Tamara Statz

Vibrant Living Senior Services LLC

Persons living with dementia continue to desire and need air travel. This study gives voice to the current lived experiences of persons with dementia and their caregiving travel companions using U.S. airports. Forty-eight persons living with dementia and 176 travel companions shared information about themselves and their airport experiences through...

Bereavement and grief are frequently experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic given widespread mortality. However, losses extend beyond deaths to include cancelled plans and routines, separation from family and friends, and unemployment. It is essential to better understand the multifaceted and complex losses experienced by older adults throughout...

Guilt is a complex and multifaceted emotion navigated by many family caregivers. Guilt is sometimes experienced following a transition into a residential long-term care facility, even when the move is necessary given high care needs related to Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. This mixed methods study identifies and compares areas of guilt...

Air travel is increasingly accessible and rising numbers of older adults choose to fly. The prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) is also expected to increase due to advances in longevity and the aging Baby Boomer population. An ADRD diagnosis does not necessarily end the desire to travel for leisure, and air travel may be...

Objectives: Previous analyses of interventions targeting relationships between family caregivers of people with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and residential long-term care (RLTC) staff showed modest associations with caregiver outcomes. This analysis aimed to better understand interpersonal and contextual factors that influence caregiv...

Background: Families do not fully disengage from care responsibilities following relatives' admissions to residential long-term (RLTC) care settings such as nursing homes. Caregiver stress, depression, or other key outcomes remain stable or sometimes increase following a relative's RLTC entry. Some interventions have attempted to increase family i...

The concept of aging in place attracts older adults, scholars, policymakers, and service providers alike. Interviews with 125 independent-dwelling men and women (mean age 71 years) and ten policymakers/community service providers queried for elements of urban and suburban contexts that strengthen or weaken desires and abilities to age in place. Ove...

A driving paradigm of science, including much of the discipline of gerontology, remains post-positivism. However, the post-positivistic emphasis on experimental control, elimination of “bias,” and internal validity may create a chasm between the science and scholarship we conduct and the lives of those who engage with us in such endeavors. The purp...

Family caregivers of persons with dementia experience guilt for various reasons when placing their family member into residential long-term care (RLTC). Research has shown a relationship between guilt and overall caregiver burden; however, literature on predictors of guilt related to caregiving following RLTC placement is limited. The Residential C...

The concept of aging in place (AIP) attracts older adults, scholars, policymakers, and service providers alike. However, are our homes and neighborhoods able to accommodate widespread AIP? Qualitative thematic analyses of semi-structured interviews queried for elements of urban and suburban contexts that strengthen or weaken AIP desires and abiliti...