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Modernization and its impact on Chinese older people’s perception of their own image and status
- Authors:
- CHOW Nelson, BAI Xue
- Journal article citation:
- International Social Work, 54(6), November 2011, pp.800-815.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Recent research about older people in China indicates that the respect commanded by them has fast been diminishing, especially since China began its modernisation in 1978. This study aimed to investigate the impact of modernisation on how older people in China perceive their own image and status. The participants were 30 older people, 16 from urban areas and 14 from rural ones, with normal cognitive function living in Wuhan, China. The participants were interviewed in their homes using a semi-structured interview guide. The findings reveal that modernisation has tarnished the image and lowered the status of older people. However, many still welcome their country’s modernisation as it has made marked improvements in their standard of living. Differences in reactions towards modernisation are also found to exist between urban and rural older residents, with rural residents less certain about the effects of modernisation. The article concludes that this gap between urban and rural older people is an issue that the Chinese Government must redress to promote positive ageing.
Exploring the community-based service delivery model: elderly care in China
- Authors:
- XU Qingwen, CHOW Julian C.
- Journal article citation:
- International Social Work, 54(3), May 2011, pp.374-387.
- Publisher:
- Sage
In an effort to address the rapidly growing need for adult social services among China’s ageing population, the government has begun to adopt a community-based service delivery model that is well established in the west. This differs from China’s traditional kinship based care model. Using the recent developments in China’s care of older people as a case study example, this article documents the progress of community-based service delivery for the aged living in the community, and explores the community’s evolving role in China’s social service delivery system. China’s new model presents a new perspective of defining service delivery and community practice, which has various implications and broadens the view of Western social work practice. The authors conclude that a sense of community on healthy ageing may help foster community members’ willingness to work with older people in the community.
Social network and health: a comparison of Chinese older adults in Shanghai and elderly immigrants in Boston
- Authors:
- WU Bei, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Social Welfare, 20(S1), October 2011, pp.S59-S71.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The aim of this study was to examine self-rated health status and functional limitations in Chinese immigrants in the United States and Chinese elders in China and the impact of social networks (living arrangements and frequency of contact with family members and friends) on their health outcomes. The researchers used questionnaires to gather information from 177 Chinese immigrants in Boston and 428 Shanghai residents, all aged 60 years and older. This article describes the methods, measures and analysis, and sets out the results. These showed that Chinese immigrants in Boston had a significantly better self-reported health status but that they reported a greater number of functional limitations. The study also found that although the social networks differed among respondents in Shanghai and in Boston, the impact of social networks on health status was similar for the 2 samples. The authors discuss their findings and the implications, and suggest that further research would be useful.
Interpersonal influences between the care provider's burnout and the older care recipient's quality of life
- Authors:
- CHEUNG Chau-Kiu, CHOW Esther Oi-Wah
- Journal article citation:
- Administration in Social Work, 35(4), September 2011, pp.425-445.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Burnout, referring to exhaustion, stress and loss of accomplishment in work, is prevalent among professionals providing care to frail older adults. This study examined the reciprocal influences of older adults' quality of life and their care providers' burnout, including whether burnout of a professional care provider or informal caregiver has a negative effect on the older care recipient's quality of life and whether the older care recipient's quality of life has a negative effect on the burnout of professional or informal carers. The study surveyed a random sample of 232 older care recipients in Hong Kong and their primary informal caregivers and professional care providers at 2 stages, with 1 year between surveys. The results showed that a professional's burnout, but not an informal caregiver's burnout, at stage 1 had a negative effect on the older person's quality of life a year later, and that an older person's quality of life (low physical dependence) had a negative effect on a professional care provider's, but not an informal caregiver's, burnout at stage 2. The authors discuss the interpersonal influences between the Hong Kong Chinese care recipients' quality of life and burnout of professional caregivers, and the implications for practice.
Gender and marital status differences in depressive symptoms among elderly adults: the roles of family support and friend support
- Authors:
- ZHANG Baoshan, LI Juan
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 15(7), September 2011, pp.844-854.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This paper examines the roles of friend support and family support in the relationships between gender and depressive symptoms as well as between marital status and depressive symptoms in elderly adults. The study utilised data taken from the National Survey of Mental Health among Chinese Elderly Adults. The sample used in this study comprised 714 widowed individuals and 714 married individuals residing in major Chinese mainland cities. First, the relationship between gender, marital status, and depressive symptoms were examined. Then, the mediating and moderating effects of both friend support and family support were analysed. The results revealed a significant relationship between marital status and depressive symptoms; however, the effect of marital status on depressive symptoms was mediated by family support and moderated by friend support. Unlike previous studies, this study failed to reveal any significant relationship between gender and depressive symptoms. The article concludes that widowed elderly adults experienced more depressive symptoms than did married. The differences in depressive symptoms between married and widowed elderly people could be explained by the level of family support. The subjects’ perception of friend support had different effects on the depressive symptoms of elderly adults with different marital statuses.
The role of holistic care in mitigating burnout and enhancing engagement: a study among elderly service workers in Hong Kong
- Authors:
- NG Siu-man, FONG Ted C. T., WANG Xiao-lu
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 15(6), August 2011, pp.712-719.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Describing elderly service work as a labour-intensive and demanding occupation with workers prone to burnout, this article reports on a study of the role of an organisational culture of holistic caring among workers, work environment, supervisors and service users. Information was gathered using a questionnaire survey of 992 older people's service workers in a major social service organisation in Hong Kong providing centre-based and residential services and community support for older people. The scale assessing workers' perceptions of a holistic care culture had 3 main dimensions: caring work environment, social support at work, and sense of mission/caring principles of the organisation. The authors report that the study findings provide supportive evidence for holistic care culture as a moderator to ameliorate burnout and facilitate engagement among workers, which could mitigate the impact of high perceived stress on burnout and engagement.
Elderly residents' perspectives on filial piety and institutionalization in Shanghai
- Author:
- CHEN Lin
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 9(1), 2011, pp.53-68.
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia
This purpose of this study was to understand elder Chinese residents' perspectives on decision-making processes around institutionalisation and the concept of filial piety during this process. The decision to enter an institution has become more complicated in urban China because of an evolving concept of filial piety which may include other options to family caregiving. This qualitative study entailed 11 semi-structured interviews with elderly residents in an institution in Shanghai. The findings showed that family caregiving crisis were the primary motivation to make the institutionalisation decision, and that the participants proposed solutions to compensate for the caregiving pressure on their children. Negotiations occurred between the family generations about coping with the caregiving crisis and institutionalisation. Based on the participants’ suggestions and their children’s reactions, the concept of filial piety has been socially reconstructed to some extent. However, the children still prefer the traditional concept of filial ethics about taking care of elder parents. The study provides limited evidence that the concept of filial piety may have evolved or may be undergoing some transformation because of the urbanisation process in China.
Examining the association between late-life leisure activity participation and global cognitive decline in community-dwelling elderly Chinese in Hong Kong
- Authors:
- LEUNG Grace Tak Yu, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(1), January 2011, pp.39-47.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
In this study, 505 participants not suffering from clinical dementia were analysed as a follow-up study of a population based community survey among Hong Kong Chinese people aged 60 and over. Information about leisure activity participation, global cognitive function, and key sociodemographic variables was collected. The researchers found that a higher level of participation in late life intellectual activities (such as reading, using computers, games, handicrafts, or playing a musical instrument) appeared to be associated with a lower incidence of global cognitive decline. They suggest that intervention programmes that capitalise on beneficial intellectual activities may reduce cognitive decline or dementia.
Care regimes and responses: East Asian experiences compared
- Authors:
- CHAN Raymond K. H., SOMA Naoko, YAMASHITA Junko
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Comparative Social Welfare, 27(2), June 2011, pp.175-186.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This concluding paper provides a review of the papers in this journal special issue which focuses on the changing care regimes for children and older people in the East Asian societies of China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong. It argues that the 5 Asian societies exhibit similar demographic trends and political forces, which have presented similar challenges to their care systems. Various care regimes and arrangements have been initiated to tackle these recent challenges. The family retains its significant role in all these societies, with the care burden increasingly being shared by other sectors, especially the state. While the state primarily provides funding, community and market sectors are playing a more significant role in the provision of services. The details of the reconstituted care regimes and the redistribution of roles and burdens will remain different in each of these societies, reflecting their institutional legacy, their ideological commitment to state or market, and their range of alternatives to state provision.
The care regime in China: elder and child care
- Authors:
- SHANG Xiaoyuan, WU Xiaoming
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Comparative Social Welfare, 27(2), June 2011, pp.123-131.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
In China, the social welfare system emphasises the responsibility of the family, with the state taking a residual function. As a result of rapid socio-economic change, a steep decline in the fertility rate, and an ageing population, the care regime in China faces challenges. This article uses existing data, including data from the National Surveys on Social Support to Older People in Rural and Urban China 2000 and 2006, to examine welfare provision in China and changes in the care regimes for older people and children. The article focuses on services and financing and the distribution of provision among 4 sectors: family; state; community; and the market. It demonstrates that the care regime in China remains traditional, relying heavily on the family. The state is hesitant to assume more responsibility for funding and provision. However, in response to the challenge presented by an ageing population, a new care regime is emerging, particularly in developed regions and major cities.