An inquiry into self-identification with retirement

ABSTRACT

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore patterns in self-identification with being retired using deductive thematic analysis informed by the life course perspective. For this study, a set of women who self-identified as retired (n = 60) were asked to describe their current work status, major career interruptions, and factors that marked their retirement. This study provides important insights into the heterogeneity in women’s retirement including a subset of individuals who self-identified as retired, not based on their own work force transitions but on that of their spouse or peers. Findings highlight the importance of recognizing that the construction of retirement identity can be context driven, varied, and subjective.     

“固守”与创新——邬沧萍教授的治学之道

邬沧萍教授半个多世纪从事人口学的研究,为我国人口学、老年学的研究和教育作出了卓越贡献,率先提出了人口与经济社会发展的“分母效应”和“分子效应”理论、“计划生育,丈夫有责”、老年学的研究对象和学科体系、“未富先老”等理论和观点。追踪邬沧萍的学术道路可以发现,他始终走在学科的前沿,以开阔的视野和敏锐的眼光开拓新的研究领域,把人口置于社会经济发展的宏观背景中,辩证、历史地来看待问题。     

Researching to Transgress: The Need for Critical Feminism in Gerontology

SUMMARY

This article defines “empowering research and argues the need for a critical gerontology” informed by feminist and postmodern theories which focus on the connections between language, self, and social action. The author calls for feminist gerontology which evokes critical consciousness on the part of the researcher and participants. Feminist gerontologists are encouraged to engage in self-reflection and self-critique in regards to their own attitudes toward aging and to include personal criticism in their scholarly writings. Examples of feminist research on aging which illustrate these characteristics are provided.     

What exactly has age got to do with it? My life in critical age studies

By sidesteps and accidents, by reading in too many genres and fields at the same time, by being irritable about certain tics of theory, by trying as a freelance independent scholar to overcome my lack of training as a gerontologist or a historian or an anthropologist, I slowly moved beyond literary criticism toward a more satisfying literary-cultural criticism and inter-disciplinarity. The article describes my move from analyzing the midlife alone to a more inclusive age studies, from naive devotee of the progress narrative to a critic of both positive aging and decline ideology, from wielding a high style to a more personal voice appropriate for a broader audience. Becoming more political has been an important aspect of this development. The arc of my age critique has been toward a greater sense of urgency in combating the forces that produce contemporary ageism.     

Social Service Delivery and Social Work Practice for Japanese Elders

No abstract available for this article.     

Giving Courts the Information Necessary to Implement Limited Guardianships: Are We There Yet?

A retrospective analysis of written court records and audiotapes of court testimony for adult guardianship cases in 2 Kentucky counties was conducted. Two hundred forty clinical assessments were reviewed for 80 court petitions. The purpose of this research was to learn how interdisciplinary assessment teams contributed to the guardianship process for older adults. Guardianship assessments and court testimony were reviewed to explore the comprehensiveness of reports to the court, the consideration of less restrictive alternatives, and the use of limited guardianships. Recommendations are given for ways in which social workers can improve information given to the courts and advocate for elders in this situation. The role of social work in this national phenomenon is discussed.     

The Application of Family Systems Theory to Geriatric Hospital Social Work

Integrating and applying Family Systems Theory principles into the assessment and treatment process of families of hospitalized high risk elderly is an area that has received little attention in health care literature. The multigenerational approach is a model that can be used as a clinical framework for guiding the social workers in developing intervention strategies when working with hospitalized high risk elderly and their families. This approach can be extended to clinical assessment techniques and psychosocial rationales for discharge planning. Three case examples are presented to illustrate how Family Systems Theory can be integrated into social work practice resulting in effective interventions for hospitalized high risk elderly and their families.     

Intergenerational Programming for Foster-Adoptive Families

Abstract

Generations of Hope serves foster and adoptive children, their adoptive families and older adults through an innovative program that is breaking new ground in the development of caring intergenerational communities. It was created in 1993 as a non-profit social service agency designed to improve the service delivery and policies of the child welfare system; it ended up helping not only foster and adopted children but senior citizens as well. This paper examines critical social issues facing both foster children and senior citizens in the United States and how this program created a neighborhood that combines several generations of kin-like support to meet the needs of these vulnerable groups. We describe how the Generations of Hope model brings together in tangible ways critical shifts in perspective regarding foster care and gerontology. The lessons we have learned speak to research, policy making and practice.     

A Qualitative Perspective of Family Resources Among Low Income,African American Grandmother–Caregivers

ABSTRACT

This ethnographic study describes a group of 7 low-income, African American, grandmother–caregivers' perceptions of family resources. An ethnographic design, enhanced by a genogram, captured those who were available and unavailable to provide support to the grandmother. The analysis used a constant comparative method to thematically capture grandmothers' perceptions of family support resources as absent, unavailable, dependent, and reliable support, and the circumstances that led to that status. The findings reveal that many African American grandmothers are rearing children with little family support, owing mainly to the devastation of negative social and economic conditions. The results suggest areas for improvement in social work assessment and intervention.     

Use of Space and Human Rights: Planning Dementia Friendly Settings

Environmental psychology has been a topic of great interest for many researchers in the field of aging and dementia. Thus, several orientations can be identified in the contemporary scientific literature concerning environmental design for people with dementia. In this article, we discuss recent research on environmental design models for people with dementia and propose an approach referring to the concept of use of space and human rights.We use a methodology based on observation of special care units to determine an environmental design framework that should be taken into account when designing residential facilities for people with dementia. Content analysis identified 6 primary dimensions and 13 secondary dimensions relevant to the rights of people with dementia. We then discuss the results according to the related literature in environmental psychology and gerontology in terms of well-being and quality of life.