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Willingness to use formal long-term care services by Korean elders and their primary caregivers
- Authors:
- KIM Hyungsoo, CHOI Won-Young
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 20(4), 2008, pp.474-492.
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Logistic regression models were estimated using 2001 national survey data on 1,168 Korean adults aged 65 or older, and their primary caregivers. More than 70% of the older people were female, mostly with very low levels of formal education, and the majority lived with adult children or spouses. The attitudes of both older people and primary caregivers towards care responsibility were the dominant predictor of willingness to use formal long term care services. These attitudes need to be taken into account as policy makers attempt to normalise the use of formal care (home-based or institutional) and reduce the burden on informal carers. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
The devil is in the details: self-neglect in Australia
- Author:
- MCDERMOTT Shannon
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 20(3), 2008, pp.231-250.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
A qualitative research method is used to explore how 24 Australian health, housing and environmental health professionals understand situations of self-neglect. In contrast to American usage of the term in a broad and all-encompassing sense, the participants distinguished between self-neglect (neglect of the person), squalor (neglect of the environment), collecting (accumulation of certain objects) and hoarding (the inability to throw objects away). It is argued that this differentiation can be useful in developing reflective interventions to deal with these problems. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Enhancing later life: how older people perceive active ageing?
- Author:
- BOWLING Ann
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 12(3), May 2008, pp.293-301.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This article aimed to identify older people's perceptions of active ageing, and to compare them with the literature, and with older people's perceptions of successful ageing and quality of life. Face-to-face interview survey with 337 people aged 65+ living at home in Britain. The most common perceptions of active ageing were having/maintaining physical health and functioning (43%), leisure and social activities (34%), mental functioning and activity (18%) and social relationships and contacts (15%). A third rated themselves as ageing 'Very actively', and almost half as 'Fairly actively'. Independent predictors of positive self-rated active ageing were optimum health and quality of life. Main sub-themes of active ageing included exercising the body and mind in order to maintain health and functioning. People's views focussed on basic definitions such as social, physical and mental health and activity, probably reflecting the novelty of the concept to them, thereby excluding frail older people from active ageing. Comparisons with definitions of successful ageing and quality of life showed overlap, but the latter were portrayed as 'states of being'. This is consistent with models which propose quality of life as the end-point of active ageing.
Care provision for African American elders: family attitudes and strategies
- Author:
- STEWART Pearl
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 6(1), 2008, pp.61-81.
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia
This study uses a qualitative method and a Kinscripts perspective to examine in detail the attitudes towards caring for their elderly members of a large, extended African American family originating in rural North Carolina. Forty-eight interviews with family members aged 15 to 80 revealed a continued strong commitment to providing care for older people at home, which pre-dates slavery and has its roots in West African culture. There is an emphasis on spreading tasks across a broad range of family members rather than relying on a primary carer, with the majority of older people continuing to live in their own homes. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Civic engagement as a retirement role for aging Americans
- Authors:
- KASKIE Brian, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 48, June 2008, pp.368-377.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Public attention directed toward the civic engagement of retired Americans has increased considerably. This research aimed to define civic engagement as a retirement role and differentiate individuals who met this role definition from other retirees. Retirees who met the definition of civic engagement were identified from a sample of 683 retired older adults living in a rural Midwestern state in the USA. Using a multinomial logistic regression analysis, this group of engaged retirees were contrasted to three other groups of retirees: (a) those who were neither working nor volunteering, (b) those who had returned to work in part-time or seasonal occupations, and (c) those who volunteered for fewer than 5 hours each week. The analyses indicated that individuals assigned to the group of engaged retirees were similar across 24 variables. This group of engaged retirees differed from the other groups by gender, education level, and health status; retirement motives and planning efforts; primary retirement activities; and attitudes about volunteering and returning to work. This research supported the contention that civic engagement could be defined as a formal retirement role, as engaged retirees differ significantly from those who volunteer less, work in noncivic roles, or do neither. Further, it was resolved that associating the act of volunteering, in itself, with civic engagement may no longer be appropriate for retired older adults. The definition of civic engagement as a retirement role should also include those individuals who return to work in organizations that pursue specific civic activities.
Are patients' attitudes towards and knowledge of electroconvulsive therapy transcultural? A multi-national pilot study
- Authors:
- BUSTIN Julian, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23(5), May 2008, pp.497-503.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study aimed to compare the attitudes and knowledge of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) among older adults depressed patients across three culturally different populations and to explore the relationship between culture, knowledge and attitudes. The study was conducted in one centre in each country. A semi-structured survey was used which included three sections: demographics characteristics, attitudes towards and knowledge of ECT. A total of 75 patients were recruited in this study: 30 patients from England; 30 patients from Argentina; and 15 patients from Canada. There was a significant difference in knowledge about ECT across the three countries. No significant difference was found in terms of attitudes. Knowledge was poor in all three countries. The most influential factor shaping subjects' attitudes and knowledge of ECT differed for the three countries. A weak correlation was found between knowledge of and attitudes towards ECT across all patients from the three different countries. No evidence was found that a particular cultural background affects attitudes towards ECT.
Fear of falling and activity avoidance in a national sample of older adults in the United States
- Authors:
- BERTERA Elizabeth, BERTERA Robert L.
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Work, 33(1), February 2008, pp.54-62.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This study assesses the relationship between fear of falling and avoidance of nine everyday activities critical to independence among community-dwelling older adults in the United States. Secondary data analysis was performed with National Survey of Self-Care and Aging interview data from 3,474 respondents age 65 years or older. Falls were reported by 24 percent of respondents, fear of falling was reported by 22 percent of respondents, and both increased with age. Fear of falling was the most important factor in predicting activity avoidance among older adults; the number of falls experienced increases the impact that fear of falling has on activity avoidance. Other factors were as follows: needing help with activities of daily living and the number of prescriptions taken. Assessments of older individuals should include fear of falling and fall history. Reductions in fear of falling and increases in activity level could provide significant benefits by helping older adults to maintain functioning and the ability to live independently.
Impact of major depression and subsyndromal symptoms on quality of life and attitudes toward aging in an International sample of older adults
- Authors:
- CHACHAMOVICH Eduardo, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 48(5), October 2008, pp.593-602.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The impact of major depression on quality of life (QOL) and aging experiences in older adults has been reported. Studies have demonstrated that the clinical diagnosis of major depression is the strongest predictor for QOL. The authors postulate that some findings are biased because of the use of inadequate instruments. Although subsyndromal depression is more prevalent than major depression, there are no reports on its impact on QOL or attitudes toward aging. The present study aimed to assess the association of major and subsyndromal depression on QOL and attitudes toward aging in a large international sample. The cross-sectional study assessed 4,316 respondents in 20 countries from five continents. The study used the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) Assessment for Older Adults, known as the WHOQOL-OLD; the brief version of the WHOQOL instrument, known as the WHOQOL-BREF; and the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire. Statistical analyses involved hierarchical multiple regression, as well as comparison of means. It was found even relatively minor levels of depression are associated with a significant decrease in all QOL domains and with a pattern of negative attitudes toward aging. QOL and attitudes toward aging scores are lower as depression intensity is increased, even in subsyndromal levels. This phenomenon happens not only for clinically depressed individuals but also for subsyndromic individuals. Present findings suggest that classifying a respondent as nondepressed is not sufficient and is still not informative about his or her QOL and attitudes toward aging status.
Older people's sense of coherence: relationships with education, former occupation and living arrangements
- Authors:
- CIAIRANO Silva, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 28(8), November 2008, pp.1075-1091.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Few studies have explored the combination of individual and contextual conditions that influence psychological health among older people. This study aimed to analyse the sense of coherence (SOC) in a sample of Italian senior citizens in relation to gender, educational level, living arrangements and former employment, when controlling for age. The short version of the SOC scale (Antonovsky 1987), which has items for the ‘comprehensibility’, ‘manageability’ and ‘meaningfulness’ components, was administered to a sample of 198 senior citizens of both genders and with an average age of 68.5 years. The findings showed that: (a) senior citizens with a higher level of education and who had retired from jobs with a high level of responsibility perceived reality as more controllable, manageable and meaningful; (b) with greater age, the perception that life's challenges are worth facing decreased; and (c) there was an interaction between living arrangements and education level, viz. those with higher education, and those with lower education living with a spouse or partner, perceived reality as more meaningful and their life challenges as worth facing. It is important to investigate further the activities that help maintain a high sense of coherence throughout the life span, and to design social policies that support senior citizens who live alone, because they appear psychologically weaker than others.
Conceptualizations of family by older gay men
- Authors:
- MURACO Anna, LEBLANCE Allen J., RUSSELL Stephen T.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 20(1/2), 2008, pp.69-90.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Definitions of family have traditionally been heterosexually based, and this study draws on the family life course perspective to explore how gay men define and understand family. It is based on interviews conducted in the late 1990s with gay men over the age of 50 who talked about their family relationships and provided diverse definitions of family. Biological ties and closeness were two consistent themes in defining both positive and negative family relationships, while narratives of coming out were central to discussions of current relationships with parents and children. The findings indicate that sexual orientation influences life trajectories and transitions, and point to useful avenues for further research on contemporary family life. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).