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Valuing the health of the support worker in the aged care sector
- Authors:
- GEORGE Esther, HALE Leigh, ANGELO Jennifer
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 37(5), 2017, pp.1006-1024.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This study explored aged care support workers’ perceptions of how their health was influenced by their job, highlighting similarities and differences of those working in community-based and institution-based care. Support workers working in two institution-based and three community-based aged care organisations were invited to participate. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with ten participants. Open-ended questions probed participants’ perceptions of their health as it related to their work. Data were analysed with the General Inductive Approach. Four central themes were identified, many of which related to mental, as opposed to physical health. ‘Love of the job’ described various sources of satisfaction for participants. These factors commonly overrode the negative aspects. ‘Stress’ encompassed the negative influences on all aspects of health. ‘Support’ described the positive influences on health, which supported participants in their job. ‘Physicality’ described the physical nature of the job and the positive and negative impact this had on participants’ health. Support workers perform numerous tasks, which often impact upon their health. Aspects of the job that may impact the health of the worker are improved communication and support from management, as well as recognition for support workers’ contribution to society. These could be targeted to enhance support worker health. Additional training and reduced time pressure may also represent aspects for improvement, to optimise support workers’ physical health. (Publisher abstract)
The transition to living alone and psychological distress in later life
- Authors:
- STONE Juliet, EVANDROU Maria, FALKINGHAM Jane
- Journal article citation:
- Age and Ageing, 42(3), 2013, pp.366-372.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Background: Living alone in later life has been linked to psychological distress but less is known about the role of the transition into living alone and the role of social and material resources. Methods: A total of 21,535 person-years of data from 4,587 participants of the British Household Panel Survey aged 65+ are analysed. Participants provide a maximum 6 years' data (t0−t5), with trajectories of living arrangements classified as: consistently partnered/ with children/alone; transition from partnered to alone/with children to alone. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)-12 caseness (score >3) is investigated using multi-level logistic regression, controlling for sex, age, activities of daily living, social and material resources. Results: After a transition from partnered at t0 to alone at t1, the odds for GHQ-12 caseness increased substantially, but by t3 returned to baseline levels. The odds for caseness at t0 were highest for those changing from living with a child at t0 to living alone at t1 but declined following the transition to living alone. None of the covariates explained these associations. Living consistently alone did confer increased odds for caseness. Conclusions: Living alone in later life is not in itself a strong risk factor for psychological distress. The effects of transitions to living alone are dependent on the preceding living arrangement and are independent of social and material resources. This advocates a longitudinal approach, allowing identification of respondents' location along trajectories of living arrangements. (Publisher abstract)
Living with and caring for older family members: issues related to caregiver well-being
- Authors:
- BERG-WEGER Marla, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 33(2), 2000, pp.47-62.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Using the strengths-based Caregiver Well-being Scale, this American research provides social workers with strategies for assessing and promoting caregiver well-being. One hundred eighteen family caregivers were used to examine caregiver relationship to the care-recipient and 138 caregivers are included in the analyses for co-residential arrangement with the care-recipient. Predictors of well-being were highlighted for each group. Care-giver competence and depression predict well-being is the only predictor for co-resident caregivers. Implications for social work practice with family caregivers are highlighted.
Effectiveness of empathy enhancement programs for social workers working with older adults: a quasi-experimental study
- Authors:
- HAN Areum, KIM Tae Hui
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work, 21(4), 2021, pp.913-930.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Summary: Empathy is an essential attribute required for care providers to provide quality care and effective relationship-based practice. Cognitive empathy is understanding another person’s experiences, concerns, and perspectives, and affective empathy is sharing another person’s emotion. Cognitive empathy was found to be a significant protector to burnout and stress, while affective empathy was found to be a significant contributor to compassion satisfaction among social workers. This quasi-experimental study assessed the effectiveness of two empathy enhancement programs on 105 social workers working with older adults in South Korea. The experimental group (n = 52) received a simulation-based empathy enhancement program along with a brief mindfulness practice session, and the comparison group (n = 53) watched a 30-minute-long educational video about empathy. Data were collected prior to and two weeks after the intervention. Findings: The experimental group showed significantly lower levels of psychosocial stress compared to the comparison group. It also showed significantly higher levels of cognitive empathy and significantly lower levels of compassion fatigue at posttest. Furthermore, the comparison group demonstrated significantly higher levels of a unidimensional factor of empathy, compassion satisfaction, and caring efficacy at posttest. Application: Pre- and post-test differences, in different outcome measures from the groups, indicate the benefits of each empathy enhancement program on social workers working with older adults. In particular, the present study validates that the simulation-based empathy enhancement program can enhance the cognitive empathy of social workers and reduce burnout and stress. A further randomized controlled trial study is needed to examine the program’s effectiveness with minimal bias and confounding factors. (Edited publisher abstract)
Effect of gender and age in fear and stress due to COVID-19
- Authors:
- BISHT Ila Pant, BISHT Raj Kishor, SAGAR Priyanka
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 31(1-4), 2021, pp.70-76.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The entry of COVID-19 created an unprecedented environment of fear in society. Life during lockdown may have a significant effect on the mental and physical health of human beings. The present study aims to analyze the effect of gender and age group in deciding the level of fear and stress due to COVID-19. We conducted an online survey in the Uttarakhand state of India for the present study. Chi–square test of independence has been used for establishing dependency of various factors like fear/stress on gender and age group. We find that fear of COVID-19 is independent of gender as well as age group. Stress is independent of gender but depends on age group with elder people having less stress in comparison to young people. (Edited publisher abstract)
Stress on health-related quality of life in older adults: the protective nature of mindfulness
- Authors:
- DE FRAIS Cindy M., WHYNE Erum
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 19(3), 2015, pp.201-206.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: This study examines whether the link between stress and health-related quality of life was buffered by protective factors, namely mindfulness, in a sample of middle-aged and older adults. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 134 healthy, community-dwelling adults (ages 50-85 years) were recruited from Dallas, Texas. The participants were screened for depressive symptoms and severity (using the Patient Health Questionnaire [PHQ-9]). All participants completed measures of self-reported health status (i.e. SF36v2: mental and physical health composites), life stress (using the Elders Life Stress Inventory [ELSI]), and trait mindfulness (i.e. Mindful Attention Awareness Scale). Results: Hierarchical regressions (covarying for age, gender, and education) showed that life stress was inversely related to physical and mental health. Mindfulness was positively related to mental health. The negative effect of life stress on mental health was weakened for those individuals with higher levels of trait mindfulness. Conclusions: The results suggest that mindfulness is a powerful, adaptive strategy that may protect middle-aged and older adults from the well-known harmful effects of stress on mental health. (Publisher abstract)
Do caregivers benefit more from educational and volunteer activities than their noncaregiving peers?
- Authors:
- GREENFIELD Jennifer C., MORROW-HOWELL Nancy, TEUFEL James
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 55(8), November 2012, pp.738-744.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In the United States, informal caregivers are a critical component of the long-term care system, but caregivers often experience poor physical and mental health as a result of strain from the caregiving role. It is well known that engagement in community-based educational and volunteer activities contributes to older adult well-being, but previous studies have not assessed whether the effects of these types of engagement are different for older adults who are also caregivers. Using a sample of participants in educational and volunteer activities sponsored by a national non-profit organisation, this study found that participants who were caregivers reported more benefit from these community-based activities than their non-caregiving counterparts. The authors concluded that connecting caregivers to existing community-based activities may be an efficient strategy for improving caregiver well-being. Implications for practice are discussed.
Caregivers' relationship closeness with the person with dementia predicts both positive and negative outcomes for caregivers' physical health and psychological well-being
- Authors:
- FAUTH Elizabeth, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 16(6), August 2012, pp.699-711.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Closer relationships between carers and care recipients with dementia are associated with positive outcomes for care recipients, but it is unclear if closeness is a risk or protective factor for the well-being of carers. This study investigated 234 care dyads from the Cache County Dementia Progression Study, based in Cache County, Utah. Carers included spouses and adult offspring. After controlling for demographic characteristics of the carer, number of carer health conditions, and characteristics of the care recipient, findings suggested that higher baseline closeness predicted better mental health scores and lower depression. Also, carers who reported a loss of closeness in their relationship with the care recipient from pre- to post-dementia displayed improved scores in mental health, but worse physical health. The findings suggest that closeness and loss of closeness in the care dyad may be associated with both positive and adverse outcomes for caregivers.
Change in stress and social support as predictors of cognitive decline in older adults with and without depression
- Authors:
- DICKINSON Whitney J., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 26(12), December 2011, pp.1267-1274.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study investigated whether increased in stressful life events or decreased social support lead to subsequent cognitive decline among older adults, with and without depression. Participants included 112 depressed and 101 non-depressed older people who enrolled in the Neurocognitive Outcomes of Depression in the Elderly study in the United States. They were clinically assessed, agreed to interviews on stressful life events and social support, and underwent neuropsychological tests. Cognitive measure was by way of the Consortium to Establish a Registry in Alzheimer's disease Total Score (CERAD TS). Findings revealed that a decline in the total number of stressors was associated with a subsequent improvement on CERAD TS. In terms of social support and decreased social interaction, instrumental social support predicted decline in cognitive performance. The authors concluded that biological studies should be conducted to further understand the relationship between stress, social support and cognition in older people, both with and without depression.
Reciprocal influences between burnout and effectiveness in professional care for elders
- Authors:
- CHEUNG Chau-Kiu, CHOW Esther Oi-Wah
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Health Care, 50(9), October 2011, pp.694-718.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In a community care setting, the quality of life of the care recipient and the quality of service of the care provider are intertwined. The authors argue that this is a proposition derived from the dialectical perspective, which envisions the importance of promoting the quality of life of both the care recipient and provider, where the proposition hinges on mediation by caring effectiveness. This study explored the views of 232 dyads of older Chinese care recipients and their professional care providers in Hong Kong. Psychological well-being and functional disability were used as indicators of the quality of life of care recipients, whereas burnout was used as an indicator of the low quality of life of professional care providers. Findings revealed that caring effectiveness mediated the impact of the earlier burnout of the professional care provider on the subsequent psychological well-being of the care recipient. In turn, the earlier psychological well-being and functional disability of the care recipient also affected the burnout of the professional care provider. Implications for practice are discussed.