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Helpful citizens and caring families: patterns of informal help and caregiving in Sweden in a 17-year perspective
- Authors:
- JEGERMALM Magnus, GRASSMAN Eva Jeppsson
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Social Welfare, 21(4), October 2012, pp.422-432.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article reports on an analysis of informal help and caregiving in Sweden with a focus on patterns of change over 17 years. In particular, it examines whether there has been a change in the extent of caregiving, the type of caregivers, and the relationship between the caregivers and the recipients of help. The discussion is based on results from a national survey repeated 4 times between 1992 and 2009. The survey asked whether the respondent regularly helped someone with whom they did not live (relatives, neighbours, co-workers or friends) with activities such as housework, transport, or gardening. In order to discuss how the trends can be understood in the Swedish context, the findings are analysed using 2 interpretative perspectives: the welfare state and impact of recent changes; and civil society and its possible and changing role. The findings indicate that in the 1990s the figures were stable, but from the late 1990s to 2009, there was a dramatic increase in the extent of informal help giving. Concerning types of helpers, the patterns implied involvement not only from family members, but also from other types of helpers.
The impact of measures taken in the outdoor environment on an ageing population: a panel study over a ten-year period
- Authors:
- HALLGRIMSDOTTIR Berglind, STAHL Agneta
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 38(2), 2018, pp.217-239.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
For older people mobility and participation in activities can be restricted both by individual factors and by the environment. The aim of this paper was to examine the longitudinal impact of measures taken in the outdoor environment on an ageing population. The following factors were examined on three occasions over a nine-year period: frequency of walking; differences in report on environmental barriers; and reported valuation of the outdoor environment; and how these relate to different characteristics. At the second follow-up, the respondents experienced more functional limitations and more were using mobility devices than at baseline. At the first and second follow-up, the respondents did not experience as many environmental barriers in their outdoor environment compared to baseline. However, frequency of walking and evaluation of the outdoor environment decreased in general between baseline and first- and second follow-up. A quite promising result from the study is that compared to people not using mobility devices, mobility device users were more likely to be frequent walkers at first- and second follow-up than at baseline. Likewise, at second follow-up respondents having functional limitations were less likely to experience traffic barriers than at baseline. In terms of accessibility, usability and mobility for an ageing population, the results are promising, showing that measures in the outdoor environment can possibly facilitate walking for those who are more fragile, even in a longitudinal perspective. (Publisher abstract)
Long-term predictors of loneliness in old age: results of a 20-year national study
- Authors:
- DAHLBERG Lena, ANDERSSON Lars, LENNARTSSON Carin
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 22(2), 2018, pp.190-196.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: The understanding of social phenomena is enhanced if individuals can be studied over longer periods. Regarding loneliness in old age, there is a general lack of longitudinal research. The aim of this study was to examine whether there is an association between loneliness in old age and social engagement 20 years earlier, as stated by life course theory and the convoy model. Method: Data from the nationally representative Swedish Panel Study of Living Conditions of the Oldest Old (2002 and 2011 data collection waves) and the Swedish Level of Living Survey (1981 and 1991 data collection waves) were used. The sample included 823 individuals with an average age of 62.2 years at baseline and 82.4 years at follow-up. Results: Each form of social engagement in old age was significantly associated with the same form of social engagement 20 years earlier. Close forms of social engagement were associated with loneliness in old age; as were more distant forms of social engagement, but only when they were considered solely in old age. Conclusion: Patterns of social engagement in old age were established at least 20 years earlier and close forms of social engagement are long-term predictors of loneliness, although current social engagement tended to be more influential on loneliness. The study underlines the importance of interventions targeted at close relationships that can provide social support in old age. (Publisher abstract)
Predictors of loneliness among older women and men in Sweden: a national longitudinal study
- Authors:
- DAHLBERG Lena, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 19(5), 2015, pp.409-417.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: This study examines the extent to which older women and men (70+) report feelings of loneliness, with a focus on a) the changes in reported loneliness as people age, and b) which factors predict loneliness. Method: Data from the 2004 and 2011 waves of SWEOLD, a longitudinal national survey, was used (n = 587). The prediction of loneliness in 2011 by variables measured in 2004 and 2004-2011 variable change scores was examined in three logistic regression models: total sample, women and men. Variables in the models included: gender, age, education, mobility problems, depression, widowhood and social contacts. Results: Older people moved into and out of frequent loneliness over time, although there was a general increase in loneliness with age. Loneliness at baseline, depression increment and recent widowhood were significant predictors of loneliness in all three multivariable models. Widowhood, depression, mobility problems and mobility reduction predicted loneliness uniquely in the model for women; while low level of social contacts and social contact reduction predicted loneliness uniquely in the model for men. Conclusion: This study challenges the notion that feelings of loneliness in old age are stable. It also identifies important gender differences in prevalence and predictors of loneliness. (Edited publisher abstract)
Sense of coherence among cognitively intact nursing home residents – a five-year longitudinal study
- Authors:
- DRAGESET Jorunn, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 18(7), 2014, pp.889-896.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Aim and objectives: To examine how stable the sense of coherence (SOC) is over a five-year period among residents of nursing homes (NH) who are not cognitively impaired and whether components of social support influence SOC.Background: Many studies have investigated the stability of SOC, and the findings have been inconsistent. Social support is a crucial resource in developing SOC. Few researchers have studied the stability of SOC and how various social support dimensions influence changes in SOC among older NH residents who are cognitively intact.Design: The study was prospective and included baseline assessment and five-year follow-up.Methods: The sample comprised 52 cognitively intact NH residents (Clinical Dementia Rating score ≤0.5). The authors obtained data through direct interviews using the Social Provisions Scale and Sense of Coherence Scale.Results: SOC increased statistically significantly from baseline to follow-up. The social support subdimension reassurance of worth predicted change in SOC after adjustment for sociodemographic factors. When controlled for baseline SOC, attachment was associated with change in SOC, but reassurance of worth was not.Conclusions: The study indicates that the change in SOC over time during the 5 years of follow-up and the social support dimension attachment appear to be important components of change in SOC. Nursing personnel should be aware of the residents’ individual needs for attachment and the importance of emotional support for personal strength and ability to cope. (Edited publisher abstract)
Baseline leisure time activity and cognition more than two decades later
- Authors:
- KAREHOLT Ingemar, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(1), January 2011, pp.65-74.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Using information from 2 baseline surveys carried out in 1968 and 1981, this study analysed the correlation between different leisure time activities and cognition more than 20 years later. The surveys interviewed random samples of Swedish people aged 46-75 years, and a total of 1,643 follow-up observations were made. The range of activities included political, mental, socio-cultural, social, physical, and organisational activities. There was a significant association between later cognition and earlier political, mental and socio-cultural activities, controlling for a range of factors. Physical activities had a significant association with cognition only among women. The researchers concluded that the findings reinforce the theory that various forms of engagement in mid-life can have a protective effect with respect to cognition in later life, and support the long-term importance of policies to encourage an active life style among middle aged adults.
How older people perceive and experience sense of security when moving into and living in a nursing home: a case study
- Authors:
- BOSTROM Martina, et al
- Journal article citation:
- European Journal of Social Work, 20(5), 2017, pp.697-710.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Sense of security is important throughout the lifespan not at least in advanced age with increased risks of functional declines and decreased social capital. Despite this, knowledge concerning older person’s perceptions and experiences of sense of security when moving into nursing homes is scarce. This study is a longitudinal, descriptive, exploratory case study with in-depth interviews and observations of three older persons in the age of 87, 88, and 91 years in a mid-sized municipality in the south of Sweden, in order to highlight how sense of security is experienced when moving into and living in a nursing home. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis, which resulted in one main theme and four categories. The main theme, ‘Adaptation and sense of security’, indicates older persons’ need to adapt to the new context of the nursing home, and how this relates to their sense of security. The categories – ‘Control’, ‘Struggling for understanding’, ‘Lack of influence’, and ‘Grasping’ – suggest that older persons’ sense of security is reduced when they must adjust to routines without sufficient management and understanding. When able to maintain control over daily routines, and felt as a part of the new context, they perceived a sense of security. (Publisher abstract)