Margaret Perkinson - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Margaret Perkinson
Innovation in Aging, Nov 1, 2018
Emotion variability (the extent to which individuals vary in emotional states over time) has been... more Emotion variability (the extent to which individuals vary in emotional states over time) has been associated with poorer health indicators (e.g., dysregulated diurnal cortisol) but its associations with inflammation are unknown. In a diverse sample of participants (N=231; aged 25-65; 65% female; 62% Black; 25% Hispanic) we examined if positive emotion variability (PEV) and negative emotion variability (NEV) exhibited linear or curvilinear associations with a composite circulating inflammatory measure and C-reactive protein. Results suggested that PEV and NEV exhibit curvilinear associations with inflammation, with both high and low emotion variability being associated with higher inflammation, but only among older men. These results became non-significant after perception of stress was entered into the model. These data are the first of our knowledge to suggest that PEV and NEV may be associated with inflammation. Our results further suggest that favorable perceptions of stress may mitigate the link between emotional variability and inflammation.
Innovation in Aging, 2021
Cinema can enhance gerontological education by reinforcing a variety of learning styles, connecti... more Cinema can enhance gerontological education by reinforcing a variety of learning styles, connecting course content to current culture, and providing an alternative, tangible view of what students are learning. The presenters discuss their use of film to teach gerontological concepts in the classroom. In an Introduction to Aging course, the films, “Young at Heart” and “Sunset Story” were used to break through ageist stereotypes, examine examples of resilience at the end of life, and convey the impact of residential context on the experience of aging, i.e., within a retirement home for “retired rebels.” In a course on Health and Aging, movies, such as “Red,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” and “Somethings Gotta Give” are used to compare the social and psychological aspects of aging of the characters to learned concepts in the classroom. Students expressed how watching and writing about the films increased their understanding by bringing abstract gerontological concepts to life.
Source Description: Look no further for the book that provides the information essential for succ... more Source Description: Look no further for the book that provides the information essential for successful practice in the rapidly growing field of gerontological occupational therapy! Occupational Therapy with Aging Adults is a new, comprehensive text edited by OT and gerontological experts Karen Frank Barney and Margaret Perkinson that takes a unique interdisciplinary and collaborative approach in covering every major aspects of geriatric gerontological occupational therapy practice. With 30 chapters written by 70 eminent leaders in gerontology and OT, this book covers the entire continuum of care for the aging population along with special considerations for this rapidly growing demographic. This innovative text also covers topical issues spanning the areas of ethical approaches to treatment; nutrition and oral health concerns; pharmacological issues; low vision interventions; assistive technology supports; and more to ensure readers are well versed in every aspect of this key pract...
Anthropology & Aging, 2020
Innovation in Aging, 2019
The scope of AGHEʻs responsibility to gerontology and geriatrics extends worldwide, as reflected ... more The scope of AGHEʻs responsibility to gerontology and geriatrics extends worldwide, as reflected in its tag line, “Global Leaders in Education on Aging.” Optimal responses to worldwide demographic transitions can only come from persons well-versed in the dimensions of aging and trained and globally situated to translate that knowledge into effective and culturally-appropriate solutions. This presentation reviews the evolution of AGHE’s role in initiating and fostering global networks of educators in gerontology and geriatrics, including collaborative efforts with major international organizations (e.g., WHO, UN, IAGG) to increase the visibility and appreciation of aging-related issues among world leaders; sponsoring national and international meetings to promote exchange of ideas and refinement of teaching methodologies; initiating and adapting new models of gerontological training enhanced by advances in information and communication technology; and supporting world-wide cohorts of...
Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 2019
Representing one model of global aging education, international gerontological fieldwork placemen... more Representing one model of global aging education, international gerontological fieldwork placements provide opportunities to gain firsthand knowledge of the impact of cultural contexts both on the experience of aging and the provision of eldercare. The gerontology component of the NAPA (National Association for the Practice of Anthropology)-OT Field School in Antigua, Guatemala fostered intercultural competence through student engagement in eldercare research and service provision in a residential care facility for older Guatemalans. Field trips to additional medical and gerontological care settings expanded students' perspectives of Guatemalan health and aging networks. The process of implementing the international gerontological fieldwork model and issues involved in its day-today enactment are described, including the development and initial year of the program, its underlying theoretical framework of social and occupational justice, the challenges involved, the trajectory of student involvement in the facility, social dynamics among students and residents, and the final outcomes of our work.
Occupational Therapy with Aging Adults, 2016
Practicing Anthropology, 2008
We are not students of some subject matter, but students of problems. And problems may cut right ... more We are not students of some subject matter, but students of problems. And problems may cut right across the borders of any subject matter or discipline (Popper 1963:88, as cited in National Academy of Sciences 2004).
Anthropology & Aging, 2015
Introduction to the special Issue on Occupational Therapy
Anthropology & Aging, 2015
The growing attention of occupational science/ occupational therapy to issues of social inequalit... more The growing attention of occupational science/ occupational therapy to issues of social inequality, social marginalization, and representation of diverse voices, as seen in recent publications such as A Political Practice of Occupational Therapy (Pollard, Sakellariou, & Kronenberg 2009) and Occupational Therapy without Borders (Kronenberg, Algado, & Pollard 2005), comes at a time when anthropology also is reconsidering its central roles and moral duties as a discipline. A selective integration of these disciplinary approaches may synergize efforts to address the occupational needs of marginalized persons. This paper describes an interdisciplinary attempt to work with one marginalized group, persons with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers, by encouraging the inclusion of physical activity into the daily routines of persons with dementia and enhancing the occupational role of family caregivers. The shift from a purely biomedical perspective of dementia to one that takes into account the potential for personhood of one with the disease (Kitwood 1997) is a critical step toward the de-marginalization of individuals with Alzheimer's. Using ethnographic methods to examine life experiences of persons with dementia, anthropologists have served a pivotal role in this shift in perspectives (Leibing & Cohen 2006; McLean 2007). Their work has encouraged a comparable shift in models of dementia care, from simple custodial care to an emphasis on the physical and psychosocial factors impacting quality of life (Perkinson 2000). The potential for the experience of personhood, improved quality of life, and engagement in meaningful occupations by persons with dementia were basic assumptions that guided the development of the Exercise and Dementia Project. This project employed an anthropological perspective to develop and evaluate an occupational intervention: a family-supervised, home-based physical activity program for persons with mild dementia (Perkinson 2008). Based on a multi-dimensional set of baseline assessments, an interdisciplinary team (occupational therapist, physical therapist, and medical anthropologist) developed and evaluated individualized physical activity programs for 30 persons with mild dementia and their primary family caregivers. Family exercise supervisors received instructions on the performance and safe supervision of the exercise program and exercised with their relatives three times a week for three months. Follow-up assessments revealed significant improvement on various physical measures and general satisfaction with the program. In addition to collecting traditional, standardized assessments of outcomes, the project evaluation documented and analyzed the processes through which the interventions morphed into personal routines and habits. Ethnographic observations, exercise diaries, in-depth follow-up interviews, and focus groups with family exercise supervisors indicated how participants learned and performed the exercise programs within the context their everyday lives. Data analyses revealed unanticipated physical and social barriers and incentives to performance of and adherence to the intervention. When faced with such barriers, many exercise supervisors adapted by making ad hoc modifications to the exercise programs. They occasionally introduced technical devices to enhance the impact of the program. Family supervisors also developed idiosyncratic criteria to assess the adequacy of exercise performance. The meanings that participants ascribed to their experiences of physical activity and to the occupation of exercise supervision were pivotal to adherence and general impact of the intervention. Anthropological process evaluation research (Butler 2005), with its focus on context, meaning, and process of implementation can provide insight into the manner in which activities of an intervention are integrated into daily occupations and can reveal the meanings and value of OT interventions from the perspectives of its participants. Productive partnership between anthropology and occupational science/occupational therapy holds promise for the development of an evidence-based field of practice and body of knowledge that will address issues such as social and occupational justice, which are central concerns for both fields.
Human Organization, 1980
A RADICAL CHANGE in the age structure of the United States population has occurred in the past ce... more A RADICAL CHANGE in the age structure of the United States population has occurred in the past century. Due to advances in modern medicine and a continuing decline in birthrates, the numbers and proportion of individuals surviving to old age in the United States has risen sharply from 2.9Vo of the total population in 1870, to lOVo in 1977, to a projected 18% in the year 2030 (Cowgill 1976; Myers and Kane 1977; Califano 1978). It is likely that such radical demographic changes will be accompanied by equally far-reaching social and cultural changes, as increasing numbers of physically vigorous older adults enter a stage of the life cycle as yet larg'ely undefined by cultural traditions or social institutions (Clark and Anderson 1967). Loss of work and parent roles forces most of these older individuals to face the dilemma identified in gerontological research as the "roleless role" (Burgess 1950), where there are few clear or widely shared expectations or roles by which to structure one's everyday life. As various scholars have noted, standards for behavior and relationships at this period of life are left open and unspecified, vague and ambiguous (Rosow 1974). This situation is especially problematic for those adults aged 55 to 75, the "young-old" (Neugarten 1974). These are the older adults who are retired, but still in relatively good health. (Neugarten and Havighurst 119761 estimate that only 20 to 25% of this group must limit their major activities because of health problems.) The absence of well-articulated, age-appropriate roles and standards of behavior to replace those of middle age forces older adults to choose between several options: They may continue to adhere to middle-age norms, judging themselves in
Physical & Occupational Therapy In Geriatrics, 2000
Active involvement in health-related research is a valuable learning experience for students in t... more Active involvement in health-related research is a valuable learning experience for students in the health professions. An apprenticeship model of training is one effective and efficient way to develop practitioner-researchers who can skillfully integrate research and clinical practice. Six graduate students in occupational therapy spent one year as research apprentices on the Dementia and Cardiac Symptom Management by Family Caregivers Study. A description of the organization and content of the apprenticeship training is provided.
Physical & Occupational Therapy In Geriatrics, 1993
ABSTRACT The empowerment model represents a welcome paradigm shift in gerontological service deli... more ABSTRACT The empowerment model represents a welcome paradigm shift in gerontological service delivery. A volunteer program within a multipurpose senior center that employs the empowerment model is described. Motivations for joining such a program, variations in levels and patterns of empowerment, attitudes toward empowerment, and its impact on older participants' self-esteem are discussed. Strategies for overcoming possible barriers to empowerment are suggested.
Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 2000
... For example, Vetter, Steimer, Kraus, Moises, Kropp, Moller, and Koller (1998) found that the ... more ... For example, Vetter, Steimer, Kraus, Moises, Kropp, Moller, and Koller (1998) found that the main reason for low rates of utilizing home care support was due to poor knowledge regarding the ... In MP Lawton & C. Maddox (Eds.), Annual review of gerontology and geriatrics (Vol. ...
Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 2000
... Gaining knowl-Page 5. Lisa K. Rindal and Kristin M. VanDeRiet 21 edge ... therapy. '... more ... Gaining knowl-Page 5. Lisa K. Rindal and Kristin M. VanDeRiet 21 edge ... therapy. ''Among health and rehabilitation per-sonnel, there is a rapidly growing interest in exploring the views of clients and their families'' (Llewellyn, 1995). ...
Innovation in Aging, Nov 1, 2018
Emotion variability (the extent to which individuals vary in emotional states over time) has been... more Emotion variability (the extent to which individuals vary in emotional states over time) has been associated with poorer health indicators (e.g., dysregulated diurnal cortisol) but its associations with inflammation are unknown. In a diverse sample of participants (N=231; aged 25-65; 65% female; 62% Black; 25% Hispanic) we examined if positive emotion variability (PEV) and negative emotion variability (NEV) exhibited linear or curvilinear associations with a composite circulating inflammatory measure and C-reactive protein. Results suggested that PEV and NEV exhibit curvilinear associations with inflammation, with both high and low emotion variability being associated with higher inflammation, but only among older men. These results became non-significant after perception of stress was entered into the model. These data are the first of our knowledge to suggest that PEV and NEV may be associated with inflammation. Our results further suggest that favorable perceptions of stress may mitigate the link between emotional variability and inflammation.
Innovation in Aging, 2021
Cinema can enhance gerontological education by reinforcing a variety of learning styles, connecti... more Cinema can enhance gerontological education by reinforcing a variety of learning styles, connecting course content to current culture, and providing an alternative, tangible view of what students are learning. The presenters discuss their use of film to teach gerontological concepts in the classroom. In an Introduction to Aging course, the films, “Young at Heart” and “Sunset Story” were used to break through ageist stereotypes, examine examples of resilience at the end of life, and convey the impact of residential context on the experience of aging, i.e., within a retirement home for “retired rebels.” In a course on Health and Aging, movies, such as “Red,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” and “Somethings Gotta Give” are used to compare the social and psychological aspects of aging of the characters to learned concepts in the classroom. Students expressed how watching and writing about the films increased their understanding by bringing abstract gerontological concepts to life.
Source Description: Look no further for the book that provides the information essential for succ... more Source Description: Look no further for the book that provides the information essential for successful practice in the rapidly growing field of gerontological occupational therapy! Occupational Therapy with Aging Adults is a new, comprehensive text edited by OT and gerontological experts Karen Frank Barney and Margaret Perkinson that takes a unique interdisciplinary and collaborative approach in covering every major aspects of geriatric gerontological occupational therapy practice. With 30 chapters written by 70 eminent leaders in gerontology and OT, this book covers the entire continuum of care for the aging population along with special considerations for this rapidly growing demographic. This innovative text also covers topical issues spanning the areas of ethical approaches to treatment; nutrition and oral health concerns; pharmacological issues; low vision interventions; assistive technology supports; and more to ensure readers are well versed in every aspect of this key pract...
Anthropology & Aging, 2020
Innovation in Aging, 2019
The scope of AGHEʻs responsibility to gerontology and geriatrics extends worldwide, as reflected ... more The scope of AGHEʻs responsibility to gerontology and geriatrics extends worldwide, as reflected in its tag line, “Global Leaders in Education on Aging.” Optimal responses to worldwide demographic transitions can only come from persons well-versed in the dimensions of aging and trained and globally situated to translate that knowledge into effective and culturally-appropriate solutions. This presentation reviews the evolution of AGHE’s role in initiating and fostering global networks of educators in gerontology and geriatrics, including collaborative efforts with major international organizations (e.g., WHO, UN, IAGG) to increase the visibility and appreciation of aging-related issues among world leaders; sponsoring national and international meetings to promote exchange of ideas and refinement of teaching methodologies; initiating and adapting new models of gerontological training enhanced by advances in information and communication technology; and supporting world-wide cohorts of...
Gerontology & Geriatrics Education, 2019
Representing one model of global aging education, international gerontological fieldwork placemen... more Representing one model of global aging education, international gerontological fieldwork placements provide opportunities to gain firsthand knowledge of the impact of cultural contexts both on the experience of aging and the provision of eldercare. The gerontology component of the NAPA (National Association for the Practice of Anthropology)-OT Field School in Antigua, Guatemala fostered intercultural competence through student engagement in eldercare research and service provision in a residential care facility for older Guatemalans. Field trips to additional medical and gerontological care settings expanded students' perspectives of Guatemalan health and aging networks. The process of implementing the international gerontological fieldwork model and issues involved in its day-today enactment are described, including the development and initial year of the program, its underlying theoretical framework of social and occupational justice, the challenges involved, the trajectory of student involvement in the facility, social dynamics among students and residents, and the final outcomes of our work.
Occupational Therapy with Aging Adults, 2016
Practicing Anthropology, 2008
We are not students of some subject matter, but students of problems. And problems may cut right ... more We are not students of some subject matter, but students of problems. And problems may cut right across the borders of any subject matter or discipline (Popper 1963:88, as cited in National Academy of Sciences 2004).
Anthropology & Aging, 2015
Introduction to the special Issue on Occupational Therapy
Anthropology & Aging, 2015
The growing attention of occupational science/ occupational therapy to issues of social inequalit... more The growing attention of occupational science/ occupational therapy to issues of social inequality, social marginalization, and representation of diverse voices, as seen in recent publications such as A Political Practice of Occupational Therapy (Pollard, Sakellariou, & Kronenberg 2009) and Occupational Therapy without Borders (Kronenberg, Algado, & Pollard 2005), comes at a time when anthropology also is reconsidering its central roles and moral duties as a discipline. A selective integration of these disciplinary approaches may synergize efforts to address the occupational needs of marginalized persons. This paper describes an interdisciplinary attempt to work with one marginalized group, persons with Alzheimer's disease and their family caregivers, by encouraging the inclusion of physical activity into the daily routines of persons with dementia and enhancing the occupational role of family caregivers. The shift from a purely biomedical perspective of dementia to one that takes into account the potential for personhood of one with the disease (Kitwood 1997) is a critical step toward the de-marginalization of individuals with Alzheimer's. Using ethnographic methods to examine life experiences of persons with dementia, anthropologists have served a pivotal role in this shift in perspectives (Leibing & Cohen 2006; McLean 2007). Their work has encouraged a comparable shift in models of dementia care, from simple custodial care to an emphasis on the physical and psychosocial factors impacting quality of life (Perkinson 2000). The potential for the experience of personhood, improved quality of life, and engagement in meaningful occupations by persons with dementia were basic assumptions that guided the development of the Exercise and Dementia Project. This project employed an anthropological perspective to develop and evaluate an occupational intervention: a family-supervised, home-based physical activity program for persons with mild dementia (Perkinson 2008). Based on a multi-dimensional set of baseline assessments, an interdisciplinary team (occupational therapist, physical therapist, and medical anthropologist) developed and evaluated individualized physical activity programs for 30 persons with mild dementia and their primary family caregivers. Family exercise supervisors received instructions on the performance and safe supervision of the exercise program and exercised with their relatives three times a week for three months. Follow-up assessments revealed significant improvement on various physical measures and general satisfaction with the program. In addition to collecting traditional, standardized assessments of outcomes, the project evaluation documented and analyzed the processes through which the interventions morphed into personal routines and habits. Ethnographic observations, exercise diaries, in-depth follow-up interviews, and focus groups with family exercise supervisors indicated how participants learned and performed the exercise programs within the context their everyday lives. Data analyses revealed unanticipated physical and social barriers and incentives to performance of and adherence to the intervention. When faced with such barriers, many exercise supervisors adapted by making ad hoc modifications to the exercise programs. They occasionally introduced technical devices to enhance the impact of the program. Family supervisors also developed idiosyncratic criteria to assess the adequacy of exercise performance. The meanings that participants ascribed to their experiences of physical activity and to the occupation of exercise supervision were pivotal to adherence and general impact of the intervention. Anthropological process evaluation research (Butler 2005), with its focus on context, meaning, and process of implementation can provide insight into the manner in which activities of an intervention are integrated into daily occupations and can reveal the meanings and value of OT interventions from the perspectives of its participants. Productive partnership between anthropology and occupational science/occupational therapy holds promise for the development of an evidence-based field of practice and body of knowledge that will address issues such as social and occupational justice, which are central concerns for both fields.
Human Organization, 1980
A RADICAL CHANGE in the age structure of the United States population has occurred in the past ce... more A RADICAL CHANGE in the age structure of the United States population has occurred in the past century. Due to advances in modern medicine and a continuing decline in birthrates, the numbers and proportion of individuals surviving to old age in the United States has risen sharply from 2.9Vo of the total population in 1870, to lOVo in 1977, to a projected 18% in the year 2030 (Cowgill 1976; Myers and Kane 1977; Califano 1978). It is likely that such radical demographic changes will be accompanied by equally far-reaching social and cultural changes, as increasing numbers of physically vigorous older adults enter a stage of the life cycle as yet larg'ely undefined by cultural traditions or social institutions (Clark and Anderson 1967). Loss of work and parent roles forces most of these older individuals to face the dilemma identified in gerontological research as the "roleless role" (Burgess 1950), where there are few clear or widely shared expectations or roles by which to structure one's everyday life. As various scholars have noted, standards for behavior and relationships at this period of life are left open and unspecified, vague and ambiguous (Rosow 1974). This situation is especially problematic for those adults aged 55 to 75, the "young-old" (Neugarten 1974). These are the older adults who are retired, but still in relatively good health. (Neugarten and Havighurst 119761 estimate that only 20 to 25% of this group must limit their major activities because of health problems.) The absence of well-articulated, age-appropriate roles and standards of behavior to replace those of middle age forces older adults to choose between several options: They may continue to adhere to middle-age norms, judging themselves in
Physical & Occupational Therapy In Geriatrics, 2000
Active involvement in health-related research is a valuable learning experience for students in t... more Active involvement in health-related research is a valuable learning experience for students in the health professions. An apprenticeship model of training is one effective and efficient way to develop practitioner-researchers who can skillfully integrate research and clinical practice. Six graduate students in occupational therapy spent one year as research apprentices on the Dementia and Cardiac Symptom Management by Family Caregivers Study. A description of the organization and content of the apprenticeship training is provided.
Physical & Occupational Therapy In Geriatrics, 1993
ABSTRACT The empowerment model represents a welcome paradigm shift in gerontological service deli... more ABSTRACT The empowerment model represents a welcome paradigm shift in gerontological service delivery. A volunteer program within a multipurpose senior center that employs the empowerment model is described. Motivations for joining such a program, variations in levels and patterns of empowerment, attitudes toward empowerment, and its impact on older participants' self-esteem are discussed. Strategies for overcoming possible barriers to empowerment are suggested.
Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 2000
... For example, Vetter, Steimer, Kraus, Moises, Kropp, Moller, and Koller (1998) found that the ... more ... For example, Vetter, Steimer, Kraus, Moises, Kropp, Moller, and Koller (1998) found that the main reason for low rates of utilizing home care support was due to poor knowledge regarding the ... In MP Lawton & C. Maddox (Eds.), Annual review of gerontology and geriatrics (Vol. ...
Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics, 2000
... Gaining knowl-Page 5. Lisa K. Rindal and Kristin M. VanDeRiet 21 edge ... therapy. '... more ... Gaining knowl-Page 5. Lisa K. Rindal and Kristin M. VanDeRiet 21 edge ... therapy. ''Among health and rehabilitation per-sonnel, there is a rapidly growing interest in exploring the views of clients and their families'' (Llewellyn, 1995). ...