Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
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Comparison of suicide in people aged 65-74 and 75+ by gender in England and Wales and the major Western countries 1979-1999
- Authors:
- PRICHARD Colin, HANSEN Lars
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(1), January 2005, pp.17-25.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The factors most strongly associated with suicide are age and gender - more men than women, and, more people over 65 kill themselves. As a number of Governments have targets to reduce suicide levels we compare elderly suicide rates over a 20-year period in England and Wales. And the major Western countries focusing upon age and gender. Male GSPR: 65-74 suicide ratios fell significantly in six countries and in three for the 75+. Female GSPR: 65-74 suicide ratios fell in every country except Spain. Proportionately, there were more suicides in the over 65s in countries with an extended family tradition, Spain, Italy, Germany, France and Japan, than in the five secular countries. England and Wales male 65-74 suicide fell significantly more than Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Netherlands and the USA, and did significantly better than the other countries for all female senior citizen suicides. Suicide of the over-65s has improved in seven countries, especially in England and Wales, who had the greatest proportional reduction, which reflects well upon the psycho-geriatric and community services. However, in all countries, male 65-74 rates did not match the female out so extra efforts are needed to improve male rates.
Perceptions of elder abuse in Sweden: voices of older people
- Authors:
- ERLINGSSON Christen L., SAVEMAN Britt-Inger, BERG Agneta C.
- Journal article citation:
- Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 5(2), May 2005, pp.213-227.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
This study explores the perceptions of elder abuse held by older persons in Sweden. Six focus group interviews were conducted. Through qualitative content analysis, the text revealed four themes: causes of elder abuse, conceptions of elder abuse, consequences of elder abuse, and coping with elder abuse. Changing society and families, as well as individual determinants, were believed to be causes of elder abuse. The main conception of elder abuse was that of robbery or assault, and the main consequence was fear. Coping with abuse included individual strategies and improvements in society. Issues of age discrimination were intrinsic in the findings. Gender differences were evident in the group dynamics. Nurses and other health care personnel need to be aware of what older persons believe to be the cause of elder abuse and what they consider abusive. Awareness of the results of this study can help in refining interview and assessment techniques and in designing training manuals.
Deliberate self-harm in older people revisited
- Authors:
- LAMPRECHT H. C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(11), November 2005, pp.1090-1096.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Deliberate self harm (DSH) in later life is under researched and is believed to be related to both mental illness and suicide. The aim of the study was to examine deliberate self-harm (DSH) in older people presenting to acute hospital services over three years. This was a retrospective observational study. We reviewed 97 episodes of DSH involving 82 patients aged 65 and over referred to the Liaison Psychiatric Service of the Tees and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust South Locality from 2000 to 2002. There was a year on year increase in the number of older people presenting with DSH, especially in men. Twenty-one percent of older men had no discernible psychiatric diagnosis. There were a small number of people who repeated DSH within a year and males were as likely to be repeaters as females. Twenty-three percent of all patients saw a General Practitioner (GP) in the 7 days before the episode of DSH and this increased to 58% in the 4 weeks preceding the episode of DSH. More males (56%) than females (26%) who presented with DSH were married. The most common method of DSH (93%) was medication overdose of which 66% used prescribed medication. There was no difference in the methods used to self-harm between men or women. DSH in the elderly may start to mirror some of the characteristics seen in younger adults with DSH. While the numbers of DSH per year are small among the elderly compared to younger adults, the observations suggest an increase in DSH in men. Marriage may no longer be a protective factor in prevention of DSH among older men. Longer-term observational studies of DSH in older people are required to confirm these changing patterns. GPs may have an important role to play in prevention of DSH in later life.
Are today's older people more active than their predecessors? Participation in leisure-time activities in Sweden in 1992 and 2002
- Authors:
- AGAHI Neda, PARKER Marti G.
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 25(6), November 2005, pp.924-941.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
For the older individual, leisure activities are a resource that helps to maintain health and engagement with life. This article investigates change over 10 years in the level of participation of older people in leisure activities in Sweden, and the factors associated with these changes. The data are from nationally representative samples of the Swedish population aged 77 or more years in 1992 and 2002. The level of participation was higher at the later date, and among four major groups of activities, social and cultural activities increased the most, while physical and intellectual activities increased only among women. Ordered logistic regressions enable variations in the level of participation by age, gender, level of education, disability and fatigue to be described. Participation in most kinds of activities, including the overall level, was more common at the younger ages (the late seventies and early eighties) and among those with full mobility and more education. Since average health was worse in 2002 than in 1992, it cannot explain the higher level of participation. Other possible explanations, such as cohort differences, improved accessibility, and changing gender roles, and the implications for health promotion programmes are discussed.
Associations between loneliness, depressive symptoms and perceived togetherness in older people
- Authors:
- TIIKKAINEN P., HEIKKINEN R. L.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 9(6), November 2005, pp.526-534.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study explores the associations of loneliness with depressive symptoms in a five-year follow-up and describes how the six dimensions of perceived togetherness explain loneliness and depressive symptoms at baseline. The data were collected on 207 residents of Jyväskylä, central Finland, who at baseline in 1990 were aged 80; and 133 residents who at follow-up in 1995 were aged 85. Loneliness was assessed using a questionnaire item with four preset response options, perceived togetherness using the Social Provisions Scale, and depressive symptoms using the CES-D scale. A recursive structural equation model showed that in women but not in men, depressive symptoms predicted more experiences of loneliness. Those who were lonely were more depressed and experienced less togetherness than those who were not. Loneliness was explained by reliable alliance, social integration and attachment; and depressive symptoms were explained by guidance, reassurance of worth, reliable alliance and attachment. A common feature in both loneliness and depressive symptoms was a lower level of perceived emotional togetherness in social interaction.
Ageism: prejudice against our feared future self
- Author:
- NELSON Todd D.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), June 2005, pp.207-221.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
For decades, researchers have discovered much about how humans automatically categorize others in social perception. Some categorizations - race, gender, and age - are so automatic that they are termed "primitive categories." As we categorize, we often develop stereotypes about the categories. Researchers know much about racism and sexism, but comparatively little about prejudicing and stereotyping based on age. The articles in this issue highlight the current empirical and theoretical work by researchers in gerontology, psychology, communication, and related fields on understanding the origins and consequences of stereotyping and prejudicing against older adults. With the aging baby boomer demographic, it is especially timely for researchers to work to understand how society can shed its institutionalized ageism and promote respect for elders.
Models of the aging self
- Authors:
- SNEED Joel R., WHITBOURNE Susan Krauss
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), June 2005, pp.375-388.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Older adults are faced with numerous physical, psychological, and social role changes that challenge their sense of self and capacity to live happily. In addition, they are inundated by our youth-oriented culture with negative ageist stereotypes. Nevertheless, most older adults live happy, fulfilling lives. In this article, we review theories of the aging individual that address this apparent paradox. These theories can be largely divided into those that emphasize control and goal attainment, and those that emphasize the self's organizational capacity. Of the self-oriented theories, the authorsl highlightWhitbourne's identity process perspective, which is specific to the aging process and attempts to explain the self's unique capacity to remain stable yet change over time.
This old stereotype: the pervasiveness and persistence of the elderly stereotype
- Authors:
- CUDDY Amy J. C., NORTON Michael I., FISKE Susan T.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Issues, 61(2), June 2005, pp.267-285.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Americans stereotype elderly people as warm and incompetent, following from perceptions of them as noncompetitive and low status, respectively. This article extends existing research regarding stereotyping of older people in two ways. First, the authors discuss whether the mixed elderly stereotype is unique to American culture. Data from six non-U.S. countries, including three collectivist cultures, demonstrate elderly stereotypes are consistent across varied cultures. Second, the authors investigate the persistence of the evaluatively-mixed nature of the elderly stereotype. In an experiment, 55 college students rated less competent elderly targets (stereotype-consistent) as warmer than more competent (stereotype-inconsistent) and control elderly targets. The authors also discuss the type of discrimination social exclusion that elderly people often endure.
Quality of life and life satisfaction: perspective of institutionalised elderly women and men in Turkey
- Authors:
- GONEN Emine, OZMETE Emine
- Journal article citation:
- Indian Journal of Social Work, 66(3), July 2005, pp.262-279.
- Publisher:
- Tata Institute of Social Sciences
This article evaluates the quality of life, life satisfaction, and the relationship between the quality of life and life satisfaction of institutionalised elderly women and men. The study covered a total of 132 older people, consisting of 64 women and 68 men between the ages of 60-98 years, with sound mental health staying at three care and rehabilitation centres. Their quality of life and life satisfaction were assessed with scales. Life quality perception of men in terms of physical health is more positive compared to women. Life quality perception of women in terms of physical and social environment is more positive compared to men. In general, women have better life satisfaction them men. It is concluded that comprehension of life quality and life satisfaction will contribute to the development of applicable long-term service programmes required for the improvement of the life conditions of older women and men.
Situation of the elderly in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal
- Authors:
- CHALISE Hom Nath, SHRESHTA Sajan
- Journal article citation:
- Indian Journal of Social Work, 66(3), April 2005, pp.136-143.
- Publisher:
- Tata Institute of Social Sciences
This article examines the socioeconomic and health status of the elderly in Nepal. A total of 121 older people were interviewed in Kathmandu. The findings show that the majority reported serious health problems in the last year; most lived with their children; a significantly higher number of elderly women lived alone as compared to men; and the monthly income of the elderly was significantly low.