Publications by authors named "Jillian Minahan"

Background And Objectives: The emergence of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the measures implemented to curb its spread may have deleterious effects on mental health. Older adults may be at increased risk for adverse psychosocial outcomes because opportunities to remain socially connected have diminished. Research is needed to better understand the impact of pandemic-related stress on mental health.

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Objectives: Alcohol and substance misuse has been under-acknowledged and underidentified in older adults. However, promising treatment approaches exist (e.g.

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Background And Objectives: Alcohol and substance misuse is prevalent among older adults, yet underdiagnosed and undertreated. More substance misuse intervention programs specifically designed for older adults and offered in various settings are needed. This project's objectives were to (a) provide a detailed description of a Geriatric Substance Abuse Recovery Program (GSARP) designed and implemented at post-acute rehabilitation units of a skilled nursing facility and (b) report findings of a study conducted to evaluate if GSARP participation among post-acute care patients with substance misuse issues can optimize rehabilitation outcomes (i.

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Objectives: Extensive literature has documented the experiences of informal caregivers and their interactions with formal care providers, yet this research is almost entirely limited to caregivers who live near their care-recipients. This study aims to describe long-distance caregivers' (LDC) experiences (e.g.

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Experiencing ageism has been shown to negatively impact older adults. This study investigated predictors of ageism to examine which are most important in accounting for ageist attitudes. Participants ( = 419) between the ages of 18 and 86 completed an online survey assessing ageism and several predictors of ageism.

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The purpose of the current study was to examine the associations between cognition, measured via the Digit Symbol Substitution Task, and subjective well-being (measured using the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Positive and Negative Affect scale) in a community-based sample of middle-aged and older adults. Specifically, we examined both the cross-sectional and the longitudinal relationships between processing speed and subjective well-being. Data are from participants between 40-85 years-old (at baseline) who participated in the German Aging Survey across four waves.

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Background: While a fair amount of research has investigated the impact of sensory impairments on the mental health of young older adults (65-79 years of age), only a few studies have focused on the associations of sensory impairments with mental health outcomes in the oldest-old (80 years and older). To close this gap, this study examined the separate and combined effects of self-reported vision and hearing impairment for depressive symptoms in a sample of oldest-old individuals, controlling for other mental health risks (e.g.

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The prevalence of chronic illness among middle-aged and older adults is increasing worldwide as the population continues to age. One way to prevent the continued increase and subsequent negative outcomes of chronic illness is to increase the number of individuals who engage in exercise. Thus, it is important to examine which factors predict engagement in exercise in middle-aged and older adults.

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Objectives: Use of exercise technologies has benefits for community-dwelling older adults in terms of improved gait and balance. But research on the feasibility of use of exercise technologies in various geriatric health care settings is lacking. Hence, the current study examined the feasibility of implementing an exercise technology intended to augment rehabilitation in patients receiving post-acute care (PAC) in a skilled nursing facility (SNF).

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