Asian Older People: Housing, Health and Access to Services

1997 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
WAQAR I. U. AHMAD ◽  
REG WALKER

We report the findings of a survey of 104 Asian older people in Bradford. For a high proportion, their condition was characterised by poverty, limited entitlements, inadequate housing, low levels of knowledge of health and social services, and problems of access to welfare benefits, health and social care. The situation of women was of particular concern. The study also highlights the problems of divided families, caused by restrictive immigration rules, resulting in many elderly people having no family support in this country.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Merkel ◽  
Moritz Hess

BACKGROUND Digital health care is becoming increasingly important, but it has the risk of further increasing the digital divide, as not all individuals have the opportunity, skills, and knowledge to fully benefit from potential advantages. In particular, elderly people have less experience with the internet, and hence, they are in danger of being excluded. Knowledge on the influences of the adoption of internet-based health and care services by elderly people will help to develop and promote strategies for decreasing the digital divide. OBJECTIVE This study examined if and how elderly people are using digital services to access health and social care. Moreover, it examined what personal characteristics are associated with using these services and if there are country differences. METHODS Data for this study were obtained from the Special Eurobarometer 460 (SB 460), which collected data on Europeans’ handling of and attitudes toward digital technologies, robots, and artificial intelligence, including data on the use of internet-based health and social care services, among 27,901 EU citizens aged 15 years or older. Multilevel logistic regression models were adopted to analyze the association of using the internet for health and social care services with several individual and country-level variables. RESULTS At the individual level, young age, high education, high social class, and living in an urban area were positively associated with a high probability of using internet-based health and social services. At the country level, the proportion of elderly people who participated in any training activity within the last month was positively associated with the proportion of elderly people using these services. CONCLUSIONS The probability of using internet-based health and social services and their accompanying advantages strongly depend on the socioeconomic background. Training and educational programs might be helpful to mitigate these differences.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sundari Joseph ◽  
Susan Klein ◽  
Samantha McCluskey ◽  
Penny Woolnough ◽  
Lesley Diack

Purpose Collaborative inter-agency working is of paramount importance for the public protection agenda worldwide. The purpose of this paper is to disseminate the findings from a research study on the inter-agency working within adult support and protection (ASP) roles in the police, health and social care. Design/methodology/approach This realistic evaluation study with two inter-related phases was funded by the Scottish Institute for Policing Research. This paper reports on Phase 1 which identified existing gaps in the implementation of effective inter-agency practice by reviewing the “state of play” in inter-agency collaboration between the police and health and social care professionals. In total, 13 focus groups comprising representatives from Police Scotland (n=52), Social Care (n=31) and Health (n=18), engaged in single profession and mixed profession groups addressing issues including referral and information exchange. Findings On analysing context-mechanism-outcome (CMO), gaps in joint working were identified and attributed to the professionals’ own understanding of inter-agency working and the expectations of partner agencies. It recommended the need for further research and inter-agency training on public protection. Research limitations/implications This unique Scottish study successfully identified the inter-agency practices of health, social services and police. By means of a modified realistic evaluation approach, it provides an in-depth understanding of the challenges that professionals face on a day-to-day basis when safeguarding adults and informed strategic recommendations to overcome the barriers to good practices in organisational working. The methods used to determine CMO could benefit other researchers to develop studies exploring the complexities of multi-causal effects of cross-boundary working. The use of the same case study in each focus group helped to neutralise bias. However, the voluntary nature of participation could have resulted in biased perceptions. The limited numbers of health professionals may have resulted in less representation of health sector views. Practical implications This paper reports on a Scottish study that focused on the coordinated and integrated practices amongst the police, health and social services’ professionals who support and protect adult members of society at risk of harm and has implications for their practice. Social implications Whilst the focus of this study has been on ASP, the conclusions and recommendations are transferable to public protection issues in many other contexts. Originality/value Studies on the joint-working practices amongst police and health and social services’ professionals who support and protect adult members of society at risk of harm are uncommon. This study investigated professionals’ perceptions of gaps and concerns pertaining to integrated working by means of a realistic evaluation approach. It recommended the need for further research and inter-agency training on public protection.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 62
Author(s):  
Mari Helena Salminen-Tuomaala ◽  
Kirsi Paavola ◽  
Paula Paussu

Objective: The study is a descriptive survey based on quantitative and qualitative data. Its purpose is to describe leaders’ self-assessed competence and learning needs in small and medium-sized health and social care enterprises as part of a larger research and development project in Finland. The information produced will be used in planning a simulation-based coaching intervention. The project partners are a health technology enterprise and two educational institutions.Methods: Data were collected in late 2017 from 23 leaders of 20 enterprises using an internet-based questionnaire. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows and the qualitative data using inductive content analysis.Results: The leaders felt confident about their ability to organize day-to-day activities, but reported learning needs related to interaction and entrepreneurship. Training was required in supporting staff in challenging situations, in understanding group dynamics and in developing dialogic interaction and emotional intelligence. The leaders were interested in learning how to market their services and improve the competitiveness of their enterprise with help of digitalization and networking, and how to prepare for the reform of health and social services. Most leaders were involved in practical care work and reported a need to update their clinical skills.Conclusions: Increasing self-management contents and fostering an entrepreneurial attitude in nursing and social work curricula may provide one answer to the learning needs reported in this study. Simulation-based education can provide an effective learning environment for both students and professionals in health and social services.


2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 154-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gill Walker ◽  
Laura Gillies

Purpose – Reshaping Care for Older People (RCOP) and Integration of Health and Social Care are central to providing a care system in Scotland that meets older people's current and future needs. Their implementation requires a workforce with the appropriate knowledge, skills and values to engage with older people across health and social care sectors, which requires a change in professionals’ thinking about services. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – NHS Education for Scotland, the Scottish Social Services Council and a learning and development consultancy designed and delivered innovative education resources to support health and social care staff across Scotland to understand the new agenda and recognise its meaning for practice. Findings – Two related resources were developed: workshop using actors to depict scenarios from older people's lives to support participants to reflect on the new policy direction and outcomes-focused approaches; and an online resource using the same characters that can be delivered locally for groups and individuals. Participants were enabled to identify what they need to do differently and how they can support one another to make necessary changes. A formal evaluation has been commissioned. Originality/value – The resource characters represent the people the new policy is designed to affect. By following their lives through an educational drama approach, health and social care staff can understand the difference RCOP and the integration agenda can make and recognise their part in effecting change.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 264-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siu Mee Cheng ◽  
Cristina Catallo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a case definition of integrated health and social services initiatives that serve older adults, and will provide characteristics to aid in the identification of such initiatives. The case definition is intended to ease the identification of integrated health and social care initiatives. Design/methodology/approach A limited search was undertaken of both scientific and gray literature that documented and/or examined integrated health and social services initiatives. In addition, literature on well-documented and generally accepted integrated healthcare and social services models that reflect collaborations from healthcare and social services organizations that support older adults was also used to develop the case definition. Findings The case definition is as follows: healthcare organizations from across the continuum of care working together with social services organizations, so that services are complementary and coordinated in a seamless and unified system, with care continuity for the patient/client in order to achieve desired health outcomes within a holistic perspective; the initiatives comprise at least one healthcare organization and one social care organization; and these initiatives possess 18 characteristics, grouped under 9 themes: patient care approach; program goals; measurement; service and care quality; accountability and responsibility; information sharing; culture; leadership; and staff and professional interaction. Research limitations/implications A limitation of this study is that the characteristics are based on a limited literature search. The quality of some of the literature both gray and published was not definitive: information on how they undertook the literature search was not provided; exclusion and inclusion criteria were not included; and there was insufficient detail on the design of the studies included. Furthermore, the literature reviews are based on integrated initiatives that target both seniors and non-senior’s based services. The cross-section of initiatives studied is also different in scale and type, and these differences were not explored. Practical implications The case definition is a useful tool in aiding to further the understanding of integrated health and social care initiatives. The number of definitions that exist for integrated health and social care initiatives can make it confusing to clearly understand this field and topic. The characteristics identified can assist in providing greater clarity and understanding on health and social care integration. Originality/value This study provides greater coherence in the literature on health and social care integration. It aids in better framing the phenomenon of healthcare and social services integration, thereby enhancing understanding. Finally, the study provides a very useful and concrete list of identifying characteristics, to aid in identifying integrated health and social care initiatives that serve older adults.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 205510291985250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rikke Schultz ◽  
Marius Brostrøm Kousgaard ◽  
Peter la Cour ◽  
Annette Sofie Davidsen

This study explores how patients with chronic widespread pain experience their contacts with health and social services in Denmark, including general practice, hospitals, and municipality job centers. We analyzed interviews with 10 patients using interpretative phenomenological analysis and found the following four superordinate themes: meeting different attitudes, fragmentation of treatment, the importance of time, and feeling trapped. Findings show that when patients do not feel understood by professionals, they can resort to withdrawal strategies. On an organizational level, patients said that they needed sufficient time in meetings and better coordination of interventions in and between the health and social care sectors.


2004 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirstein Rummery

This paper will present evidence from the interim results of a large scale longitudinal project designed to track the development of partnership working between the new primary care organisations (Primary Care Groups and Trusts) entrusted with the commissioning and in some cases provision of health care, and local authority social services departments, regarding health and social care services for older people in the UK. Drawing on theoretical work concerning the role of partnership working in the governance of welfare, the author uses a framework originally devised by the Nuffield Centre for Health at the University of Leeds to analyse the interim data, and to draw conclusions about the feasibility of current policy pushes towards partnership working and service integration around health and social care for older people.


JMIR Aging ◽  
10.2196/15491 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. e15491
Author(s):  
Sebastian Merkel ◽  
Moritz Hess

Background Digital health care is becoming increasingly important, but it has the risk of further increasing the digital divide, as not all individuals have the opportunity, skills, and knowledge to fully benefit from potential advantages. In particular, elderly people have less experience with the internet, and hence, they are in danger of being excluded. Knowledge on the influences of the adoption of internet-based health and care services by elderly people will help to develop and promote strategies for decreasing the digital divide. Objective This study examined if and how elderly people are using digital services to access health and social care. Moreover, it examined what personal characteristics are associated with using these services and if there are country differences. Methods Data for this study were obtained from the Special Eurobarometer 460 (SB 460), which collected data on Europeans’ handling of and attitudes toward digital technologies, robots, and artificial intelligence, including data on the use of internet-based health and social care services, among 27,901 EU citizens aged 15 years or older. Multilevel logistic regression models were adopted to analyze the association of using the internet for health and social care services with several individual and country-level variables. Results At the individual level, young age, high education, high social class, and living in an urban area were positively associated with a high probability of using internet-based health and social services. At the country level, the proportion of elderly people who participated in any training activity within the last month was positively associated with the proportion of elderly people using these services. Conclusions The probability of using internet-based health and social services and their accompanying advantages strongly depend on the socioeconomic background. Training and educational programs might be helpful to mitigate these differences.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Musselwhite

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how older people who are almost entirely housebound use a view from their window to make sense of the world and stay connected to the outside space that they cannot physically inhabit. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews with 42 individuals were carried out who were living at home, were relatively immobile and had an interesting view outside they liked from one or more of their windows. Findings The findings suggest that immobile older people enjoy watching a motion-full, changing, world going on outside of their own mobility and interact and create meaning and sense, relating themselves to the outside world. Practical implications Findings suggest that those working in health and social care must realise the importance of older people observing the outdoors and create situations where that is enabled and maintained through improving vantage points and potentially using technology. Originality/value This study builds and updates work by Rowles (1981) showing that preference for views from the window involves the immediate surveillance zone but also further afield. The view can be rural or urban but should include a human element from which older people can interact through storytelling. The view often contains different flows, between mundane and mystery and intrigue, and between expected and random.


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