Byrad Yyelland, PhD
Martial Arts for Senior Citizens: A Review of Selected Literature
Byrad Yyelland
Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar
bayyelland@vcu.edu
The proposed paper highlights a review of selected literature on the impact of practicing martial arts for individuals aged 60 years and above. This is not a widely researched area, but much of the research that has occurred is predominantly qualitative, often emphasizing a participant observer or practitioner ethnographic processes. One such study in Spain investigated judo classes that had been modified for seniors. In these classes the students were taught how to fall without injury and this was found to significantly reduce Fear of Falling Syndrome (FOF), a recognized psychological problem that causes many seniors to limit physical movement and thereby severely reduces quality of life. The students reported improvements in physical stability, balance, and overall physical health. Other literature supports these findings and adds increased confidence through learning self-defense techniques, strengthened cognitive focus and enhanced emotional wellbeing. Five themes emerged as predominant in this literature review. First, as mentioned above, the bulk of research in this area is qualitative, typically relying on observational and/or interview data. Second, most seniors are physically able to practice martial arts although the training often needs to be modified to meet declining physical abilities. Such modifications increase in correspondence with student ages and abilities. Third, martial arts practice produces identifiable improvements in physical, cognitive and affective areas of life as reported by the practitioners and/or observed by researchers. Some research also shows improvements in bone density and muscular strength, flexibility and balance, improved mental focus and memory, and enhanced confidence and socializing. Fourth, there are challenges to martial arts practice for seniors including sustaining motivation to train as one ages and coping with training-related problems such as muscle strain and joint injury resulting from over use. A final theme throughout the literature is the necessity of finding a qualified and experienced instructor who can work effectively with older students.
“Can We Talk?”: Experiences of Inhibited Cancer Discourse in Qatar
Byrad Yyelland
Virginia Commonwealth University Qatar
bayyelland@vcu.edu
Alan S. Weber
Weill Cornell Medicine - Qatar
alw2010@qatar-med.cornell.edu
The proposed paper highlights preliminary findings from a qualitative exploratory investigation of experiences and perceptions regarding the extent to which one feels free to discuss experiencers with cancer in Qatar. This research is important because if someone does not feel free to openly discuss cancer with one’s physician or nurse, for example, the ramifications can be profoundly detrimental to personal health. Likewise, physicians or nurses who feel inhibited in talking openly may not disclose information that could help their patients. Similarly, medical educators who feel constrained in cancer discourse may feel unable to provide students with optimal medical information, thereby reducing the efficacy of future medical professionals. Participants in the study included professionals in the Qatar oncology field, medical educators, and individuals who have experienced cancer personally or within their family. Participants were interviewed individually via semi-structured interviews in which they were asked to share their experiences and perceptions as to whether they felt constrained in any way, in regard to speaking openly about cancer, and if so, to what did they attribute these constraints. The participants were interviewed in either English or Arabic, whichever they preferred, and the data was then coded and analyzed thematically. Informed by the literature, analytical scrutiny was focused on cultural taboos that may inhibit open discourse about cancer, but also with an eye toward other themes that may emerge.
BIOGRAPHY
Byrad Yyelland is an associate professor of social sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, where he teaches undergraduate sociology and anthropology. Coming from a psychology background, his research focuses predominantly on how people perceive and interpret reality and the subsequent thoughts, emotions and actions that occur as a result of those interpretations. Byrad is a qualitative researcher with an interest in ethnography and symbolic interactionism, and in recent years he has branched into documentary films. He has been involved in documentaries about life in a Brazilian favela, bamboo as a contemporary material in construction, and a new piece about the meanings people attribute to tattoos and tattooing.