An Ecological View of Aging

A transactional view of aging highlights the need for attachments throughout the life course. It emphasizes the environment, its supports, its nutritive and non-nutritive or noxious qualities as critical to our understanding of the aging process. This article discusses the aging process from an ecological perspective. It includes an exploration of theoretical developments and service delivery needs. It also provides a case example of a homeless 75-year-old woman to illustrate the dehumanizing gaps in our service delivery systems that make the consolidation of sense of ego integrity an unlikely outcome.     

Chapter 17. Rural Mental Health

SUMMARY

Mental health services available in many rural communities are too limited in scope and availability to meet the needs of rural citizens. The future of mental health services for the rural poor will be impacted by state government decisions about Medicaid funding priorities. It is important that rural practitioners, especially those that work in the fields of mental health, health, and aging services, engage in advocacy for better coverage of the rural poor and low-income elderly persons. This chapter discusses issues of advocacy related to improving the provision of mental health services to older rural citizens as an important goal in the larger effort to expand and improve rural mental health service delivery throughout the nation.     

Gay,Lesbian, and Bisexual Elders

Abstract

Although the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual (GLB) senior population is growing, there has been little attention given to identifying and understanding the needs and concerns of this growing population. This paper will present results from a series of focus groups and in-depth interviews with GLB elders from three select areas in the Midwest. Content analysis of the expressed beliefs, attitudes, and opinions from participants revealed that there were seven major areas of importance for GLB elders (physical health, legal rights, housing, spirituality, family, mental health, and social networks). The needs, concerns, range of issues, common issues, opinions, and attitudes expressed across the three focus groups are discussed and recommendations are provided.     

Deconstructing Housework: Cuts to Home Support Services and the Implications for Hospital Discharge Planning

Over the last decade, the home support resources in British Columbia have decreased. Specifically, nonmedical tasks such as housekeeping and meal preparation have been severely restricted and are no longer available for hospital discharge planning with elders who are returning to the community. This paper applies analytical deconstruction to three aspects of a case example of an elderly couple: the technical and bureaucratic aspects of who gets home support and what kind, the socially constructed aspects of gender roles and the performance of unpaid labor, and the personally informed aspects that involve an elder's life experiences, social supports, and personal values. The paper then employs a feminist poststructuralist framework to suggest discharge planning implications for social work, using the case as an example.     

高龄失能老人照顾者精神健康状况研究：基于性别分析视角

关于影响高龄失能老人照顾者精神健康因素的解释。基于“压力-应对”模型,强调照顾者的精神健康受到照顾压力的影响,而在此框架下,照顾者的性别差异议题受到较少关注,本文试图解释高龄失能老人照顾者的性别角色存在何种差异,并如何对其进行有效干预。本文运用问卷调查数据予以检定,结果表明,男性和女性照顾者相比较,女性照顾者的抑郁程度高于男性照顾者,对健康状况的自我评价也低于男性照顾者。在照顾压力和社会支持方面。男性和女性照顾者存在性别差异．而在孝道文化方面则未呈现明显的性别差异。本研究基本上肯定了照顾者的性别差异,对于女性照顾者而言,社会工作者应在临床上促进其正向体验并减轻照顾负担,及早处理她们的问题。     

农村老人养老保障体系重构与运行中的政府责任——以湖南省为例

农村老人养老保障体系面临家庭养老保障功能弱化、社会支持体系逐步瓦解、老人自我供养能力不足等诸多挑战,亟须重构。在农村老人养老保障体系重构过程中,政府勇担责任,既是有效应对老龄化浪潮的现实需要,也是政府执政为民的应有之义。在农村老人养老保障体系重构与运行中,政府不仅应承担农村老人养老保障体系顶层设计、组织管理、财政投入及监管等方面的责任,更应采取多种举措强化家庭养老功能,完善农村老人养老保障的政策支持体系,健全法律法规维护老人合法权益,加大财政投入,补齐养老基础设施等各类短板。     

我国城乡老年人口状况的差异及其原因分析

21世纪是“世界性人口老龄化”的时代 ,中国老年人口是世界老年人口的重要组成部分。在庞大的中国老年人群中 ,由于社会、经济、文化等因素的影响 ,我国城乡老年人口状况存在着较大的差异。分析和把握这些差异 ,并对改善我国农村老年人口状况提出合理化建议将有利于提高我国农村老年人生活质量 ,有利于进一步缩小城乡人民生活水平差距。     

农村"留守儿童"研究综述

农村"留守儿童"问题已成为研究的热点。近几年来,学术界在农村"留守儿童"概念的界定、形成原因、监护类型、社会化、权益保障及支持体系的构建等诸多方面展开了研究,取得了丰硕的成果。但也存在不足之处,今后研究者应当注重基础性研究,加强研究的整体性与系统性,不断拓宽研究渠道,为最终解决农村"留守儿童"问题提供理论基础。     

当前农村养老观变化探究

我国农村传统养老以家庭养老为载体,以孝道思想为支撑。社会主义市场经济体制的建立和发展直接影响到农村养老观的转变。当前农村养老观变化具体表现为部分农村老年人的独立意识明显增强,不愿意再单纯依附年轻人来养老;生男生女都一样,女儿也是赡养人;农村的传统家庭养老模式让位于多元养老模式。     

澳门独居老人的养老来源分析

本文旨在探讨澳门独居老人的养老来源。并分析影响因素。作为有关当局制定安老政策的参考依据。本文数据来源为澳门社工局委托澳门镜湖护理学院于2004年进行的“澳门长者长期照顾服务需求评估”研究的数据库。结果显示家人是独居老人养老资源的主要提供者,特别是女性、没有工作的独居老人对家人的依赖程度较高。但老年人对社区服务的需求则未获满足。因此政府必须协调各长者服务机构。共同完善现有的社区支援服务或按需要而开展新服务。以协助家人共同照顾独居老人,并加强对无依老人的关顾,才能延长老年人在家生活的时间。