AGEING AND SOCIETY, 2000
AGEING AND SOCIETY, 2000, Vol. 20, No. 1
FINE, Michael; CHALMERS, Jenny.
"User pays" and other approaches to the funding of long-term care for older people in Australia.
It has been argued that without some system in which future generations of users are able to pay for their care the cost of services for an increasingly large group of older people will be borne by a declining base of economically active younger people. Is the answer a user pays approach to the financing of aged care, as promoted by recent changes to aged care financing? This paper reviews this concept and its recent history in Australia. On the basis of a brief review of alternative funding systems, it also considers the potential of public and private insurance schemes to increase funding by potential service users and underwrite the long-term viability of funding for aged care services.
(AUSTRALIA, AGED, FINANCING, SOCIAL SECURITY, MEDICAL CARE, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, PENSION FUNDS, RETIREMENT PENSIONS, OLD AGE BENEFITS).
English - pp. 5-32.
M. Fine, J. Chalmers, Social Policy Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia.
m.fine@unsw.edu.au.
***
BERNARD, Miriam; PHILLIPS, Judith.
The challenge of ageing in tomorrow's Britain.
Some 50 years after the creation of the welfare state and at the start of the new millennium, this paper considers the current and future status of older people in Britain. It argues that as the population ages, the situation of older people is becoming an increasingly important element in social policy debates. The first half of the paper critically reviews developments over the last five decades, emphasising the salience of accommodation issues during this period. In the light of recent initiatives such as 'Better Government for Older People', the second half of the paper outlines a policy agenda for the early years of the 21st century. We argue unequivocally for an integrated social policy which addresses the broad needs of an ageing society as opposed to narrow age-based interests, or the interests of specific problematised or stigmatised groups. The creation and delivery of such an integrated policy for tomorrow's Britain rests, we contend, on three crucial dimensions: an explicitly articulated value base; a consideration of the educational, technological and spatial aspects of policy; and harmonisation of action at both local and national levels.
(ENGLAND, AGED, DEMOGRAPHIC AGEING, SOCIAL WELFARE, SOCIAL POLICY, EDUCATIONAL POLICY, SOCIAL CHANGE).
English - pp. 33-54.
M. Bernard, J. Phillips, Centre for Social Gerontology, School of Social Relations, Keele University, Keele, Staffs, ST5 5BG, U.K.
m.bernard@keele.ac.uk.
j.phillips@keele.ac.uk.
***
THOM?SE, Fleur; VAN TILBURG, Theo.
Neighbouring networks and environmental dependency. Differential effects of neighbourhood characteristics on the relative size and composition of neighbouring networks of older adults in The Netherlands.
The effects of four social-structural neighbourhood characteristics on the relative size and the composition of neighbouring networks are tested in a sample of 3,504 older adults born between 1908 and 1937 and living in three different regions in the Netherlands. Interactions with individual income and ADL capacity are included in multilevel regression analyses, to test effects of older adults' environmental dependency. Population density and residential mobility both have a negative effect on the relative size of the neighbouring network, and the effect of urbanisation is strongest among poorer respondents. These findings suggest first that the structural effects of urbanisation work at the level of concentration vs. dispersion of personal networks, and second that there is no general mechanism of environmental dependency.
(NETHERLANDS, AGED, NEIGHBOURHOODS, URBAN ENVIRONMENT, DEPENDENCY, POPULATION DENSITY, RESIDENTIAL MOBILITY).
English - pp. 55-78.
F. Thom?se and T. Van Tilburg, Department of Sociology and Social Gerontology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, de Boelelaan 1081c, NL-1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
GCF.Thomese@scw.vu.nl.
***
MARQUART, James W.; MERIANOS, Dorothy E.; DOUCET, Geri.
The health-related concerns of older prisoners: Implications for policy.
This paper examines the sociodemographic characteristics, health condition, and problems in the activities of daily living of two groups of older Texas state prisoners. The research group, assigned to a geriatric facility, were primarily Anglos who had committed violent crime. Few admitted to having a drinking problem but most admitted to a daily smoking habit. Most rated their current health condition as fair or poor; many used special equipment to aid their movement and breathing. Their self-rated health condition was worse than that of a comparison group of older inmates drawn from the general population of the prison. Inmates and health-care providers agreed that separate facilities for older prisoners are desirable. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications for prison management and future policy.
(UNITED STATES, CITIES, AGED, PRISONS, HEALTH CONDITIONS, MEDICAL CARE, SOCIAL PROBLEMS, MANAGEMENT, DELINQUENCY).
English - pp. 79-96.
J. W. Marquart, D. E. Merianos and G. Doucet, Sam Houston State University, College of Criminal Justice, Huntsville, Texas 77341, U.S.A.
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MCCOLGAN, Gillian; VALENTINE, James; DOWNS, Murna.
Concluding narratives of a career with dementia: Accounts of Iris Murdoch at her death.
Obituaries and other accounts of well-known people at their death offer a narrative defining identity through the life story. It is particularly poignant when the story is told of an author, and draws upon not only life course metaphors but also features of the author's fiction. In this paper we look at a case where the dementia of a famous author figures in the tributes at her death. The predominant narrative of dementia has until recently been that of a tragic loss of self. This has reinforced an image of social death. Biomedical determinism has similarly focused on the disease, rather than seeing the person and allowing their voice to be heard. While Iris Murdoch may not have wanted tributes to tell her story, they have allowed us to examine conventional narratives of a person with dementia. We chart the 'career' of a person with dementia, and their perceived transformation of identity, defined in terms of being demented rather than with dementia. Bad and good are attributed to aspects of Iris Murdoch's life through a repertoire of available stereotypes. These appear to involve the retrospective application of characteristics of dementia, along with those of goodness and purity. Common gender representations relating to Iris Murdoch's married life and the caring situation are interwoven in the accounts. We are told a story that reflects and reproduces conventional narratives of the life course and of dementia, characterising the deceased in terms of a moral career.
(ENGLAND, SOCIOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY, PSYCHIATRY, BIOGRAPHIES, MENTAL DISEASES, MENTAL HEALTH, SOCIAL NORMS, VALUE SYSTEMS, LIFE CYCLE).
English - pp. 97-109.
G. McColgan, J. Valentine and M. Downs, Centre for Social Research on Dementia, Department of Applied Social Science, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, U.K.
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AGEING AND SOCIETY, 2000, Vol. 20, No. 2
MARKSON, Elizabeth W.; TAYLOR, Carol A.
The mirror has two faces.
Have changing demographics, increased life expectancy and findings about gender similarities and differences, altered portrayals of older people in American feature films during the past 65 years? We identified 3,038 films made between 1929 and 1995 in which actors and actresses, nominated at least once during their lifetimes for an Oscar award, appeared when aged 60 years or older. Academy Award nominees were selected because they offered a sample of 'notable' performers and an accessible database. We selected an eight per cent random sample for a content analysis of their roles. Throughout this period, men were more likely to be depicted as vigorous, employed and involved in same-gender friendships and adventure (whether as hero or villain). Women remained either peripheral to the action or were portrayed as rich dowagers, wives/mothers, or lonely spinsters. Despite changing gender roles in later life since the 1930s and despite social and economic changes for older Americans (earlier retirement age and better health are but two examples), their film roles have remained remarkably static in age and gender stereotyping. In feature films, the mask of ageing differs by gender. Male masks veil inactivity and physical changes, while female masks reveal ageist and sexist stereotypes.
(UNITED STATES, SOCIOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY, AGEING, AGED, SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, CULTURAL CHANGE, SEX ROLES, SOCIAL ROLES, VALUE SYSTEMS).
English - pp. 137-160.
E. W. Markson, C. A. Taylor, Boston University Gerontology Centre, 53 Bay State Road, Boston, MA 02215, U.S.A.
hezikih@bu.edu.
***
WENGER, G. Clare; SCOTT, Anne; PATTERSON, Nerys.
How important is parenthood? Childlessness and support in old age in England.
Familial relationships are popularly and sociologically viewed as crucial to the social support of elderly people, and of these the relationships between adult children and their parents are generally regarded as the most important (Finch and Mason 1993). But could these expectations be part of a cultural myth? In actuality, does the distinction between parenthood and childlessness make much difference to social support in old age? The present paper addresses this question. Using data from Liverpool, it compares the support networks of older people in three categories: parents (nearly always married); those who married but remained childless; and those who did not marry and remained childless. Its principal finding is that childlessness has a negative impact on support network strength only for single men and for married women. This suggests that youthful investment in a lasting marriage incurs high social opportunity costs for women in old age, unless offset by the survival of children. The findings have implications for the evaluation of social policies that are based on the expectation that individual female family members, in the context of a male-breadwinner family, will provide 'caring' for dependent persons. Such provision of care may incur diminished receipt of care for some women in old age.
(ENGLAND, CITIES, SOCIOLOGY, SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHY, PARENTHOOD, AGED, FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS, KINSHIP, CHILDLESS COUPLES, MARRIAGE, DEPENDENCY, BREADWINNERS, SEX ROLES, SOCIAL POLICY).
English - pp. 161-182.
G. C. Wenger, A. Scott, N. Patterson, Centre for Social Policy Research and Development, University of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2DG, U.K.
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KNIPSCHEER, C. P. M.; VAN GROENOU, M. I. Broese; LEENE, G. J. F.; BEEKMAN, A. T. F.; DEEG, D. J. H.
The effects of environmental context and personal resources on depressive symptomatology in older age: A test of the Lawton model.
This study examines the environmental and psychosocial determinants of depression in older adults. Based on Lawton's environmental docility thesis, the question is posed: is the strong association between functional limitations and depressive symptomatology affected when environmental conditions, objective and subjective efficacy, and docile or proactive behaviour are taken into account. Data were used from LASA (the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam), a national survey of the population between 55 and 85 years of age, stratified by age and sex. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed on the data of 2,981 respondents. Empirical support was found for the extended Lawton model, including both environmental, efficacy and behavioural factors. In particular, living in a more urbanised area, not being able to perform heavy household tasks, having a low self-efficacy, not feeling safe, receiving help from others and having few social contacts within the neighbourhood, increase depressive symptoms in general but, in particular, when combined with lower functional status. It is concluded that both being able and feeling able to influence one's environment increases proactive behaviour and decreases depressive symptomatology in older adults with low functional status.
(NETHERLANDS, MENTAL DEPRESSION, MENTAL DISEASES, AGED, DISABILITY, SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, ATTITUDE, METHODOLOGY, MODELS, URBANIZATION).
English - pp. 183-202.
C. P. M. Knipscheer, M. I. B. Van Groenou, G. J. F. Leene, Department of Sociology and Social Gerontology, A. T. F. Beekman, D. J. H. Deeg, Department of Psychiatry, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1081c, NL-1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands.
cpm.knipscheer@scw.vu.nl.
***
HEENAN, Deirdre.
Expectations and attitudes affecting patterns of informal care in farming families in Northern Ireland.
Recent research in Northern Ireland examining the needs and circumstances of informal carers has highlighted the personal and financial costs of caring. In this paper it is argued that these studies have taken no account of the particular expectations and attitudes towards informal care that exist within farm families. In these families there is a strong expectation that care for older relatives will take place almost entirely within the family. The reputation of the farm family within the local community is strongly dependent on their treatment of the older generation. Help from the state and the voluntary sector is extremely limited. Rather than being described as burdensome and difficult, these family arrangements are described as beneficial for everyone involved. It is argued that expectations and attitudes towards care within farm families are significantly different from those in non-farm families and policy makers and practitioners must take account of this in the context of care in the community.
(NORTHERN IRELAND, AGRICULTURAL POPULATION, AGED, KINSHIP, FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS, ATTITUDE).
English - pp. 203-216.
D. Heenan, School of Social and Community Studies, Faculty of Social and Health Sciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland BT52 1SA, U.K.
DA.Heenan@ulst.ac.uk.
***
CARRIGAN, Marylyn; SZMIGIN, Isabelle.
Advertising in an ageing society.
Age discrimination is one of the last forms of discrimination yet to be tackled by legislation. Despite the call of the United Nations for older people to be treated fairly, regardless of age, many industries still overtly discriminate against them. The advertising industry is a particular offender, either ignoring older people altogether or presenting them in caricatures or negative stereotypes. The authors suggest that regulation or legislation may be required, to raise awareness of the issues surrounding age discrimination and to persuade advertisers to present images of older people which are more relevant and acceptable in today's society.
(SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHY, AGED, ADVERTISING, DISCRIMINATION, LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS, VALUE SYSTEMS, SOCIAL MARKETING, ATTITUDE).
English - pp. 217-233.
M. Carrigan, I. Szmigin, Department of Commerce, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K.
m.carrigan@bham.ac.uk.
***
AGEING AND SOCIETY, 2000, Vol. 20, No. 3
MINICHIELLO, Victor; BROWNE, Jan; KENDIG, Hal.
Perceptions and consequences of ageism: Views of older people.
This qualitative study examines meanings and experiences of ageism for older Australians. While the concept is widely applied in academic social analysis, the term is not understood or used by many of the informants. They talk freely, however, about negative experiences in 'being seen as old' and 'being treated as old'. Active ageing is viewed as a positive way of presenting and interpreting oneself as separate from the 'old' group. Informants recognise that older people as a group experience negative treatment in terms of poor access to transport and housing, low incomes, forced retirement and inadequate nursing home care. While few have experienced overt or brutal ageism, interaction in everyday life involves some negative treatment, occasional positive 'sageism', and others 'keeping watch' for one's vulnerabilities. Health professionals are a major source of ageist treatment. Some older people limit their lives by accommodating ageism, while others actively negotiate new images of ageing for themselves and those who will be old in the future.
(AUSTRALIA, AGED, AGEING, DISCRIMINATION, ATTITUDE, SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, CULTURE, ADJUSTMENT).
English - pp. 253-278.
V. Minichiello, J. Browne, School of Health, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia; H. Kendig, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia.
vminichi@metz.une.edu.au.
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LORETTO, Wendy; DUNCAN, Colin; WHITE, Phil J.
Ageism and employment: Controversies, ambiguities and younger people's perceptions.
This paper traces the emergence and evolution of the concept of ageism with respect to employment matters in the UK, and challenges some features of the emerging concept as defective and undermining of efforts to eradicate age discrimination in employment. Also revealed is some loosening in recent years of the association of the term 'ageism' with older employees. This latter observation informed the focus of our empirical work, which examined the views of 460 Business Studies students concerning age and employment. A significant proportion had experienced ageism directly in employment, and a large majority favoured the introduction of legislative protection against age discrimination, with blanket coverage irrespective of age. Though negative stereotypes regarding older workers were by no means uncommon among the sample, little firm evidence emerged of intergenerational tensions or resentment towards older people. The concluding section considers the policy implications of our findings, including the relative merits of weighting policy responses towards older employees. It is argued that initiatives restricted in this way, and further constrained by commercial imperatives and macro-economic objectives, are likely to prove divisive and self-defeating as a means of combating ageism.
(ENGLAND, AGED, OLDER WORKERS, EMPLOYMENT, DISCRIMINATION, VALUE SYSTEMS, INTERGENERATIONAL SOCIAL MOBILITY, LABOUR LAW, EMPLOYMENT POLICY).
English - pp. 279-302.
W. Loretto, C. Duncan, P. J. White, Department of Business Studies and the Management School, The University of Edinburgh, William Robertson Building, 50 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JY, U.K.
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PERCIVAL, John.
Gossip in sheltered housing: Its cultural importance and social implications.
The purpose of this paper is to present a descriptive account and analysis of ethnographic research which focuses on gossip as an important social interaction between older people in sheltered housing. Analysis reveals that gossip plays a prominent role in the daily life of older people in the schemes studied, reinforcing social norms and values that assume great significance in a close-knit, predominantly female environment. Conclusions are drawn that while gossip may serve a useful social purpose in sheltered housing, it may also have important and paradoxical consequences for the individual. In particular, gossip is understood to be a form of interaction that encourages the individual to strike a balance between their personal and social needs in this communal setting.
(ENGLAND, ETHNOGRAPHY, AGED, COLLECTIVE HOUSEHOLD, INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION, CULTURAL CONTACTS, SOCIAL NORMS, VALUE SYSTEMS).
English - pp. 303-325.
J. Percival, 64 Eleanor Road, Hackney, London E8 1DN, U.K.
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ABBOTT, Stephen; FISK, Malcolm; FORWARD, Louise.
Social and democratic participation in residential settings for older people: Realities and aspirations.
This paper explores some of the experiences of older people living in residential settings (sheltered, very sheltered housing and residential care), in the context of theories of participation, consumerism and citizenship. It draws on material from personal interviews undertaken with over 100 older people in England and Wales, and also from discussions with staff. Two-thirds of respondents were aged over 85. A significant minority of residents expressed some concerns about the routines of life, such as meals and social contact. Staff expectations of social participation were often unrealistic: for many residents, social contact was more a matter of adjustment than of friendship. Residents did not participate in deciding how the residential settings where they lived should be organised and managed, except for helping with simple domestic tasks. There is a need to change both attitudes and practice to enable older people to participate more fully in these settings.
(ENGLAND, SOCIOLOGY, AGED, RETIREMENT HOMES, COLLECTIVE HOUSEHOLD, ADJUSTMENT, ATTITUDE, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR).
English - pp. 327-340.
S. Abbott, L. Forward, HaCCRU, University of Liverpool, Thompson Yates Building, Quadrangle, Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L69 3GB, U.K.; M. Fisk, Insight Social Research Ltd., Newport, South Wales, U.K.
s.j.abbott@liv.ac.uk.
***
NOCON, Andrew; PEARSON, Maggie.
The roles of friends and neighbours in providing support for older people.
Most published research on informal care for older people focuses on the support provided by relatives. The role of non-kin carers can, however, also be significant in supporting older people in their own homes. In this paper, we report the findings from an exploratory study of the support provided by friends and neighbours who are the main carers of frail older people. It draws on interviews with an opportunistic sample of friends, neighbours and older people, which explored their views about the support arrangements, the reasons why help was provided and any difficulties experienced. Several friends and neighbours provided intensive and frequent help, and some played a key role in co-ordinating other services. One of the main forms of direct support related to older people's quality of life, at a broader level than the practical help provided by statutory services. The flexibility of such support, and the friends' and neighbours' concern for older people as individuals, were particularly important to the people they helped. Nevertheless, such help was not provided without costs to the carers. The study highlights the need for policy-makers and practitioners not to take help from friends and neighbours for granted and, in line with the White Paper Modernising Social Services, to provide the support services they need.
(ENGLAND, CITIES, SOCIOLOGY, AGED, FRIENDS, NEIGHBOURHOODS, SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, QUALITY OF LIFE, SOCIAL WELFARE).
English - pp. 341-367.
A. Nocon, Centre for Research in Primary Care, University of Leeds, Hallas Wing, 71-75 Clarendon Road, Leeds LS2 9PL, U.K.; M. Pearson, Department of Health Studies, University of York, U.K.
a.nocon@leeds.ac.uk.
***
AGEING AND SOCIETY, 2000, Vol. 20, No. 4
TWIGG, Julia.
Carework as a form of bodywork.
The paper argues for the importance of recognising carework as a form of bodywork. It discusses why this central dimension has been neglected in accounts of carework, pointing to the ways in which community care has traditionally been analysed, the resistance of social gerontology to an overly bodily emphasis, and the conceptual dominance of the debate on care. Drawing on a study of the provision of help with bathing and washing for older people at home, it explores the body dimension of the activity, looking at how careworkers negotiate nakedness and touch, manage dirt and disgust, balance intimacy and distance. Finally, the paper draws together some of the key themes of this bodywork: its designation as 'dirty work', its hidden, silenced character, the low occupational esteem in which it is held and its gendered nature.
(SOCIOLOGY, GERONTOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, AGED, PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS, INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, SOCIAL NORMS, VALUE SYSTEMS, SEX ROLES).
English - pp. 389-411.
J. Twigg, Department of Social and Public Policy, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NY, U.K.
j.m.twigg@ukc.ac.uk.
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BENNETT, Kate Mary; VIDAL-HALL, Steph.
Narratives of death: A qualitative study of widowhood in later life.
In this paper, we examine the descriptions given by women of the deaths of their husbands. Almost all the women gave elaborate narratives of the events that led up to their husband's death and of the death itself. These show that they identified earlier events as contributory factors in their husband's death and in the emotional impact upon them. They also show the detail with which these women recall their actions during this difficult time. The length of these accounts often contrasts with the remainder of the interview, where there are much shorter conversational turns. It is suggested that the events are shaped into narrative form because they are frequently mentally rehearsed. Two reasons for this are proposed. First, remembering these events is a goal in itself. Preserving the memory of these events is important both for the widows themselves and as a demonstration of respect for their husbands. Second, the narrative shape, and the attendant fluency, may be the result of relating the events on many occasions to other people. Elsewhere in the interviews, the widows speak of the need to recount these events, and talk about them, as a means of coping and surviving. This paper presents some of these 'death narratives' and discusses the implications of the research.
(ANTHROPOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, WIDOWHOOD, LIFE CYCLE, ATTITUDE, AJUSTMENT, PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS, SOCIAL RESEARCH).
English - pp. 413-428.
K. M. Bennett, S. Vidal-Hall, Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Eleanor Rathbone Building, Bedford Street South, Liverpool L69 7ZA, U.K.
kmb@liv.ac.uk.
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GILLIES, Brenda.
Acting up: Role ambiguity and the legal recognition of carers.
The contribution made by informal carers to the provision of care in the community in the UK is formally acknowledged in the 1995 Carers (Recognition and Services) Act. This legislation has focused attention, once again, on the relationship between formal services and those providing informal care. The Act has re-created a lack of clarity about the position carers hold in the carer dyad. Findings are presented here from an exploratory study about the experience of dementia. This seeks to examine the realities of caring for a relative with dementia in the context of three particular aspects of the caring activities which relate to role ambiguity: the needs of carers, their relationship with formal services and their position as being experienced and skilled in the care of their relatives.
(ENGLAND, AGED, MENTAL DISEASES, KINSHIP, SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, SOCIAL ROLES, LEGISLATION, SOCIAL WELFARE, SOCIAL POLICY, SOCIAL RESEARCH).
English - pp. 429-444.
B. Gillies, Department of Social Work, Frankland Building, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN, U.K.
b.a.gillies@dundee.ac.uk.
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ANDERSON, Michael; LI, Yaojun; BECHHOFER, Frank; MCCRONE, David; STEWART, Robert.
Sooner rather than later? Younger and middle-aged adults preparing for retirement.
During the 1990s, the British population has been urged by government and financial institutions to make more personal preparation for retirement and to begin doing so while they are still relatively young. This paper, set within a wider analysis of people's long-term planning behaviour, investigates the extent to which a sample of the general population of Kirkcaldy in Scotland, mostly aged between 30 and 49, has given thought to the question of retirement, feels they have made financial preparation for it, and also how comfortable they expect retirement to be. While it seems likely that early planning for retirement is more common today than 20 years ago, there remain substantial sections of the population, including - but going well beyond - many in lower income groups, who appear not to be preparing, for varying combinations of reasons (including family responsibilities, personal history, cultural and general orientation to life). The study concludes that planning for retirement must be seen as part of planning as a whole, and that the propensity to plan is the outcome of a complex web of material, social, cultural and psychological factors. This suggests that even very high profile urging from politicians and financial institutions is unlikely to deliver adequate pensions for significant sections of the UK population.
(SCOTLAND, CITIES, SOCIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, RETIREMENT, AGE AT RETIREMENT, LIFE CYCLE, PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS, CULTURE, ATTITUDE).
English - pp. 445-466.
M. Anderson, Y. Li, F. Bechhofer, D. McCrone, R. Stewart, Department of Economic and Social History, University of Edinburgh, William Robertson Building, George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JY, Scotland.
m.anderson@ed.ac.uk.
***
HEIKKINEN, Riitta-Liisa.
Ageing in an autobiographical context.
A cohort study was carried out in 1990 in Jyv?skyl?, central Finland among 80-year-old residents as part of the Evergreen project. A total of 262 people born in 1910 were interviewed. In addition to epidemiological data, tape-recorded narrative stories focusing on the ageing experience were collected from a subsample of 20 people (10 men and 10 women). A five-year follow-up was carried out with the same cohort in 1995. Out of the 20 people in the original subsample, 17 (8 women and 9 men) were still alive to describe their ageing experience at 85. The analysis proceeded along the hermeneutic circle in the form of dialogue, first with the elderly narrators and then with the tape-recorded material. Unlike five years previously, most of the narrators said they had now crossed the line into old age. These findings are considered in light of the concepts of ageing, bodiliness and temporality.
(FINLAND, CITIES, GERONTOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY, AGED, AGEING, BIOGRAPHIES, LIFE CYCLE, ATTITUDE, PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS, LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS).
English - pp. 467-483.
R.-L. Heikkinen, University of Jyv?skyl?, Department of Health Sciences and the Finnish Centre for Interdisciplinary Gerontology, PO Box 35, FIN-40351, Jyv?skyl?, Finland.
rheikkin@pallo.jyu.fi.
***
AGEING AND SOCIETY, 2000, Vol. 20, No. 5
McDonald, Lynn; Donahue, Peter.
Poor health and retirement income: The Canadian case.
Using the 1994 Canadian General Social Survey, this study examines the economic effects of retiring because of poor health. When men and women who have retired for reasons of poor health are compared to those who have retired for other reasons, the health retirees are disadvantaged on measures of their health, on human capital variables, in terms of their work history, and ultimately, in their retirement income whether personal or household. The men who retired because of ill health were less likely to receive income from a private pension or from interest and dividends. Almost half of the men reported that their financial situation was worse since their retirement. The women retirees suffered from the same disadvantages as the men although their incomes in retirement were much lower. In the multivariate analyses, health had a significant and negative effect on men's household and personal incomes but there was no effect on the incomes of women. For them, any effect that poor health might have had on household income was offset by factors associated with marriage, and the women's own socio-demographic characteristics. The findings suggest reason for policy-makers to be cautious when contemplating blanket reductions in disability/invalidity and pension rates.
(CANADA, PENSIONERS, HEALTH CONDITIONS, RETIREMENT PENSIONS, INCOME, ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS, SOCIAL POLICY, METHODOLOGY, MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS).
English - pp. 493-522.
L. McDonald, P. Donahue, Centre for Applied Social Research, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A1, Canada.
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Kalaycioglu, Sibel; Rittersberger-Tili?, Helga.
Intergenerational solidarity networks of instrumental and cultural transfers within migrant families in Turkey.
Over the last fifty years, the pattern of family life in Turkey has been seriously affected by migration. Despite this, there remains a high degree of solidarity typified by transfers of income, material goods and cultural mores between and within family generations. This article is based on the life histories of fifteen migrant families living in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. In-depth interviews were used to collect information about at least three generations in each family. Information was collected about occupational, educational and migration histories, property ownership, care of dependents, and parent-child relations covering three generations.
(TURKEY, CITIES, INTERNAL MIGRATION, IMMIGRANTS, DEPENDENCY, FAMILY MIGRATION, FAMILY LIFE CYCLE, GENERATIONS, CULTURE, KINSHIP, LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS).
English - pp. 523-542.
S. Kalaycioglu, H. Rittersberger-Tili?, Department of Sociology, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
ksibel@metu.edu.tr .
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Bamford, Claire; Bruce, Errollyn.
Defining the outcomes of community care: the perspectives of older people with dementia and their carers.
There is growing recognition of the need for outcome measures which reflect the aims of services for people with dementia. The development and application of existing outcome measures has often marginalised people with dementia. ?Experts? and carers have been viewed as primary sources when identifying relevant outcomes or domains of quality of life, and proxy respondents have often been responsible for rating outcomes on the resulting measures. This paper reports a small consultation with people with dementia and their carers to identify the desired outcomes of community care. While there was considerable overlap in the outcomes identified by people with dementia and their carers, a number of limitations of relying solely on carers as proxy respondents were identified. A key outcome, which has been relatively neglected in previous work, was maximising a sense of autonomy. A range of outcomes related to the ways in which services are delivered were also identified. Future evaluative studies should encompass both quality-of-life outcomes and service-process outcomes (the impacts of the ways in which services are delivered) in addition to other outcome measures relevant to the aims and objectives of the service.
(ENGLAND, AGED, MENTAL DISEASES, DEPENDENCY, HEALTH SERVICES, QUALITY OF LIFE, SOCIAL WELFARE, SOCIAL POLICY, SOCIAL RESEARCH).
English - pp. 543-570.
C. Bamford, Social Policy Research Unit, University of York, Heslington, York, YO10 5DD, U.K.; E. Bruce, Bradford Dementia Group, University of Bradford, U.K.
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Trydeg?rd, Gun-Britt.
From poorhouse overseer to production manager: One hundred years of old-age care in Sweden reflected in the development of an occupation.
The aim of this article is to illustrate the changes in the Swedish system of old-age care during the 20th century by tracing and analysing the history of the job of supervisor or manager of this care. The main sources that have been researched are public and educational documents as well as articles from the occupation's professional journal. Development through different periods is described. During the first decades of the century, supervisors had a controlling function in strictly disciplined poor-relief institutions. The period 1920-1950 was dominated by a strong belief in institution-based old-age care, and the supervisor's role had a variety of profiles, e.g. matrons of home-like institutions, geriatric nurses, and manageresses of increasing numbers of care-staff. The decades 1950-1980, were characterised by expansion and new arenas, chiefly the home-help services. In the 1990s, with a strained public economy, the financial control became a central feature of the work of the managers. Finally, some of the changes and trends are analysed and discussed.
(SWEDEN, SOCIOLOGY, AGED, SOCIAL WELFARE, SOCIAL WORKERS, SUPERVISORS, MANAGEMENT, JOB CLASSIFICATION, SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR).
English - pp. 571-597.
G.-B. Trydeg?rd, Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden.
Gun-Britt.Trydegard@socarb.su.se .
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Andrews, Gavin J.; Phillips, David R.
Moral dilemmas and the management of private residential homes: The impact of care in the community reforms in the UK.
Private residential care homes in the United Kingdom have undergone a variety of management changes in recent years, many resulting from the impacts of national policy changes. During the 1980s, the private residential sector for older persons enjoyed substantial financial support for the care of residents. However, since the 1990 National Health Service and Care in the Community Act was implemented in 1993, homes have had to compete with each other in a market, for a finite number of clients funded by limited local budgets held by local authority purchasers. Based on a three-stage quasi-longitudinal survey of over 100 residential care homes in one county, this paper considers changes in the overall size and structure of a local sector and discusses the specific management strategies that have been adopted by proprietors. The withdrawal of guaranteed state support has impacted heavily on residential home businesses. Indeed, many homes have multiple vacancies and have been facing financial hardships. The paper concludes with a discussion of the ethical and moral issues associated with certain management decisions and their possible effects on residents.
(ENGLAND, ETHICS, AGED, RETIREMENT HOMES, MANAGEMENT, SUPPLY AND DEMAND, DECISION MAKING, FINANCING, SOCIAL POLICY).
English - pp. 599-622.
G. J. Andrews, Faculty of Health Studies, Buckinghamshire University College, Newland Park, Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire HP8 4AD, U.K.; D. R. Phillips, Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies, Lingnan University, Hong Kong.
gandre01@bcuc.ac.uk .
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AGEING AND SOCIETY, 2000, Vol. 20, No. 6
Biggs, Simon; Bernard, Miriam; Kingston, Paul; Nettleton, Hilary.
Lifestyles of belief: Narrative and culture in a retirement community.
This paper examines the culture and narratives occurring in a purpose-built retirement community. It is argued that in order to understand the effects that such a community can have on wellbeing, it is necessary to analyse the interaction of a variety of interweaving narratives used to sustain a secure micro-cultural base. These narratives include formal representations, daily life as experienced by tenants and imaginative associations within community culture. Retirement communities for older people have been represented as containing the positive features of both residential care and neighbourhood life. They have also been criticised as promoting exclusivity and negative attitudes to outsiders. Tenants reported experiences of a high level of interdependence and peer support. They saw the community as a positive alternative to nursing homes, continued residence in their local neighbourhoods and reliance on family support. It was found that this retirement community was perceived to have a positive effect on wellbeing which was attributed to peer culture and was sustained by imaginative narratives of miracle and progress. However, certain groups were excluded from this dominant reading.
(ENGLAND, AGED, RETIREMENT, LIFE STYLES, CULTURE, LOCAL COMMUNITIES, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, SELF-HELP, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, INDIVIDUAL WELFARE, SOCIAL CHANGE).
English - pp. 649-672.
S. Biggs, M. Bernard, P. Kingston, H. Nettleton, Centre for Social Gerontology, Keele University, Staffs, ST5 5BG, U.K.
spa04@keele.ac.uk .
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Hiller?s, Pernilla K.; Pollitt, Penelope; Medway, Jo; Ericsson, Kjerstin.
Nonagenarians: A qualitative exploration of individual differences in wellbeing.
This paper focuses on the subjective experience of extreme old age for 12 people scoring high and low respectively, on wellbeing measures. The purpose was to illustrate and expand upon the quantitatively derived findings from a previous study of nonagenarians living in Stockholm, using a qualitative approach inspired by grounded theory. The results suggest that outlook on life, social and emotional ties, engagement with the outside world and physical capability are important contributors to subjectively experienced wellbeing in this age group.
(SWEDEN, CITIES, ANTHROPOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, AGED, INDIVIDUAL WELFARE, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION, HEALTH, DISABILITY).
English - pp. 673-697.
P. K. Hiller?s, Stockholm Gerontology Research Center, Box 6401, 113 82, Stockholm, Sweden; P. Pollitt, J. Medway, NHMRC Psychiatric Epidemiology Research Centre, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; K. Ericsson, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.
Pernilla.Hilleras@neurotec.ki.se .
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Milne, Alisoun; Williams, Jennie.
Meeting the mental health needs of older women: Taking social inequality into account.
Whilst there is increasing acceptance that social inequalities have implications for mental health, there is minimal acknowledgement of their effects on the development and treatment of mental ill health in older people. This paper focuses on older women, as they are the majority sufferers of mental illness in later life, and are particularly vulnerable to the cumulative effects of lifelong and age-related inequalities. The authors, who draw upon literature from the fields of gerontology and mental health, argue that for effective care to be developed, older women's mental ill health needs to be seen within the context of their past and present experience of social inequalities. Evidence particularly relates to socio-economic disadvantages as well as to the consequences of discrimination. It is argued that psychological vulnerability is further compounded by the gendered effects of social policy, and by a care system which constructs mental health needs as unrelated to oppression, and dislocated from their economic, social and historical roots. Finally, the authors outline the key components of a care and service system which takes account of social inequalities, and which accords centrality to the experiences, views and opinions of older women with mental health problems.
(GERONTOLOGY, EPIDEMIOLOGY, PSYCHIATRY, AGED, WOMEN, MENTAL HEALTH, MENTAL DISEASES, LIFE CYCLE, PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS, DISCRIMINATION, ATTITUDE, SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIFFERENTIALS, SOCIAL POLICY).
English - pp. 699-723.
A. Milne, Tizard Centre, Beverley Farm, University of Kent at Canterbury, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7LZ, U.K.; J. Williams, Tizard Centre, University of Kent at Canterbury, U.K.
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Pickard, Susan; Shaw, Sandra; Glendinning, Caroline.
Health care professionals' support for older carers.
This paper examines four specific themes relating to older carers' experience: care-giving in the context of particular roles and relationships embedded in biographical histories; care in the context of dementia; care involving skilled or complex health care-tasks; and care of an intimate/personal nature. In each case, we look at the nature of support provided by health care professionals. Analysis of the data suggests several conclusions. Older carers are carrying out a range of tasks including complex health care tasks, many of which were once part of a nurse's remit and role. Nurses approach older carers as a unique but not homogeneous group and acknowledge many of their distinct needs as well as their right to choice concerning the extent of their involvement in care-giving. However, this approach conceals several implicit assumptions and expectations about the role of older carers. In particular, professionals' emphasis on older people's individual choice jars with the latter's own experience of reciprocity existing within the context of lifetime relationships. The paper suggests that modifications have to be made in professionals' approach if older people are to be presented with choice and support in the care-giving they perform.
(ENGLAND, AGED, SOCIAL WORKERS, BIOGRAPHIES, MEDICAL CARE, MENTAL DISEASES, SKILLED WORKERS, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, CHOICE, HUMAN RIGHTS).
English - pp. 725-744.
S. Pickard, S. Shaw, C. Glendinning, National Primary Care R&D Centre, Williamson Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, U.K.
susan.pickard@man.ac.uk .
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Pickard, Linda; Wittenberg, Raphael; Comas-Herrera, Adelina; Davies, Bleddyn; Darton, Robin.
Relying on informal care in the new century? Informal care for elderly people in England to 2031.
The research reported here is concerned with the future of informal care over the next thirty years and the effect of changes in informal care on demand for formal services. The research draws on a PSSRU computer simulation model which has produced projections to 2031 for long-term care for England. The latest Government Actuary's Department (GAD) 1996-based marital status projections are used here. These projections yield unexpected results in that they indicate that more elderly people are likely to receive informal care than previously projected. The underlying reason is that the GAD figures project a fall in the number of widows and rise in the number of elderly women with partners. What this implies is that ?spouse carers? are likely to become increasingly important. This raises issues about the need for support by carers since spouse carers tend to be themselves elderly and are often in poor health. The article explores a number of ?scenarios? around informal care, including scenarios in which the supply of informal care is severely restricted and a scenario in which more support is given to carers by developing ?carer-blind? services. This last scenario has had particular relevance for the Royal Commission on Long Term Care.
(ENGLAND, SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHY, AGED, RETIREMENT HOMES, INFORMAL SECTOR, PROJECTIONS, SUPPLY AND DEMAND, SOCIAL WELFARE, METHODOLOGY, MODELS, SIMULATION).
English - pp. 745-772.
L. Pickard, R. Wittenberg, A. Comas-Herrera, B. Davies, Personal Social Services Research Unit, LSE Health and Social Care, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, U.K.; R. Darton, Personal Social Services Research Unit, University of Kent, U.K.
L.M.Pickard@lse.ac.uk .
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