Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
Results 1 - 10 of 20
Civic engagement, older adults, and inclusion
- Author:
- MCBRIDE Amanda Moore
- Journal article citation:
- Generations, 30(4), Winter 2006, pp.66-71.
- Publisher:
- American Society on Aging
This article focuses on improving organisational capacity as a way of making civic engagement more inclusive for older people. The article highlights the dimensions of: access, expectations, information, incentives and facilitation. It is written from an American perspective.
Factors influencing intention to continue volunteering: a study of older Chinese in Hong Kong
- Authors:
- CHEUNG Francis Yue-lok, TANG Catherine So-kum, YAN Elsie Chau-wai
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Service Research, 32(4), 2006, pp.193-209.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In this study the authors extended the volunteer process model (Omoto & Snyder, 1995) to identify factors influencing the persistence of volunteer activities in older Chinese. The study individually interviewed 318 older Chinese volunteers about their demographic information, history of volunteer activities, subjective health status, perceived social support, motivation for volunteering, integration into volunteer group, satisfaction from volunteer work, and intention to continue volunteering in the coming year. Bivariate correlation analyses generally supported the volunteer process model. In particular, intention to continue volunteering was related to antecedent factors of high educational attainment, mental well-being, social support, and fulfilment of altruistic and self-oriented motives as well as volunteer experiences of integration into the volunteer group and satisfaction with volunteer work. Results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that fulfilment of self-oriented motives was the most salient factor in predicting the persistence of volunteer activities when shared variances of various factors were also considered. The research and practical implications were discussed to facilitate the retention of older Chinese volunteers. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
The effects of civic engagement of current and future cohorts of older adults
- Authors:
- HINTERLONG James E., WILLIAMSON Angela
- Journal article citation:
- Generations, 30(4), Winter 2006, pp.10-17.
- Publisher:
- American Society on Aging
The authors review what is known about the impact of civic engagement, especially by older adults in the United States
Opportunities or obligations? Civic engagement and older adults
- Author:
- MARTINSON Marty
- Journal article citation:
- Generations, 30(4), Winter 2006, pp.59-65.
- Publisher:
- American Society on Aging
The author discusses civic engagement and older adults. Civic engagement is defined to include not only formal volunteering, but also political activism, caregiving and community organisation. The impact of the civic engagement on images and perceptions of ageing and what it means to grow old. The article concludes that civic engagement should be developed with attention to the audience it speaks to, but it should be recognised that not all older adults can or will choose civic engagement for themselves.
Intermediate care and older people: building a case for continuous care
- Authors:
- MANTHORPE Jill, et al
- Publisher:
- Help the Aged
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 32p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The Help the Aged Intermediate Care Programme for Older People aimed to establish an integrated service in which the needs of the older person came first and the contribution of the voluntary and community sector was seamlessly interwoven with that of the health and social care services. Volunteers were able to fill the gaps left by statutory provision, and according to service users, made a dramatic difference to the social rehabilitation of frail older people recovering from illness. This report makes a compelling case for continuing care, but the current attitude of service commissioners does not bode well for the longer-term provision of low-level support.
Race disparities in health among older adults: examining the role of productive engagement
- Author:
- HINTERLONG James E.
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Work, 31(4), November 2006, pp.275-288.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Productive engagement is a potential pathway to health for older adults, but this relationship varies by race. This study examines the relationship of productive engagement to the health and observed health disparities of older African American and white adults. Productive activities include formal and irregular paid employment, caregiving, volunteering, and informal social assistance. The authors analyzed longitudinal panel data on individuals ages 60 and older from the Americans' Changing Lives survey with generalized estimating equations methods. Indicators of self-rated health and functional status were regressed separately on measures of productive engagement after accounting for sociodemographic differences and prior levels of health. Analyses were stratified by race and compared. Engagement in productive activities predicts better functional status for both groups, but higher self-rated health only among white adults. Number of activities performed was positively related to both health measures for all individuals, and hours of engagement and the ratio of paid to unpaid hours did not predict health outcomes.
Small things matter: the key role of handyperson services
- Author:
- CARE AND REPAIR ENGLAND
- Publisher:
- Care and Repair England
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 37p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Nottingham
This report examines the current provision of small repairs and minor adaptations services being provided by the voluntary and community sector in England today. The report aims to enable service planners, commissioners and providers to better understand: the main driving forces and strategic considerations in relation to provision of handyperson services; the range of services currently in operation and main characteristics; key elements to consider when planning, commissioning and delivering handyperson services.
Inducing older adults into volunteer work to sustain their psychological well-being
- Authors:
- CHEUNG Chau-Kiu, KWAN Alex Yui-Huen
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing International, 31(1), Winter 2006, pp.44-58.
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Place of publication:
- New York
This study focuses on the ways in which social worker induction into volunteer work sustain the well-being of older people. The study surveyed 719 Chinese people aged 60 or above in Hong Kong, China. Results show significant contribution of social worker induction to the older person's self-esteem, life satisfaction, and self assessed health. Moreover, social worker induction magnified the benefit of volunteering. However, social worker induction was less salutary to older people with higher incomes and more illness.
Making a difference through volunteering: the impact of volunteers who support and care for people at home
- Authors:
- BOWERS Helen, et al
- Publisher:
- CSV
- Publication year:
- 2006
- Pagination:
- 140p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The research found that volunteers can break social isolation and improve independence and well-being among older people. Researchers found that 83 per cent of older people who receive volunteer support, report improvements in their quality of life. The report found that volunteers can boost people’s confidence and self-esteem, because someone who isn’t being paid thinks they are important enough to care about. The research noted the wide range of tasks carried out by volunteers, which are often not provided by any other sector, such as dog-walking, accompanying people to doctor appointments and helping with housework. Volunteers provide a service different from but complementary to the statutory sector. The report argues that this should be encouraged and developed and recommends that volunteers be treated as part of a very broad public services system.
Feasibility of implementing the Strong for Life program in community settings
- Authors:
- ETKIN Caryn D., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 46(2), April 2006, pp.284-292.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The authors describe the results of the dissemination of an home-based exercise program called Strong for Life as it was implemented in a nationwide, volunteer caregiving program called Faith in Action, including training of volunteers who implemented the program, recruitment of older adult participants, exercise adherence, and attitudes and perceptions of program staff and participants. One hundred and five frail, homebound older adults were recruited from 10 Faith in Action sites to participate in the Strong for Life exercise program. One hundred and three volunteer trainers were trained by physical therapists to assist the older adults with the program. Surveys were conducted with older adults, volunteer trainers, and Faith in Action sites at baseline and after the older adults had been engaged in the program for 4 months. Satisfaction with program components was very high: At follow-up, 100% of volunteers and 98.6% of older adults rated the program positively. Participants reported engaging in exercise on average 2.2 times per week, with 53% of the participants exercising at least 2 to 4 times per week. Participants also had significant improvements in the Short Form-20 social functioning scale. There were no serious adverse events reported. It is concluded that dissemination of the Strong for Life program in a community setting using trained lay volunteers was feasible, acceptable, and safe. Existing volunteer caregiving organizations such as Faith in Action offer a feasible and safe means of disseminating late-life exercise programs to the frail older population.