Assessing the relationship between physical fitness activities, cognitive health, and quality of life among older cancer survivors.

Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment, known as "chemobrain," has been described as a side effect of chemotherapy and is associated with cognitive changes on quality of life especially among older cancer survivors. This longitudinal feasibility study examined the relationship between physical fitness, cognitive health, and quality of life among two groups of older adults: those on chemotherapy, and those who have completed chemotherapy. To assess cognitive health, we used the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and demographic information from the Healthy Brain Questionnaire. For quality of life, we used the McGill Quality of Life assessment. Physical activity was assessed using Metabolic Equivalency Tasks from the Compendium of Physical Activities classification system. t-Tests and regression analyses indicated that at Time 1 those on chemotherapy had lower cognitive health scores than those off chemotherapy. Yet at Time 2, as physical activities increased, cognitive health and quality of life improved for those on chemotherapy. However, those who had completed chemotherapy also benefited from an increase in physical activities over time. The results have implications for health care practitioners in oncology settings to better inform patients of cognitive challenges resulting from chemotherapy and the importance of participation in physical activities. Future research should compare different age groups among a larger sample.

Needs, expectations and attendance among participants of a cancer wellness centre in Montreal, Quebec.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between needs, expectations, and attendance patterns among users of a cancer wellness centre to better access future programming and improve attendance. METHODS: We interviewed staff from 18 cancer wellness centers in Canada and the United States to assess if our attendance expectations were realistic. Then, from a total sample of non-users in 2008 (n = 67) and infrequent users (n = 67) at the Hope & Cope Wellness Centre in Montreal, we randomly selected individuals from each group who registered and never returned (n = 16), and those who registered and returned 1-3 times (n = 17). Telephone interviews were conducted using a brief questionnaire. We used a phenomenological approach to assess the meaning of attendance for the registrants. RESULTS: Both groups of participants described similar reasons for not attending such as health complications, scheduling conflicts, child care, language issues, and parking restrictions. However, non-users focused specifically on functional aspects such as administrative issues and scheduling, and distance from the centre, while infrequent users expressed more emotional disappointments such as feeling more depressed and inability to engage with others. DISCUSSION: Strategies are suggested to optimize service delivery for short-term attendees, including home-exercise programming, virtual support, outreach systems, and caregiving support. Information from other wellness centers in Canada and the United States revealed similar trends in attendance but also revealed a wide range of programs and systems of data recording. IMPLICATIONS: The results of this study have implications for cancer survivors, for health care providers, for the development of strategies to address participation barriers, and for future research on understanding optimal use of wellness centers.

Leisure, household activities, and health among Mexican American elders with cancer.

Because physical inactivity is a major factor relating to chronic illnesses affecting Hispanics, the quality of one's health assumes greater importance for vulnerable populations diagnosed with cancer. The purpose of this study was to examine the direct effects of leisure activities and specific household activities on mental and physical health among a group of older Mexican Americans diagnosed with cancer. The study was conducted using data from the second wave of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (H-EPESE). The authors used a subsample of 61 men and 108 women with a diagnosis of cancer (N = 169). They applied multiple regression analyses to examine the effects of leisure and household activities on four indicators of health: self-reported health, cutting down on activities, satisfaction with life, and depressive symptoms. The results indicated that leisure activity participation and especially heavy household activities were significantly related to self-reported health, cutting down on activities, and depressive symptoms. Implications for practice, policy, and future research are discussed.

The quality of dyadic relationships, leisure activities and health among older women.

We examined the combined influence of dyadic relationships and leisure activities on health. We used self-administered survey to collect data at senior centers from French and English older women (N = 257) in Montreal, Quebec. Multiple regression analyses (OLS) were used to examine the main effects of dyadic quality and leisure activities on physical and mental health. Despite controlling for specific dyadic groups, meals, and bingo, we find that the quality of dyadic relationships has a strong influence on mental health measured by spirit, happiness, and an interesting life. Leisure activities are also a significant predictor and appear to improve physical health measured by self-reported health and the number of chronic conditions. Implications for gerontology practitioners in the United States, Canada, and other Western cultures, along with research strategies, are discussed.

Perceptions of "impingement" and marital satisfaction among wives of retired husbands.

Initial pilot interviews with women whose husbands were in the first year of retirement revealed that problems of "impingement"--perceptions of husbands as intruders into their worlds-as-lived--were cited, in response to open-ended items, as the most difficult aspect of husbands' retirement. An impingement index, consisting of items constructed from those responses, was administered to the original panel of 83 women whose husbands were now in the fourth year of retirement, and to a new panel of 61 women whose husbands had been retired for one year. Paired T-tests revealed one significant difference in perceptions of impingement between the two groups of wives, and not in the expected direction. Indeed, wives in year 4 were more often bothered by some impingement conditions than wives in year 1, and these were significantly related to self-assessments of marital satisfaction. Results have implications for "adjustment" to life transitions, including situations that may inhibit initiation of adaptive responses, degree of investment in social roles, and issues of expectation.

Hope, locus of control, and quality of health among elder Latina cancer survivors.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of hope and internal locus of control on the health and well-being of older women of Mexican origin who have been diagnosed with cancer. The study was conducted using data from Wave 2 of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiological Study for the Elderly (H-EPESE), a survey of 3050 Mexican American elders living in five southwestern states. To examine the effects of locus of control and hope on self-reported health, somatization, negative affect, and restriction of activity as dependent variables, we applied multiple regression (OLS) analysis to a sub sample of 109 women who reported having a diagnosis of cancer. We used four models to sequentially assess the effects of control variables, locus of control plus control variables, hope plus control variables, and both locus of control and hope plus control variables on each of the four dependent variables. The results indicated that locus of control was significantly associated only with three of the four dependent variables and hope was significantly associated with more favorable outcomes for each of the dependent variables. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.

Bereavement among faculty members in a university setting.

This study examined bereavement among a group of faculty following their return to work at the university. A phenomenological approach was undertaken in an attempt to understand the faculty's experience of bereavement after returning to work following the death of a significant family member. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with seven individuals who had experienced the death of a husband, a parent, a sibling, or grandparent. The findings support two main positions: (1) the grieving process may go unrecognized due to the demands and challenges inherent in the university setting, and (2) the university setting may also play a supportive role for returning faculty. Although physical and emotional responses are normal reactions to grief and loss, the faculty's perception of their experience suggests that their role and work responsibilities complicate the bereavement process. Two faculty respondents also found the university environment helpful and supportive despite occasional disregard from some coworkers. Implications for social policy, future research, university administrators, and faculty are discussed.

Use of senior centers as a moderator of stress related distress among Latino elders.

Little is known about the moderating effects of community services on psychological distress among Latino elders. This study explores the use of senior centers as an intervention strategy to moderate the harmful impact of stress on psychological distress. The study was conducted using data from the 1988 National Survey of Hispanic Elderly People (N=2,299). To examine the direct and moderating effects of the use of senior centers on the relationship between stress and psychological distress we applied multiple regression analysis to an initial model, a direct effect model, and a moderating model. The results indicated that, under stressful life situations, respondents who used senior centers experienced lower levels of psychological distress than those who did not. Implications of the findings for senior centers and for further research are discussed.

Anticipated and experienced changes in activities after husbands retire.

As an element of anticipatory socialization, ability to predict future roles accurately may impact subsequent adaptation. Part of a larger study of retirement and marital quality, this longitudinal research examined husbands' and wives' (n = 61 couples) anticipations of change (more/less/same) in six individual and joint activities following husbands' retirement, and compared them with couples' reported experiences a year after husbands had retired. With the exception of household tasks, continuity in levels of activity from pre-to post-retirement was greater than couples had anticipated. Cross-classification of responses at baseline and Time 2 indicated only modest congruence between anticipated and experienced change in activities. Accuracy of anticipation was not related significantly to retirement satisfaction as hypothesized, but direction of retirement-satisfaction mean scores, especially among wives, suggest that future testing would be warranted.

Social support factors and health among a senior center population in southern Ontario, Canada.

Past research on senior centers has mainly focused on utilization, frequency, duration of attendance, participation or various activities and services. This study strives to go beyond previous research by examining social support factors and their relationship to mental and physical health across a senior center population in southern Ontario, Canada. Data were collected at two large senior centers in the Kitchener, Waterloo area. We used a self-administered survey among a sample of older participants (n=186). One-way ANOVA with post-hoc Duncan's multiple range tests, t-tests, and linear regression analyses were used to examine the influence of social support (friendship, caregiving and advice) on mental and physical health. The results indicated that caregiving is significantly related to physical health, how respondents feel in general, and happiness with personal life. Advice from others is significantly related to perceptions of having a life full of interesting things. Additionally, respondents who are volunteers perceive better health and social support than non-volunteers, those who eat at the center perceive better health and caregiving support, and those that started a new activity perceived better health and social support from friendships. Implications for social work practice, policy and future research are discussed.