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Breaking the mould: new trajectories in the domiciliary care of older people in Ireland
- Authors:
- DOYLE Martha, TIMONEN Virpi
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Social Welfare, 17(4), October 2008, pp.324-332.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article reviews the development of domiciliary care services for older people in Ireland over the last decade. It reveals three central developments, namely (i) the first steps, in the Irish context, towards a quasi-market; (ii) the introduction of cash-for-care and the subsequent notable segmentation of care tasks among three provider groups; and (iii) a rapidly increasing reliance on for-profit private home care providers. The authors conclude that while the Irish social care regime is still anchored in important ways in the primacy of informal (family) care and the subsidiarity principle, it has broken path-dependency by evolving towards an increasingly complex mix of public, not-for-profit and for-profit provision and financing. The most policy-relevant aspect of this new constellation is the lack of a regulatory framework that would enable the State to monitor the multiple and diverse providers with the view to ensuring the quality of home care services.
Older people – recipients but also providers of informal care: an analysis among community samples in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland
- Authors:
- MCGEE Hannah M., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 16(5), September 2008, pp.548-553.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Data on both the provision and receipt of informal care among populations of older adults are limited. Patterns of both informal care provided and received by older adults in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) and Northern Ireland (NI) were evaluated. A cross-sectional community-based population survey was conducted. Randomly selected older people (aged 65+, n = 2033, mean age (standard deviation): 74.1 years (6.8), 43% men, 68% response rate) provided information on the provision and receipt of care, its location, and the person(s) who provided the care. Twelve per cent of the sample (251/2033) identified themselves as informal caregivers (8% RoI and 17% NI). Caregivers were more likely to be women, married, have less education and have less functional impairment. Forty-nine per cent reported receiving some form of care in the past year. Care recipients were more likely to be older, married, have more functional impairment, and poorer self-rated health. Receiving regular informal care (help at least once a week) from a non-resident relative was the most common form of help received. Five per cent (n = 102/2033) of the sample reported both providing and receiving informal care. Levels of informal care provided by community-dwelling older adults were notably higher than reported in single-item national census questions. The balance of formal and informal health and social care will become increasingly important as populations age. It is essential, therefore, to evaluate factors facilitating or impeding informal care delivery.
The experience of social and emotional loneliness among older people in Ireland
- Authors:
- DRENNAN Jonathan, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 28(8), November 2008, pp.1113-1132.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This paper reports a study of the risk factors for social and emotional loneliness among older people in Ireland. Using the ‘Social and Emotional Scale for Adults’, the social and emotional dimensions of loneliness were measured. Emotional loneliness was conceptualised as having elements of both family loneliness and romantic loneliness. The data were collected through a national telephone survey of loneliness in older people conducted in 2004 that completed interviews with 683 people aged 65 or more years. It was found that levels of social and family loneliness were low, but that romantic loneliness was relatively high. Predictors for social loneliness were identified as greater age, poorer health, living in a rural area, and lack of contact with friends. Living in a rural setting, gender (male), having a lower income, being widowed, no access to transport, infrequent contact with children and relatives and caring for a spouse or relative at home were significant predictors of family loneliness. Romantic loneliness was predicted by marital status, in particular being widowed. Never having married or being divorced or separated were also significant predictors for romantic loneliness.
Developing strategies for the prevention, detection and management of elder abuse: the Irish experience
- Authors:
- O’DWYER Clodagh, O’NEILL Desmond
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 20(2), 2008, pp.169-180.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Elder abuse has been officially recognised as a problem in Ireland only since the early 1990s, and its prevalence is still unknown. Policy developments are reviewed, including the briefing of government by the statutory National Council on Aging and Older People, commissioning of research, and the establishment of the Working Group on Elder Abuse. Following recommendations for the Working Group, pilot projects have been conducted and evaluated, leading to recommendations for national policy and practice guidelines, legislative amendments, and education and training initiatives. Progress with implementation has been patchy. The paper concludes with comment on two recent research studies, one revealing serious problems in the institutional care of the elderly. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
The influence of nursing home residency on the capacities of low-dependency older adults
- Authors:
- WALSH Kieran M., WALDMANN Thomas
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 12(5), September 2008, pp.528-535.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
With the growing number of low-dependency older adults in long-stay care and the lack of categorisation of these institutions in the Republic of Ireland, it can be asked if such facilities are truly beneficial. This paper presents an explorative investigation of the influence of the nursing home environment on the capacities of low-dependency older adults. The participants consisted of 50 community residents, as a control group, and 50 nursing home residents ranging in age from 65 to 95 years. The methodology was based on a triangulation of three data sources: a battery of cognitive, sensory, sensorimotor and psychological well-being assessments; a semi-structured participant interview; and an institutional questionnaire. Cluster analysis was then used to identify natural performance groupings within the assessment battery data. There were two performance groupings within the dataset. Interestingly, two community residents were grouped with the majority of nursing home residents and six nursing home residents were grouped with the majority of community residents. The interpretation of the results was informed by the semi-structured interviews and the institutional questionnaires. Although causality cannot be attributed, findings indicate an association between the nursing home environment and the capacities of older adult residents.
A profile of Action on Elder Abuse
- Author:
- -
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Adult Protection, 10(3), August 2008, pp.35-38.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
A profile of Action on Elder Abuse (AEA), an abuse charity that works to protect and prevent the abuse of vulnerable older adults in the UK and in Ireland. The organisation outlines their activities aimed at raising awareness and prevention of elder abuse.
Ageing and social policy in Ireland
- Editors:
- KENNEDY Patricia, QUIN Suzanne, (eds.)
- Publisher:
- University College Dublin Press
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 176p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Dublin
This book brings together the writings of specialists in a range of areas relevant to the situation of older people in Ireland and conveys the key role that policy planning and service provision play in this area. Each chapter addresses a specific area of social policy. These are constructions of ageing in Irish social policy; ageing, the labour market and retirement; poverty and ageing; housing and accommodation for older people; older returning emigrants; ageing and the new communities in Ireland; Alzheimer’s disease, activism and the pharmaceutical industry; health care for older people; disability in older age; from community care to residential care: personal social services and older people; and elder abuse. The contents indicate that there are many issues in the areas of income support, housing, health, and personal social services related to ageing in Ireland that must be addressed in order to ensure that the aim of maximising opportunities for older people to actively engage in civic and social life is achieved. The book is recommended for undergraduate and postgraduate students who wish to familiarise themselves with the challenges for older people, their families, service providers and policy makers.