scholarly journals Ageist Policies That Favor Older People: What Do Older People Think?

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 134-134
Author(s):  
Hakan Jonson ◽  
Tove Harnett
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Older People ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Moral Economy ◽  
Home Care Services ◽  
Chronological Age ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Supportive Services ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Age Related

Abstract Policies on supportive services have frequently used chronological age to determine rights and needs of people within the adult population. Such policies have been described as ageist, but could also be regarded as favoring older people in cases where chronological age is used as a proxy for needs. In Sweden, municipalities have recently been allowed to grant people above a certain age some home care services without individual needs testing, and several political parties have suggested that a nursing home guarantee at the age of 85 should be introduced. The aim of the study that this presentation reports on was to investigate views among older people on age as an organizing principle for distributing eldercare services. Data was collected through an online surveys to members of pensioners’ organisations (N=1540). Respondents were asked about their views on a number of age-related policies that are used or proposed as part of the eldercare system in Sweden. The analysis revealed a general support for the use of chronological age as a proxy for needs. This suggest that respondents used an interest groups perspective and supported stereotypical arrangements that favored older people. When free-text answers were included in the analysis, it became evident that the use of chronological age was not related to the problem of ageism. In the presentation we will discuss the potential gap between anti-ageism and views of older people and what a framework on ageism brings into the moral economy of eldercare.

scholarly journals Utifrån ålder eller behov?

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (3-4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tove Harnett
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Older People ◽  
Moral Economy ◽  
Chronological Age ◽  
Supportive Services ◽  
Personal Assistance ◽  
Political Reality ◽  
Contextual Understanding ◽  
Age Limits ◽  
The Right

According to age or according to needs? Age as an organizing principle for support to older peopleMoral economy studies have investigated public opinion as to who should get what and why, and concluded that older people constitute a group that is perceived to deserve and be in need of support from society. A weakness of the approach is that the category of older people is taken for granted and specific age-limits are left unproblematized. The present study investigates views among municipal needs assessors on the use of chronological age for the approval of supportive services, where persons over a particular age may be entitled to eldercare regardless of needs, and persons above the age of 65 are denied the right to personal assistance. Are these age-limits regarded as justified? The study is based on interviews with a total of 36 needs assessors; seven interviews were conducted with groups/pairs and one individually. Three main positions were identified, where age-limits were commented on as (1) a political reality, (2) unjustified with reference to the heterogeneity in health and needs, and (3) partly reasonable given the correlation between age and needs. One finding was that the use of chronological age was questioned to a greater extent in relation to eldercare and to a lesser extent in relation to the exclusion of persons above the age of 65 from personal assistance. The article shows that needs assessors do not have one, but several conceptions of the relevance of chronological age, and it highlights the importance of adding a contextual understanding to the general images of older people as a deserving group that have been presented in studies on moral economy.

scholarly journals Unmet care needs are common among community-dwelling older people with memory problems in Finland

2019 ◽  
pp. 140349481989080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari S. Aaltonen ◽  
Lina H. Van Aerschot
Keyword(s):  
Home Care ◽  
Older People ◽  
Home Care Services ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Memory Problems ◽  
More Care ◽  
Community Dwelling Older People ◽  
With Memory

Aims: Ageing in place has become a policy priority. Consequently, residential care has been reduced, and more older people with multiple care needs reside at home with the help of informal care and home care services. An increasing share of these people has memory disorders. We examined the extent to which memory problems, in addition to other individual characteristics, are associated with unmet care needs among community-dwelling older people. Methods: The study employed cross-sectional survey data from community-dwelling people aged 75+ collected in 2010 and 2015, analysed using binary logistic regression analysis. The study population consisted of people who had long-term illnesses or disabilities that limited their everyday activities ( N = 1928). Nine per cent reported substantial memory problems. Of these, 35.7% had a proxy respondent. Results: People with memory problems have more care needs than those with other types of disability or illness. They receive more care but still have more unmet needs than others. About a quarter of people with memory problems reported that they did not receive enough help. This result did not change significantly when the proxy responses were excluded. Even a combination of informal and formal home care was insufficient to meet their needs. Conclusions: Insufficient care for people with memory problems implies a serious demand for further development of home care services. The care needs of this population are often complex. Unmet needs represent a serious risk to the well-being of people with memory disorders, and may also create an extensive burden on their informal caregivers.

scholarly journals CMHTs for older people: team managers’ views surveyed

2014 ◽  
Vol 22 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 208-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Abendstern ◽  
Christian Brand ◽  
Val Harrington ◽  
Rowan Jasper ◽  
Sue Tucker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Free Text ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Text Information ◽  
High Level

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify features of community mental health teams (CMHTs) for older people valued by their managers, and those they would most like to change. Design/methodology/approach – Content analysis was used to analyse “free text” responses to open questions from a national survey about CMHTs’ organisational structures and processes. Responses were sorted into statements which were categorised into content areas and higher level dimensions. Findings – Free text information was provided by 376 teams (an 88 per cent response rate). Eight higher level dimensions were identified. One related specifically to integration with social care services, whilst several more included material about other aspects of intra-team integration (e.g. documentation and location). The largest proportion of statements related to staffing and teamwork. Statements about inter-personal and inter-professional issues were largely positive, whilst statements about resources, bureaucracy and integration with social care services typically detailed desired changes. Practical implications – Four key issues emerged comprising a high level of support from managers to develop integrated practices; a need to define the focus of CMHTs for older people and to be fully resourced; and the importance of a nurturing and supportive team environment. Originality/value – The methodology provides a bridge between qualitative and quantitative research, exploring the volume of statements on particular topics and their meaning.

Perception of risk of adverse outcomes of older people: comparison between nursing homes, day centers and home care services

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laetitia Teixeira ◽  
Maria João Azevedo ◽  
Sara Alves ◽  
Cátia L. Pires ◽  
Constança Paúl
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Older People ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Home Care Services ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Screen Instrument

Purpose In Portugal, the three main kinds of care services available for older people are nursing homes, day centers and home care services. The use of these care services is mostly based on complex socioeconomic and functional criteria; however it is not clear if this placement corresponds to a higher/lower risk of adverse outcomes. The purposes of this paper are: to characterize clients of each type of service; to estimate the proportion of individuals at perceived risk of each adverse outcome according to type of service; to assess the ability of the Risk Instrument for Screening in the Community (RISC) to identify the risk profiles according to type of service. Design/methodology/approach The sample comprised individuals aged 65+ (n=224), receiving care at home, in day centers or in nursing homes. The identification of individuals at risk for three adverse outcomes (institutionalization, hospitalization and death) was performed using a short pre-screen instrument (RISC). Findings The RISC identified mental state issues as the unique factor that differentiated clients according the type of care services (χ2 (6, N=224)=20.96, p=0.002), with day center presenting the lowest percentage of mental health concerns and nursing home presenting the highest percentage (44.44 and 71.91 percent, respectively). Additionally, a gradient was found between perceived risk of adverse outcomes (institutionalization and hospitalization) and care of levels required. Originality/value The RISC can be used to discriminate people in different settings of care and can be helpful in the selection of groups at risk that will benefit more from available services.

People diagnosed with dementia in Sweden: What type of home care services and housing are they granted? A cross-sectional study

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elzana Odzakovic ◽  
Lars-Christer Hydén ◽  
Karin Festin ◽  
Agneta Kullberg
Keyword(s):  
Home Care ◽  
Older People ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Home Care Services ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Home Care Service ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Dementia Diagnosis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Services

Aims: This study aims to examine what types of home care services and housing are granted to people with a dementia diagnosis and how these types are associated with socio-demographic factors (sex, age, marital status, native or foreign born, and regional area). Methods: A cross-sectional study of all people diagnosed with dementia in three Swedish counties was conducted from the medical records in 2012. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to investigate associations between home care services and housing and socio-demographic variables. Results: In total, 17,405 people had a dementia diagnosis, and the majority were women, aged 80+ years, and unmarried. Some 72% were living in ordinary housing and 28% lived in special housing. Of those who lived in ordinary housing, 50% did not receive any home care service. Not receiving any type of home care services was less common for older people and was also associated with being married and living in rural municipalities. The most common home care services granted were home help and personal care. Special housing was more common for older people, unmarried persons, and those living in rural municipalities. Conclusions: Most people with a dementia diagnosis were living in ordinary housing, and, surprisingly, half of those did not receive any type of home care service. This knowledge is essential for making the living conditions and needs of people living with dementia more visible and to provide good home care services for people with dementia and their families.

Mental Health and Social Care Providers Facing Requests of Assisted suicide from Elderly in Nursing Homes in Switzerland

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S11-S12
Author(s):  
D.A. Castelli Dransart ◽  
S. Voélin ◽  
S. Elena
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Older People ◽  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Home Care Services ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Competing Interest

IntroductionIn some Swiss states, right-to-die associations are allowed to assist older people in nursing homes provided that certain requirements are fulfilled.ObjectivesTo investigate how health and social care providers and their institutions reacted to and dealt with requests of assisted suicide.MethodAn exploratory qualitative study was carried out in the States of Fribourg and Vaud among 40 professionals working in nursing homes, home care services or social welfare agencies.ResultsThe requests of assisted suicide questioned the professional mission, the quality of accompaniment provided to the older people and both professional and personal values. Health and social care providers were required to ponder over ethical dilemmas or decisions. Several challenges were reported, such as: taking into account and articulating personal freedom or needs with collective functioning or organizational constraints before, during and after the assisted suicide; reconciliating self-determination with protection towards vulnerable people (beneficere, non maleficere).ConclusionsAssisted suicide challenges and changes professional end-of-life practices. Education and support should be provided to health and social care providers faced with it.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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