For adults in senior living communities, information and communication technologies (ICTs) can be used to increase and expand communication for a population that is often spatially and socially separated from the general public. Using qualitative observational data from a longitudinal study of the impact of ICT usage on the quality of life among residents in assisted and independent living communities, the authors examine whether ICTs can mitigate the effects of social and spatial barriers. The authors find that ICTs have the potential to allow individuals to transcend social and spatial barriers, providing residents with the ability to maintain and enhance social networks as well as provide a greater sense of connection to the world at large.

As the U.S. population ages, interventions are needed to ensure quality of life continues as boomers enter assisted and independent living communities (AICs). These transitions can significantly affect quality of life. Activity and continuity theories maintain that participation in discretionary/informal activities is crucial for psychosocial health and well-being (aspects of quality of life). This study evaluates the impacts of participation in discretionary activities on life satisfaction, social isolation, and loneliness, using data from a longitudinal study of older adults in AICs. Older adults who participated in 8 weeks of discretionary activities reported greater life satisfaction and lower levels of social isolation compared with non-participants. Forming alliances and group identities is the key for building new relationships and maintaining relationships in the community. Determining the impact participation in activities has on residents is vital to being able to help develop a more comprehensive understanding of how quality of life can be maintained in AICs.

Family caregivers of persons with dementia encounter resistance to care behaviors (RCBs). The purpose of this methods paper was to describe the process and content of six weekly 60-min caregiver coaching sessions delivered synchronously through an online platform to 26 family caregivers of persons with dementia. All session notes were analyzed for process; two coaching sessions from five purposely-selected participants were transcribed and analyzed thematically for content. The six sessions followed an overall pattern. The first session included the most teaching and goal-setting; the coaches also queried the family caregiver about the premorbid personality, work history, and interpersonal attributes of the person with dementia. Sessions two through five were the most active coaching sessions; previously suggested strategies were evaluated and tailored; caregivers also role-played with the coaches and developed scripts designed to curtail RCB. The sixth session served as a review of successful caregiver strategies and concluded the coaching relationship. Four primary content themes emerged in the coaching process: (1) education; (2) caregiver communication; (3) affirmation of the caregiver; and (4) individualized strategies. These four content categories were used throughout the coaching process and were interwoven with each other so that the participant knew why the behavior was occurring, how to verbally address it, how to use a strategy effectively, and affirmation of the result. The coaching process and content demonstrated alignment with person-centered practices and relationship-centered care.

American colleges and universities are in need of innovative approaches to recruit and retain the upcoming generation of new faculty members. Specifically within the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields, there is an additional need to focus on meeting the needs of women in order to begin to address gender inequity within STEM. This chapter examines the impact of mentoring on self-efficacy for female graduate students and post doctoral fellows in STEM fields. Using data from a national study of selected U.S. academic institutions, recommendations are made in order to enhance mentoring practices that will reduce the barriers women face within STEM fields. Quality mentoring programs represent a viable way to enhance institutional change that may result in increased numbers of women in STEM fields.