This study examined determinants of attitudes toward mental health services with a sample of American Indian younger-old-adults (aged 50-64, n = 158) and American Indian older-old adults (aged 65 and older, n = 69). Adapting Andersen's behavioral model of healthcare utilization, predisposing factors, mental health needs, and enabling factors were considered as potential predictors. Female and those with higher levels of social support tend to report more positive attitudes toward mental health services. Culture-influenced personal belief was associated with negative attitudes toward mental health services among American Indian younger-old -adults. Age and higher chronic medical conditions were significantly related to negative attitudes toward mental health services. Health insurance was positively associated with positive attitudes toward mental health services in the American Indian older-old adults. Findings indicate that practitioners should engage how culture, social support, and chronic conditions influence the response to mental health needs when working with older American Indians.
This article presents an overview of the use of adjunct faculty generally and within gerontology programs and discusses the benefits, drawbacks and possible solutions for both adjunct faculty and gerontology programs to utilize part-time teaching staff. The benefits reported for being a part-time faculty member include wanting to be in academia and supplementing an income. The reasons gerontology programs hire adjunct faculty members include their being less costly and bringing new skills to the programs. There are also practical and substantive drawbacks faced by part-time faculty. Practical issues include confusion with the pay schedule and last-minute class cancellations. Substantive issues include a lack of both respect and opportunities for professional development. The solutions to these issues include assigned space and support to part-time faculty members, maintaining peer and student evaluations, and affirming diversity in gerontology by recruiting adjunct faculty with knowledge and research capabilities for tenure-track positions as a strategy for successful gerontology program development.
In the U.S., the 65 and older demographic is expected to double in size by 2050 and with older adults accounting for more than a third of hospital stays, it can be expected that the portion of hospital stays by older adults will increase accordingly. One program that has been linked to reducing hospitalizations and improving health outcomes is Meals on Wheels (MOW). Secondary analysis of existing data from the Eighth National Survey of OAA Participants was conducted to explore the impact of MOW service on health outcomes, hospitalizations, and food insecurity while focusing on the following research question: does MOW service reduce the number of hospitalizations and improve health outcomes, and if so, how does the length of service influence these relationships? This research showed that respondents to the survey have high levels of selfreported health improvement (76.1 to 91.5%) and low levels of food insecurity (9.4 to 29.7%) after MOW participation. Thirty-seven percent report being hospitalized in the last 12 months. Overall, the findings suggest that as the length of MOW service increases, improved health outcomes increase while hospitalizations decrease. The findings indicate that the length of service has no significant correlation to food insecurity, likely because the typical number of meals per week is relatively low (five to seven per week) and does not vary. Policy makers at the federal, state and local levels will need to plan for future MOW needs by increasing funding and recognizing MOW as a medically necessary intervention in preventing or reducing hospitalizations and improving the lives of its participants. Future research should study whether additional meals beyond the typical five to seven meals per week would significantly change how MOW service influences the levels of health outcomes, hospitalizations, and food insecurity.
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