Jennie M Gubner

Interests

No activities entered.

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Books

• Harbert, B. J. (2018). American Music Documentary: Five Case Studies of Ciné-Ethnomusicology.

Journals/Publications

• Shiff, H. M., Allison, T. A., Halim, M., Covinsky, K. E., Smith, A. K., Barnes, D. E., Gubner, J. M., & Zamora, K. (2025). "I Aim to Fulfill My Promise": Dementia Caregiving from the Perspective of Spouses and Partners. Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society, 7334648241310707.
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  In the United States, spouses provide 17% of in-home care for people living with dementia. Negative impacts of dementia care on spouses/partners are well-documented, but we lack information about the holistic experience for spouses/partners. We conducted a secondary thematic analysis of data from two observational studies about everyday music engagement and dementia care at home. In this paper, we report on experiences of dementia care from the perspectives of spouses/partners. Participants included 15 people living with dementia (20% women, 20% people of color); 15 spouses/partners (73% women, 27% people of color). Individual experiences varied, but underlying patterns emerged: 1) Caregiving approaches were grounded in loyalty and commitment 2) Spousespartners struggled to accept changes occurring with dementia progression, and 3) As verbal skills diminished, spouses/partners found meaning in small gestures. Spousal/partner dementia care poses unique challenges and rewards. Identifying underlying motivations and sources of strength can support the caregiving experience.
• Allison, T. A., Gubner, J. M., Harrison, K. L., Smith, A. K., Barnes, D. E., Covinsky, K. E., Yaffe, K., & Johnson, J. K. (2024). Music engagement as part of everyday life in dementia caregiving relationships at home. The Gerontologist.
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  Emerging evidence suggests music-based interventions can improve well-being for people living with dementia, but little is known about the ways in which music might support dementia caregiving relationships as part of everyday life at home. This study examined music engagement in the context of daily life to identify patterns of music engagement and potential targets for the design of music-based interventions to support well-being.
• Leroi, I., Karanja, W., Adrion, E. R., Alladi, S., Custodio, N., Goswami, S. P., Guerchet, M., Gubner, J., Ibanez, A., Ilinica, S., Jafri, H., Lawlor, B., Mohamed, A. A., Ogunniyi, A., Robertson, I., Robinson, L., Spector, A., Varghese, M., Weidner, W., , Caramelli, P., et al. (2022). Equity and balance in applied dementia research: A charter of conduct and checklist for global collaborations. International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 37(7).
• Allison, T. A., Gubner, J. M., Oh, A., Harrison, K. L., Pham, K., Barnes, D. E., Johnson, J. K., Covinsky, K. E., & Smith, A. K. (2021). Meaningful Activities and Sources of Meaning for Community-Dwelling People Living with Dementia. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association.
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  To examine how people living with dementia at home engage in meaningful activities, a critical component of quality of life.
• Smith, A. K., Gubner, J., & Allison, T. A. (2020). Meaningful Activities Among Vulnerable Older Adults Living With Dementia. Innovation in Aging, 4(Supplement_1), 838-838. doi:10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3070
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  Abstract This paper examines self-identified meaningful activities in the daily lives of 21 vulnerable older adults living with dementia and the people who care for them at home (dyads). Using ethnographic observation and interviews, we asked the dyads to identify which aspects of daily life were most meaningful and how these activities changed as dementia progressed. Results ranged from pleasure-seeking activities like cigarette smoking and eating, to spiritual or mindfulness activities like hymn-singing, prayer and tai chi. Dyads identified specific examples of the ways in which meaningful activities and meaning-making both persisted and adapted throughout the progression of dementia. Using these identifiable moments of meaning-making as a starting point for inquiry, we explore underlying questions of how to adapt to dementia progression while retaining meaning in relationships.

Presentations

• Gubner, J. M. (2024, SP24).

  The Role of Storytelling in Building Ecosystems for Creative Aging

  . American Folklife Center - Library of Congress - Invited Lecture. American Folklife Center Lecture - Library of Congress.
• Gubner, J. M., & Allison, T. (2024, Fall).

  Personalized Playlists for People Living with Dementia: The Limitations and Possibilities of Co-Curation.

  . Society for Ethnomusicology Annual Conference. Virtual: Society for Ethnomusicology.
• Meehan, E., Gubner, J. M., & Streightiff, S. R. (2024, April). Awe in Medicine. Integrative Medicine in Residency National Faculty Development Meeting. Tucson, Arizona: Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.
• Shirai, Y., Armin, J. S., Streightiff, S. R., Gubner, J. M., Kolman, K. B., & Meehan, E. (2024, March). Medical Humanities Curriculum for Residency: Learning, Unlearning, and Relearning to Build Resilience, Humility, Compassion, and Community.. University of Arizona Conference on Writing and Well-being. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona.
• Gubner, J. M., & Streightiff, S. (2022, March). Presentation on Creative Encounters in Awe Walking at the national festival SXSW in Austin, Texas. SXSW. Austin, Texas: CFA.
• Gubner, J. M. (2021). Creative Aging through Song: Researching Music as a Tool in Healthy Aging and Dementia Care - Public Keynote Lecture. Women Conquer Alz. Online/San Francisco: Alzheimer’s Association’s Desert Southwest Chapter.
• Gubner, J. M. (2021, June). Improvisation, Belonging and Wellbeing - Reflecting on Music, Equity and Brain Health. Jazz, Equity and Brain Health - A Joint Public Research Symposium between San Francisco Conservatory of Music, The UCSF Memory and Aging Center, and the Global Brain Health Institute and Alzheimer's Association. Online/San Francisco: San Francisco Conservatory of Music, The UCSF Memory and Aging Center, and the Global Brain Health Institute and Alzheimer's Association.
• Gubner, J. M. (2021, May). "Just Me and What I Do": Meaningful Activities Among Dementia Caregiving Dyads in the Home. American Geriatrics Society Virtual Annual Scientific Meeting Presidential Session. Online: American Geriatrics Society.
• Gubner, J. M. (2021, October). Serenatas for Brain Health: Building and Documenting Culturally Diverse Strategies for Intergenerational Community Engagement and Creative Aging Education. Society for Ethnomusicology Annual Meeting. Georgia: Society for Ethnomusicology.
• Gubner, J. M. (2021, Summer). “Sounding Joy - A Conversation about Music, Sounds and Wellness.”. Lecture - Atlantic Fellowship in Health Equity, George Washington University. Online: George Washington University.
• Gubner, J. M. (2020, September). “Música, Demencia y Salud Cerebral” (Music, Dementia & Brain Health). Keynote research lecture for Alzheimer’s Awareness National event. Quito, Peru: Instituto Peruano de Neurociencias (Peruvian Neuroscience Institute).
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  This was an exciting opportunity to give a research lecture about music and brain health and aging to 200+ Peruvian scholars, healthcare professionals, physicians, researchers and community members from across Peru.

Poster Presentations

• Gubner, J. M. (2021, Spring). Serenatas for Tucson: A House-Calls Serenade Program for Latino Older Adults. Alzheimer Association International Conference (AAIC). Online: Alzheimers Association.

Reviews

• Gubner, J. M. (2021. Review of book, American Music Documentary: Five Case Studies of Cine-Ethnomusicology by Benjamen Harbert(p. 4). Ethnomusicology.

Creative Productions

• Gubner, J. M. (2024. Intergenerational Community Sings with Ted Warmbrand. Little Chapel of All NationsInnovations in Healthy Aging Strategic Initiative.
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  Hosted 8 intergenerational sings to teach participatory music making as a healthy and creative aging practice 

Creative Performances

• Gubner, J. M. (2021. El SurCo (Southern Collective) - Popular and Folk music of Chile, Argentina and the Southern Cone. Tucson Meet Yourself, Arizona Senior Academy, Tohono O'Chul, The Opera Theater in Patagonia.... various locations around Tucson.
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  I started a new musical group this year that I am excited about. The group is called El SurCo (The Southern Collective) that will feature popular and folk musics of the Southern Cone in South America. We performed multiple times in the fall including at Tucson Meet Yourself, the Arizona Senior Academy, and the Opera House in Patagonia Arizona. This Spring we will play at Tohono O'Chul gardens sponsored by The Tucson Guitar Society. I see this as another way to promote the HSI designation at the University as the group includes graduate students from the guitar program, and helps us promote the vibrant musical traditions of South America here in our local community. In this group I play violin and drums and sing.

Others

• Kraehe, A., Gubner, J. M., McMahon, E., Lundy, J., Eckman, A., & Klug, J. (2021, Spring). Research in the Arts: An Emerging Discourse - White Paper. UA College of Fine Arts.

Creative Works

• Performances with South American Musical Trio El SurCo; Music; I perform regularly with the South American Folk Music Trio El SurCo. In this group we work to bring awareness and education about folk music styles from the Southern Cone to Southern Arizona. We have performed at the Tucson Meet Yourself Festival, The Opera House in Patagonia, AZ, Tohono Chul Gardens, among other locations. In this group I am a violinist, vocalist, and percussionist and a co-director of the ensemble. 
• Concerts with Duo Yvapuru; Music; Since prior to working at UArizona I have had a performance duo with guitarist Maximiliano Larrea that performs popular and folk music styles from Argentina. In summer 2022 we performed at multiple locations across Washington State. In this group I am a violinist and vocalist and co-director.