Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
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Interdependence, commitment, learning and love: the case of the United Kingdom's first older women's co-housing community
- Authors:
- ARRIGOITIA Melissa Fernandez, WEST Karen
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 41(7), 2021, pp.1673-1696.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Housing options for older people in the United Kingdom (UK) have been rather limited to remaining living ‘independently’ in one's own home and some variant of institutionally provided, pre-established and age-exclusive housing such as retirement communities, extra-care or sheltered housing. However, interest in alternative forms of housing and living which align more closely with the expectations of those currently entering later life is steadily growing. In this paper, we present some findings from original, mixed-methods research on the UK's only established example of senior co-housing, which also happens to be women only. Through thematic analysis, we explore two key questions about this important social experiment: (a) is this a model merely for the dedicated, activist and privileged few, as is often presumed; and (b) what might it tell us about post-traditional ageing. Is it merely a retirement lifestyle choice and identity project, grounded in logics of age denial, activity, choice, individualism and risk management? Our findings cannot be conclusive at this stage, but they do suggest a new model of later-life dwelling for the UK based on more collectivist values of inter-dependence, commitment, learning and, even, love. (Edited publisher abstract)
Profile of elderly women seeking treatment for substance use disorders at a tertiary care treatment center
- Authors:
- MANDAL Piyali, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Substance Use, 22(3), 2017, pp.353-355.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Introduction: Elderly women comprise of a unique subpopulation of people who use drugs. However, literature on the profile of elderly women seeking treatment is scarce. Materials and methods: This retrospective chart review included 16 elderly (>60 years of age) women subjects seeking outpatient treatment at a tertiary care substance use treatment centre located in North India. Information pertaining to their sociodemographics and substance use were extracted from available records. Results: The mean age of subjects was 63.63 ± 4.92 years (range 60–75 years). Most of the subjects were Hindu (14/16), married (13/16), illiterate (11/16), housewives (12/16), and coming from an urban background (11/16). Most common substances of abuse were tobacco (8/16) followed by opioids (05/16). Mean duration of opioid use was 3.20 ± 2.68. Only four patients reported comorbid psychiatric illness. None of the patients had sought treatment in the past. Conclusion: Elderly women substance users have a distinct profile. Interventions specifically targeted to them are required, especially in Indian settings. (Edited publisher abstract)
Older women and their representations of old age: a qualitative analysis
- Authors:
- QUÉNIART Anne, CHARPENTIER Michèle
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 32(6), August 2012, pp.983-1007.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This study examined the views of three generations of older women with different life stories (single, married, children and childless) in Quebec, Canada. Based on a qualitative analysis of 25 in-depth interviews conducted with three generations of older women, findings revealed their refusal to define themselves as ‘older or elderly women’, largely due to persistent stereotypes linking old age to dependency, social isolation and fragility. Aware of the social prejudice regarding women and old age, they reject it unanimously. Older women represent a challenge to these homogenising preconceptions of old age, which they, on the contrary, experience in a multitude of ways, often enjoyable. Their conceptions of ageing well are diverse and do not correspond to a clinical definition of ageing. Their representations of ageing well and of ageing expressed the values of physical and intellectual health, and being socially active so they could continue in the continuum of their lives and future projects, rather breaking with contemporary life or existing on the margins of society.
The relationship between women’s work histories and incomes in later life in the UK, US and West Germany
- Authors:
- SEFTON Tom, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of European Social Policy, 21(1), February 2011, pp.20-36.
- Publisher:
- Sage
This study examines the relationship between employment history and the personal income of older women in the UK, US and West Germany. It compares three countries with different welfare and pension systems, and aims to achieve a better understanding of the interaction between the life course, pension system and women’s incomes in later life. The study draws on data from longitudinal surveys, and includes 1,418 samples from the UK, 1,127 from the US and 2,270 from Germany. Findings reveal that the association between older women’s incomes and employment history is strongest in West Germany and weakest in the UK, where there is evidence of a pensions poverty trap and where only predominantly full-time employment is associated with significantly higher incomes in later life. Employment history matters less for widows in all three countries and more for recent birth cohorts and more educated women in the UK only. In ending, the paper discusses the adequacy of the treatment of women under different pension systems.
Electroshocking the elderly: another psychiatric abuse
- Author:
- WEITZ Don
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Critical Psychology Counselling and Psychotherapy, 8(4), Winter 2008, pp.241-248.
Women and older people, particularly old women, remain the chief targets of electro-convulsive therapy (ECT). The author looks at the use of ECT in the United States and Canada and calls for a ban of the procedure.
Older women and domestic violence in Scotland: update 2008
- Author:
- SCOTT Marsha
- Publisher:
- Centre for Research on Families and Relationships
- Publication year:
- 2008
- Pagination:
- 10p.
- Place of publication:
- Edinburgh
This report provides an update on literature published since an earlier research project, Older Women and Domestic Violence in Scotland, conducted in 2003-2004 and published in June 2004. The original project was commissioned by Health Scotland and carried out by a team from the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR). This review reports on literature published between 2003 and 2007 and reflects a 'scanning of the horizon' rather than a systematic literature review and is selective and indicative rather than comprehensive and conclusive. The search strategy identified work by key authors and publications from the original review as well as articles identified using the usual key words. Analysis of the literature rested on two themes: findings related to key themes from the previous research, and findings that could or should inform policy and service design.
Impact of support groups on well-being of older women
- Author:
- SEGRIST Kathleen A.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 51(1/2), 2008, pp.42-52.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In this research study the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale were administered to 36 women aged 60 or older participating in either a peer-run or a staff-run support group, and nine women not attending any support group. Scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale showed significant differences between the women in the peer-run and comparison groups, but no such differences between women in the peer-run and staff-run groups, or between the staff-run and comparison groups. Analysis of the date from the other scale indicated no significant differences between women in any of the groups. The implications for those who run support groups for older adults, or who train peer group facilitators, are discussed. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Recognizing and responding to loss and "rupture" in older women's accounts
- Author:
- GRENIER Amanda
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work Practice, 22(2), July 2008, pp.195-209.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
In the current context of service, emphasis on the body and impairment mean that emotional experiences are given little space within public health and social care services. Further, as much of what occurs between worker and client remains unsaid, older women's subjective interpretations become more and more difficult to hear in the current context of care. This is especially the case when the age difference of the older women and their workers are considered. In this paper, the author focuses on how particular types of time-based statements embedded within older women's narratives on "frailty" can be read around rupture and loss. Drawing attention to these statements highlights the importance of close listening and working therapeutically from the discursive clues of lived experience. Overall, older women's accounts teach us that providing the space to articulate difficult emotions is crucial to fostering connections across age and generational boundaries and allowing older women to articulate their own "successful" responses to the challenges of late life. At the same time, recognising and accounting for the experiences of loss also forms a strong counter-perspective to the rational-technical practices increasingly used in Canadian health and social care practices.
The implications of occupational deprivation experienced by elderly female immigrants
- Author:
- BROWN Cary A.
- Journal article citation:
- Diversity in Health and Social Care, 5(1), 2008, pp.65-69.
- Publisher:
- Radcliffe Publishing
Canada's immigration policy favours family reunification, and many elderly parents follow their adult children into new lives in Canada. The limited research that exists links immigration, acculturation and communication problems with negative physical and psychological health for immigrant women. One paradigm that holds promise for understanding and responding to the health needs of older immigrant women is that of occupational science. Occupational science proposes that 'human engagement is integral to everyday living as people of all ages plan, structure and use their time doing the things they need and want to do'. Occupational deprivation is a subconstruct of occupational science and refers to situations in which people's needs for meaningful and health-promoting occupations go unmet or are institutionally denied. Currently we do not understand the impact of occupational deprivation on the health of older immigrant women and how this influences their healthcare utilisation. It is probable that the needs of this unique, and growing, group of elderly women have important implications for health planning and resource utilisation that are only just beginning to be recognised.
Long-term disadvantage among elderly women: the effects of work history
- Author:
- McNAMARA Justine M.
- Journal article citation:
- Social Service Review, 81(3), September 2007, pp.423-452.
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
Despite the emphasis in U.S. social policy on the role of work in addressing poverty and disadvantage for young women, little research focuses on the long-term benefits of work to women. This study focuses on the effects of work history and other factors on the economic well-being of elderly women who had low income in midlife. It uses data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Mature Women (NLSMW) and spans the years from 1967 to 1999. Results suggest that if other factors are controlled, the amount of work low-income women do in midlife has little effect on their economic well-being in old age. Job characteristics, such as whether one is employed in a unionized setting and the availability of a pension plan, do have a positive effect on economic well-being in old age.