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Results 1 - 9 of 9
Creating an intergenerational learning community for the study of elder abuse
- Author:
- NEIKRUG Shimshon
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 16(2), 2004, pp.33-49.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Reports the results of an educational experience in teaching the topic of elder abuse in an undergraduate social work department in a college in Israel. The goal of the experience described in this report was to create an intergenerational, learning community in the classroom by bringing in older persons as co-teachers, experts on their experience, and co-learners to improve the study of gerontology. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
A multivariate examination of explanations for the occurrence of elder abuse
- Authors:
- LITWIN Howard, ZOABI Sameer
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Research, 28(3), September 2004, pp.133-142.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Aims to determine the relative strength of 4 major explanations for the rise of elder abuse among a population in transition from traditional to modern culture. Compared a sample of 120 abused elderly Arab Israelis with a control group of 120 nonabused older adults from the same background. Abuse status outcome was regressed in a hierarchical logistic procedure on indicators of sociodemographic status, dependency, modernisation, and social integration. Results underscored the multiple explanations for elder abuse in the study population and the predominance of the combined factors of modernisation and social integration.
Visual impairments, functional and health status, and life satisfaction among elderly Bedouins in Israel
- Authors:
- IECOVICH Esther, ISRALOWITZ Richard E.
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing International, 29(1), Winter 2004, pp.71-87.
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Place of publication:
- New York
Examined the impact of visual impairment on daily functioning and subjective wellbeing of elderly Bedouins (60 or over) by studying 88 who participated in a day care programme in a Bedouin town in southern Israel. Findings show the majority have visual problems in terms of close and distance sight. Impairment significantly correlated with perceived daily functioning, health status and sense of life satisfaction. Discusses the findings in terms of policy and services provision for the elderly. Provides recommendations for additional research.
Examining physician-patient-caregiver encounters: the case of Alzheimer's disease patients and family physicians in Israel
- Authors:
- WERNER P., GAFNI A., KITAI E.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 8(6), November 2004, pp.498-504.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study examines the characteristics of physician-patient-caregiver encounters in the presence of dementia and how socio-demographic and professional characteristics of family physicians, and severity of symptoms in patients with dementia affect these encounters. Phone interviews were conducted with 141 Israeli-Jewish family physicians (representing a 66% response rate), who were presented with one of two vignettes describing a 76-year old women with dementia. The two vignettes were identical, except that in the first it was stated that the woman sits quietly and cooperates during the examination whereas in the second she is agitated and uncooperative. Participants were asked to what extent they would ask questions to, inform and involve the patient and caregiver respectively when presented with one of the two vignettes. Findings showed that physicians would address the caregiver more than the patient (both with respect to questions, information and involvement). Moreover, it was found that physicians, who were older and had a higher number of years in the profession, would address the caregiver to a higher degree (compared to the patient) than younger and less experienced physicians. Findings provide direction for understanding medical encounters in the presence of dementia. Theoretical implications for dementia care, for medical encounters, and practical implications are discussed.
The social worker's role in homes for the aged: a twenty-year perspective
- Authors:
- DORON Israel, KOREN Chaya
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in Long-Term Care, 3(2), 2004, pp.47-69.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- London
In 1983, JDC-Brookdale Institute for Gerontological Research published Miriam Bar Giora's study on “The social worker's role in institutions for the elderly” . Since then, there have been many changes in the definition and understanding of the social worker's role and function within the residential setting for the elderly in Israel. Two decades after the initial study, the question remains: Have there been actual changes in the situation, and, if so, what are they? This article describes the research findings of a similar study conducted in Israel almost twenty years after Bar Giora's study, and compares findings of the two studies. The comparison of two similar studies conducted twenty years apart, illustrates the complexity of the field. This article describes the changes in the perception and job performance of the social worker in homes for the aged in Israel. Some of the parameters illustrate predictable developments, such as the aging of the social worker population, and the increasing emphasis of academics in social work training. Other factors, such as years on the job, initial job definition and participation in continuing education, have not shown any progress. Finally, with regard to the manner in which their role was actually carried out, and the identification of gaps between execution in reality and ideality, it is possible to detect certain conservatism. The professional practice seems to be adhering to old-fashioned job definitions and has failed to implement or assimilate newer approaches to the job with its greater focus on promoting values such as autonomy, advocacy and empowerment. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Aging in the shadow of the law: the case of elder guardianship in Israel
- Author:
- DORON Israel
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 16(4), 2004, pp.59-77.
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Historically, the frail elderly, as well as other vulnerable populations who are unable to care for themselves, have been subject to legal proceedings known as guardianships. Despite changes and reforms, adult guardianship law has survived as a fundamental legal institution aimed at protecting the frail elderly as well as other incompetent adults. However, very little is known on the reality of adult guardianship under Israeli law, and the experience of the adult population under guardianship was never empirically studied in Israel. The empirical void regarding the workings of the Israeli law in this area served as the impetus for this study. The study investigated the issue of adult and elder guardianship in Israel as revealed in Family Law Courts' rulings, while focusing in particular on the profile of the wards, the reasons and motives, the legal procedure, and the outcome of the guardianship process. The study was a quantitative analysis, based on a random sample that included 523 court cases requesting legal guardianship for adults due to impaired legal competence. Rulings on these cases were provided in Family Courts from Haifa, Nazareth, and the Krayot areas in the period of the years 2000-2002. A clear but somber picture emerges from the findings of this study: Every year thousands of elderly individuals are subjected to the plenary legal authority of guardians appointed by law. This severe legal outcome takes place without providing these elderly the right to express their positions, without the provision of legal representation, and without their being seen or heard by the courts. These findings lead to the conclusion that there is urgent need in Israel to carry out extensive reform in the realm of civil legislation on the issue of guardianship for adults and the elderly. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580)
Social networks, ethnicity and public home-care utilisation
- Author:
- LITWIN Howard
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 24(6), November 2004, pp.921-939.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This article examines the relationships between support networks, ethnicity and the utilisation of formal care services, taking into account background characteristics and functional health status among 3,403 older people in Israel. Data were drawn from a national survey in 1997 of people aged 60 or more years. The outcome variable was the use of publicly-financed personal care or homemaking services. About 15 per cent of the study population made use of such home care. Six informal support network constellations were identified by applying cluster analysis to key criterion variables that reflect the inter-personal milieu. The resultant network types were: community-clan, family-focused, diverse, friend-focused, neighbour-focused, and restricted networks. Binary logistic regression revealed that the use of formal home-care services was significantly associated with a respondent's age, gender, functional level and informal support network type (Nagelkerke R2=0.39). No association was found between home-care utilisation and a respondent's ethnicity (Arab, Jew, and new Russian immigrant), income or education. The results show that publicly-financed formal care services were utilised more frequently by older-old persons, women, functionally impaired individuals and people embedded in the neighbour-focused and restricted networks (and to a lesser degree, in the diverse and friend-focused networks). Neighbour-focused and restricted network types were characterised by fewer informal support resources at their disposal than the other types. Thus, formal home care was sought more often in cases in which the informal sources of support had less capacity to provide ongoing informal care.
Intergenerational exchange and mental health in later-life--the case of older Jewish Israelis
- Author:
- LITWIN H.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 8(3), May 2004, pp.196-200.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The purpose of this study was to consider the contribution of intergenerational exchange to mental health. Using data from a national sample of Jewish Israelis age 60 and over with children (n = 1799), reciprocal and non-reciprocal exchange patterns were identified and examined in relation to respondents' scores on a 12-item mood scale. Multiple regression analysis controlled for the effects of socio-demographic background, need and intergenerational contact. Unbalanced exchange on the part of the respondents, whether giving more or receiving more, was unrelated to their current mental health. Equal reciprocal exchange was positively associated with mental health, albeit weakly. This positive effect was maintained despite the negative association of poor health with respondents' mental health and the positive association of income, education and contact with children. The analysis demonstrates that reciprocal intergenerational exchange may be a contributory factor to better mental health in later-life, and should be addressed as such.
Emotional reactions of lay persons to someone with Alzheimer's disease
- Authors:
- WERNER Perla, DAVIDSON Michael
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 19(4), April 2004, pp.391-397.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Information about the nature of public reactions to people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) can help reduce stigmatization associated with the disease. The aim of this study was to examine emotional reactions to persons with AD, and its correlates. A total of 150 Jewish Israeli adults (mean age=59.9) were interviewed face-to-face regarding their emotional reactions to people with AD using a vignette methodology. Only a third of the participants gave the correct label. The person described in the vignette elicited more positive than negative emotions. Gender and perceived threat were the most important factors associated with emotional reactions. Findings suggest the need to expand the efforts to increase the recognition of AD by lay persons, and to address the negative emotions of several risk groups, such as male adults and those with greater concern about developing the disease.