ASA - American Society on Aging

1999 Awards Programs
Recognizing Excellence in the Field of Aging

Award Winners

1999 ASA STUDENT RESEARCH AWARDS

Linda S. Foley, PhD

University of Nebraska at Lincoln
Lincoln , NE

The ASA Student Research Award is presented to graduate students for exceptional research relevant to aging and applicable to practice.

This year's award goes to Linda Foley for "Exploring the Experience of Spirituality in Women 70 and Older." The overall purpose of the study was to explore and describe spirituality in the lives of older women and to examine the effects of age, marital status, health, religion and education on spirituality. The JAREL Spiritual Well-Being Scale was administered to each of the subjects. The importance of spirituality in the lives of older women was addressed as well as the levels of spirituality with increasing age.

Linda Foley is an associate professor of nursing at Methodist College in Omaha, NE. She began her teaching career in 1987 after receiving her master's degree in nursing. Prior to 1987, Ms. Foley was a practicing registered nurse for 16 years. Linda earned her Ph.D. in adult and community education with an emphasis on the older woman from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln last December 1997. Her dissertation focused on spirituality and the older women, an area in which she is very interested and has done some previous research. She hopes to continue with her research related to spirituality and women. Since graduating with her Ph.D., she has been appointed coordinator for developing a master's degree in nursing program at Methodist College.

Ms. Foley presented her study in an Applied Research Brief at ASA's 1999 Annual Meeting.

Honorable Mention

Linda Ann Gerdner, PhD

University of Iowa
Iowa City

An Honorable Mention is awarded to Linda Ann Gerdner for her study, "The Effects of Individualized vs. Classical or Relaxation Music on the Frequency of Agitation in Elderly Persons with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders." The purpose of the study was to compare the immediate and 30-minute residual effects of individualized to classical or relaxation music as an intervention for agitated residents with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. This served as an initial effort to test the midrange theory of individualized music intervention for agitation. The study findings supported the use of individualized music as an alternative approach with benefits exceeding risks. The study was supported in part by a grant from the National Institute for Nursing Research, the AARP Andrus Foundation Fellowship in Gerontology and the University of Iowa Student Government.

Ms. Gerdner graduated from the University of Iowa College of Nursing with a doctorate in philosophy last July and presented her study at ASA's 1999 Annual Meeting.

Angela McBride

Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI

An Honorable Mention is also awarded to Angela McBride for her research, "A Study of Attention and Depression in the Able Elderly." The study investigated the relationship between attention and depressive symptoms in older adults, as well as the role of gender in this relationship. Fifty adults over the age of 55 were recruited for participation in attention and memory workshops. The study suggests that memory and attention training groups can be effective with older adults. Additionally, even low levels of depression may be associated with attention problems, and symptoms related to motivation may be more strongly associated with attention problems than are symptoms related to mood.