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Trends in suicide rates of the elderly in Austria, 1970-2004: an analysis of changes in terms of age groups, suicide methods and gender
- Authors:
- KAPUSTA Netsor D., ETZERSDORFER Elmar, SONNECK Germot
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 22(5), May 2007, pp.438-444.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Suicides of the elderly (persons aged 65 and older) make up a large proportion of total suicides. Since suicide rates of the elderly are highest in western populations, addressing them as a risk group in prevention plans has been recommended. In order to assess possible approaches to prevention strategies, this study examines high-risk groups of the elderly. The authors examined official statistics on suicides that occurred in Austria between 1970-2004 (18,101 Suicides of the elderly). The authors analyzed time trends and differences in suicide methods as well as in age groups and both genders of the elderly. Three major high-risk groups were identified: elderly male suicides by firearms; elderly female suicides by poisoning, which occur more often with increasing age; and suicides of both genders by jumping from heights. Besides conducting treatment of psychiatric disorders of the elderly, restricting the means to commit suicide may help to prevent it among the elderly. Such specific prevention strategies should be implemented in national suicide prevention plans for the high-risk groups identified in this study.
Family care of the elderly: social and cultural changes
- Editor:
- KOSBERG Jordan I.
- Publisher:
- Sage
- Publication year:
- 1992
- Pagination:
- 329p.,bibliogs.
- Place of publication:
- Newbury Park, CA
Takes a global look at care for older people within the family circle, and compares and contrasts global changes in the last decade.
Impact of the COVID‐19 lockdown on system usage of an innovative care support system and the mood of older adults
- Authors:
- MAYER Christopher C., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 37(3), 2022,
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: Older age is a substantial risk factor for serious illness from COVID-19. Moreover, isolation and quarantine are more likely to cause physical, mental and social deprivation in older age. Information and Communication Tools are means to prevent such consequences. Objective: This study aimed therefore to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown measures on the usage of an innovative technical support system deployed in Austria (AT) and Luxembourg (LU) consisting of several tools that allow independent living in older age. Methods: Thirty-nine older adults (11 male; 28 female) with a mean age of 74.3 (SD 7.3) years were included in the study. In total, 18 older people were recruited in AT and 21 in LU. Descriptive statistics were computed, and longitudinal models were fitted for technology use and self-reported mood. Results: The number of older adults using the system significantly decreased from the time before lockdown (39 [100%]) to during lockdown (26 [67%]) and thereafter (23 [59%]; p < 0.001). Multiple comparisons revealed a significant reduction in the average number of events for calendar and medication tools, but a substantial increase in communication and messaging events. Self-reported well-being declined during the lockdown and increased afterwards back to baseline levels. Conclusion: Communication was the main reason for using the support system. In addition, strategies and interventions are essential to support older adults when using information technology in the prolonged phases of the pandemic to sustain independent living. (Edited publisher abstract)
Long-term care quality assurance policies in European countries
- Authors:
- DANDI Roberto, et al
- Publisher:
- European Network of Economic Policy Research Institutes
- Publication year:
- 2012
- Pagination:
- 89p.
- Place of publication:
- Brussels
This report present the findings and conclusions of research undertaken in the context of research projects carried out by a consortium of ENEPRI member institutes. This report is a contribution to Work Package 5 of the ANCIEN project, which focuses on the future of long-term care for the elderly in Europe. This report analyses the quality assurance policies for long-term care (LTC) in the following countries: Austria, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. First, it discusses quality assurance in LTC by analysing: the dimensions of quality, the policy frameworks for quality in LTC, the different levels of development of LTC quality policies at the international, national, organisational, and individual levels. Second, it describes the methodology for collecting and analysing data on quality policies in the selected countries. Finally, it discusses the results, identifying four clusters of countries based on quality policies and indicators for LTC. These clusters are compared to the clusters identified in Work Package 1 of the ANCIEN project. Policy recommendations are proposed.
Growing older in the community: European projects in housing and planning
- Authors:
- BRECH Joachim, POTTER Philip
- Publisher:
- Anchor Housing Trust/Wohnbund
- Publication year:
- 1994
- Pagination:
- 197p.,tables,illus.,bibliogs.
- Place of publication:
- Oxford
Research report looking at how meeting the care and housing needs of older people, to enable them to live in the community for as long as possible, is being tackled by European countries.
Under reconstruction: the impact of COVID-19 policies on the lives and support networks of older people living alone
- Authors:
- PFABIGAN Johanna, et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Care and Caring, 6(1-2), 2022, pp.211-228.
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
In the spring of 2020, the Austrian government introduced COVID-19 containment policies that had various impacts on older people living alone and their care arrangements. Seven qualitative telephone interviews with older people living alone were conducted to explore how they were affected by these policies. The findings show that the management of everyday life and support was challenging for older people living alone, even though they did not perceive the pandemic as a threat. To better address the needs of older people living alone, it would be important to actively negotiate single measures in the area of conflict between protection, safety and assurance of autonomy. (Edited publisher abstract)
Caught between two fronts: successful aging in the time of COVID-19
- Authors:
- RICHTER Lukas, HEIDINGER Theresa
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 24(4), 2020, pp.273-280.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic poses a great challenge for older people both in terms of the severity of the disease and the negative consequences of social distancing. Assumptions about negative effects on the lives of the elderly, affecting dimensions of successful aging (such as the preservation of social relationships), have thus far been hypothetical and have lacked empirical evidence. The aim of this paper is to shed empirical light on the effects of COVID-19 on the everyday life of older people against the background of the concept of successful aging. Design/methodology/approach: Data of a standardized, representative telephone survey with residents of Lower Austria, a county of Austria, were used for this secondary analysis. The sample included 521 persons of 60 years of age and older. For this paper, contingency analyses (χ² coefficients, z-tests using Bonferroni correction) and unidimensional correlational analyses were calculated. Findings: The empirical data show that successful aging along the three dimensions of successful aging is a challenge in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic – leaving the elderly caught between two fronts. Originality/value: The present work focusses on a unique moment in time, describing the changes to the lives of Austrian elderly because of the social distancing measures imposed to protect against the spread of COVID-19. These changes are discussed in the theoretical framework of successful aging. (Edited publisher abstract)
Regulating the delivery of cash‐for‐care payments across Europe
- Authors:
- GORI Cristiano, LUPPI Matteo
- Journal article citation:
- Social Policy and Administration, 53(4), 2019, pp.567-578.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The article aims to understand how governments across Europe have modified the regulation of the delivery of cash‐for‐care schemes (CfCs) to dependent older people since the beginning of the century. In our terminology, the regulation of the CfCs delivery defines the norms, rules, and practices that public actors adopt to manage how beneficiaries can use the benefits. To discuss the regulation of CfCs delivery, an original framework is employed that take three analytical dimensions into account: the degrees of freedom in benefits' utilization (“CfCs utilization” dimension), the provision of information/orientation/advices/counselling to older people and families (“professional support” dimension), and the relationship between the delivery of CfCs and the delivery of the other publicly funded long‐term care inputs (“care system” dimension). The analysis adopts a comparative perspective, looking at six countries—Italy, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and England. Among various findings, the main one consists in showing that there has been a shared and increased interest in consolidating the regulation of CfCs delivery. This trend has been mostly directed towards the new policy aim of strengthening the professional support, a goal underestimated in the past, when this dimension was not a major topic of both debate and practice concerning CfCs across Europe. (Edited publisher abstract)
Analysing equity in the use of long-term care in Europe
- Authors:
- RODRIGUES Ricardo, ILINCA Stefania, SCHMIDT Andrea
- Publisher:
- European Commission
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 39
- Place of publication:
- Brussels
There are significant differences across social protection systems in Europe in the scope, breadth and depth of coverage of the risk to need long-term care in old-age. Together with other factors, such as education, household structure or societal values regarding care for frail older people, these differences can have a significant impact on the use of long-term care. Using SHARE data, this Research Note compares differences between European countries in the use of long-term care across income groups, for older people living at home. It analyses not only inequalities in the use of long-term care, but also differences in use that persist after differences in need have been taken into consideration, i.e. horizontal inequity. For this purpose, concentration indices, concentration curves and horizontal inequity indices are estimated for home care services and informal care. The countries analysed here are Austria, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, Denmark, Greece, Belgium and Czech Republic. The findings suggest that differences in use of home care services across income groups mostly reflect differences in need between those same groups. For informal care, the differences in use persist even after accounting for needs, and less affluent individuals are much more likely to use informal care. Some possible causes for these differences and policy implications are considered.
Regulating long-term care quality: an international comparison
- Editors:
- MOR Vincent, LEONE Tiziana, MARESSO Anna
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Publication year:
- 2014
- Pagination:
- 519
- Place of publication:
- Cambridge
This edited book provides a comprehensive international survey of long-term care provision and regulation, built around a series of case studies from Europe, North America and Asia. The analytical framework allows the different approaches that countries have adopted to be compared side by side and readers are encouraged to consider which quality assurance approaches might best meet their own country's needs. Wider issues underpinning the need to regulate the quality of long-term care are also discussed. The book is aimed at policymakers working in the health care sector, researchers and students taking graduate courses on health policy and management. (Edited publisher abstract)