The Social Construction of "Emerging Elders": Implications for Age-Friendly Community Assessments.

The term "emerging elders" has surfaced in age-friendly community assessment tools to denote a subset of older adults; however, limited guidance is provided on its application to aging populations. The goal of this study was to develop a data-driven conceptualization of "emerging elders" as part of an age-friendly community assessment. Adults, aged 55 years and above, were asked about their subjective meaning of "emerging elder" within the context of a larger study of aging well in a large U.

Pathways to age-friendly communities in diverse urban neighborhoods: Do social capital and social cohesion matter?

Using a social capital and social cohesion lens, we reposition the concept of civic engagement among older adults to examine pathways for building age-friendly communities. We analyzed data drawn from a Community-Based Participatory Research study in the Southern U.S.

End-of-Life Care in Nursing Homes: A Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis.

Background: Due to large number of deaths occurring in nursing home (NH) settings, along with reports of pain and suffering, there is great need for improvements in the provision of end-of-life (EOL) care in NHs.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive understanding of the experience of dying in NHs through the perspective of residents, family, and facility staff.

Design: This study uses a qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis to provide a holistic view of EOL care in NHs across multiple qualitative studies.

Positive aspects of having had cancer: A mixed-methods analysis of responses from the American Cancer Society Study of Cancer Survivors-II (SCS-II).

Objective: This study focused on understanding positive aspects of cancer among a large, national sample of survivors, 2, 5, and 10 years' postcancer diagnosis, who responded to the American Cancer Society Study of Cancer Survivors - II (SCS-II) survey "Please tell us about any positive aspects of having cancer."

Methods: A sequential mixed methods approach examined (1) thematic categories of positive aspects from cancer survivors (n = 5149) and (2) variation in themes by sociodemographics, cancer type, stage of disease, and length of survivorship.

Results: Themes comprised 21 positive aspects within Thornton's typology of benefits that cancer survivors attribute to their illness: life perspectives, self, and relationships.

Preparation for the end of life and life completion during late-stage lung cancer: An exploratory analysis.

Objective: Our aim was to explore preparation for the end of life (EoL) and life closure among persons with advanced metastatic lung cancer. Understanding quality of life through the lens of preparation and completion is important since the trajectory of lung cancer can be relatively short, often leading to application of cancer-directed therapies near death without the opportunity for advance planning or palliative care. Clinical research is needed to understand the kinds of distress specific to older adults with advanced lung cancer that are amendable to palliative care interventions.

Advice from working women with retired partners.

in the 21st century, as more women are employed full-time and couples increasingly share egalitarian values, more women continue employment after their partners have voluntarily retired. However, we know very little about the experiences of this growing population of women. We asked working women with retired partners to share their advice for other women who may face this developmental transition.

Between Two Worlds: Liminality and Late-Stage Cancer-Directed Therapy.

Disease-directed therapy near death is a growing trend among persons living with late-stage cancer. As a sociocultural phenomenon, cancer-directed therapy (e.g.

Current unmet needs of cancer survivors: analysis of open-ended responses to the American Cancer Society Study of Cancer Survivors II.

Background: Cancer survivors may continue to experience psychosocial and physical needs related to their cancer experience for many years after treatment. The specification of these needs across cancer types and by survivor characteristics may lead to better prevention approaches and clinical responses. Mixed methods were used to examine responses to an open-ended question about current unmet needs from a survey of 2-, 5-, and 10-year cancer survivors.

Understanding quality-of-life while living with late-stage lung cancer: an exploratory study.

U.S. Veterans have a higher prevalence of advanced lung cancer and poorer survival outcomes compared to the general population; yet, no studies exist which specifically explore the psychosocial and existential quality-of-life (QOL) of late-stage lung cancer among this population.

"It's Like Being a Well-Loved Child": Reflections From a Collaborative Care Team.

Objective: The present case study examines how a collaborative care model for the treatment of depression works with a low-income, uninsured adult population in a primary care setting.

Method: The qualitative interviews were conducted in 2010 at a primary care clinic as part of an evaluation of the Integrated Behavioral Health program, a collaborative care model of identifying and treating mild-to-moderate mental disorders in adults in a primary care setting. A single-case study design of an interdisciplinary team was used: the care manager, the primary care physician, the consulting psychiatrist, and the director of social services.

An analysis of Social Work Oncology Network Listserv Postings on the Commission of Cancer's distress screening guidelines.

This is a qualitative study of listserv postings by members of the Social Work Oncology Network (SWON) in response to the Commission on Cancer's 2011 guidelines for distress screening of cancer patients. Archived listserv postings for the period of December 2010 to November 2011 were deidentified and a sample was derived by a list of keywords for the analysis. Aims of the study included describing the general categories and themes of the postings devoted to the new distress screening standard and examining the process of facilitation of mutual support and information exchange by oncology social workers in response to the new screening standards.

Establishing an end-of-life program in an academic acute care hospital.

The primary goal of end-of-life (EOL) care is to relieve suffering through measures that improve comfort and address the psychological, social, and spiritual needs of the dying. This article discusses the components of a pilot project that focused on palliative EOL care at an academic acute care hospital. An interdisciplinary team of nurses, social workers, chaplains, patient care coordinators, and advanced practice nurses established a common vision for the care of patients who were "in the dying process," or were expected to die during their hospitalizations.