Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
Results 41 - 50 of 449
Groupwork as a tool to combat loneliness among older people: initial observations
- Authors:
- HEATHCOTE Julie, HONG Chia Swee
- Journal article citation:
- Groupwork, 19(2), 2009, pp.121-130.
- Publisher:
- Whiting and Birch
Predictions suggest that by 2030 a quarter of people in the UK will be over 65. Many current care strategies attempt to keep older people in their own homes. However, independent living and caring for an ageing partner is known to increase loneliness, described as an unwelcome feeling or lack of companionship. Help the Aged has suggested that participation in meaningful activities can reduce isolation and loneliness. This article describes two case studies of different groups of older people, and shows the positive impact of groups on older group members and the staff working with them. By providing companionship, engagement, support and activity, groupwork can bring structure to the lives of older people and their carers who may be feeling 'lonely' and 'isolated' and consequently can impact upon their quality of life. The author concludes that while groupwork is not the solution to reducing social isolation for everyone, for some people it is a positive step in the right direction.
Mental health and older women: the challenges for social perspectives and community capacity building
- Authors:
- FAWCETT Barbara, REYNOLDS Jill
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 40(5), July 2010, pp.1488-1502.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Looking at the situation of older women in the UK and Australia, the authors draw attention to the position of older women with regard to current debates in the mental health field. It is suggested that the prioritisation of the management of risk, and what an older woman cannot do rather than what she can, adversely affects not only her mental well-being, but also the contribution that she can make to the community in which she lives. The authors suggest that the fostering of strengths-based community capacity building, which includes proactive, innovative and flexible underpinning practice principles, has the capacity to expand rather than reduce horizons for older women, to confront restrictive and discriminatory barriers and to enhance quality-of-life factors.
Life-enhancing dance for elders with dementia
- Author:
- WHYTE Sarah
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Dementia Care, 18(2), March 2010, pp.37-39.
- Publisher:
- Hawker
It is important to promote the well-being of patients with dementia, as it is recognised that progression of the disease can make it hard for sufferers to create their own dimensions of well-being. In order to fulfil the responsibility to promote well-being, the author describes setting up a seated dance group for older women, and wrestles with the challenges of trying to evaluate its benefits. This article, after reviewing the evidence for using dance, considers: maintaining a sense of self through moving our bodies; the dance sessions; the evaluation challenge; and experience in the moment. In conclusion, the author “felt certain that for the 30 minutes out patients were engaged in the seated dance activity, their well-being was enhanced through a positive impact on their feelings of personal worth, agency, social confidence and hope.”
A pilot study on perceived stress and PTSD symptomatology in relation to four dimensions of older women’s physical health
- Authors:
- LAGANA Luciana, REGER Stacy L.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 13(6), November 2009, pp.885-893.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study examines the impact of posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology and stress of a non-traumatic nature on the physical well-being of older women. The subjects, 53 community living ethnically diverse women aged 65-105, were interviewed using various instruments including the Medical Outcome Study 36-item Short Form Health Survey, the Brief Posttraumatic Stress Screening Scale, and the Older Women’s Perceived Stress beyond Health Status Scale. The results indicated that perceived stress was a significant predictor of lower levels of general health but not of role limitations or physical functioning. Posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology predicted more limitations in role fulfilment and to a lesser extent impaired physical functioning, but not lower levels of general health. The authors conclude that posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology and perceived stress might alter older women’s physical health dimensions differentially, and that further research is required.
Domestic violence in the second half of life
- Authors:
- LEISEY Monica, KUPSTAS Paula K., COOPER Aly
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 21(2), April 2009, pp.141-155.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The results of a series of focus groups involving 28 women aged 50 and over are discussed. Participants were recruited using flyers posted in public places, and a case scenario and semi-structured questioning were used to stimulate discussion. Five themes emerged. First, family and friends were identified as a source of support but, paradoxically, this view was combined with a sense that an abused woman would keep quiet in front of family for shame. Second, doctors were seen as a trusted source of help while ministers were felt to be less likely to intervene. Calling the police was felt to result in negative consequences. Third, most participants wanted more information about options available through the criminal justice system. Fourth, participants stressed the need for clear terminology so that victims can understand what constitutes abuse. And, fifth, information needs to be made available through outreach services. The case scenario and discussion questions used in the focus groups are reproduced in appendices.
Effect of caring for an older person on women's lifetime participation in work
- Author:
- JASMINE MASUY Amandine
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 29(5), July 2009, pp.745-763.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This paper examines the relationship between informal care and ending paid work for working women of three age groups (up to 30, 31–49 and 50 or more years) in 1995 in Belgium. It explores the effect of being a carer for older adults on the probability of ceasing to work. Most particularly, it focuses on the effect of the care intensity in the different age groups. The analyses use data from the European Community Household Panel (ECHP). A sample of 24,592 working women living in 11 European countries was followed from 1995 to 2001. Multivariate analyses for the entire sample show that the simple fact of caring or not did not influence the probability of ceasing work, but that providing light care had a negative effect, suggesting the presence of a respite effect. As for the effects specific to each age group, caring did not have any effect for women aged 31 to 49 years, but for the other two age groups, women who provided light care were less likely to cease work than those not caring for an older person. In contrast, providing heavy care increased the probability of ceasing work, but only for those aged 50 or more years. The findings suggest that studies of and policies related to informal care and its consequences should give more attention to age group differences.
Factors influencing young adults' attitudes and knowledge of late-life sexuality among older women
- Authors:
- ALLEN Rebecca S., PETRO Kathryn N., PHILLIPS Laura L.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 13(2), March 2009, pp.238-245.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Using vignette methodology in an online survey examined older women's health and young adults' general knowledge and attitudes toward aging and sexuality, personal sexual behaviour, religious beliefs and perceived closeness with an older adult on attitudes towards sexual behaviour and perceptions of consent capacity among older women. The health status of older women proved important in determining young adults' acceptance and perception of sexual consent capacity regarding late-life heterosexual/autoerotic and homosexual behaviours. Specifically, young adults expressed lower acceptance and more doubt regarding capacity to consent to sexual expression when the older woman was described as cognitively impaired. Additionally, young adults' personal attitudes toward late-life sexuality, but not knowledge, predicted acceptance toward sexual expression and belief in sexual consent capacity. By gaining an understanding of what influences negative attitudes toward sexuality and beliefs about sexual consent capacity, the stigma associated with sexuality in late life may be reduced.
Late-life widowhood and meaning in life
- Authors:
- KOREN Chaya, LOWENSTEIN Ariela
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing International, 32(1), June 2008, pp.140-155.
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Place of publication:
- New York
The relationship between elders' martial status and length of widowhood, as well as other personal and familial resources and the sense of meaning in life, as defined by logotherapy, was tested among 180 Israeli elderly community dwellers aged 64-95. Results show that an event such as late-life widowhood can create a loss of the sense of meaning in life. In addition, a significant difference was found between married and recently widowed elders in relation to the meaning in life. Other variables that affected and explained meaning in life were subjective health, education, the quality of social support relationships, and activity level. The results support Frankl's logotherapy approach, underscoring the importance of helping older people in general, and the widowed elders in particular, to discover and create new life meanings.
Long-term care preferences among older adults: a moving target?
- Authors:
- WOLFF Jennifer L., KASPER Judith D., SHORE Andrew D.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 20(2), 2008, pp.182-200.
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
Long term care preferences in relation to three hypothetical scenarios were investigated over a year in a sample of 420 community-dwelling older women with disabilities who were receiving informal care. Unpaid or paid help in the home was preferred when help was needed with instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) or activities of daily living (ADL), while nursing home care was preferred where dementia was the hypothesised problem. Aggregate preferences for long term care were relatively stable but there was considerable fluctuation in individuals’ preferences over time, with only 52.%, 44.4% and 44.6% retaining their initial first choice for the IADL, ADL and dementia scenarios. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Sexual offending against older female victims: an empirical study of the prevalence and characteristics of recorded offences in a semi-rural English county
- Authors:
- BALL Hadrian N., FOWLER David
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Forensic Psychiatry and Psychology (The), 19(1), March 2008, pp.14-32.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Little empirical research has been published concerning sexual offending against older female victims. This study analysed all recorded sexual offences against adult women over 5.25 years in a circumscribed semi-rural area in England, calculated prevalence rates and attributable risk values, and used case control and descriptive methodology to analyse the crime scene characteristics. Sexual offences committed against older or elderly women are uncommon. Sexual offences against women aged 60+ years are not characterized by excessive violence and are typically carried out in a residential domestic setting by a single male assailant who is significantly older than is the case for typical sex offenders. Sexual offences where the female victim is 30+ years older than the male offender are typically minor assaults perpetrated by young drunk males in public places. Fears about increasing numbers of elderly female victims of sexual assault based on established demographic trends in Western societies may be misplaced. Sexual offences in which there is a large age gap between victim and perpetrator are likely to represent a different form of criminological phenomenon.