The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences
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J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · Mar 2009
Do older drivers at-risk for crashes modify their driving over time?
Five-year driving habit trajectories among older adults (n = 645) at-risk for crashes were examined. Performance measures included Useful Field of View (UFOV). Motor-Free Visual Perception Test, Rapid Walk, and Foot Tap. ⋯ Despite this self-regulation, a larger sample of such older drivers was twice as likely to incur subsequent at-fault crashes. Results suggest that self-regulation among older drivers at-risk for crashes is an insufficient compensatory approach to eliminating increased crash risk. UFOV is a registered trademark of Visual Awareness, Inc.
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J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · Mar 2009
Self-reported sleep quality predicts poor cognitive performance in healthy older adults.
This study examined the relation between sleep quality and cognitive performance in older adults, controlling for common medical comorbidities. Participants were community volunteers who, while not selected on the basis of their sleep, did report substantial variability in sleep quality. ⋯ The relationships between sleep quality and cognition were not explained by confound factors such as cerebrovascular disease, depression, or medication usage. Sleep problems may contribute to performance variability between elderly individuals but only in certain cognitive domains.
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J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · Jun 2007
Review Meta AnalysisThe impact of speed of processing training on cognitive and everyday functions.
We combined data from six studies, all using the same speed of processing training program, to examine the mechanisms of training gain and the impact of training on cognitive and everyday abilities of older adults. Results indicated that training produces immediate improvements across all subtests of the Useful Field of View test, particularly for older adults with initial speed of processing deficits. Age and education had little to no impact on training gain. Participants maintained benefits of training for at least 2 years, which translated to improvements in everyday abilities, including efficient performance of instrumental activities of daily living and safer driving performance.
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J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci · Jul 2005
From caregiving to bereavement: trajectories of depressive symptoms among wife and daughter caregivers.
This study examined the trajectory of depressive symptoms for wife and daughter caregivers during the transition from caregiving to bereavement, and it investigated whether the trajectory varies by caregivers' caregiving stress, social support, and background characteristics. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze four-wave longitudinal data collected from 157 wife and daughter caregivers who lost elderly relatives to death. ⋯ Care recipients' problematic behavior and caregivers' kinship, income, and feelings of overload moderate the change in depressive symptoms during the transition. Services to support caregivers should target specific groups of caregivers, based on caregiving experience and background characteristics, at times when they are most in need.