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As long as they keep away from me: attitudes toward non-heterosexual sexual orientation among residents living in Spanish residential aged care facilities
- Authors:
- VILLAR Feliciano, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 55(6), 2015, pp.1006-1014.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Purpose: The purpose of this article is to shed light on the attitudes of older people living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs) toward non-heterosexual sexual orientation. Design and Methods: Forty-seven residents living in five RACFs located in Catalonia (Spain) were interviewed in relation to the way they would think and react if another resident told them he/she felt sexually attracted to people of the same gender and that he/she had maintained sexual relationships with another man/woman in the home, and whether they would have any problem in sharing common spaces or a room with this resident. Results: Most residents expressed some kind of negative reaction ranging from staying away from the resident in question to extreme rejection, although positive and neutral reactions also emerged. Participants were far more reluctant to share a room with that resident than to share common spaces. Implications: The prevalence of homophobic attitudes among older people living in RACFs seems to be high. This may be a barrier for LGB residents, making the expression of their sexual identity more difficult and leading to discriminatory practices. (Publisher abstract)
Associative participation of older adults and subjective quality of life: exploring self-selection bias
- Authors:
- AHMED-MOHAMED Karim, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 35(7), 2015, pp.1343-1363.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Active ageing policies seek to increase the quality of life of older people in three areas: health, security and participation. This paper focuses on a specific type of participation: associations. Its objective is to explore the possible self-selection effects of this type of participation, using global subjective quality of life indicators (satisfaction with life) and domain-specific indicators (satisfaction with leisure, community social integration and emotional resources). For this, a structural equation modelling analysis was conducted, taking into account bi-directional relationships between the variables of interest. The data come from a conditions and quality of life survey conducted in 2008 among a sample of 1,106 individuals aged 60 or over, living in community-dwellings in Spain. The results illustrate a complex model of relationships in which associative participation is not statistically significantly associated with the satisfaction measures used. This highlights the importance of self-selection effects and raises the issue of the effectiveness of associative participation as a tool to enhance the life satisfaction of older adults. (Publisher abstract)
Analysing equity in the use of long-term care in Europe
- Authors:
- RODRIGUES Ricardo, ILINCA Stefania, SCHMIDT Andrea
- Publisher:
- European Commission
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 39
- Place of publication:
- Brussels
There are significant differences across social protection systems in Europe in the scope, breadth and depth of coverage of the risk to need long-term care in old-age. Together with other factors, such as education, household structure or societal values regarding care for frail older people, these differences can have a significant impact on the use of long-term care. Using SHARE data, this Research Note compares differences between European countries in the use of long-term care across income groups, for older people living at home. It analyses not only inequalities in the use of long-term care, but also differences in use that persist after differences in need have been taken into consideration, i.e. horizontal inequity. For this purpose, concentration indices, concentration curves and horizontal inequity indices are estimated for home care services and informal care. The countries analysed here are Austria, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, Denmark, Greece, Belgium and Czech Republic. The findings suggest that differences in use of home care services across income groups mostly reflect differences in need between those same groups. For informal care, the differences in use persist even after accounting for needs, and less affluent individuals are much more likely to use informal care. Some possible causes for these differences and policy implications are considered.
Social capital and self-rated health among older adults: a comparative analysis of Finland, Poland and Spain
- Authors:
- KOUTSOGEORGOU Eleni, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 35(3), 2015, pp.653-667.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
The aim of this paper is to investigate the association between structural and cognitive aspects of social capital and self-rated health among adults aged 50 or more, living in three countries: Finland, Poland and Spain. The study, which was based on data from the European Social Survey (2008/09), was a part of the EU research project COURAGE in Europe. More specifically the paper assesses the association between social capital indicators - informal social network and general trust - and good self-rated health through single-level and joint effects analyses. The results showed that Finland was a country of high social capital, in terms of both social networks and general trust, while Spain showed low levels of general trust and Poland low levels of informal social networks. As to the association between social capital and self-rated health, high levels of general trust and high networks were found to be associated with good health among all countries' respondents. Older persons living in partnerships, with higher education, higher levels of engagement in informal networks and general trust, were found to be more likely to show good self-rated health. The comparative analyses revealed different associations between social capital and health according to country. (Edited publisher abstract)
Regulating long-term care quality: an international comparison
- Editors:
- MOR Vincent, LEONE Tiziana, MARESSO Anna
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 519
- Place of publication:
- Cambridge
This edited book provides a comprehensive international survey of long-term care provision and regulation, built around a series of case studies from Europe, North America and Asia. The analytical framework allows the different approaches that countries have adopted to be compared side by side and readers are encouraged to consider which quality assurance approaches might best meet their own country's needs. Wider issues underpinning the need to regulate the quality of long-term care are also discussed. The book is aimed at policymakers working in the health care sector, researchers and students taking graduate courses on health policy and management. (Edited publisher abstract)
The experience of family care-givers and migrant paid care-givers' relief of burden: a contrasted qualitative analysis
- Authors:
- DE LA CUESTA-BENJUMEA Carmen, ROE Brenda
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 34(7), 2014, pp.1219-1242.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Older people are increasingly being cared for in the community across Europe. Dependent care in Spain largely remains a private issue involving family carers and migrant women from developing countries. Qualitative research on respite care has contributed to our understanding of respite as a subjective experience. Nonetheless, how care-givers relieve the burden of care is still not fully understood. Migrant care-givers are present in family life but their need for rest remains unseen. The aim of the study presented in this paper was to contrast family care-givers and migrant care-givers' strategies for relief from their caring role. Care-givers rest by thinking, doing and being but in a different manner from that of care-giving, that is: when they are a different person. To leave the life of care-giving is the general strategy that family care-givers use to rest from their care-giving selves while turning to one's own world describes the way migrant care-givers seek to relieve the burden of care. The comparative analysis shows that both strategies have in common the necessity to disconnect from the care-giving identity and that both migrant and family care-givers employ strategies that are false exits to a care-giving identity: they apparently relieve the burden of care. Respite goes beyond places, times and activities; as family care itself, it requires identity. (Publisher abstract)
Multidimensional psychosocial profiles in the elderly and happiness: a cluster-based identification
- Authors:
- MORENO Raquel Lara, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 18,(4) 2014, pp.489-503.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: Evidence supports that subjective well-being (SWB) diminishes in the old age and that this decline is strongly determined by elders’ psychosocial resources. This study explored person-centred, multidimensional, empirically-derived profiles of psychosocial functioning in the elderly and related each trajectory to differing configurations of SWB.Method: A community-based, convenience sample of Spanish institutionalised and non-institutionalised elders voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional study.Results: A cluster analysis produced three within-person psychosocial profiles characterised by distinct patterns of functioning: highly successful elders demonstrated to be healthy, highly confident in their own resources and very active in daily life; moderately successful elders demonstrated average functioning across domains, although they expected decreases in the future; and highly impaired elders were ill and stressed, at a high risk for future health problems and depression, and tried to compensate for their status mainly through social support. Each of these profiles was related differently to SWB configurations: highly successful elders demonstrated significantly higher happiness, positive affect, affect balance and life satisfaction; moderately successful elders showed average levels of SWB but decreased positive affect; and highly impaired elders demonstrated dramatically lower SWB. Furthermore, such trajectories were associated with the elders’ living condition. The happiest elders were more likely to be home-dwelling elders; however, there were fewer unhappy elders among those who were institutionalised.Conclusion: A person-centred approach to assessing psychosocial and SWB configurations provides a rich picture of individual differences in the ageing processes and can help in designing interventions aimed at enhancing happiness in old age. (Publisher abstract)
Loneliness and the exchange of social support among older adults in Spain and the Netherlands
- Authors:
- RODRIGUEZ Sanchez Marta M., de JONG GIERVELD Jenny, BUZ Jose
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 34(2), 2014, pp.330-354.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Previous research has shown that exchanges of support within social networks reduce the loneliness of older adults. However, there is no consistent evidence on how types of support (instrumental and emotional) and the direction of that support (giving and receiving) are related to loneliness, and whether the effects are culture-specific. The aim of this study was to investigate support exchanges and their effects on loneliness in Spain and the Netherlands. The authors suggest that cultural differences, such as more interdependent cultural values in Southern Europe and more independence-related values in Northern Europe, influence social realities such as the social support exchanged. In Spain relationships with family members are determined by mutual obligations; older people expect to receive instrumental support from them. However, in Northern Europe independence is highly valued and intimacy and closeness are shown primarily by confiding about personal matters. This paper examined data from two comparable surveys, one in Spain (N=646) and one in the Netherlands (N=656). Older adults in Spain provide for, and receive, high amounts of instrumental support and this proved to be a protective factor against loneliness. An alternative pattern was found in the Netherlands where respondents provided more and received more emotional support than Spanish older adults; emotional support is a protective factor in the Netherlands (but only for support received). (Edited publisher abstract)
The impact of ICT services on perceptions of the quality of life of older people
- Authors:
- DAMANT Jacqueline, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Assistive Technologies, 7(1), 2013, pp.5-21.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
This article reports the results of the impact of the information and communication technology (ICT) platform and telecare services developed by the MonAMI consortium on the quality of life (QOL) of older people in three European communities. The technology consisted of alarms, home monitoring and control, reminder services and entertainment services. In a three-month trial, the MonAMI technology was installed in the homes of older people with various needs, in the cities of Stockholm, Sweden; Zaragoza, Spain; and Kosice, Slovakia. Evaluation criteria and instrumentation were developed to assess the effects of the services on users' perceived QOL in the domains of independence, physical health, psychological wellbeing, social networking, and physical environment. A total of 62 users, with a mean age of 79 years, participated in the trial. Results demonstrate that the MonAMI services had some positive, significant effects on users' QOL. For instance, users with a higher number of disabilities at baseline reported greater confidence in keeping intruders from entering their home compared to users with fewer disabilities. However, overall findings show that healthier, more independent users perceived more benefits from the services compared to users who report more health problems and are less independent. The paper highlights some of the methodological challenges of evaluating ICT-based care services in a community setting. Limitations of the research are identified as size of the sample group, which was the small, heterogeneous sample of users and the fact that they were observed over a short time span. (Edited publisher abstract)
Towards a model of externalisation and denationalisation of care? The role of female migrant care workers for dependent older people in Spain
- Author:
- ROMERO Belén Agrela
- Journal article citation:
- European Journal of Social Work, 15(1), 2012, pp.45-61.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The aim of this article is to analyse the role of migrant care workers in relation to older dependent people in Spain. This new model of care has come about due to: the rapid ageing of the population of Spain; the lack of formal care services; and the increasing presence of women in the labour market resulting in a shortage of informal care. These factors have led to a situation in which ‘importing’ female immigrants has become something of an ‘informal solution’ among both policy-makers and people who require their services. This article analyses how this point has been reaching, drawing primarily upon the connection established between the welfare state, the feminisation of migrations, and global care chains. It describes the limitations of the public system of protection of elders, as well as those of formal care services, making eldercare reliant upon family involvement. Since the high cost of private companies’ services cannot be met by all family budgets, resorting to migrant carers emerges as a solution to the problem. Finally, the article argues that the current conditions favour the production of social inequalities related to gender, class and nationality, and considers the implications for social work practice.