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The supportive community; help seeking and service use among elderly people in Jerusalem
- Authors:
- AUSLANDER Gail, SOFFER Michael, AUSLANDER Brian
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Research, 27(4), December 2003, pp.209-221.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
New and innovative services are needed to meet the needs of the growing elderly population of Israel. One such programme is the "supportive community" programme which aims to provide a range of critical services to older people in the community. This study followed the response of 181 older residents of the northern quarter of Jerusalem to an invitation to subscribe to this new programme and the extent of service utilisation among those who joined. Andersen's behavioural model of help seeking provided the theoretical framework for the study. Findings showed that predisposing characteristics of the elderly residents did not predict subscribing to the programme, rather, joining was predicted by a combination of enabling characteristics and need characteristics. The results of the findings have implications for attaining programme goals, efficient programme operation, and the well-being of the members.
Do caregiving burden and satisfaction predict loneliness in older care recipients?
- Author:
- IECOVICH Esther
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 20(4), 2016, pp.441-449.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: The goal of this study was to assess the extent to which caregiving burden and satisfaction of primary family caregivers in Israel predict loneliness among their older care recipients. Method: The study included a convenience sample of 325 dyads of respondents. The short version of Zarit Caregiving Burden Interview and Lawton Caregiving Appraisal measures were used to assess caregiving burden and satisfaction; the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale was used to assess care recipient's loneliness. Results: The results showed that greater caregiving burden was significantly correlated with increased loneliness, whereas greater caregiving satisfaction was significantly correlated with lower levels of loneliness. Conclusion: The literature has broadly addressed the association between caregiving burden and satisfaction and the caregivers’ well-being, whereas this association with regard to care recipients’ well-being has been barely examined. The multivariate analyses showed that caregiving burden was insignificant in explaining loneliness, whereas greater caregiving satisfaction was found significant in explaining lower levels of loneliness. The results and implications for further research and practice are discussed. (Publisher abstract)
Interventions for older persons reporting memory difficulties: a randomized controlled pilot study
- Authors:
- COHEN-MANSFIELD Jiska, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 30(5), 2015, p.478–486.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Objective: The objective of this study is to compare three different interventions for persons who report memory difficulties: health promotion, cognitive training, and a participation-centred course, using a single-blind, randomized controlled design. Methods: Participants were 44 Israeli adults with memory complaints, aged 65 years or older. The main outcome variable was the Global Cognitive Score assessed using the MindStreams® mild cognitive impairment assessment, a computerised cognitive assessment. The Mini-Mental State Examination and the self-report of memory difficulties were also utilised. To assess well-being, the UCLA Loneliness Scale-8 was used. Health was evaluated by self-report instruments. Results: All three interventions resulted in significant improvement in cognitive function as measured by the computerised cognitive assessment. All approaches seemed to decrease loneliness. The only variable which showed a significant difference among the groups is the self-report of memory difficulties, in which the cognitive training group participants reported greater improvement than the other groups. Conclusion: Multiple approaches should be offered to older persons with memory complaints. The availability of diverse options would help fit the needs of a heterogeneous population. An educational media effort to promote the public's understanding of the efficacy of these multiple approaches is needed. (Edited publisher abstract)
The role of social relationships in predicting loneliness: the national social life, health and aging project
- Authors:
- SHIOVITZ-EZRA Sharon, LEITSCH Sara A.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work Research, 34(3), September 2010, pp.157-167.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Using data collected (July 2005-March 2006, two-hour in-home interviews) with 3,005 adults, older people and very old people (57-85 years, 1,445 men and 1,550 women), during the National Social Life, Health and Aging project in the United States, this paper explores associations between objective and subjective social network characteristics and loneliness in later life. The authors used hierarchical linear regression to look at the associations between measures of objective and subjective social network characteristics and how they relate to predictions of loneliness, across marital status, in later life. With the whole sample, as well as the cohabiting/married sample, objective indicators such as frequency of contact with members of social networks were negatively linked to feeling of loneliness, “net of background characteristics.” Subjective perceptions of social ties, the quality of married, or cohabiting, life in later years and the quality of familial ties for those not in intimate relationships are also important, says this author. For example, in the cohabiting/married sample subjective perceptions of one’s relationship with the partner explained 7% of the variance in loneliness, while the quality of interpersonal relationships within families accounted for an additional 6% of the loneliness in the ‘non-partnered’ sample. The author lists practical implication for social workers and other professionals, such as the implementation of group, as well as one-to-one interventions.