Observing Women Caregivers’ Everyday Experiences: New Ways of Understanding and Intervening

This article discusses the practice implications of videographic research examining the everyday lived experiences of 5 women family caregivers of older adults with chronic illness. The women’s nonverbal expressions and gestures revealed how caregiving is accomplished and lived on a daily basis, in particular through emotion and body management, abnegation, and performance. The findings from this microethnographic study suggest that observing women caregivers’ everyday experiences can open new avenues for holistic intervention with this population. Observing nonverbal cues can offer a way for practitioners to better understand women caregivers’ realities, to question their practice, and to adapt their interventions accordingly.     

Beyond Assessment: Social Work Intervention in Family Court Enquiries

Most parents or carers who separate or divorce are able to makearrangements themselves about where their children will resideand how the children’s contact with the non-resident parentwill be managed. A further group of parents or carers are ableto come to agreement with the assistance of community- or court-baseddispute resolution/ mediation services. There are times, however,when disputes cannot be resolved without recourse to the courtsand, when this happens, the court will normally request thata welfare report be prepared by a CAFCASS (Children and FamilyCourt Advisory and Support Service) practitioner. While theboundary between assessment and intervention in social workis often less than clear, the commissioning of a court welfarereport in family proceedings strongly suggests an assessmentfocus and appears to carry little expectation that the practitionershould intervene in order to meet the needs of the childrenor adults involved. This article presents recent research findingsthat illustrate ways in which CAFCASS practitioners do go beyondthe assessment role expected of them in the course of the enquiriesthey undertake. Implications for policy and practice in thisarea of social work are then discussed.     

Deciding to Institutionalize: Caregiving Crisis,Intergenerational Communication,and Uncertainty Management for Elders and Their Children in Shanghai

This phenomenological study integrated crisis theory, social identity theory, and uncertainty management theory to conceptualize the decision-making process around institutionalization among nursing home residents and their children in Shanghai. I conducted face-to-face, semistructured interviews with 12 dyads of matched elders and their children (N = 24). The findings suggest that caregiving crises triggered intergenerational communication about caregiving alternatives and new arrangements, although each generation had different stances and motivations. Children finalized the decision by helping their parents to manage the uncertainties pertaining to institutionalization. This study sheds light on caregiving decision-making dynamics for the increasing aging population across cultures.     

Living Close to a Person With Cancer: A Review of the International Literature and Implications for Social Work Practice

To help family caregivers (FCs), social workers need to understand the complexity of FC’s experiences and challenges. For this systematic review, several relevant, multidisciplinary electronic databases were searched. Of 1,643 titles identified, 108 articles met the inclusion criteria and are included in this review. Various experiences, symptoms, and burden related to caregiving responsibilities are described and discussed. The understanding evolving from this study about the FC’s own health risk, caregiver burden, and experiences over time can enhance a social worker’s awareness of an FC’s challenging situation and the potential impact this has on the FC’s ability to provide care to the patient.     

Family-Centered Care

Abstract

Recent trends in medicine reflect an attempt to be more patient-centered and while this is progress from the disease- or provider-focused model familiar in healthcare, the experiences and contributions of family as caregivers continue to be overlooked in some settings. The family-centered care model, developed most notably in pediatrics, but emerging in HIV, cancer, and aging, is presented as a resource to increase family involvement at the end of life. In this paper, family-centered care is defined, caregiving trends including support needs of formal and informal caregivers are discussed, and barriers to family-centered services are identified. Reintroducing family into the focus of care at the end of life is the primary goal of this paper. The family-centered model of care offers an appropriate framework for understanding the value of family in end-of-life care and fits well with social work perspectives that understand individuals in the context of their family system and greater environment.     

Well‐being among employed and non‐employed caregiving women in Taiwan

Chou Y‐C, Kröger T, Chiao C, Pu C‐Y. Well‐being among employed and non‐employed caregiving women in Taiwan This study addressed various groups of non‐employed/employed and non‐caring/caring women in Taiwan. Data from the 2006 National Taiwanese Women Survey (at age 16–64, n= 6,017) were analysed to determine whether there are differences in terms of well‐being, as measured by self‐rated health and family life satisfaction, between women who work and/or care and between different carer groups. Other factors associated with well‐being of carers of young children (n= 1,697) were also analysed. The results showed that non‐employed carers of disabled adults stood out as the most disadvantaged group. However, the importance of work has been replaced by support among carers of young children. This study suggests that unpaid carers, particularly carers of disabled adults who are non‐employed, ought to be supported by policies. To improve carers' well‐being, care–work reconciliation among working‐age women needs to be included in the future care scheme in Taiwan.     

Facilitating Forgiveness and Peaceful Closure

Abstract

The importance of addressing psychosocial concerns with dying patients is pivotal to facilitating peaceful closure in end-of-life care. The social worker's role in recognizing and providing skilled, psychosocial intervention with patients and families in hospice programs is significant. In this article, the literature in this area is examined and a case example of a hospice patient's need for closure and the responsive social work intervention for the patient in his moment of death is provided. The case offers social work knowledge and skills and demonstrates the therapeutic benefit of addressing psychosocial needs in end-of-life care. The importance of targeted training and continued skill development for social workers in end-of-life treatment settings is emphasized.     

A National Survey of Aging Curriculum in Schools of Social Work

The present studv reports the results of a nationwide survey which examined the current status of gerontological education in B.S.W. and M.S.W. proprams. The survey findings register a decline in gerontological curricula but an increase in student intrest in aging. The survey also notes that lack of trained faculty and a full curriculum are most often mentioned as major barriers to further gerontological curricula development. The paper considers implications of these findings along with recommendations for expanding aging content at both the undergraduate and graduate level of social work education.     

Korean Survivors of the Japanese “Comfort Women” System: Understanding the Lifelong Consequences of Early Life Trauma

Prior to and during World War II, thousands of girls and young women were abducted from Korea and forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese government. Termed comfort women, these girls and young women suffered extreme sexual, physical, and emotional abuse and trauma. Research on this group is not well-developed and people know little of the impact of this early life trauma on the lives of these women who are now in later life. Using snowball sampling, 16 older adult survivors of the comfort women system participated in semistructured qualitative interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted to gain an understanding of the trauma that these women suffered and how it impacted their lives. Results revealed the depths of the abuse these women suffered, including repeated rapes, physical beatings, humiliation, forced surgery and sterilization, and social exclusion. These early traumatic experiences appeared to reverberate throughout their lives in their family relations, their inability to marry and to conceive children, and their emotional and physical well-being throughout the life course and into later life. The experiences of these survivors illustrate the lasting impact of early-life trauma and can guide interventions with current survivors of sexual abuse or trafficking.     

从时间分配看北京人20年生活的变迁——基于2006年北京生活时间分配调查的统计分析

本文运用2006年8月在北京进行的生活时间分配调查资料和北京市统计局1986年北京市民生活时间调查资料,从时间分配的角度,对20年来的北京人生活方式的变化进行了统计分析。反映了北京市民的工作、休闲等各个领域的生活以及变化情况。     

Grannies,Elders, and Friends: Aging Aboriginal Women in Toronto

Based on a research project in Toronto, Canada, this article highlights the strengths and resiliency of 12 female Aboriginal Elders and seniors as they age together. For these women, being actively involved in their families and the Aboriginal community gives them a solid grounding in who they are, what their roles are and how they contribute to the whole. Of particular significance is the support and friendship the women offer each other through their commonalities, activities, and sense of humor.     

From Care to Fellowship and Back: Interpretative Repertoires Used by the Social Welfare Workers when Describing their Relationship with Homeless Women

The study asks what kinds of interpretative repertoires do socialwelfare workers use and produce when describing their work,and how is the practitioner–client relationship describedin the different repertoires? Social welfare work is approachedthrough a single organization targeted for homeless women. Theresearch data consist of a free-form diary kept by the workers.The analysis shows that the workers construct six differentinterpretative repertoires: repertoire of care, repertoire ofassessment, repertoire of control, repertoire of therapy, repertoireof service provision and repertoire of fellowship. The repertoiresare not anchored to given workers or homeless women. Individualworkers adopt different repertoires, and a single homeless womanmay be encountered in several ways. The variation in the repertoiresand the movement between them make the work flexible. The quantitativelymost frequent repertoire is the repertoire of care based onthe ethics of care. As a carrying principle of the daily work,it may create a climate of trust and confidence which makesthe other repertoires possible. Due to its variation and commitmentto long-term care, the work with homeless women can be saidto challenge predominant policies that emphasize the citizen’sown responsibility and the managerialist mode of operation.     

Early intervention and holistic,relationship‐based practice with fathers: evidence from the work of the Family Nurse Partnership

This paper seeks to add to the literature on working with fathers by focusing on early intervention. It draws on research into fathers involved in a home visitation service delivered by the Family Nurse Partnership in England and evaluates the men's experiences of the intervention. The vulnerability of fathers was striking and many were helped to develop their practical skills and confidence in caring for their babies. The intervention was effective because of the quality time that was invested in developing relationships with fathers (as well as mothers), the focus on their strengths as well as areas for improvement and the skilled, therapeutically oriented, holistic approach through which the service was delivered. The ‘early’ nature of the help was crucial to its success because of how it so effectively tapped into the men's redefinition of themselves as caring fathers during pregnancy and following the birth. We argue that there is important learning here for social care and health services in general about how to engage men and promote fathers' capacities to care for their children.     

Lesbian and Gay Elders and Long-Term Care: Identifying the Unique Psychosocial Perspectives and Challenges

This qualitative study of lesbian and gay elders seeks to identify the psychosocial challenges this community faces regarding long-term care. Two focus groups were conducted among 16 gay elders in community and long-term care settings. Participants reported fear of being rejected or neglected by healthcare providers, particularly personal care aides; fear of not being accepted and respected by other residents; fear of having to go back into the closet if placed in long-term care; and a preference for gay-friendly care. Participants suggested staff training to promote acceptance and respect for gay people, and favorably perceived gay-specific and gay-friendly living arrangements.     

Changes in Life Satisfaction Among Participants of Adult Day Care and Their Informal Caregivers

This paper examines changes in life satisfaction among participants of Adult Day Care (ADC) in Manitoba, Canada, and their informal caregivers (where applicable). ADC participants (N = 112) and their informal caregivers (N = 34) were interviewed at two points in time. Data analyses reveal that, during attendance at the program, the life satisfaction of both the participant and the informal caregiver tend to improve. Attempts to predict which participants are most likely to improve, remain stable, or deteriorate in life satisfaction were largely unsuccessful. A smaller group of participants in Winnipeg programs were matched on age, sex, functional disability and illness with two control groups. Analyses reveal improvements in life satisfaction among ADC participants appear to be program effects.     

Defamilization/familization measures and women's pension income—The case of Taiwan

This paper examines how defamilization and familization measures can affect women's capacity to accumulate pension income and their subsequent standard of living after retirement. Firstly, it highlights the concepts of defamilization and familization and discusses the potential of these measures in assisting women to save pension income through the “commodification” and “decommodification” of labor. Secondly, it examines the major pension policies and examples of defamilization and familization measures in Taiwan. It shows how the current limited provision of such measures could create “double jeopardy” for women, affecting access to paid employment or resources to enable women who wish to undertake caring responsibilities to do so, ultimately impacting their capacity to accumulate pension income. Thirdly, it suggests ways to strengthen defamilization and familization measures in order to enable women to accumulate sufficient retirement income on the basis of three preconditions: policy attention to the reciprocal relationship between familization/defamilization measures and pension schemes for women; a recognition of differences between women in their preferred strategies to accumulate pension income; and an emphasis on a life course perspective to understand the double jeopardies faced by women in saving for retirement.     

Learning and development journeys towards effective communication with children

There are continuing concerns about the quality of social workers' communication and engagement with children. This has led to a focus in England on whether qualifying courses prepare students sufficiently for practice. Although research has uncovered the capabilities social workers need to engage and communicate effectively with children, there has continued to be limited evidence in relation to which pedagogical approaches might best enable students to develop capability. This paper attempts to address some of this deficit by reporting in‐depth case study findings from a larger longitudinal study into the factors that supported a cohort of students in England in learning to communicate with children. Case analyses are presented in respect of two participants whose learning journeys were emblematic of many in the cohort. Their trajectories draw attention to the significant role that pre‐course experience with children can play in the development of students' self‐efficacy and in providing a rich source of experiential learning that can be built upon. Suggestions are made for how qualifying courses might provide alternative experiential learning opportunities, including role play, child observation and opportunities for reflection on pre‐course experience with adults to help students establish the transferability of their learning.     

Inuit Elderly: A Systematic Review of Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

Over the last century, Inuit have experienced rapid social changes that have greatly impacted their way of life, health, and intergenerational traditions. Although there is a growing body of research concerning Inuit youth, relatively little is known about elderly Inuit. In an effort to bridge this knowledge gap, a systematic review of peer-reviewed journal articles was conducted. This review identified a dearth of research on older Inuit, and highlighted limitations in service provision to this primarily rural and isolated population. Implications for policy and practice and recommendations for future research are also discussed.     

Supporting care‐experienced adults' educational journeys: “Linked lives” over the life course

Research highlights the role of key actors and relationships in supporting the educational attainment and progress of children in care and care leavers. We know less about how relationships influence the educational journeys of people with care experience over time and how to support the educational progress and engagement of adults with care experience. The principle of “linked lives” is central to the life course perspective referring to the interdependence of human lives throughout the life course. This paper explores how the principle of linked lives can illuminate our understanding of how relationships positively influence the educational journeys of adults with care experience over time. Educational life history interviews were conducted with 18 care‐experienced adults (aged 24–36) in Ireland. Findings suggest that the principle of linked lives is a valuable conceptual tool for providing new insights on this issue. Four key themes were identified: (a) opportunities for educational support are present across the life course; (b) “family” is a central source of educational support; (c) there is intergenerational capacity for educational support; and (d) relationships beyond the “family” are supportive of education. Implications for practice, policy, and research are explored.