Researching social care for minority ethnic older people: implications of some Scottish research

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Bowes
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Minority Ethnic

Contracts and commissioning: what’s happening to social care services for black and minority ethnic older people

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie Lipman
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Voluntary Service ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Care And Support ◽  
Minority Ethnic

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore current provision of targeted social care services for the growing populations of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) older people in England and Wales. Design/methodology/approach – This was a mixed study. Following a review of the policy and research literature, 12 semi-structured interviews were undertaken in 2013/2014. Most participants were recruited from BAME policy and service provider organisations and organisations focusing on older people. Findings – There is some evidence that BAME voluntary organisations are experiencing disproportionately greater funding cuts than mainstream voluntary service providers: moreover some mainstream providers reported reducing services targeted at BAME older people, while others expressed the view that choices for BAME older people are likely to become more limited following recent health and equalities policy changes. Practical implications – Practitioners should contribute to data collection about protected characteristics, such as race/ethnicity to establish if BAME older people’s needs are being assessed equitably, whether access to care and support is easy; and how market-shaping at local levels can ensure a range of providers. Originality/value – This study provides an overview of voluntary sector provision for the growing numbers of BAME older people in need of care and support that should be useful to practitioners and service commissioners.

scholarly journals Satisfaction with social care services among South Asian and White British older people: the need to understand the system

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 1364-1387 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROSALIND WILLIS ◽  
PRIYA KHAMBHAITA ◽  
PATHIK PATHAK ◽  
MARIA EVANDROU
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Care Process ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Service Users ◽  
Ethnic Matching ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Minority Ethnic Groups ◽  
Minority Ethnic

ABSTRACTNational surveys show that people from minority ethnic groups tend to be less satisfied with social care services compared with the white population, but do not show why. Research indicates that barriers to accessing services include lack of information, perceptions of cultural inappropriateness and normative expectations of care. Less research has examined the experience of minority ethnic service users after they access services. This study conducted in-depth interviews with 82 South Asian and White British service users and family carers, the majority of whom were older people. Thematic analysis was used. The key theme was understanding the social care system. Participants with a good understanding of the system were more able to adapt and achieve control over their care. Participants with a poor understanding were uncertain about how to access further care, or why a service had been refused. More White British than South Asian participants had a good understanding of the system. There was more in common between the South Asian and White British participants' experiences than might have been expected. Language was an important facilitator of care for South Asian participants, but ethnic matching with staff was less important. Recommendations include better communication throughout the care process to ensure service users and carers have a clear understanding of social care services and hence a better experience.

A sense of dignity in later life: a qualitative study on the views of older women migrants from minoritised backgrounds

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roiyah Saltus ◽  
Christalla Pithara
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Minority Ethnic

Purpose – Research evidence indicates the need for studies that explore the salience of dignity from the perspective of older people from a range of ethno-linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Drawing findings from a mixed-methods study on social-care expectations of community-dwelling older women from black and minority-ethnic backgrounds, the purpose of this paper is to explore the interrelationships between life-course events (such as migration) and the roles adopted by the women throughout their lives, which shaped their understanding of dignity. Design/methodology/approach – Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with 32 older women in Wales were conducted in the participants’ first languages. The interview schedule was developed, piloted and peer-reviewed; it covered the themes of migration, perceptions of dignity, dignity in later life, perceptions of care and care with dignity. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. This paper focuses on what dignity meant to older women and how a sense of dignity was fostered in later life. Findings – For the participants, a sense of dignity in later life was shaped by migration to the UK, and their shifting, transnational understanding of growing old in the UK and of the perceived worth and value of the roles they played. Although some women also saw other platforms (such as work and their status as professionals) as being of importance, a sense of purpose fostered in their roles as wives, mothers and grandmothers, and as mentors and guardians of cultural knowledge, underpinned their understanding of dignity, and reinforced their sense of acknowledgement and worth. Fostered from an early age through interactions with the family and close community (religious, cultural or ethnic), respect for older people was revealed to remain a key element of the participants’ personal and cultural value systems, as were the ways in which respect should be both earned and manifested. The sense of heightened vulnerability, because of advancing age, and the impact of cumulative negative encounters and racialised micro-aggressions, were real and pressing. Practical implications – Given the changing demographic of the older population throughout Europe and the world, there is a need to raise awareness among policy makers and practitioners of the importance of dignity from a range of perspectives – providing first-hand accounts that bring these to life, and data that can be used to help develop effective interventions. Originality/value – This paper adds to the understanding of dignity from a transnational, multi-ethnic perspective; the potential impact of multiple social positions (being old, being a woman, being a migrant and being from a minority-ethnic group) on the perception of being treated and regarded as important and valuable; and the need to raise awareness among policy makers and practitioners of the importance of dignity from a range of perspectives, providing first-hand accounts that bring these to life and that can be used to help develop effective social-care interventions.

scholarly journals Transitions between levels of dependency among older people receiving social care – a retrospective longitudinal cohort study in a Swedish municipality

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Magnus Zingmark ◽  
Fredrik Norström
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Cox Proportional Hazards Model ◽  
Longitudinal Cohort Study ◽  
Longitudinal Cohort ◽  
Home Help ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Background Knowledge is scarce on how needs for home help and special housing evolve among older people who begin to receive support from municipal social care. The purpose of this study was to describe baseline distributions and transitions over time between levels of dependency among older persons after being granted social care in a Swedish municipality. Methods Based on a longitudinal cohort study in a Swedish municipality, data was collected retrospectively from municipal records. All persons 65 years or older who received their first decision on social care during 2010 (n = 415) were categorized as being in mild, moderate, severe, or total dependency, and were observed until the end of 2013. Baseline distributions and transitions over time were described descriptively and analysed with survival analysis, with the Kaplan-Meier estimator, over the entire follow-up period. To test potential differences in relation to gender, we used the Cox-Proportional hazards model. Results Baseline distributions between mild, moderate, severe, and total dependency were 53, 16, 24, and 7.7%. During the first year, between 40 and 63% remained at their initial level of dependency. Among those with mild and moderate levels of dependency at baseline, a large proportion declined towards increasing levels of dependency over time; around 40% had increased their dependency level 1 year from baseline and at the end of the follow-up, 75% had increased their dependency level or died. Conclusions Older people in Sweden being allocated home help are at high risk for decline towards higher levels of dependency, especially those at mild or moderate dependency levels at baseline. Taken together, it is important that municipalities make use of existing knowledge so that they implement cost-effective preventative interventions for older people at an early stage before a decline toward increasing levels of dependency.

scholarly journals The importance of a room with a view for older people with limited mobility

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Musselwhite
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Limited Mobility ◽  
Human Element ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Vantage Points ◽  
Practical Implications

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.

scholarly journals Assessing satisfaction with social care services among black and minority ethnic and white British carers of stroke survivors in England

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 1571-1580
Author(s):  
Nan Greenwood ◽  
Jess Holley ◽  
Theresa Ellmers ◽  
Ann Bowling ◽  
Geoffrey Cloud
Keyword(s):  
Social Care ◽  
Stroke Survivors ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Minority Ethnic

Challenging times: building a health, housing and social care local workforce strategy

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 108-122
Author(s):  
Patricia Dearnaley ◽  
Joanne E. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Older People ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Workforce Planning ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Fiscal Impact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to stimulate a wider debate around the coordination of workforce planning in non-statutory services (in this case, specialist housing for older people or those with long-term health and social care needs, such as learning disabilities). The authors argue that current NHS reforms do not go far enough in that they fail to include specialist housing and its workforce in integration, and by doing so, will be unable to optimise the potential efficiencies and streamlining of service delivery to this group. Design/methodology/approach The paper used exploratory study using existing research and data, enhanced by documentary analysis from industry bodies, regulators and policy think tanks. Findings That to achieve the greatest operational and fiscal impact upon the health care services, priority must be given to improving the efficiency and coordination of services to older people and those requiring nursing homes or registered care across the public and third sectors through the integration of service delivery and workforce planning. Research limitations/implications Whilst generalisable and achievable, the model proposed within the paper cannot be fully tested theoretically and requires further testing the in real health and social care market to evidence its practicality, improved quality of care and financial benefits. Originality/value The paper highlights some potential limitations to the current NHS reforms: by integrating non-statutory services, planned efficiency savings may be optimised and service delivery improved.

The factors influencing access to health and social care in the farming communities of County Down, Northern Ireland

2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 373-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
DEIRDRE HEENAN
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Northern Ireland ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Farming Communities ◽  
Access To Health ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
County Down ◽  
Farming Families

Against a background of limited previous research, this paper examines the access to health and social care among older people in the farming communities of County Down, Northern Ireland. In-depth interviews were conducted with 45 people aged 60 or more years living on family farms to collect information about health care needs and service use and adequacy. In addition, interviews with service providers provided information on their perceptions of the farming communities' needs. The findings indicate that there are specific rural dimensions of access to services and that among the respondents there was substantial unmet need. For many farming families, using services is determined by much more than being able to reach them physically. The lack of reliable information, the culture of stoicism and the absence of appropriate services impeded obtaining effective support. Recent health care policies and strategies have stressed the importance of developing local services that are responsive to need in consultation with service users, but there is worryingly little evidence that this has occurred. It is concluded that if effective outcomes are to be achieved, policies must recognise the specific characteristics of rural populations and be sensitive to the needs, attitudes and expectations of farming families. The current lack of understanding about the distinct needs of these communities at present exacerbates the isolation and marginalisation of already vulnerable older people.

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