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C Tesch-Römer

Publications and source records attributed to C Tesch-Römer.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

[Living conditions of aging and old people in Germany].

This contribution aims to convey a general overview of the living conditions of aging and old people in Germany. It introduces a series of contributions devoted to the topic "health in old age" and focuses on older people as a very heterogeneous group in society. Who exactly are these older people? We start by discussing the definition of "old age" as a stage of life and the distinction between a "third" and "fourth" age. This is followed by a presentation of some facts describing demographic change at the population level. The main body of the contribution looks at households and housing, family relations and social integration, income, life satisfaction and the health of older people. The two waves of the German Aging Survey, a representative study of persons in the second half of life undertaken in 1996 and 2000, provide the empirical base for the paper.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

[Importance of family for quality of life of the elderly in a social and cultural comparison].

This paper explores the role of the family and its contribution to quality of life in old age under a comparative perspective, looking at different European welfare states (Norway, Germany, Spain and Israel). The literature demonstrates a consistent association between well-being and social networks in old age. Intergenerational family relations seem to be of special relevance in their contribution to health and well-being of older family members. Key features of intergenerational relationships include association, help, and support. However, in modern welfare states, certain tasks traditionally performed by families are covered by services. To assess the relative impact of families and the welfare state and to understand the interaction between them both a comparative perspective is needed analyzing diverse cultures and welfare regimes. Cultural and societal contexts are of central importance in exploring and understanding the complex association between family relations and the quality of life of the elderly. It is hypothesized that there is an interaction between family structure and welfare state transfers. This hypothesis states that the relationship between family structure and quality of life depends on the type of welfare state and welfare state transfers and services. Hence, the relationship between quality of life and family support should be strong only in those cases where welfare state transfers are low. The empirical results partly confirm the theoretical assumptions of welfare state regime dependence of the children's effect on the elder's quality of life. Three out of the four analyzed countries show results that strongly support the hypothesis of an intervening effect of welfare state systems on the connection between family and overall quality of life in old age. However, further analyses are needed. First, more sensitive indicators of parent-child relations have to be used. Second, needs and their intervening effects on the direct linkages between children and quality of life have to be taken into account in more complex analyses. Third, more elaborated indicators of "quality of life" should be used in future analyses.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Intergenerational solidarity and caregiving.

In this paper the topic of caregiving and intergenerational solidarity will be explored in four parts. First, relevant aspects of caregiving will be pointed out. Second, general theoretical models will be used to analyse the problem of caregiving. Third, the German situation and especially the still rather new long-term care insurance will be described. Fourth and finally, the basic outline of a European research project (OASIS), which is devoted to the topic of intergenerational solidarity and the use of service systems, will be presented.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

[Interventional gerontology in German-speaking countries: a social and behavioral science assessment].

This work is aimed at reviewing 20 years of gerontological intervention research within the social and behavioral domain in German speaking countries. Only controlled studies based on adequate measurement instruments are considered. Literature analyses reveal that the issue of cognitive intervention research is well-covered, underlining clear positive training effects in intellectual performance and memory. Also, studies on the limits of mental capacity represent a highlight of German cognitive training research. Another bunch of studies underlines the potential of different intervention to enhance independence in day-to-day function, social activity, and subjective well-being. Positive effects in self-concept, personal control, and attribution style are as well reported. A general discussion of this body of work leads to suggestions for future research priorities.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

[Every day activities and daily mood of the elderly].

Using the diary method, the correlation between daily mood and everyday activities is analyzed. Positive and negative affect were used as indicator of daily mood. Duration of social activities and resting during the day were used as indicator of daily activities. A total of 55 elderly persons kept a activity and mood diary for at least 50 days. The data were analyzed interindividually (using regression analyses) and intraindividually (using time series analyses). While positive affect and duration of social activities correlate positively in both inter- and intraindividual perspective, there is a relationship between negative affect and duration of rest only in interindividual perspective. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1997

Psychological effects of hearing aid use in older adults.

Hearing impairment in older adults is a chronic condition with high prevalence that shows negative correlations with communication, social integration, well-being, and cognition. In the present study, a group of elderly individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss who received a hearing aid for the first time in their lives (aural rehabilitation group, n = 70) and two age-matched control groups (hearing-impaired control group without hearing aids, n = 42, approximately normal hearing control group, n = 28) were tested longitudinally over a 6-month period. Measures examined their performance in the domains of communication problems, social activities, satisfaction with social relationships, well-being, and cognition. Data analyses show that in older persons with mild to moderate hearing loss, hearing aid use has positive effects on self-perceived hearing handicap, but there is no effect of hearing aid use in domains like social activities, satisfaction with social relations, well-being, and cognitive functioning.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Successful Aging and social relations: selection and compensation in social contact behavior].

The model of selective optimization with compensation (Baltes & Baltes 1989; 1990) offers a theoretical concept of successful aging, that aims at the adaptivity of older persons in the aging process. The present study proposes an empirical operationalization of the model within the domain of social contact behavior, and relates this to self-referent knowledge on daily activities. Older persons with multiple chronic diseases and those in generally good health are compared according to their self-referent knowledge on daily activities and social contact behavior. All participants in the study were socially integrated and well functioning. A total of 35 subjects (mean age = 74.4 years) kept a prestructured dairy about their social contacts for a period of six days. Knowledge on daily activities was assessed in a semi-structured interview. The interviews and diaries were content analyzed (inter-rater reliability estimated via Cohen's Kappa for the interview: M = 0.84; for the diaries: M = 0.93). Results show that the highly social integrated subjects with multiple chronic disease performed significantly better in selective and compensatory strategies than the subjects in good health. Selection was indicated by (a) less family contact and a smaller number of group encounters, (b) more emotional support exchange, and (c) more knowledge on maintenance of daily activities. Compensation was indicated by (d) more frequent use of the telephone and (e) greater knowledge of prosthetic resources. It is concluded that social integration and participation can be optimized through selective and compensatory strategies in the face of chronic diseases in old age.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Use of hearing aids by the elderly: correlation between intention and behavior].

Hearing in old age has negative consequences for elderly hearing impaired individuals. Most important in aural rehabilitation is the fitting of hearing aids. Problematic is the low use of hearing aids by elderly hearing impaired individuals. Therefore, in the present study predictors of hearing aid use will be analyzed. The theory of planned behavior was used in a sample of 54 men and women with presbyacusis (54-87 years old) for the prediction of hearing aid use. The analyses revealed that actual hearing aid use is influenced mainly by the intention to use hearing aids and by normative beliefs of the person. The intention to use hearing aids is influenced mainly by the attitude towards using hearing aids. Practical implications of the results are discussed: Aural rehabilitation possibly can be improved by changing attitudes toward hearing aid use and asking important members of the social network to participate actively in the aural rehabilitation process.

Aged↗