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Access for BME older people in multi-ethnic Britain
- Author:
- REYNOLDS Tracey
- Journal article citation:
- Runnymede Bulletin, 368, Winter 2011, p.18.
- Publisher:
- Runnymede Trust
Recent interviews with BME older people revealed a perceived inequality in the provision of social care in Lewisham. This article introduces the Access for BME Elders Project, a partnership between London South Bank University and Age Concern Lewisham and Southwark (ACLS), which will qualitatively investigate the type and nature of statutory and voluntary care services accessed by BME older people over 65 living in Lewisham and Southwark. It also notes that income poverty and the resulting limited mobility is an issue affecting many BME older people in these boroughs.
“Just like I’m saving money in the bank”: client perspectives on care coordination services
- Authors:
- FREIJ Maysoun, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 54(7), October 2011, pp.731-748.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
It is well understood that older adults often face many challenges to community living. However, researchers have not sufficiently examined the roles of care coordination in the maintenance of housing and access to health care among older adults, particularly from their own perspectives. This qualitative study analysed the findings from 25 interviews and 6 focus group discussions with 48 participants with a multi-ethnic sample of older adults, aged 57 to 96, in the New York City metropolitan area. Of the participating sample, 86% had Medicare, and 34% also had Medicaid. 92% reported living with at least one chronic health condition. Most reported housing difficulties, but had received no external assistance from their care coordinators. Findings revealed that care coordination services appeared to assist older adults’ access health care, and to a lesser extent, maintain affordable housing. Disparities in access to care coordination appear to remain for immigrant, minority and suburban populations. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Social determinants of older adults’ awareness of community support services in Hamilton, Ontario
- Authors:
- TINDALE J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 19(6), November 2011, pp.661-672.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Community support services (CSSs), such as food services, transportation services, and volunteer visiting, enable persons coping with health or social issues to continue to live in the community. However, lack of awareness can lead to these services being underutilised. This study aimed to determine middle-aged and older adults’ awareness of CSSs and to identify the relationship between the social determinants of health and awareness of CSSs. In a telephone interview, 1152 community-dwelling older adults from Ontario, Canada were asked to read a series of 4 vignettes and whether they were able to identify a CSS they could turn to in that situation. Across the 4 vignettes, 40% of participants did name a CSS as a possible source of assistance. The respondents most likely to have awareness of CSS include the middle-aged and higher-income groups. Being knowledgeable about where to look for information about CSSs, having social support and being a member of a club or voluntary organisations are also significant predictors of awareness of CSSs. The results suggest that efforts be made to improve the level of awareness and access to CSSs among older adults by targeting their social networks as well as their health and social care providers.
Post acute care of the elderly in Singapore
- Author:
- GOH Soon Noi
- Journal article citation:
- Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development, 21(1), June 2011, pp.31-53.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This paper is concerned with understanding the family care of elderly people and their use of post-acute care services such as community hospitals, nursing homes, day rehabilitation centres, and home care. The use of post-acute care services is a result of a complex, inter-related set of physical, social, psychological, organisational, and environmental factors. The aim of this multi-method study was to use Andersen Behavioural Model of Health Service Use to explore how these factors are associated with the use of post-acute care services. The study involved: a survey of 299 elderly patients from a public acute-care hospital using a structured questionnaire; in-depth interviews with 13 of these patients and their family members; and 3 focus groups with service providers. The survey showed that the following factors are associated with the use of post-acute care services: medical and physical conditions; perceived health and utility; knowledge and previous use of service; ethnicity; family size; paid help; housing type; and living arrangements. The results from the interviews and focus group discussions consistently pointed to the affordability of services as an important factor. The question of service accessibility and its implications on practice, policy and research are discussed.
More assessment for social work?
- Author:
- SAMUEL Mithran
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 21.7.11, 2011, pp.30-31.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
The Dilnot commission's proposals could result in a single national threshold when deciding whether people are eligible for long term care. All people with a care need would be entitled to state funding after they had passed a cap on their costs of up to £35,000. This could result in social workers undertaking an increasing number of assessments. This article discusses the proposals, the opportunities and challenges for social workers.
Social work knowledge of community-based services for older adults: an educational model for social work students
- Authors:
- ROWAN Noell L., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 54(2), February 2011, pp.189-202.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Knowledge of appropriate community services is one of the most important competencies for those working with older people. Social workers are often the key link between older adults, their families and community-based services. This article reports on the evaluation of a national (US) multi-site effort to increase graduate social work students’ competency related to community services for older adults. A total of 353 students from 35 schools involved in the Hartford Partnership Program for Aging Education (HPPAE) completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. The results suggest that the educational model described in this article produces practitioners with good knowledge of, and the skills to negotiate, the community services available to the aging population. However the authors suggest that more work is needed in some areas such as disseminating knowledge and evidence and the need for ongoing education as services change and evolve.
Customers' experiences of contact with the Pension, Disability and Carers Service: research summary
- Authors:
- WHITFIELD Grahame, et al
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Work and Pensions
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 3p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This research, commissioned by the Pension, Disability and Carers Service (PDCS), was conducted over a six month period in a context of government initiatives to increase levels of support to low income pensioners. This study aimed to provide PDCS with detailed insights into what kinds of trigger events encourage pensioners to make contact with PDCS; whether and how they are facilitated in doing so by others with whom they are in touch; what channels of communication they use; how they experience their contact with the service; and what PDCS might do to enhance the effectiveness of their service delivery. The research involved in-depth interviews with 30 older people, and three discussion groups. The research highlighted a number of barriers to PDCS achieving its aim of ensuring that those older people who are entitled to PDCS benefits are aware of and receive the full financial assistance, services and support that are available to them. Overall, there was a general lack of awareness of the availability of financial assistance from PDCS, and many people felt that they had to jump through hoops to demonstrate their entitlement.
Simplifying the process of personal budgets
- Author:
- SOCIAL CARE INSTITUTE FOR EXCELLENCE
- Journal article citation:
- Community Care, 7.4.11, 2011, pp.32-33.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business Information
The main findings from research commissioned by the Social Care Institute for Excellence into supporting older people and adults with mental health problems are presented. Some implications for practice are also listed.
Identification of community-residing individuals with dementia and their unmet needs for care
- Authors:
- JOHNSTON D., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(3), March 2011, pp.292-298.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Dementia is currently recognised in primary care settings at a rate of only 30-50%. Undiagnosed it results in increased risk of acute hospitalisation and caregiver exhaustion. In their search for a new approach to the widespread delivery of evidence-based dementia care, the authors investigated whether telephone screening could identify individuals in the community in need of intervention. A total of 292 community-residing individuals aged 70 and older living in Maryland took part in a brief cognitive telephone screen. A subsample (n=43) received a multidimensional needs assessment to identifying the type and frequency of unmet needs. Cognitive, functional, behavioural, and clinical factors were assessed. The Johns Hopkins Dementia Care Needs Assessment (JHDCNA) was used to identify unmet needs related to dementia. Of those screened by phone, 27% were positive for dementia. Almost all those with dementia who were assessed had at least one unmet need. Most often this was for a dementia workup, general medical care, environmental safety, assistance with activities of daily living, or access to meaningful activities. Caregivers, when present, also had unmet needs; most often for education about dementia, knowledge of community resources, and caregiver mental health care. The authors note that although successful, this pilot study involved a substantial amount of time identifying and reaching the target population.
Long-term access to support for people with sight loss
- Authors:
- THETFORD Clare, et al
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Visual Impairment, 29(1), January 2011, pp.46-59.
- Publisher:
- Sage
The impact of sight loss on everyday life and the support needs of people with visual impairment are likely to change throughout their life course, even for those with relatively stable impairment. These changes can be as a result of further deterioration of vision, other physical changes, or key life events. The authors explore the long-term social, cultural and physical needs of people with sight loss and the barriers they face when accessing services both over time and at the time of acute need. Thirty six individuals were recruited through contact with voluntary organisations in the Liverpool area (19 women, 21 aged over 65 and only three under 45). Most were registered severely sight impaired or sight impaired. Three illustrative cases are discussed in detail. Many participants experienced problems gaining information about, and access to, services in the short and longer term. In particular there appeared to be gaps in referral from clinical services to social and voluntary services to assist with tasks of daily living. Most services are organised on an acute basis. The authors emphasise that needs do not remain static because sight loss is a “journey”. They conclude that there is a need for regular follow-up to identify and respond to people’s changing situations.