This study developed the Japanese version of the Gerotranscendence Scale Type 2 (the GST2) and examined reliability and validity of the scale. In Japan, 525 community-dwelling older adults (Male = 260, Female = 265) answered a questionnaire. An exploratory factor analysis of the Japanese version of the GST2 revealed the same three-factor structure…

With many Western societies structured for adults to live longer and take responsibility for their health, it is valuable to investigate how older persons reason about this demand. Using mixed methods, this pilot studied how older persons reason about responsibility for health and their responsibility as a patient. Interviews with a small Swedish…

Many old people suffer from prolonged and multiple bodily ailments, new diseases, and increased risk for disadvantages and losses in life. Aging also means becoming mature and wise. This study illuminates the meaning of the lived experience with respect to changes in late life. Using a phenomenological hermeneutic method, this study analyzes…

Examined relationship between bilingual Finnish demented patients (n=7) and bilingual/monolingual (Swedish-Finnish/Swedish) caregivers during morning care sessions regarding promotion of integrity in demented persons. Found that bilingual caregivers' relationships with patients was positive or mainly positive, whereas monolingual caregivers had…

Caregivers (n=158) from Swedish nursing home rated severely demented person as painful, apathetic, suffering, weak, afraid, sad, cold, dark, rough, and ugly. Four years later, comparable group of 93 caregivers answered revised questionnaire. Results were nearly identical to first administration. (Author/NB)

Examined how narcissistic intrusion during early childhood may develop into narcissistic difficulties which manifest themselves later in life in feelings of loneliness in elderly women (N=207). Results indicated loneliness in old age was greater among an intruded group in comparison to those whose parental influence was not intrusive. (Author/ABL)

Statistics on place of death, validated against longitudinal evidence on entrance into nursing homes, shows the "final" rate of institutionalization to have risen in Sweden between 1938 and 1975. Issues concerning who is institutionalized and why appear more important than precise measurement of rates of institutionalization. (Author/NB)

Sex differences in the etiology of normal cognitive functioning in aging remain largely unexplored. We conducted an investigation of genetic and environmental contributions to sex differences in level of cognitive performance and rate of decline in the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging (SATSA) (Finkel & Pedersen, 2004) data set. Behavioral…

Interviewed two expert caregivers about their experiences of caring for severely demented patients. Ethical reasoning, exemplified by tender descriptions of relatedness to patients, indicated that expert caregivers used sound knowledge combined with imagination, empathy, and intuition to grasp situation, where patient is regarded as person with…

Examines attitudes toward societal relations of the elderly and explores which correlates were associated with the attitudes. Positive attitudes among the young were associated with low age, high education, and being female. Among the elderly, work commitment and contacts with peers were indicative of positive attitudes toward social activities.…

Objectives of this study were to explore factorial dimensionality of 42 attitudinal items designed to measure attitudes concerning old people, and to compare these factor structures in two groups. Respondents were divided into a younger group (370 participants aged 30-65) and an older group (337 participants aged 70-75). (Author)

Messages in the consumer culture are often youth oriented, aiming at the prevention of the bodily decay associated with biological aging. In gerontological discourses, this has been hypothesized to generate negative attitudes toward embodied aging and old age. Studies about general attitudes toward old age show that younger respondents have more…

Younger (N=24) and older subjects (N=24) generated one or three properties to set of 40 nouns. Subjects received incidental recall test immediately after, 1 week after, or 3 weeks after generation. Younger subjects recalled more nouns than did older subjects in all conditions, although both age groups exhibited high immediate recall. (Author/ ABL)

Preretirees displayed the least work satisfaction, preferred a lower retirement age, and manifested simultaneous positive attitudes toward retirees and their gatherings. Early retirees had negative attitudes toward work and retirement. Working retirees were the most work-oriented while fully retired persons were retirement-oriented and negative…

Examined relationship between family network variables and chances of survival among 487 persons born in 1902 and 1903. Strongest predictor for death before age 80 was being single for men and being single and/or married (as opposed to divorced or widowed) for women. For both sexes, marital status was strongest predictor for survival but in…