Biomedical subjects

H W Wahl

Publications and source records attributed to H W Wahl.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

The dependency-support script in institutions: generalization to community settings.

This study tested the generalizability of the dependency-support script, a behavioral system describing and explaining dependent behaviors of the institutionalized elderly. A comparative study with 22 community-dwelling elderly was conducted, which identified typical interaction patterns between the elderly and family members or home health nurses. The dominant interaction pattern in the community setting, too, was the dependency-support script. In addition, however, a significant social response to independent self-care behavior was observed, which created a highly ambivalent response contingency. Independent behaviors were followed about twice as often by an incongruent (dependence-supportive) than by a congruent (independence-supportive) response. Expectations of incompetence and of the helping role are offered as explanations.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1991

Dependence in the elderly from an interactional point of view: verbal and observational data.

Dependence in the elderly was investigated from an interactional point of view. Observations as well as verbal data of the elderly and professional caregivers were considered. Samples consisted of 14 elderly people receiving regular home health care (M = 78.9, SD = 6.3 years) and 16 elderly people receiving regular nursing home care (M = 81.4, SD = 7.5 years). Results showed a strong tendency toward independence in the elderly. Sense of control in the self-care interactions observed was higher in the home health care group than in the group receiving nursing home care. Division of the elderly into subgroups with high, medium, and low perceived self-efficacy showed that the elderly high in self-efficacy were more independent in terms of observed self-care. Causal explanations of the elderly's competence and their nonuse of competence were significantly different between the elderly and staff.

Activities of Daily Living↗

PubMed1990

The daily life of elderly Germans: activity patterns, personal control, and functional health.

Aging processes are often described as an interacting system of personal and environmental conditions. It is surprising, therefore, to find an almost complete lack of reliable data describing the everyday lives of the elderly in terms of external components such as type of activities, locations, and companionship. The present study is an attempt to remedy this lack of information and thereby provide a basis for a better understanding of aging processes. Forty-nine mobile and independently living elderly people (mean age = 72.7) recorded their daily activities over a period of 6 months. During a randomly selected week per month they kept a prestructured diary about what activities they engaged in, where, when, and with whom. In addition, functional health and personal control beliefs were assessed. The diaries were coded along 37 activity categories (inter-rater reliability estimated via Cohen's Kappa: M = .93), 5 categories for location and 6 categories for companionship. The major findings can be summarized as follows: The typical activity profile is characterized, in terms of highest frequency, by obligatory activities. In terms of time, however, they make up but little more than half of the day, predominantly the mornings. Afternoons and evenings, were mostly spent with leisure activities. The paths of daily lives of the elderly were marked by two geographic domains. The first and foremost is the home, followed by public places. With regard to the relationship between activities and personal control, we find a close relationship particularly when functional health is low.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Activities of Daily Living↗