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The impact of the economic recession on well-being and quality of life of older people
- Authors:
- FENGE Lee-Ann, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 20(6), November 2012, pp.617-624.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Older people may be particularly vulnerable to economic fluctuations as they are reliant on fixed incomes and assets which are reducing in value. This article focuses on the impact of the recession on older people’s well-being and quality of life from the perception of the older people themselves. The study explored specifically the group of older people described as the ‘asset rich-income poor’ group. A qualitative narrative approach was used using semi-structured interviews conducted with 28 participants. A number of key themes are drawn from the interview data in terms of the challenges that older people face due to the recession, their resilience to these challenges, and the impact upon their quality of life and well-being. The implications for health and social care practice in meeting the needs of older people during times of economic recession are then explored. The findings demonstrate that the recession is having adverse consequences for older people’s quality of life in terms of economic, mental and social well-being, although there is also evidence that some of them are equipped with certain resilience factors due to their money management and budgeting skills.
Economic well-being and ageing: the need for financial education for social workers
- Author:
- FENGE Lee-Ann
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Education (The International Journal), 31(4), 2012, pp.498-511.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Older or vulnerable people in the UK may be particularly susceptible to the economic fluctuations caused by the recession, yet they may be disadvantaged further by poor understanding of the impact of finances on well-being from social care agencies, and a paucity of information and advice to enable them to develop improved financial literacy. This may be compounded further by increasingly strict eligibility criteria, which restrict access to services, leading to increasing numbers of older people who need to fund their own care. This article discusses the importance of financial education for social workers in the UK who are often working with individuals and families who are financially vulnerable and who frequently have little financial knowledge. Its objective is to highlight the need for students and practitioners to develop their own financial literacy skills so as to better enable them to support those that they work with. The discussion considers the usefulness of the ‘asset vulnerability framework’ in assessing the economic well-being of older or vulnerable people and its applicability within social work education and practice.
Gay and Pleasant Land? Exploring sexuality, ageing and rurality in a multi-method, performative project
- Authors:
- FENGE Lee-Ann, JONES Kip
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 42(2), 2012, pp.300-317.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This paper considers how issues such as social exclusion and discrimination may impact upon older lesbians and gay men living in rural communities. It presents a discussion of a research project that is taking place as one part of the New Dynamics of Ageing Programme. The Gay and Pleasant Land? project is a multi-method project aiming to explore sexuality, ageing and rurality in the south-west of England and Wales. This paper considers the challenges of attempting to elicit the views and experiences of marginalised groups of older people using a range of different methods. The methods used in the project include visual ethnography, focus groups and interviews using the Biographic Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM). The findings of the project are being used in the development and production of a short, professionally made film. It is envisaged that this film will be used as a dissemination tool. Performative Social Science methods and its philosophical grounding in Relational Aesthetics have formed the bedrock of the project and are fundamental to its participatory approach. Implications for research with marginalised groups in rural communities are discussed, alongside a consideration of multi-methods and the use of tools from the within social work research.