This pilot study uses 'day in the life' methodology to observe the everyday literacy practices of a self-identified thriving elder. Through the case of one nonagenarian female residing in an assisted living community in the United States, we identified the multimodal, posthuman nature of this elder's literacies, exploring how they were connected…

This case study describes art therapy with a client diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. Throughout 26 group art therapy sessions, significant emotional and behavioral changes unfolded along three distinct phases of the process. These stages included: identifying losses, reconciling difficult relationships, and articulating her dreams…

This viewpoint examines the complex ethical issues inherent in art therapy practice within a health-care setting for adults with dementia. The author explores and discusses the ways in which aspirational ethical principles outlined by the American Art Therapy Association can provide direction and guidance. The 6 aspirational ethical principles of…

It is well documented that engagement in arts and cultural activities contributes to improving and maintaining the health and well-being of older people. Despite this, many health and social care professionals do not recognize or accept arts and cultural activities as relevant to their care remit. To address this, a team of 17 individuals…

Background: To what extent is there a significant difference between the elderly's demographic data and their attitudes toward the role of social welfare services in improving their lives? Employed Method: This study used a descriptive method to investigate the activities/services and programs provided by social care homes for the elderly, both…

This paper examines and compares learning narratives associated with older men's participation in three community organisations in an Australian rural setting: an adult and community education provider, an emergency service organization and an aged care facility. The interview data are from a larger Australian study of learning in community…

In this paper, we discuss two types of discourse: the first one--the discourse of cognitive impairment of a long-term care facility (LTCF) reflected in the institution's language policy and in the language use of several caregivers of the LTCF; and the second one, the discourse of "small" stories (Bamberg and Georgakopoulou 2008) told by Alise, a…

Life Satisfaction is considered a key component of psychological well-being as well as a psychological construct that gives an individual the ability to cognitively appraise his or her life. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the successful resolution of Erikson's fifth (adolescence), seventh (adulthood), and eighth…

Residents (N = 32) of 3 skilled nursing homes participated in a study designed to document the nature of the stressors they experienced and the coping mechanisms they used. Medical issues were the most common stressors. The most common coping responses were prayer, reading, watching television, listening to music, and talking to friends and…

There is a trend toward viewing activities as an integral part of basic care in the nursing home, although the setting is extremely challenging to the recreation service provider. This article discusses nursing home personnel, assessment of residents' needs, activities, programs, and future directions of nursing home recreation. (MT)

To improve well-being of nursing home residents and ensure compliance with the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, programs aimed at improving quality of life must strive to satisfy higher level needs of the elderly as identified in Maslow's hierarchy. (SK)

Presents innovative method of using research findings to improve quality of life in long-term care institution. Describes impact of action research in developing service. Examines program implementation in terms of how groups of residents, staff, and families worked to enhance their social environment by strengthening supportive relationships,…

Fifty-two nursing home residents received either a life review or a friendly visit and took part in repeated testings to determine lasting effects of the life review. Results showed a trend toward continued and by year three significant improvement over time in those who received the life review on measures of depression, life satisfaction, and…

Relatives (N=62) of matched pairs of patients in geriatric foster homes and nursing homes rated care provided to their relatives. Significantly more foster family patients had positive pre-placement attitudes than did nursing home patients. Upon follow-up, relatives of foster patients reported seeing more patient improvement, satisfaction,…

Reports on an art therapy intervention which was implemented with 20 elderly nursing home residents so as to improve their psychological well-being. Program evaluation included self-evaluations, case progress notes, journal notes, and photography. Results indicate that participants showed significantly improved measures of self-esteem, and reduced…