The article, “Pathways of change experienced by people aging with disability: a focus group study," was written by Mcmullan Kara, Mark Jensen, Yorkston Kathryn, and Ivan Molton in 2017. The article intends to investigate the aspects associated with elderly people with disabilities from the angle of people living with physical and psychological deformation. The researchers conducted a community-based study for people living with disabilities. Twelve adults with post-polio syndrome (PPS), multiple sclerosis (MS), and injuries of the spinal cord (SCI) participated in the study. The study depicted that the aging process for people with disabilities is characterized by various pathways like medical advancements and positive psychosocial adjustments. Nevertheless, there is unfavorable physical decline whose co-existence with high quality of life develops consistent literature with older adults. The participants reported various pathways of change regarding their experiences and insights into long-term disability. The researchers suggested that a future research study should be objected to determining the contributors of physical decline among the people aging and people with disability.
The study’s focus group included small samples of the participants of community dwellers. The participants were introduced to the research with a brief lesson concerning their participation at the Aging with Disability Rehabilitation and Training Center. The study involved three disability focus groups: SCI, PPS, and MS, to obtain various experiences regarding the age of onset, continuity of disability, and symptoms of disabilities (Molton & Yorkston, 2017). The authors used observational type of research by asking open-ended questions and focus groups method of research. The focus group included aging persons with disabilities and people who underwent rehabilitation training. Therefore, the information gathered in the study covers the aging and disability processes and the experienced pathways of change in the community. The limitations encountered in the study were primarily the elder speak. Here, researchers experienced a challenge while communicating with elders who are used to baby talk with words like "dearie" and "sweetie." Additionally, based on stereotypes, an older person has low mental ability and other impairments. Besides, older people have savings that attract criminals; hence, researchers experienced challenging times to prove their legitimacy.
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The study findings from the analysis of the information obtained involved the emergence of five themes. The first theme is the participant identity, where respondents with disabilities made self-introduction their occurrence and duration of their situation and their views about their conditions. Another theme is the biological pathway, where participants indicated the progress of their symptoms over a given duration. For instance, participants addressed their symptoms that were worsening, like progressive weakening of the legs. In the psychosocial pathway, unlike the biological pathway, participants reported how they manage their emotional well-being, energy budgets, and their relationship with people surrounding them. The respondents addressed the initial onset of disabilities and their re-occurrence. The other theme is the changing healthcare which comes with better clinical policies. The current health systems focus on eliminating errors such as violation of privacy, disclosure of new treatment techniques, and risks. The theme of the future concerns of aging with a disability allowed the participants to reflect on the uncertainties.
This article provides important findings about aging. This information can be applied in future studies to increase the understanding of issues related to aging. Besides, I can apply this information in my future professional practice. I will apply the lessons learned from the article to study the aging factors that contribute to physical decline to fill the gap that was not filled by this study. Having learned how to apply various types and methods of research, I will further the research task to answer the unanswered questions for this class. With the stated study limitations, I will prepare elder-speak techniques to eliminate the re-occurrence of the language challenges. In addition, I will prepare research Ids for my team to enhance legitimacy; and get truthful information from my respondents. I will use the finding of this study to develop my research hypothesis.
References
Molton, I. R., & Yorkston, K. M. (2017). Growing older with a physical disability: A special application of the successful aging paradigm. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B , 72 (2), 290-299.
