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Observational, descriptive design.Despite scapular mobility being essential for the completion of activities of daily living (ADLs), there is currently no established, a reliable goniometric technique to measure scapular protraction and retraction. A proposed method has shown clinically significant inter-rater reliability for a goniometric technique for these measurements.This observational descriptive study examined the intra-rater reliability of a goniometric technique to assess scapular protraction and retraction among a sample of healthy adults.An occupational therapist who is a certified hand therapist (CHT) and an occupational therapy student used goniometry to measure the neutral (resting), protracted, and retracted positions of the right and left scapula for a sample of healthy young adults (n = 54; a total of 108 data points for each measurement). These measurements were compared to analyze intra-rater and inter-rater reliability.For measurements of the scapula in neutral, protraction, and retraction, the standard error of measure (SEM) for repeat measures by the expert and novice raters was4.5° and3.9° respectively and ICC values ranged from poor to moderate (0.37-0.63). The SEM for measures between evaluators was5.0° and the ICC was poor (0.16-0.35). Minimum detectable change (MDC) values as a percentage of the mean (% MDC) ranged between 15.9 and 43.7% for intra-rater reliability and 21.9-52.8% for inter-rater reliability.The results of the study were mixed; variance of less than 5° for repeat measures by the same rater and measures between raters suggest clinically acceptable reliability. However, variance as a proportion of available motion (%MDC) demonstrates a broader range both above and below the threshold of 30% suggested for rehabilitation assessments.There are few efficient, reliable techniques to measure scapular mobility in clinical practice. The absolute reliability of goniometry to measure scapular protraction and retraction is similar to measurements of other joints. However, additional research and possible refinement of the technique is recommended to further address relative reliability and validity.

Abstract. The current study assessed memory performance for perceptually similar environmental sounds and speech-based material after short and long delays. In two studies, we demonstrated a similar pattern of memory performance for sounds and words in short-term memory, yet in long-term memory, the performance patterns differed. Experiment 1 examined the effects of two different types of sounds: meaningful (MFUL) and meaningless (MLESS), whereas Experiment 2 assessed memory performance for words and nonwords. We utilized a modified version of the classical Deese–Roediger–McDermott ( Deese, 1959 ; Roediger & McDermott, 1995 ) procedure and adjusted it to test the effects of acoustic similarities between auditorily presented stimuli. Our findings revealed no difference in memory performance between MFUL and MLESS sounds, and between words and nonwords after short delays. However, following long delays, greater reliance on meaning was noticed for MFUL sounds than MLESS sounds, while performance for linguistic material did not differ between words and nonwords. Importantly, participants' memory performance for words and nonwords was accompanied by a more lenient response strategy. The results are discussed in terms of perceptual and semantic similarities between MLESS and MFUL sounds, as well as between words and nonwords.

We examined differences in perspective taking and empathic emotions in letters written by young adults with grandparents with dementia (GD; N = 21) versus those with grandparents without dementia (GND; N = 45). College students wrote a letter to either their grandparent with dementia or their grandparent without dementia. The letters were coded for perspective taking and empathic emotions. Perspective taking was operationalized as participants’ scores on a perspective-taking orientation scale as well as number of second-person pronouns and number of shared experiences in the letters. Compared with participants in the GND group, those in the GDs group reported greater perspective taking, higher levels of tenderness and empathic distress, but similar levels of sympathy toward their grandparent. These findings suggest that interpersonal interventions should capitalize on family members’ higher orientation toward taking the perspective of their family member with dementia and their empathic feelings of tenderness toward that person.

We used Gilligan’s (1982) morality of care theory to examine how grandchildren cope with having to deceive or lie to their grandparent with dementia. Data from individual semi-structured interviews with thirteen young adults were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. We found that a moral orientation shift toward a person-centered morality of care occurs gradually. Grandchildren struggle with concepts of moral goodness, importance of close others, and questions about self as a moral agent. We uncovered three antecedents of this shift: (1) severity of dementia symptoms, (2) valuing of the grandparent’s welfare, and (3) valuing of the relationship. Further, we discovered this shift has three outcomes: (1) transformation of self as a moral agent (experienced emotions become guides to moral behavior, the morality of care orientation affects moral appraisals, behaviors, and emotions within and outside of the grandchild-grandparent relationship), (2) changed relationship with the grandparent, and (3) changed family dynamics and relationships. Current ethics and legislation assume the presence of a common shared world for both people with dementia and their family members (Hertogh et al., 2004). However, when people with dementia no longer share the same reality as their family members, it may be more difficult to use these common ethical standards to guide ethical decisions (Hasselkus, 1997; Hertogh et al., 2004; Moody, 1988; Schermer, 2007). Consequently, work is needed to develop new guidelines for family interactions that take these complex moral issues into consideration.