Perspectives of optic nerve prostheses.

A number of projects exist that are investigating the ability to restore visual percepts for individuals who are blind through a visual prosthesis. While many projects have reported the results from a technical basis, very little exists in the professional literature on the human experience of visual implant technology. The current study uses an ethnographic methodological approach to document the experiences of the research participants and study personnel of a optic nerve vision prosthesis project in Brussels, Belgium.

David L. Gutmann (1925-2013).

David L. Gutmann, a pioneer in geropsychology and professor emeritus at Northwestern University, died on November 3, 2013, at the age of 88. A student of Bernice Neugarten, Bruno Bettelheim, and Erik Erikson, Gutmann discovered changes in adult psychological development related to parenting styles that held across diverse cultures.

Responses of potential users to the intracortical visual prosthesis: final themes from the analysis of focus group data.

Although visual implant prosthesis projects are advancing, little exists in the literature on the factors that would lead an individual to volunteer for such an experimental procedure. Many ethical issues are raised in recruiting and involving individuals in experimental implant procedures, most involving autonomy and informed consent. This report provides perspectives of 30 totally or legally blind older individuals on their expectations about a potential visual implant, their motivations for volunteering, and the processes they would use for decision making.

Looking ahead: planning for the first human intracortical visual prosthesis by using pilot data from focus groups of potential users.

In planning for our research team's first human implant of a technologically advanced intracortical visual prosthesis we have conducted three focus groups with blind persons from a pool of likely participants. Guided by the principles of the Independent Living movement and Participatory Action Research (PAR), we asked the participants to share their thoughts and concerns about the procedure. The preliminary results reveal that achievement of the desired highest ethical of informed consent will require extensive pre-operative learning opportunities, such as those provided by these focus groups.

Using mixed methods to evaluate the use of a caregiver strain measure to assess outcomes of a caregiver support program for caregivers of older adults.

Purpose: Many assessment tools have been developed for evaluating caregiving programs, but the majority are too cumbersome for ongoing use. This study reports on a brief assessment tool used to monitor strain among family members caring for an impaired elder.

Design And Methods: Participants were enrolled in the SeniorCare program, a program funded by the Administration on Aging to provide care to family caregivers.