Chapter 6 Life-Span Design in the Near Environment

Abstract

Elderly are influenced daily by their buildings and their very independence can be shaped by the design of residential structures and interiors. This article addresses the incorporation of assistive technology into the design of near environments for this population. First, a brief overview of assisted living in the United States, identifying the definitional and regulatory problems confronting assisted living is provided. Next, we identify the importance of the near environment in life-span design. We then examine the Nordic model of design for assisted living and efforts in the United States relating to the design component of assisted living facilities. We conclude by reviewing the importance of the near environment and its role in housing policy, regu-lation, productdesign, andfacilitydesign.     

Vertical Axes on the Long-Term Care Continuum

Abstract

As the continuum of long-term care has expanded, public funding has not accompanied new care options. I detail access, provider profits and resources, and care quality in two types of residential care that fall in the center of the continuum, assisted living and board and care. These two options provide examples of how limited public funding leads to vertical axes, which represent access to services, the resources providers draw on to give care, and the quality of long-term care services, at each service point on the long-term care continuum.     

Intentions and strategies among elderly people: Coping in everyday life

Many studies of the elderly adopt a provider perspective, focusing on social policy, organizations, and professional groups. Less is known about how the elderly manage when they eventually need help in everyday living. This study examined the everyday behavior and strategies of the elderly through conducting semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 22 people over age 65. The intentions and strategies found revealed that the elderly managed or coped in active, adaptive, and passive ways, ranged along a continuum from actively maintaining their independence to passively depending on others.     

初探养老福利机构社工岗位的配置

目前我国社会工作尚处于探索和发展阶段。本文通过对在养老福利机构加强社会工作人才队伍建设的必要性和可行性的论述,提出了在养老福利机构中社工岗位设置的原则以及岗位配置的设想。     

社区照顾：西方国家老年福利服务的选择

社会福利服务作为一项社会政策、制度和满足人们需求、提高生活质量的手段,主要用以解决人们的各种日常社会生活问题,特别有助于弱势群体的社会生活问题的解决及其特殊需要的满足。20世纪70年代后的西方各国,在人口老龄化以及普遍的经济衰退背景下,公共财政的支出控制成为了政府的主要议题。原来由国家承担的老年福利服务也不能满足社会日益增长的福利需求,作为其中的一个解决手段,社区照顾成为了西方各国老年福利服务的必然选择。     

市场转型下的老年供养研究

现代化理论预测未来家庭纽带会减弱,对老人的家庭供养会逐渐减弱。我们认为市场转型过程中,子女的人力资本和收入的快速提高有助于供养老人。利用2005年全国1%人口抽样调查数据,本文对60岁以上老年人口的主要生活来源进行了深入分析。研究表明,城市老年居民主要靠离退休金,镇和农村老年人仍有一半靠家庭供养,农村另有40%的老人依靠自我劳动生活。Logistic回归的结果显示农村家庭中子女的劳务迁移提高了老年人的家庭供养比。此外,农村、女性、高龄、低教育老人的家庭供养比高,而城市,男性,低龄,和教育程度较高的供养比低。分城乡老人家庭供养比,农村在不发达的西部最高,城市在发达的东部最高,反映家庭供养U型发展趋势。面对老人比例激增的局面,政府应积极扩大社会养老保障的覆盖面,加强扶持老年弱势群体,减轻家庭养老负担。     

老年残疾人身份认同问题研究

身份认同是老年残疾人精神心理问题的一个重要方面。结合北京市老年残疾人入户访谈调查相关资料,对老年残疾人身份认同的基本内涵、特征、应对策略等方面进行了分析,并从人口学和社会学的角度对其特征进行了探讨。认为,老年残疾人的身份认同主要集中在个体认同、自我身份认同、群体认同与社会身份认同等四个方面;老年残疾人的身份认同对其日常生活以及生活质量均具有重要影响;弱化老年残疾人的弱势认同,增强老年残疾人的集群认同感,优化老年残疾人的社会人身份认同感,是改善老年残疾人精神心理状态、提升其生活质量的重要途径。     

我国移居老年人的居住意识研究

利用大连市432份针对60岁以上本地老年人和移居老年人的调查问卷,运用交叉分析和卡方检验方法,对我国移居老年人的居住意识进行假设检验。将居住意识详解为定居意向。移居意向和不确定意向。研究表明：①本地老年人的定居意向非常强。移居老年人容易产生返乡意向。②在移居老年人中,主观适应感强的老年人具有较强的定居意识。主观适应感较弱或不太适应社会的老年人容易产生不确定的居住意向和返乡意向。③移居老年人中．不孤独的老年人具有较强的定居意向。感觉孤独的老年人容易具有不确定的居住意向和返乡意向。④移居老年人中。地区归属感越强。则定居意向越强。无归属感的老年人更容易具有返乡意向和不确定意向。对移居老年人居住意识的探讨有利于把握人口流动过程中老年人群体的生活状况。为提升老年人生活质量的各种制度和政策制定提供实践依据。     

性产业中老年客人群体艾滋病风险及性网络状况——基于广西某边境县的实证分析

近年来,我国艾滋病疫情发展显示,50岁以上年龄男性报告病例数增加明显,且以性途径传播为主。研究采取定性和定量结合方法,深入广西某边境县当地低交易价格性服务场所进行观察和访谈,并针对40名小姐,108名客人发放问卷、进行梅毒、艾滋病病毒抗体检测。对当地性网络的研究发现,当地低交易价格性产业已经形成较为稳定的性网络。小姐在其间有着较高的邻连度,而部分活跃的客人表现出更大的桥梁作用。同时,网络成员之间保持了相当长期的交往,网络成员之间的"熟悉"成为采取安全性行为的消解因素。诸多因素构成了通过该网络将老年人群暴露于艾滋病风险的可能性。     

Within groups analysis of covariance: multiple comparisons at specified design points using a robust measure location when there is curvature

Consider the situation where measurements are taken at two different times and let M_j(x) be some conditional robust measure of location associated with the random variable Y at time j, given that some covariate X=x. The goal is to test H₀: M₁(x)=M₂(x) for each x∈ x₁,?…?, x_K such that the probability of one or more Type I errors is less than α, where x₁,?…?, x_K are K specified values of the covariate. The paper reports simulation results comparing two methods aimed at accomplishing this goal without specifying some parametric form for the regression line. The first method is based on a simple modification of the method in Wilcox [Introduction to robust estimation and hypothesis testing. 3rd ed. San Diego, CA: Academic Press; 2012, Section 11.11.1]. The main result here is that the second method, which has never been studied, can have higher power, sometimes substantially so. Data from the Well Elderly 2 study, which motivated this paper, are used to illustrate that the alternative approach can make a practical difference. Here, the estimate of M_j(x) is based in part on either a 20% trimmed mean or the Harrell–Davis quantile estimator, but in principle the more successful method can be used with any robust location estimator.