ABSTRACT
Objectives@#As the population ages worldwide, including in Japan, there is a growing expectation for older adults to remain active participants in society. The act of sharing one’s experiences and knowledge with younger generations through social engagement not onlyenriches the lives of older individuals, but also holds significant value for our society. In thisstudy, we examined both positive and negative perceptions of older adults and investigated the correlation between these perceptions and generativity among older citizens. Additionally, we evaluated the impact of life satisfaction on these factors. @*Methods@#We conducted a survey of 100 older adults in Japan (mean age, 71.68 years) and utilized multiple regression analyses, using positive and negative perceptions of older adults, life satisfaction, and demographic factors as independent variables. The sub-categories of generativity—namely, generative action, concern, and accomplishment—were used as dependent variables. @*Results@#Participants who held a more positive perception of older adults demonstrated a higher level of generative actions and concerns. Additionally, participants who reported higher levels of life satisfaction also exhibited more generative actions, concerns, and accomplishments. Conversely, those who held a more negative perception of older adults were found to have higher levels of generative actions. @*Conclusion@#Enhancing positive perceptions of older adults among them can boost the subcategories of generativity. This study, which was conducted from an exploratory perspective, has several limitations, including a potential sampling bias. A more comprehensive examination of the relationship between perceptions of older adults and generativity is anticipated in future research.
ABSTRACT
After April 2006, the Japanese Ministry of Health and Labor raised the permitted training time from 6 to 9 units (1 unit of training time corresponds to 20 minutes of exercise with a therapist) for patients in a kaifukuki (convalescent) rehabilitation ward. We examined the effect of the increased rehabilitative training time on patients using feeding tubes in a kaifukuki rehabilitation ward after an initial cerebrovascular disorder, with a particular focus on improving swallowing disorders. Our study was comprised of post-stroke patients with feeding tubes who underwent rehabilitation from April 2001 to March 2006 (<i>N</i>=14, 6-unit group) and from April 2006 to March 2009 (<i>N</i>=16, 9-unit group). All patients went to the ward within two months after suffering a stroke. There was no significant difference in the Functional Independence Measure(FIM) efficiency or length of hospital stay between the two groups. Feeding tube removal was more common in the 9-unit group compared to the 6-unit group (81.3% vs. 35.7%, <i>p</i><0.05), and the 9-unit group also had more training time per day. Logistic regression analysis showed that the increased training time per day spent with a speech therapist contributed to improving swallowing disorders (<i>p</i><0.01).
ABSTRACT
We examined the effect of increased rehabilitative training time on patients with cerebrovascular disorders at a convalescent rehabilitation ward in Japan. After April 2006, the Japanese Ministry of Health and Labor raised the permitted training time from 6 to 9 units (1 unit of training time corresponds to 20 minutes of exercise with a therapist) for patients in a convalescent rehabilitation ward. We compared patients who underwent rehabilitation during the period from April 2006 to March 2008 (9-unit group, 131 patients) with those rehabilitated from April 2003 to March 2006 6-unit group, 153 patients) in the convalescent rehabilitation ward of our hospital. The patients were evaluated with FIM instruments at admission and discharge. Length of hospital stay and rate of return to the patient's home were also examined. The 9-unit group had a shorter hospital stay, and higher FIM efficiency scores, and also a higher rate of home return compared with the 6-unit group.