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Older male carers and the positive aspects of care
- Authors:
- RIBEIRO Oscar, PAUL Constanca
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 28(2), February 2008, pp.165-183.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Drawing on data from in-depth personal interviews, this Portuguese study analyses the positive statements in the personal descriptions of the care-giving experience of 53 elderly men who were caring for chronically-ill wives. It also explores the differences between the positive references made by the men who were caring for a wife who had dementia and those made by men whose wives had physical impairments. Using open coding and content analysis, positive aspects were identified in 32 of the 53 care-giving situations. The most prevalent themes were ‘satisfaction’ and ‘perceived social honour’. The findings show that positive returns from the caring experience and role were strongly associated with previous good marital relationships and the husband's good self-rated health, and manifested in both specific coping strategies and global and situational meaning-making processes. The study demonstrates that much more can be learnt about the positive dimensions of care in older men's lives, and that such understanding can inform and strengthen formal and therapeutic support.
Older adults' emotional reactions to elder abuse: individual and victimisation determinants
- Authors:
- SANTOS Ana Joao, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 27(3), 2019, pp.609-620.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Elder abuse has been gaining public, state, and scientific attention for the past 40 years, but research focusing on emotional reactions of older adults to victimisation is still scarce. The study describes the emotions and feelings of older adults who experienced abuse in a community setting, and the association between these emotions and individual or abuse characteristics. The cross‐sectional study comprises 510 older adults who were identified and referred by four institutions. Participants answered a questionnaire on elder abuse experiences, including the emotion or feeling brought out by the act of abuse that was perceived to be the most serious. Fear and sadness comprised 67.1% of all provided responses. Emotional reactions were associated with functional status, the presence of depressive symptoms, relationship with the perpetrator and, to a limited degree, to the experience of multiple types of abuse. The most significant and meaningful variable was the relationship with the perpetrator. This study demonstrates that older adults present very similar patterns of emotional reactions, but individual characteristics and the established relationship with the perpetrator might mediate the emotional response. Implications for prevention and intervention of elder abuse are discussed.
Reforming long-term care in Portugal: dealing with the multidimensional character of quality
- Author:
- SANTANA Silvina
- Journal article citation:
- Social Policy and Administration, 44(4), August 2010, pp.512-528.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This article provides an overview of the informal and institutional setting of long-term care in Portugal and focuses on service quality, discussing it alongside broader problems related to the organisation of long-term care in the country. It analyses the main providers, discussing structural, organisational, quality and financing aspects of a very complex situation that is currently evolving at a very fast pace, in adapting to Portuguese society’s new needs in the social care network and the recent introduction of what is designated as a third level of care, the National Network of Long-term Integrated Care (Rede Nacional de Cuidados Continuados Integrados – RNCCI). It presents the results of the first self-assessments these bodies have made of the quality and suitability of services provided from the users’ point of view. The results of a survey conducted by the Eurobarometer between 25 May and 30 June 2007 on the attitudes, needs and expectations of Portuguese citizens regarding long-term care and care of the elderly are discussed. The article concludes that the information and data available are insufficient to support any deep analysis of the situation and field action, and sets some lines for future work in this area.