Health Sciences, Public Health

This research study is a description of the meaning of membership in a network of families affected by HIV-AIDS. Four network members were interviewed using a phenomenological approach to guide the inquiry. Narrative descriptions were generated which revealed six essential themes. They were: "Reaching Out to Each Other", "Building a Foundation", "Sharing Hope", "Growing Stronger", "Respecting and Accepting", and "Belonging Together." One Metatheme emerged "Building a Community." The implications for nursing practice, education and research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to measure a person's propensity for falling in old age based on their lifetime mode of exercise. One hundred independently living older adults were separated into three groups, (1) lifetime start and stop exercisers, SAS, (i.e., basketball, racquet sport players), N = 27; (2) lifetime dynamic exercisers, DYN, (i.e., walkers, runners), N = 48; and (3) a control, C, (inactive), N = 25. Two trials of a timed "Up and Go" test (Podsiadlo & Richardson, 1991) were performed with results ranging from SAS, 5.01 sec +/- 1.16 sec; DYN, 7.04 sec +/- 1.92 sec; and C, 9.95 sec +/- 4.68 sec, mean +/- SD, indicating that lifetime start and stop activities significantly lowers a person's propensity for falling more than dynamic exercise or inactivity.