Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 6 of 6
A salutogenic view on subjective well-being in active elderly persons
- Authors:
- WIESMANN Ulrich, HANNICH Hans-Joachim
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 12(1), January 2008, pp.56-65.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Subjective well-being as an indicator for successful aging is investigated from a salutogenic perspective that states that the sense of coherence plays a key role for psychological adaptation. It should be demonstrated that the sense of coherence mediates the relationship between generalized resistance resources and subjective well-being. One-hundred-and-seventy psychophysically active elderly persons (37 men) in Germany filled out a questionnaire assessing the sense of coherence, subjective well-being and resistance resources (such as age, education, physical health, activity level, social support and personality variables). It was found that resources co-varied with the sense of coherence and subjective well-being, accounting for 52 and 48% of the variance, respectively. The most important predictors were self-efficacy, self-esteem and education. After controlling for resources, the sense of coherence accounted for an additional 6% of the variance in well-being. The sense of coherence clearly mediated the relationship between resources and well-being. The findings corroborate the salutogenic idea that the sense of coherence creates, or maintains, a form of psychological integrity as represented by subjective well-being. The promotion of a strong sense of coherence should be a major aim of gerontological interventions.
Care in the community for older people: an English perspective on the German care system
- Author:
- CROSSLAND John
- Journal article citation:
- European Journal of Social Work, 11(3), 2008, pp.313-316.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
The author draws on his experience of spending time at a Berlin-wide project providing case management for older people to consider the similarities and differences with the British community care system. The article outlines how the German care system currently addresses three interconnected themes: mechanisms for determining the need for care; how that care is funded; and the respective responsibilities of individuals, families and the state.
Care-related quality of life in old age: concepts, models and empirical findings
- Editors:
- VAARAMA Marja, PIEPER Richard, SIXSMITH Andrew, (eds.)
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 96p.
- Place of publication:
- Heidelberg
While best-practice data exist for long-term care, quality of life as a concept, measure and standard for care outcomes remains elusive. This book, which includes new instruments for evaluating care, brings together the findings of a European research initiative, the Care Keys Project. This addressed quality of life issues among frail, care-dependent older people, taking their social as well as health needs into account. It covered Finland, Estonia, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The writers explain the theory behind Care Keys, its methodology, empirical findings, and practical considerations in promoting effective, efficient elder care aimed at social and emotional well-being and including disabled and cognitively impaired patients. The book brings together gerontological knowledge from medical, psychology, nursing, sociology, economics, and health care systems perspectives. It introduces an integrated theory of care-related quality of life that emphasises social, emotional and mental aspects as well as physical longevity. The editors present a practice oriented framework for quality management of long-term care toward improving elders’ quality of life. They examine quality of life in home and long-term care settings across the five European member countries of Care Keys and describe the Care Keys Toolkit, featuring innovative measures for monitoring and evaluating care and troubleshooting for problem areas.
Family carers' experiences using support services in Europe: empirical evidence from the EUROFAMCARE study
- Authors:
- LAMURA Giovanni, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 48(6), December 2008, pp.752-771.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This article explores the experiences of family carers of older people in using support services in six European countries: Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Sweden, and the UK. Following a common protocol, data were collected from national samples of approximately 1,000 family carers per country and clustered into comparable subgroups to facilitate cross-national analysis. Carers' use of available support services is limited across Europe but is considerably higher in Germany, Sweden, and the UK than in Poland, Greece, and Italy. Service use is more prevalent among wives and carers with stronger support networks and less frequent among working daughters with high levels of burden, suggesting the need for a reconsideration of eligibility criteria and better targeting of service responses. Access to and use of services is characterized by a divide between carers in northwestern Europe, who experience few difficulties other than the older person's refusal to accept the support offered, and carers in southeastern Europe, where service affordability and poor transportation present remarkable barriers. Concerns regarding the timeliness and quality of support are common to all countries. European Union-wide efforts to improve carer support need to focus on improving the care system's ability to provide timely, high-quality care delivered by staff who treat the older person with dignity and respect, and to enhance cooperation between health professionals (in all countries), informal networks (especially in southeastern Europe), social services (particularly in Sweden and the UK), and voluntary organizations (in Germany and the UK).
Valuation of life in old and very old age: the role of sociodemographic, social, and health resources for positive adaptation
- Authors:
- JOPP Daniela, ROTT Christoph, OSWALD Frank
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 48(5), October 2008, pp.646-658.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Valuation of life (VOL) represents a construct capturing active attachment to life. As old and very old individuals may differ in terms of endorsement and with respect to what makes a life worth living, the present study investigated whether mean levels and the explanatory value of sociodemographic, social, and health predictors for VOL differ between young-old and old-old individuals. A sample of 356 community-dwelling individuals aged 65 to 94 years in a district of Germany were presented with Lawton's Positive Valuation of Life Scale and established measures to assess predictors of VOL. Mean levels of VOL decreased from the third to the fourth age. Zero-order correlations showed significant relations between sociodemographic (i.e., age, gender, marital status, education), social (i.e., social contacts, phone calls, volunteering, contact with youth), and health (i.e., mobility, vision, hearing, activity restrictions, activity of daily living [ADL], instrumental ADL [IADL]) indicators. Regression analyses for the domain-specific predictors reduced the number of significant predictors to age, education, grandchildren, vision, and IADLs. When combining all sets of predictors, health explained twice as much variance in VOL compared to social indicators; sociodemographic indicators including age made no independent contribution. Separate analysis for young-old and old-old participants revealed age-differential prediction patterns. For the young-old, the role of health factors was especially strong, whereas specific social factors became more important in the old-old group. Age-differential predictive values of the resources seem to indicate positive adaptation to aging. Taking into account such prediction patterns may help to design specific interventions for young-old and old-old individuals.
An international comparison of health, social care and welfare legislation and its effects on older British nationals' mobility within the European Union: final report
- Authors:
- COLDRON Keleigh, O'BRIEN Charlotte
- Publisher:
- Age Concern England; Royal British Legion
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 56p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
The purpose of this study was to examine the rights to statutory health, social care and welfare provision that are lost on migrating from the UK. In order to do this the health, welfare and social care benefits and services available for older British nationals within the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany and Cyprus are defined and compared. The report also investigated whether retirement migrants are specifically disadvantaged or other migrants are equally disadvantaged. Section 2 outlines the 'losses' retirement migrants would face should they move to another state. Section 3 revealed gaps in the statutory services available to older British nationals should they move to one of the member states in the study. One of the conclusions in the report is that if individuals are heavily dependent on social care services to live their lives in the UK, it may not be a wise move to move to another Member State.