Search Results

The Impact of Health Status and Out‐of‐Pocket Medical Expenditures on Annuity Valuation

Cassio M. Turra and Olivia S. Mitchell

in Recalibrating Retirement Spending and Saving

This chapter describes how differences in health status at retirement can influence the decision to purchase a life annuity. It extends previous research on annuitization decisions by incorporating ... More

This chapter describes how differences in health status at retirement can influence the decision to purchase a life annuity. It extends previous research on annuitization decisions by incorporating the effect of health differentials via differences in survival throughout the latter portion of life. It then shows how precautionary savings motivated by uncertain out-of-pocket medical expenses influence annuitization decisions. Results show that annuities become less attractive to people facing uncertain medical expenses. While full annuitization would still be optimal if annuity markets were truly complete and both life- and health-contingent, lacking this, annuity equivalent wealth values are much lower for those in poor health, as compared to persons in good health.Less

Attention Goes Home: Support for Aging Adults

Arthur D. Fisk and Wendy A. Rogers

in Attention: From Theory to Practice

Older adults, like younger adults, engage in a variety of activities every day. These activities can be grouped into three: activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and ... More

Older adults, like younger adults, engage in a variety of activities every day. These activities can be grouped into three: activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, and enhanced activities of daily living. The psychological processes of attention are involved in the behaviors associated with many of these activities. Consequently, it is important to understand if and how attentional processes change as individuals age. This chapter examines issues of aging and attention as they relate to the everyday activities of older adults. It reviews the literature on skill acquisition and maintenance, focusing on research on the development of automatic processing for young and older adults. It discusses how such data can be used to design products to enhance the independence of older adults. In particular, it describes some very interesting research on aging and independence in the context of the Aware Home Research Initiative at the Georgia Institute of Technology, which brings together specialists in psychology, computer science, engineering, and design.Less

Levels of therapy

in Apraxia: The Cognitive side of motor control

Two related aspects of therapy studies are whether successes obtained by treating one manifestation of apraxia generalize to other manifestations, and whether task-specific or general approaches to ... More

Two related aspects of therapy studies are whether successes obtained by treating one manifestation of apraxia generalize to other manifestations, and whether task-specific or general approaches to therapy of apraxia are more efficient. The empirical results are rather supportive of a skeptical attitude toward generalization. Several studies demonstrate that improvements are task- or even item-specific and therapeutic approaches that aimed at restitution of general aptitudes were less efficient than approaches that concentrated on practice and rehearsal of concrete tasks. The lack of generalization is equivalent to an inability to cope with novel actions and betrays a high-level disturbance of action control. It may be concluded that therapy fails to restore the high-level components of apraxia or, said in another way, the cognitive side of motor control.Less

Multidisciplinary care: occupational therapy

Chris Kingsnorth and Sarah Lavender

in Palliative Care in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: From Diagnosis to Bereavement, 3rd Edn

Occupational therapy (OT) intervention in patients with ALS covers a broad scope of the person’s life and occupations. This includes activities of daily living, such as self-care, work, and leisure ... More

Occupational therapy (OT) intervention in patients with ALS covers a broad scope of the person’s life and occupations. This includes activities of daily living, such as self-care, work, and leisure throughout the changing demands put on the patient and their carers by the rapid progress of the disease. This chapter aims to give an overview of the domains of concern and ideas and examples of how OT can help individual patients function in the activities that are important to them. Topics covered include environment, mobility (including wheelchairs), transfers, hand function, posture, social communication and suggestions for some of the assistive technology that is available to help patients and their carers.Less

Physical Activity, Weight, and Fitness

Jeffrey J. Martin

in Handbook of Disability Sport and Exercise Psychology

Physical activity, body weight, and fitness are often, but not always, related. This chapter discusses research that has examined all three areas. People with disabilities face many individual, ... More

Physical activity, body weight, and fitness are often, but not always, related. This chapter discusses research that has examined all three areas. People with disabilities face many individual, social, and environmental barriers to being physically active. As a result, people with disabilities can have physical activity levels that are, like able-bodied people, quite dismal. Research examining the lack of physical activity among people with impairments is quite robust as it spans ethnicity, disability type, physical activity type, and assessment method. Partly as a function of a lack of physical activity, people with disabilities tend to have higher levels of overweight and obesity compared to able-bodied people. Additionally, a lack of physical activity contributes to a lack of muscular strength and endurance and inferior cardiovascular fitness. As a result, a pattern of increasing weight gain and decreasing fitness make activities of daily living more difficult. In turn, further formal and informal physical activity become more difficult and a vicious downward spiral develops that is difficult to break, particularly for older and unhealthy individuals with disabilities.Less

Evaluating the visualisation of dynamic biomechanical data for healthcare and design

Alastair S. Macdonald

in The New Dynamics of Ageing Volume 1

Biomechanical data is derived from the musculoskeletal system and the way it operates dynamically in relation to muscle force and the effects of gravity. Biomechanical analysis can be used to ... More

Biomechanical data is derived from the musculoskeletal system and the way it operates dynamically in relation to muscle force and the effects of gravity. Biomechanical analysis can be used to scientifically assess the causes of movement problems in individuals. This chapter discusses how, through the use of an innovative tool developed by the researchers to visualise older adult biomechanical data, evidence of understanding and experience of mobility issues during activities of daily living was gathered from older adults, healthcare professionals and design practitioners. It also discusses the potential role of this tool to facilitate cross-disciplinary discourse and deepen professional-practitioner understanding, and insights obtained about the experiences of older adults through empowering them, through the tool, to better engage in meaningful discussions with professionals.Less

Caring for and Learning from Older Adults

Ben Shneiderman

in Human-Centered AI

Caring for older adult parents, grandparents, family members, and friends is a virtue that can be an enriching experience for all. However, it requires a serious commitment if the older adult needs ... More

Caring for older adult parents, grandparents, family members, and friends is a virtue that can be an enriching experience for all. However, it requires a serious commitment if the older adult needs help to maintain independent living, which often leads to the older adult moving to a facility that will provide support for the activities of daily life. But caregivers and others can gain and learn from older adults, who are often eager to teach, mentor, advise, and coach others. Older adults have many needs that could be served by appropriate technologies that supported their self-efficacy and independence. Examples include wheelchair design, dining table with a dishwasher built in, and yoga instruction.Less

Physical Activity Interventions

Jeffrey J. Martin

in Handbook of Disability Sport and Exercise Psychology

In addition to theory testing, researchers have also examined if exercise interventions serve to enhance psychological constructs such as self-esteem and behavior such as functional fitness, ... More

In addition to theory testing, researchers have also examined if exercise interventions serve to enhance psychological constructs such as self-esteem and behavior such as functional fitness, activities of daily living (ADL), and physical activity. The purpose of this chapter is to review the physical activity (PA) intervention research and offer criticisms and future research directions. Laboratory PA interventions have been effective at increasing physical capacity, muscular strength, walking ability, and reducing body weight, stress, depression, and pain. However, laboratory research has been criticized for lacking ecological validity, thus researchers have also investigated whether lifestyle-type community or field-based interventions are effective. Researchers have shown that increasing social support for PA is effective for adults, and water-based activities help children with cerebral palsy increase their functional fitness. Nontraditional approaches such as yoga, massage, relaxation, and mindfulness training might be considered potential antecedents of reduced negative affect, increased positive affect, and enhanced functional fitness.Less

Naturalistic action

in Apraxia: The Cognitive side of motor control

In contrast to use of single tools, naturalistic multistep actions with multiple tools and objects are equally affected by left, right, or diffuse brain damage. However, different mechanisms underlie ... More

In contrast to use of single tools, naturalistic multistep actions with multiple tools and objects are equally affected by left, right, or diffuse brain damage. However, different mechanisms underlie failure of naturalistic action in patients with left and right brain damage. In right brain damaged patients the number of errors correlates with the severity of left-sided hemineglect, and in aphasic patients with tests of language and semantic memory and with an experimental test probing technical problem solving by trial and error. Other than mechanical problem solving for use of single conventional tools, technical problem solving is frequently based on trial and error because functions cannot be derived from categorical apprehension of structural features of objectsLess

Introduction

José-Luis Fernández and Cristiano Gori

in Long-Term Care Reforms in OECD Countries

Since the 90s, long-term care policies have undergone significant transformations across many countries. In some instances, these changes have been the outcome of major explicit policy goals. In ... More

Since the 90s, long-term care policies have undergone significant transformations across many countries. In some instances, these changes have been the outcome of major explicit policy goals. In others, new systems have come about through the accumulation of incremental changes. As a result, LTC policy reforms in the last decades across OECD countries offer a rich body of experience that should inform the design of strategies for improving equity and efficiency in the LTC systems of the future. Therefore, the main purpose of this book is to analyse the range of solutions adopted internationally about how to organise, regulate and fund LTC services in the face of the growing needs of ageing societies. By adopting a public policy approach, this book examines the impact that the measures taken by the different public actors involved in the funding, regulation and commissioning of LTC have on dependent older people with different needs and their carers.Less

Participation Motivation

Jeffrey J. Martin

in Handbook of Disability Sport and Exercise Psychology

Athletes have multiple motivations for sport participation that can wax and wane over time, particularly over a lifetime of sport participation. The purpose of this chapter is to explore a plethora ... More

Athletes have multiple motivations for sport participation that can wax and wane over time, particularly over a lifetime of sport participation. The purpose of this chapter is to explore a plethora of atheoretical research examining why athletes compete in disability sport. The many reasons that athletes with disabilities cite for sport engagement are similar to those of able-bodied athletes. However, there are also reasons that are unique to a person’s impairment. People with disabilities often have chronic pain, so physical activity via sport can help with pain management. People with disabilities have less extensive social networks than able-bodied people so sport can be an attractive vehicle for making social connections. People with disabilities struggle more with activities of daily living (ADL), so the strength and endurance obtained through sport can be helpful in everyday life and performing ADLs. In general, motivations for sport participation are more intrinsic than extrinsic.Less