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Abstract: Although Slovenia is becoming an aging society, very little is known about the abilities and needs of home-dwelling older people or their preferences regarding assistance. The aim of the study was to explore the need for assistance in daily activities among older Slovenian people living at home. Older adults aged between 65 and 97 years (N = 358) participated in the crosssectional survey study. A questionnaire that assessed independence in daily activities and assistance in the home environment was developed. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a nonparametric test (Wilcoxon signed rank test), and the chi-square test. The results showed that older Slovenians were more independent in activities of daily living (ADLs) than instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Independence was the highest for using the toilet, feeding, and mobility transfers, and the lowest for bathing. With IADLs, assistance was most often required with shopping and housework; this assistance was usually provided by family members. The provider of assistance was generally compatible with older people’s preferences concerning assistance at home. We found no differences in care preferences between urban and rural settings. Assistance in the home environment was predominantly provided by unpaid helpers, which reflects recent developments in health and social services that put an emphasis on a person’s social network. Due to demographic changes and the decrease in the number of adult children, reliance on close relatives might soon become a challenge. These findings can help policy makers understand older people’s choices and preferences better when planning long-term care.
Keywords: older adults, activities of daily living, intergenerational support, long-term care, aging in place
Published in DKUM: 14.07.2023; Views: 518; Downloads: 33
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Abstract: Young adults are individuals facing responsibilities, privileges, opportunities, and important developmental changes that accompany the period of emerging adulthood. Increases in various mood changes, anxiety and depression symptoms, widespread use of coping strategies, increased alcohol consumption and alcohol related problems are not uncommon during this time. The main aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between anxiety and alcohol consumption among young adults. Additionally, the effect of gender as a moderator, and avoidant coping and satisfaction with life as mediators, was tested and analysed. The participants were a part of a large national study of young people’s mental health in Ireland (My World Survey 2). The final sample included 5859 young adults aged 18 to 25 years, 71,2% of whom were females. The measures used in the current study were Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, Anxiety Subscale in the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, Avoidant Coping Subscale in the Adapted Coping Strategy Indicator and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. The results indicated that anxiety significantly predicted alcohol consumption, however, explained only 0,9 % of the total variance. The gender moderation analysis indicated that gender was a significant moderator in the relationship between anxiety and alcohol consumption. While the results notably indicated that increases in anxiety led to higher alcohol consumption in both males and females, the association was significantly stronger for the former. Further, avoidant coping was found to mediate the relationship between anxiety and alcohol use. Young adults that experienced higher anxiety symptoms were more likely to use avoidant coping strategies, which in turn led to higher alcohol consumption. Satisfaction with life did not mediate the relationship between anxiety and alcohol consumption. As such, the current study offers additional insights on the relationship between anxiety and alcohol consumption among young adults.
Keywords: young adults, alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, anxiety, avoidant coping, satisfaction with life
Published in DKUM: 31.05.2021; Views: 1193; Downloads: 107
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Abstract: In the thesis we write about English as a global language and the process of teaching it using a special in-company method. Learning a language differs from person to person, and even more from adults to children. When it comes to teaching English as a foreign language, we can use different approaches and methods, from conventional to alternative ones. There are many ways for people to learn a foreign language – it can be by themselves using different books, audio-visual material or apps, or by taking classes with an English teacher. Browsing through numerous job ads for English teacher vacancies one can easily notice there is a preference of native speaking teachers. Why are native speakers, that potentially do not even have any teaching certificates, more valued than non-native teachers with pedagogical background? Spain is one of the countries where English is not vastly spoken; a situation which in the past few years have been slightly changing for the better as more and more people sign up for English courses to learn English for different purposes (most common are work, travelling or themselves). One of the companies that offer English courses all over Spain is Vaughan Systems where teaching evolves around an autonomous method developed by an American, Richard Vaughan. In the thesis we introduce the method and Vaughan teachers’ opinion on it regarding their workload, pedagogical background and textbook assessment and comparing the results based on the teachers’ native speaker status and the time they have been working for the company.
Keywords: English teaching, language learning, adults, non-native speaking teachers, native speaking teachers, Vaughan, Spain
Published in DKUM: 11.02.2019; Views: 1677; Downloads: 85
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Abstract: Being familiar with all the benefits of e-Health and the strategic plan for the Slovenian health sectors informatization, Telekom Slovenia and the Faculty of Medicine from the University of Maribor, along with other partners, have initiated an e-Health project. The project group is developing various e-Health services that are based on modern ICT (information and communications technology) solutions and will be available on several screens. In order to meet the users needs and expectations and, consequently, achieve the high acceptance of e-Health services, the user-centered design (UCD) approach was employed in the e-Health project. However, during the research it was found that conventional UCD methods are not completely appropriate for older adults: the target population of the e-Health services. That is why the selected UCD methods were modified and adapted for older adults. The modified UCD methods used in the research study are presented in this paper. Using the results of the adapted UCD methods, a prototype for a service named MedReminder was developed. The prototype was evaluated by a group of 12 study participants. The study participants evaluated the MedReminder service as acceptable with a good potential for a high adoption rate among its target population, i.e., older adults.
Keywords: ICT, e-Health, MedReminder, user-centered design, modification, adaptation, older adults
Published in DKUM: 21.06.2017; Views: 1337; Downloads: 246
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