Increasing Engagement in Daily Activities by Older Adults With Dementia

Engelman, Kimberly K.; Altus, Deborah E.; Mathews, R. Mark

doi:10.1901/jaba.1999.32-107

Cited by 55 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…[2][3][4] For 3 of the 4 participants, the vocal modality was the best format for offering choices. This finding was surprising because program staff asked participants about the willingness to engage in activities every day and because tangible preference assessments have consistently been most predictive with other populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Choice-Making Opportunities to Increase Activity Engagement in Individuals With Dementia

LeBlanc

Cherup

Feliciano

et al. 2006

Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Structured choice-making procedures, referred to as preference assessments, have been frequently used to identify reinforcers for individuals with developmental disabilities; however, few studies have examined the use of preference assessments with older adults with dementia. This study evaluated the utility of 4 versions of a 2-choice preference assessment for identifying items and activities associated with high levels of engagement in clients at an adult day care program. The same 8 items were presented in 4 formats (ie, verbal, pictorial, textual, tangible), and items from each assessment were ranked with respect to the subsequent level of participant engagement with each item. Correlations were computed between the preference hierarchy and subsequent engagement levels for each format. The format with the highest correlation coefficient was subsequently used in interventions in which frequent structured choice opportunities were presented throughout the day to increase engagement. For 3 of 4 participants, the vocal modality was optimal, while the tangible modality was optimal for the fourth. Moderate to substantial increases in engagement were observed for all participants when structured choices were offered. Implications for activity engagement in adult day care programs are discussed.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Choice-Making Opportunities to Increase Activity Engagement in Individuals With Dementia

LeBlanc

Cherup

Feliciano

et al. 2006

Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For instance, antecedent events such as prompts to engage in an activity (Brenske, Rudrud, Schulze, & Rapp, 2008;Engelman, Altus, & Mathews, 1999), activity prompts that include positive social attention (Polenick & Flora, 2011), or the presentation of activity materials in a salient location may momentarily establish the reinforcing effectiveness of activity engagement or social interaction, and may evoke behaviors associated with these events (Michael, 1993). Positive staff engagement has been significantly correlated with levels of interest, pleasure, and participation during activities for older nursing home residents (Meeks & Looney, 2011); thus, the social engagement of caregivers or family members may further increase activity participation and enjoyment.…”

Section: Directions For Future Investigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Behavioral activation for depression in older adults: Theoretical and practical considerations

Polenick

Flora

2013

BEHAV ANALYST

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Late-life depression (LLD) is a major public health concern that can have devastating effects on older individuals and their families. Behavioral theories predict that decreases in responsecontingent positive reinforcement and increases in negatively reinforced avoidance behaviors, often accompanied by aversive life events, result in the selection and maintenance of depression. Based on these theories, behavioral activation treatments for depression are designed to facilitate structured increases in enjoyable activities that increase opportunities for contact with positive reinforcement. We discuss the applicability of behavioral models for LLD, and we briefly review current behavioral activation interventions for LLD with an emphasis on implications for future behavior-analytic research. Behavioral activation has been demonstrated to be effective in reducing depression and increasing healthy behavior in older adults. Potential challenges and considerations for future research are discussed. We suggest that applied behavior analysts and clinical behavior analysts are particularly well suited to improve and expand on the knowledge base and practical application of behavioral activation interventions with this population.

show abstract

“…471-651). Behavioral gerontology is exploring ways to improve the health and well-being of elders (e.g., Burgio & Burgio, 1986;Carstensen, 1988;Skinner & Vaughn, 1983), for instance, by engaging them in nursing home activities (e.g., Altus, Englemann, & Mathews, 2002;Englemann, Altus, & Mathews, 1999). And, behavioral safety works to improve personal and workplace safety (see www.behavior.org, the 1988 special section on behavior analysis and safety in JABA, pp.…”

Section: Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

B. F. Skinner’s utopian vision: Behind and beyond Walden Two

Altus

Morris

2009

BEHAV ANALYST

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper addresses B. F. Skinner's utopian vision for enhancing social justice and human wellbeing in his 1948 novel, Walden Two. In the first part, we situate the book in its historical, intellectual, and social context of the utopian genre, address critiques of the book's premises and practices, and discuss the fate of intentional communities patterned on the book. The central point here is that Skinner's utopian vision was not any of Walden Two's practices, except one: the use of empirical methods to search for and discover practices that worked. In the second part, we describe practices in Skinner's book that advance social justice and human well-being under the themes of health, wealth, and wisdom, and then show how the subsequent literature in applied behavior analysis supports Skinner's prescience. Applied behavior analysis is a measure of the success of Skinner's utopian vision: to experiment.

show abstract

Increasing Engagement in Daily Activities by Older Adults With Dementia

Cited by 55 publications

References 3 publications

Using Choice-Making Opportunities to Increase Activity Engagement in Individuals With Dementia

Using Choice-Making Opportunities to Increase Activity Engagement in Individuals With Dementia

Behavioral activation for depression in older adults: Theoretical and practical considerations

B. F. Skinner’s utopian vision: Behind and beyond Walden Two

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About