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Old age identity in social welfare practice
- Authors:
- WILIŃSKA Monika, HENNING Cecilia
- Journal article citation:
- Qualitative Social Work, 10(3), September 2011, pp.346-363.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Social welfare for old age is based on the assumption that ageing results in dependency. However, research on old age identity and social welfare work is limited. This study investigated the process of old age identity construction within a setting of social welfare work with old people. It aimed to identify social welfare practices that construct and enforce certain old age identities. The data analysed in this article were part of a study of a non-governmental organisation, based in Poland. The method of analysis was inspired by nexus analysis, which analyses social actions through a historical and ethnographic perspective. The analysis focused on practices that produced, sustained and promoted particular old age identity, and findings indicated a complex process in which social welfare professionals create the identities of preferred clients. In conclusion, the authors suggest that social welfare practice is often geared toward imagined client identities that have little to do with real people.
"The poor carer": ambivalent social construction of the home care worker in elder care services
- Authors:
- TIMONEN Virpi, LOLICH Luciana
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 62(7), 2019, pp.728-748.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This article examines the social construction of the home care worker from the perspective of various professionals in the elder care sector in Ireland. The research, using the Grounded Theory method, involved focus groups with 31 participants comprising health and social work professionals as well as care agency managers and policy planners. The social construction of the elder care worker is characterised by ambivalence. The authors connect the concept of ambivalence at the micro level of human relationships to structural factors that are driving the ambivalence. Ambivalence towards home care workers is shaped by structural factors including the precariousness of care work, the commodification of time, and the stipulated personalisation of services. The irreconcilable contrasts between portrayals of care workers as both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ are indicative of deep contradictions in the expectations that contemporary care systems direct at paid caregivers. Ambivalence arises from the commodified and dispensable status of care workers, and fundamental transformations in their training, working conditions and pay are required to move away from this ambivalence and towards care workers’ equal status with professionals in the care sector. (Edited publisher abstract)
Social work students’ perceptions of ageing
- Author:
- RIDGWAY Victoria
- Journal article citation:
- Practice: Social Work in Action, 31(2), 2019, pp.117-134.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Little is understood about social work students or social workers’ perceptions of ageing in the UK. This paper presents a small-scale study of 20 master social work students’ perceptions of ageing during the first year of their programme. A mixed method approach was employed over a two-staged research project, in both stages the social work students were asked to complete Kogan’s attitudes towards older people scale (KATOPS) and draw a person aged 75. Results demonstrated that most students had neutral to positive attitudes towards older people at the beginning of the programme and these improved in stage two; all had positive attitudes. The drawings provided a visual narrative of their perceptions of older people; visual signifiers included physical signs of ageing. Fulfilment, emotion, family, individuality and appearance were emergent themes. Whilst the programme enhanced the students’ perceptions more work is needed to dispel the myths and stereotypes about ageing. (Edited publisher abstract)
New Zealand based social worker’s perceptions on assessments of older adults and alcohol use
- Authors:
- HENLEY Lee John, O'DONOGHUE Kieran, DALE Michael
- Journal article citation:
- Practice: Social Work in Action, 31(2), 2019, pp.135-151.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This article presents the results from a qualitative study of eight New Zealand registered social workers’ (RSW) perceptions of older adults’ (OA) alcohol use and the influence these perceptions had on their alcohol assessment processes. A grounded theory method (GTM) was used to interpret data gathered from semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed the participants used a ‘perception based’ approach, which influenced their practice and assessment of OAs. The implications and recommendations arising from these findings concern social work education, training and supervision as well as the need to develop an ‘evidenced informed’ model of practice which moves away from a single to multi-hypothesis assessment approach and from perception based to standardised questions. (Edited publisher abstract)
Effects of age expectations on oncology social workers’ clinical judgment
- Authors:
- CONLON Annemarie, CHOI Namkee G.
- Journal article citation:
- Research on Social Work Practice, 24(4), 2014, pp.477-490.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Objective: This study examined the influence of oncology social workers’ expectations regarding aging (ERA) and ERA with cancer (ERAC) on their clinical judgment. Methods: Oncology social workers (N = 322) were randomly assigned to one of four vignettes describing a patient with lung cancer. The vignettes were identical except for the patent’s age and gender. Structural equation modeling served as the primary tool for testing the study hypotheses. Results: Significant differences were found in clinical judgment based on patient’s age, and social workers’ ERA and ERAC which affected diagnostic and treatment judgment for all patients. Lack of congruence was also found between the diagnosis and treatment phases of care for older patients. Emotional reaction was more often reported for the younger patient. Conclusion: Results suggest a barrier to “whole patient” care for all cancer patients and a need for student and practitioner training to place greater emphasis on the treatment phase of patient care. (Publisher abstract)
Professional stances and personal values in the realm of transnational family reunification with older parents: social work practice in an emerging field
- Authors:
- VUILLE Marilene, BOLZMAN Claudio, DURRETT Elisabeth Hirsch
- Journal article citation:
- European Journal of Social Work, 16(3), 2013, pp.407-426.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
National rules for family reunification take place in an increasingly transnational context. Social workers in Switzerland, whether they work in services for migrants or for elders, are confronted with requests for transnational family reunification with older parents. While relatively rare, such requests elicit responses which must be viewed as largely founded on professionals' values and norms regarding the care of older people, family cohabitation and the influence of cultural factors. These requests must also be examined against a backdrop of increasing suspicion of motives for migration, especially in fields where migration issues have not been at the forefront of professional debate and practice. The militant stance of some services for migrants can thus be contrasted with the relative inexperience of professionals active in social services for older people, who rarely encounter recent migrants. The latter are more likely to reflect their own private—and unexamined—views when advising clients in a field characterised by complexity and instability. The authors interviewed social workers and families in two Swiss cantons. Their results point to ways in which distinct professional cultures could enrich each other, and provide social workers with tools to critically analyse their own practice in a very difficult field, the contours of which remain largely unexplored. (Edited publisher abstract)
Positions of social workers’ views about residential care for people with dementia
- Authors:
- HAVRDOVA Zuzana, JIRI Safr, STEGMANNOVA Ingrid
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work and Society: International Online Journal, 10(2), 2012, Online only
- Publisher:
- University of Bielefeld
Reform of the social services in the Czech Republic faces numerous obstacles in individual care, mainly in residential services. Many different professions participate in these services provided to care recipients. To show how social work may contribute to reforms in this area, the authors present the views of social workers about the care provided within a team of different professionals. A questionnaire survey was used to study the respondents’ readiness to apply the person-centred approach in a group of 560 professionals working in a number of residential facilities for the elderly. The results show that regardless of the organisational context, social workers tend towards the client-centred approach more often than other professionals. The organisational context influences however the perspectives of other professionals. (Publisher abstract)
Social workers’ attitudes toward older adults: a review of the literature
- Authors:
- WANG Donna, CHONODY Jill M.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work Education, 49(1), 2013, pp.150-172.
- Publisher:
- Council on Social Work Education
Ageist attitudes toward older adults have been recognised as barriers to recruiting and training competent social workers. This article provides a systematic review of the literature that focused on social workers’ and social work students’ attitudes toward older adults and working with older adults. The authors sought empirical studies that used an attitudinal measure of ageism with a social work sample, and a total of 20 articles met the criteria. Characteristics of the studies’ participants, methodology, instruments, and results were evaluated. This article discusses the findings and offers implications for future research. (Publisher abstract)
Issues of alcohol misuse among older people: attitudes and experiences of social work practitioners
- Authors:
- SHAW Catherine, PALATTIYIL George
- Journal article citation:
- Practice: Social Work in Action, 20(3), September 2008, pp.181-193.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This small-scale qualitative research focused on the experiences of social workers vis-vis older people who misuse alcohol. Based in an Older People's Team in the west of Scotland, the study explored service provision for alcohol misuse and examined whether practitioners felt the existing services provided by the Substance Misuse Team were effective in meeting the needs of older people with an alcohol problem. Using semi-structured interviews, data were collected from 18 participants, the majority (14) of whom were female and whose ages ranged from 31 to 54 years. Several key themes emerged including the extent of alcohol problems among older people and the complex reasons that cause older people to misuse alcohol. These reasons commonly related to the increasing challenges of old age. The data also demonstrated that current services are not meeting the needs of older people. Practitioners identified a need for an 'age-specific' approach to target more effectively the complex needs of older people. Recommendations from practitioners included ways to develop new and more effective services, including a more age-specific service, such as providing longer term support in older people's own homes, using a specialised support worker, and increasing staff training on alcohol use among older people.
Evaluation of Adult Protective Services: perspectives of community professionals
- Authors:
- DAUENHAUER Jason A., MAYER Kim Cattat, MASON Art
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 19(3/4), 2007, pp.41-57.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Difficulties with client characteristics, funding and the expectation of poor outcomes means that few studies have evaluated services provided by Adult Protective Services. This paper is based on responses by 58 community-based professionals in the US to a 12-item quantitative survey. It shows that respondents were most satisfied with the intake process, followed by assessment and case management. Satisfaction levels were higher than expected although areas for improvement were identified. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).