UNT Theses and Dissertations - 35 Matching Results

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Access to Health Care and Rates of Mortality and Utilization for the Elderly in Rural America

Description: The aging experience of men and women in rural America is different than that of their urban counterparts. In this study, I identified key disparities in access to health care, mortality, and utilization of health care that result from geographic location. Foundational theories are discussed to illustrate that disparities can originate from historical societal behaviors. Secondary data and literary reviews create a combined qualitative and quantitative approach to explore the rural/urban divide… more
Date: May 2018
Creator: Johnson, Barbara Ann
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Assessing the Older Diabetic Population in the US: A Descriptive Look at This Population from 2001-2010 Focusing upon Education and Clinical Behaviors

Description: The focus of this research study was to gain needed information on the older adult population in the United States who have diabetes. The research method was quantitative retrospective study of American diabetes obtained from the National Health Interview Survey database from 2001 through 2010. The study results confirmed more than one-third of the U.S. diabetics are aged 65 and older. More than 75% of the older diabetic population report clinical limitations or comorbidities. Based on surr… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Parker, Patti Annette
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Caregiver Perceptions of Wandering Behavior in the Adrd (Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias) Patient

Description: The dissertation examined family caregivers’ perceptions of wandering behavior after their loved one has been diagnosed with ADRD (Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias). Semi-structured in-depth face-to-face interviews of a convenience sample of 22 caregivers in the Dallas metropolitan area were conducted. Responses were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. The use of qualitative methods facilitated the study of how caregivers of a loved one with ADRD understood and explained in t… more
Date: August 2012
Creator: Dickson, Patricia
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Chronic Homelessness and the Aging Population: Findings in a Homeless Sample from Arkansas

Description: Understanding underlying mechanisms and pathways that lead to chronic homelessness would help develop intervention strategies that could help prevent subsequent episodes of homelessness. Quantitative data for this cross-sectional study was gathered by interviewing individuals who were homeless in the State of Arkansas, using a structured survey between 2007 and 2011. Qualitative data was gathered using semi-structured interviews between 2016 and 2018. Chi-square statistics and a multivariate lo… more
Date: December 2018
Creator: Chekuri, Lakshminarayana
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Churches, Social Service Access and Korean-american Elders: an Exploratory Study

Description: This study examined how Korean co-ethnic churches serve as connections between Korean seniors and the agencies that offer social and health care services. The study developed from a pilot outreach program funded by the North Central Texas Council of Governments’ Area Agency on Aging (NCTAAA) to inform Korean seniors about Medicare-related programs between February and May of 2011. The results of the pilot program suggested that the Korean-American church can be an effective place for program ou… more
Date: December 2013
Creator: Kim, Eunkyung
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Correlates of Depression in Elderly Asians in the United States

Description: The primary purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between depression and the personal characteristics of Asians who are 50 years or older. The secondary objective was to determine whether Asians 50 years or older living in the United States are more likely to be depressed than other ethnicities. The information for this study was secured from the National Health Interview Survey, spanning the years 2001 to 2010. In this study, I utilized the SAS-Callable SUDAAN statistical syst… more
Date: December 2013
Creator: Kung, Kevin Hsiang-Hsing
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Culture Interrupted: Assessing the Effects of the Shining Path Internal Armed Conflict in the Peruvian Highlands

Description: This study was a qualitative examination of social, economic, political, and cultural dilemmas that face Peruvian survivors of the Communist Shining Path Revolution, an internal armed conflict that cut a swath of terror and destruction during the years 1980-2000, with a reported loss of 69,000 residents either killed or considered “disappeared.” The conflict affected primarily poor, uneducated Andean campesinos and townspeople in the highland areas of the Ayacucho District. In this study, I loo… more
Date: May 2014
Creator: Van Wye, Kalynn Hicks
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Determinants of the Applications to the Institutional Care in Turkey: Darulaceze Example

Description: Although institutional care has started to be outmoded in the developed countries with development of different models of care, it still has a considerable place in the developing countries such as Turkey. This is because, changes in the demographic structure, extended family, and urban development of Turkey has brought about several aging problems leading older adults to end up in institutions. Loneliness was one of the significant reasons given in the Social Inquiry Survey of Applicants of … more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Esendemir, Serif
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Disaster Experience and Self-efficacy As Factors Influencing Emergency Planning in Community-dwelling Older Adults

Description: This study design was to identify and examine how disaster experience, self-efficacy, and demographic factors influence disaster preparedness in community-dwelling older adults. Current data indicates the United States is rapidly aging. Parallel to this significant increase among the elderly population, natural disasters are more prevalent. Consequently, older adults are affected adversely by these disasters and exposure to social vulnerabilities during the disaster cycle. For the purpose of… more
Date: August 2014
Creator: Symonette, Erika
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Domestic Violence Shelters in Texas: Responding to Programming Needs of Older Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

Description: This study examined if domestic violence shelters in Texas are responding to the needs of older female victims of intimate partner violence. Data for this study was collected through online questionnaire surveys of 45% of Texas domestic violence shelters. Findings of this study indicated that less than 10% of Texas shelters are providing specialized programming for older victims of IPV. In Texas, the demographic growth of older adults has remained comparable to increased national trends. The st… more
Date: December 2010
Creator: Lozano, Yvonne M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Effect of Age on Likelihood to Test for Hiv

Description: HIV/AIDS can affect individuals of any age. Efforts to educate those considered to be most at-risk, based on the age at which the most individuals are infected, are ongoing and public. Less work and mainstream education outreach, however, is being directed at an older population, who can be more likely to contract HIV, is more susceptible to the effects of HIV, and more likely to develop AIDS, than younger persons. Guided by the Health Belief Model theory, research was conducted to determine wh… more
Date: May 2012
Creator: Dreyer, Katherine
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Employee Satisfaction with Supervisor Support: The Case of Direct Care Workers in Nursing Homes

Description: The nursing home industry has been saturated for decades with culture change initiatives in an effort to improve resident quality of care. The direct care worker (DCW) is considered a critical position to achieving nursing facility quality improvements. Understanding what leads to job satisfaction for DCWs could result in improved resident care. The relationship DCWs have with their direct supervisor or upper-level manager can impact employee satisfaction. The purpose of this research is to ide… more
Date: December 2017
Creator: Whitaker, Lisa
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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End of Life Care: African Americans' Disproportionate Use of Hospice

Description: The United States of America is a country composed of various ethnicities. This country is considered to be a multi-cultural society. There are various cultural traditions values, norms and superstitious practices within each ethnic group. Attitudes toward end of life care are complex and vary differently across each ethnic group. This study explored factors that explained African Americans' disproportionate use of hospice. Access to hospice care was address, experience with hospice was ex… more
Date: December 2010
Creator: McDonald, Ray
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Evaluation of Law Enforcement and the Court System in Texas: Perspectives of Adult Protective Services Case Managers

Description: The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of Texas Adult Protective Services (APS) case managers (CM) in regard to their relationships with the law enforcement community and area courts. The sample consisted of 138 Texas APS CMs. The survey measured respondents' perceived strengths and weaknesses of their relationships with both the law enforcement community and with area courts. Items also included respondents' interest in receiving additional training and their perceptions of level… more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Weaver, Matthew S.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Evolution and Devolution of Inpatient Psychiatric Services: From Asylums to Marketing Madness and Their Impact on Adults and Older Adults with Severe Mental Illness

Description: I examined the factors that led to the rise and fall of psychiatric hospitals and its impact on two select groups of individuals: adults and older adults with severe mental illness. To explore the reasons behind these fluctuations, the State of Texas was used as a case study. Additionally, the fluctuations occurred for different reasons in public vs. for-profit investor-owned psychiatric hospitals. Using an investor-owned psychiatric hospital organization as a case study, I investigated the dif… more
Date: May 2017
Creator: Helmicki, Soni
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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An Exploratory Study of Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of the Amob/vll Program for Participants in North Central Texas

Description: This study assessed falls efficacy and confidence-related changes among participants attending the a Matters of Balance/Volunteer Lay Leader (AMOB/VLL) falls prevention program for older adults, based on their residential location. Data were examined from 431 older Texans enrolled in AMOB/VLL during a two-year period, and assessed at baseline and post-intervention. Results indicate that participants significantly increased falls efficacy, reduced activity interference due to their health, and … more
Date: December 2011
Creator: Ewing, Charles W.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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An Exploratory Study of the Comprehension, Retention and Action of the Denton County Older Population in Regards to Disaster Preparedness Education

Description: The purpose of this exploratory study was to operationalize the responses from a sample of the community dwelling older population from Denton County, Texas on disaster preparedness education given by Denton County Health Department (DCHD) personnel. The goals and objectives were drawn from the Texas Public Health and Medical Emergency Management 5-Year Strategic Plan 2012-2016. It was hypothesized that after the disaster preparedness education was received, then comprehension, retention, and … more
Date: December 2012
Creator: Knight, Rebekah P.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Homeless Predictors in the Older Adult Population

Description: This secondary research study uses data from two convenience samples of homeless persons in Central Arkansas collected during 2004 and 2011 Point in Time Counts. The prevalence of predictors of homelessness are compared across years, and also compared by age (<50 and > 50) controlling for year of survey. The number of older adults increased significantly between 2004 and 2011 surveys, and reporting serious mental illness and veteran status significantly decreased from 2004 to 2011. Age differe… more
Date: May 2013
Creator: Lewallen, Jina P.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Hospital Readmissions: the Need for a Coordinated Transitional Care Model: Analysis and Synthesis of Research on Medicare Policy and Interventions for the Elderly

Description: The transition from hospital to home or alternate care setting is a time of vulnerability for all patients and particularly for our elders. If not handled appropriately there is a risk to our elders for readmission to the hospital environment that may decrease their overall quality of life and further compromise their health status. in addition to the individual risks associated with patient readmissions, there are societal impacts that reach far beyond our current generation of elders 65 and… more
Date: May 2012
Creator: Wolfe, Laura M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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The Impact of Genetics, Socioeconomic Status, and Lifestyle Factors on Visual Health in an Adult Population

Description: The purpose of this dissertation was to understand how genetics, socioeconomic status (SES), and lifestyle factors influence the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy in an adult population in Dallas County. Two hundred fifty-three older adults participated in this study as the sample. Crosstabulation and binary logistic regression were utilized to analyze the data. Results indicated a disparity among participants' test scores, visual health s… more
Date: December 2010
Creator: Mitzel, Gina Marie
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Implementation of Person-Centered Care (PCC): A Descriptive Case Study

Description: To meet the growing demand for community-based adult services (CBAS) adult day health care (ADHC) programs, it is important these programs make the necessary modifications in their systems of care to embrace a person-centered care (PCC) model. This study was designed to create an assessment to determine a community-based CBAS/ADHC program's readiness to meet the new federal standards as determined by the program's current operational evidence and by center participants', their families' as well… more
Date: May 2019
Creator: Cole, Min
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Internet Health Information and Patient-health Professional Relationship

Description: The purpose of this study was to investigate patient use and presentation of Internet health information and its effect on patient-health professional relationship from a sample of residents at active adult communities in Texas. Five sites were used to recruit the 260 participants between November 2012 and January 2013. The data were received using a self-administered survey. Using Cronbach’s alpha, logistic regression and regression analysis through SAS, the data revealed that older respond… more
Date: August 2013
Creator: Williams, TimMarie Chloe’ Uvonne
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Investigating the Effects of Polypharmacy Among Elderly Patients with Diabetes on Glycemic Control and Clinical Outcomes in Home Health Care

Description: The focus of this research study is glycemic control in the presence of multiple morbidities and polypharmacy in homebound individuals with Type 2 diabetes aged 65 years and older. The research method is a quantitative retrospective cohort study of discharged patients of a nonprofit community-based home health agency from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2011, using OASIS data. Glycemic control is assessed using the hA1C laboratory test following the recommendation of the American Diabetes Ass… more
Date: December 2012
Creator: Bernier, Shelia Alathia
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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Legal Compliance in Guardianship Cases An Exploratory Study: Investigating Denton County Probate Court Visitors' Program Success with Legal Compliance in Guardianship Cases in 2013

Description: Dabner, Carol P. Legal Compliance in Guardianship Cases. An Exploratory Study: Investigating Denton County Probate Court Visitors' Program Success with Legal Compliance in Guardianship Cases. Doctor of Philosophy (Applied Gerontology), December 2016, 140 pp., 18 tables, references, 20 titles. Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of the legal compliance of the Denton County Probate Court Visitor's program in the year 2013. Rationale: Guardianship case management success is based on the presen… more
Date: December 2016
Creator: Dabner, Carol Patrice
Item Type: Refine your search to only Thesis or Dissertation
Partner: UNT Libraries
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