale, were selected for a series of psychometric tests based on classical measurement theory. Survey items were analyzed in depth, using ps...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - June 7, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Loneliness of Older Immigrant Groups in Canada: Effects of Ethnic-Cultural Background
This study aimed to explore the loneliness of several groups of older immigrants in Canada compared to native-born older adults. Data from the Canadian General Social Survey, Cycle 22 (N older adults = 3,692) were used. The dependent variable is the 6 item De Jong Gierveld loneliness scale. Determinants of loneliness included country of birth, ethnic background (cultural context); belongingness (community context) and social networks (social context). Results showed that only some immigrant groups are significantly lonelier than older adults born in Canada. Immigrants with similar language and culture are not lonelier; whi...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - May 15, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

‘There’s a letter called ef’ on Challenges and Repair in Interpreter-Mediated Tests of Cognitive Functioning in Dementia Evaluations: A Case Study
Abstract In the Scandinavian countries Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland, the number of first generation migrants reaching an old age, who will be in need of age-related health-care, is rapidly increasing. This situation poses new demands on health-care facilities, such as memory clinics, where patients with memory problems and other dementia symptoms are referred for examination and evaluation. Very many elderly people with a foreign background require the assistance of an interpreter in their encounter with health-care facilities. The use of, and work by an interpreter is crucial in facilitating a sm...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - May 15, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

On Aging and Aged Care in Serbia
Abstract Serbia is a demographically old nation, with 17.4 % of its residents being aged 65 years and older in 2011. The previous two decades of turbulent history have significantly affected the demographic picture of this country, and their ramifications remain visible in Serbia's economic, political, cultural, and health spheres. Major demographic forces behind population aging in Serbia can be attributed to lower fertility rates, migrations, and declining mortality (reflecting improvements in overall health leading to a longer life expectancy). In Serbia, low fertility and migrations appear to play m...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - May 7, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Perceived Challenges in Dementia Care by Vietnamese Family Caregivers and Care Workers in South Australia
Abstract The majority of Vietnamese Australians migrated to Australia as refugees to escape a war and this unique migration background may affect their ability to access and utilize healthcare services in Australia. Inability to utilize dementia services is associated with higher levels of caregiver burden, higher rates of morbidities and mortality and hospitalization. The aim of the study was to explore the perceived challenges of dementia care from Vietnamese family caregivers and Vietnamese care workers. Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics was used to interpret and describe the experiences of the pa...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - May 3, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Falls, Falls Prevention and the Role of Physiotherapy and Exercise: Perceptions and Interpretations of Italian-Born and Australian-Born Older Persons Living in Australia
Abstract Exercise programmes are effective in reducing falls but few older people consider doing an exercise programme for falls prevention. This paper examines older people’s perceptions and experiences of falls, physiotherapy and exercise. Individual interviews were conducted with Australian-born and Italian-born older persons who had ≥1 fall in the past 12 months and completed a community-based physiotherapy programme. Although preventing further falls was considered important, participants were unsure whether falls were preventable. Few described evidence-based approaches such as exercise or medi...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - April 28, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Cross-Cultural Comparison of Self-Transcendent Wisdom Between the United States and Korea
This study compared similarities and differences in the factor structure of a measure of wisdom focused on self-transcendence in U.S. (n = 305, M age = 33.99) and Korean samples (n = 838, M age = 30.28), with ages ranging from 20 to 73). The Adult Self-Transcendence Inventory (ASTI; Levenson et al. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 60, 127–143, 2005) has two factors, self-transcendence and alienation, the latter of which was included to differentiate between social withdrawals due to contemplative practices versus that due to depression. Confirma...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - April 23, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Who Supports Whom? Gender and Intergenerational Transfers in Post-Industrial Barbados
This study examines the likelihood that older adults and their children in Bridgetown, Barbados engage in exchanges of financial, functional, and material support and the extent to which gender influences transfers. Data come from the 2000 Survey of Health, Well-Being and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean (SABE) of Bridgetown, Barbados N = 3876 children, representing 1135 families. Multivariate logistic regression models examine the demographic and economic situations of both older and younger cohorts that encourage or constrain intergenerational exchanges. Results confirm, as in many developing countries, a hig...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - April 19, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Social Capital in Ethnic Communities and Mental Health: A Study of Older Korean Immigrants
This study examined how social capital in ethnic communities (e.g., social cohesion, community support, community participation, and negative interaction) influences depressive symptoms of older Korean immigrants. Using survey data from 209 participants in Central Texas (M age  = 69.6, SD = 7.50), hierarchical regression models of depressive symptoms were examined with the following sets of predictors: (1) demographics, (2) physical health, (3) sociocultural factors, and (4) ethnic community factors. After controlling for the multiple sets of individual...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - February 7, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Acknowledgement of Reviewers
(Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology)
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - February 3, 2015 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

A European Perspective on the Service Delivery Systems for Assistive Technology – Differences and Similarities Between Latvia and Sweden
Abstract National laws and regulations on service delivery systems (SDS) for assistive technology (AT) in Europe aim to support the activity and participation of people with disabilities. The aim of this paper was to study similarities and differences in the SDS for AT of one Eastern and one Western EU member state. The legislation and regulations, and their operationalization were described from the perspective of key actors, with a focus on the ageing population. Semi-structured interviews (N = 14) were conducted in Sweden and Latvia. The informants had various professional backgrounds and organizat...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - December 5, 2014 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Intergenerational Living Arrangements in Myanmar and Thailand: A Comparative Analysis
Abstract The present study compares living arrangements and related intergenerational support in Myanmar and Thailand based on recent national surveys of older persons in both countries and prior surveys in Thailand. The countries share relatively similar cultural contexts but differ radically in economic development. Substantially higher percentages of older persons in Myanmar currently coreside with their children and are considerably more likely to have non-coresident children living in the same locality. They are also less likely to live with a spouse and to have children living at a substantial dista...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - November 25, 2014 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research

Fighting for Wellness: Strategies of Mid-to-older Women Living with Cancer
Abstract A significant portion of older adult cancer patients are using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM ) during and after treatment. I used four case studies to examine the strategies of older adult CAM-using cancer patients to maintain a sense of well-being as they transitioned to a post-treatment phase of life. Data were collected via qualitative interviews. Findings included strategies for financing CAM treatments, dealing with life disruption, and managing the complete nutritional overhaul recommended by their program. Participants worked to achieve new lifestyles and senses of wellness, ...
Source: Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology - November 13, 2014 Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research