Intentions of older homebound women with regard to reaching help quickly.

The purposes of this longitudinal phenomenological study were to describe intentions of older women relative to reaching help quickly (RHQ), to place those intentions in personal-social context, and to compare intentions of subscribers to a personal emergency response system (PERS) and nonsubscribers. The 40 participants were aged 85 or older, resided alone, and needed help to leave home. Two contextual features ("recognizing my risk of being unable to RHQ" and "recognizing my need for a RHQ device to sustain myself") were basic to two phenomena ("negotiating reliance on people to reach quickly if I need help" and "reducing my risk of being unable to RHQ"). There was greater variation in intentions and context within each of the two naturally occurring groups (subscribers and nonsubscribers) than between them. Practitioners cannot assume that women intend to use available RHQ devices in specific situations; preventive nursing involves proactive exploration of intentions relative to RHQ.

Tai Chi effects on neuropsychological, emotional, and physical functioning following cancer treatment: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of a 10-week Tai Chi (TC) program on neuropsychological, psychological, and physical health of female cancer survivors. DESIGN: Twenty-three women with a history of cancer participated in 60-min TC classes two times/week for 10-weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Before and after the intervention, participants completed neuropsychological tests (memory, executive functioning, language, and attention); 5 tests of balance; and self-report questionnaires of neuropsychological complaints, stress and mood, and fatigue. RESULTS: After the 10-week session, participants evidenced fewer neuropsychological complaints and enhanced neuropsychological functioning. They also demonstrated improved balance and reported better psychological functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that TC may promote gains in neuropsychological functioning, in addition to previously demonstrated improvements in physical and psychological health. These findings support the need for controlled trials examining the potential benefits of TC on neuropsychological functioning after cancer.

Older homebound women: negotiating reliance on a cane or walker.

Canes and walkers are commonly characterized as assistive devices that serve the same purpose: as walking aides. These general views were reappraised and tempered in this descriptive phenomenological study with 40 older women (aged 85 to 98 years) who were unable to leave their homes without help. The purpose was to describe the phenomena of negotiating reliance on canes and walkers as walking devices and the lifeworld context underlying each phenomenon. Relative to lifeworld, there were differences between coming to terms with using a cane and coming to terms with using a walker. Data revealed similarities and distinctions between the basic intentions of relying on canes and walkers and the associated purposes served by canes and walkers. Participants did not view either device as consistently assistive. Findings evoke opportunities for dialogue among older persons, scholars, practitioners, and designers of these devices about coming to terms with such devices and relying on them.

Intentions of older homebound women to reduce the risk of falling again.

PURPOSE: Researchers have tested interventions to prevent recurrent falls for older people without exploring their intentions to prevent another fall. Lack of knowledge about such intentions is an impediment to intervention effectiveness. The purpose was to describe intentions to prevent another fall as discerned during a study with older homebound women. METHODS: Data were obtained during a series of four in-home interviews over 18 months with monthly telephone contacts between interviews; fall history was updated at each contact. A descriptive phenomenological method was used to analyze data. FINDINGS: Of the 40 women, 36 (aged 85 to 98 years) had fallen at home at least once before enrolling in the study, or had a subsequent or initial fall during the study. The overall intention was reducing my risk of falling again at home, with its components figuring out the reason that I fell and changing my ways to reduce my risk of falling again at home. Most women explained reasons for a fall and voiced intentions to prevent a similar fall. Women who viewed falls as unexpected events were uncertain that they could prevent a fall or felt unable to do so and voiced few preventive intentions. A few women voiced generalized preventive intentions to change health-related behaviors or habits. CONCLUSIONS: Most intentions were tied directly to the situation in which a fall had occurred. Such specificity could limit effectiveness of personal efforts to prevent falls in other situations. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Practitioners should converse with older women who have fallen about their intentions to prevent another fall and weigh the need to help them generalize both the risk of falling again and their risk reduction intentions.