scholarly journals ‘Paying our own way’: Application of the capability approach to explore older people’s experiences of self-funding social care

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Tanner ◽  
Lizzie Ward ◽  
Mo Ray
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Capability Approach ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Political Interpretation ◽  
Political Form ◽  
The Capability Approach

Adult social care policy in England is premised on the concept of personalisation that purports to place individuals in control of the services they receive through market-based mechanisms of support, such as direct payments and personal budgets. However, the demographic context of an ageing population and the economic and political context of austerity have endorsed further rationing of resources. Increasing numbers of people now pay for their own social care because either they do not meet tight eligibility criteria for access to services and/or their financial means place them above the threshold for local authority-funded care. The majority of self-funders are older people. Older people with complex and changing needs are particularly likely to experience difficulties in fulfilling the role of informed, proactive and skilled navigators of the care market. Based on individual interviews with older people funding their own care, this article uses a relational-political interpretation (Deneulin, 2011) of the capability approach (CA) to analyse shortfalls between the policy rhetoric of choice and control and the lived experience of self-funding. Whilst CA, like personalisation, is seen as reflecting neo-liberal values, we argue that, in its relational-political form, it has the potential to expose the fallacious assumptions on which self-funding policies are founded and to offer a more nuanced understanding of older people’s experiences.

scholarly journals Exploring the Contribution of Grassroots Innovations to Justice: Using the Capability Approach to Normatively Address Bottom-Up Sustainable Transitions Practices

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 3617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Belda-Miquel ◽  
Victoria Pellicer-Sifres ◽  
Alejandra Boni
Keyword(s):  
Capability Approach ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Human Flourishing ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Grassroots Innovation ◽  
Grassroots Innovations ◽  
Sustainable Societies ◽  
Purchasing Group ◽  
The Capability Approach

There is growing interest in the potential of grassroots innovations for the transition towards more just and sustainable societies. Nevertheless, there is lack of clear normative discussion regarding these processes. The paper strives to propose and test a framework that enables an analysis of how and in which sense specific grassroots innovation processes may be contributing to the construction of more just societies. To this end, we connect elements of the multi-level perspective on sociotechnical transitions (frequently used in the analysis of grassroots innovations) with elements of the capability approach, which offers a multi-dimensional perspective to justice. The framework is used to address two purposively selected empirical cases in two key sectors in Spain: an energy cooperative and a food purchasing group. We draw on the information of 25 individual interviews with members of these two cases, on observation, and on secondary sources. Information was processed by means of a qualitative content analysis. We draw on predefined categories from the framework, which was refined during the analysis. The paper illustrates that grassroots innovations may be contributing to justice in several aspects: they expand capabilities in different dimensions, improve public reasoning processes, and create better structural conditions for human flourishing. Nevertheless, these processes are not free of tensions and contradictions.

Using Nussbaum’s central capabilities to understand caring for older people in New Zealand

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-547
Author(s):  
Barbara Horrell ◽  
Mary Breheny ◽  
Christine Stephens
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Older People ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Capability Approach ◽  
Online Forum ◽  
Care For Older People ◽  
The Capability Approach

In this article, we use the capability approach and Nussbaum’s list of essential capabilities to understand the experiences of people providing (informal) care for older people. Nussbaum’s ten essential capabilities were used as a template to analyse contributions to an online forum created for the research. The carers’ posts indicated they valued these capabilities, though, in some instances, struggled to achieve them in the context of providing care. The capability approach provided a useful framework to move beyond caring as beneficial or burdensome, to view care as valued and as influencing other capabilities among carers for older people.

scholarly journals L’incidence du milieu d’études sur les possibilités de choix de femmes autochtones : typologie de parcours scolaires

2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 57-68
Author(s):  
Jo-Anni Joncas ◽  
Annie Pilote
Keyword(s):  
Capability Approach ◽  
Indigenous Women ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
The Other ◽  
Indigenous Students ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Women's Experiences ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Capability Approach

This paper aims to assess the impact of the study environment on the opportunities of Indigenous women to complete the school pathway desired. During individual interviews, we collected 19 stories of Indigenous women’s experiences at two Quebec universities, one with several initiatives for indigenous students and the other with few. Through a typological analysis, four types of school pathways are presented according to the impact of the study environment; the pathway with: 1) pre-existing opportunities; 2) opportunities highlighted by the study environment; 3) rebound opportunities; and 4) driven by external impulses. Inspired by the capability approach, the results highlight the importance of focusing not only on the services and measures available to these students, but also on their ability to use them to achieve the desired academic path. This requires considering the factors that enable them to make effective use of educational resources for the purpose they choose.

scholarly journals Story, dialogue and caring about what matters to people: progress towards evidence-enriched policy and practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 597-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Andrews ◽  
John Gabbay ◽  
Andreé Le-May ◽  
Emma Miller ◽  
Alison Petch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Approaches To Learning ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Five Elements ◽  
What Matters

Background: Evidence-based practice in social care and health is widely promoted. Making it a reality remains challenging, partly because practitioners generally see practice-based knowledge as more relevant than empirical research. A further challenge regarding the creative, contextual use of research and other evidence including lived experience and practice-based knowledge is that practitioners, especially in frontline care services, are often seen not as innovators, but recipients of rules and guidelines or followers of pre-determined plans. Likewise, older people are not generally recognised as co-creators of knowledge, learning and development but as passive recipients of care, or objects of research.Aims: This study aimed to address the above issues, through a collaborative and appreciative endeavour involving researchers; social care and health practitioners; managers; older people and carers in 6 sites across Wales and Scotland.Methods: We used participatory action research methodology, applying a dialogic storytelling approach, which enabled participants to explore and address 7 already published research-based ‘Challenges’ regarding what matters most to older people with high-support needs.Findings: Participants discovered and addressed five elements required in developing evidence-enriched practice; the creation of supportive and relationship-centred research and practice environments; the valuing of diverse types of evidence; the use of engaging narratives to capture and share evidence; the use of dialogue-based approaches to learning and development; and the recognition and resolution of systemic barriers to development.Discussion and conclusion: Although existing literature covers each element, this project was novel in collectively exploring and addressing all five elements together, and in its use of multiple forms of story, which engaged hearts and minds, positive outcomes were achieved.

Health and social care for older people: progress, problems and priorities

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Humphries
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Coordinated Care ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Track Record ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Care For Older People ◽  
Care System

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the principal challenges facing the health and care system in England arising from an ageing population, assess the track record of the coalition government in addressing these and offer a perspective on the priorities likely to be faced by the next incoming government in relation to health and social care for older people. Design/methodology/approach – Assessment of key policy documents and legislation and interpretation of published data on trends in health and social care activity and expenditure. Findings – An ageing population requires a fundamental shift towards a new model of care that offers better coordinated care and promotes independence and healthy ageing. The Care Act 2014 is a significant achievement and NHS spending has been protected, but resulting cuts to local government budgets have since sharp reductions in social care for older people. The next incoming government will need to address a deepening financial crisis in health and care system; the increasingly unsustainability of means tested and rationed social care alongside universal free health care; and the need to make faster progress in developing a new models of integrated care closer to home. Originality/value – The issues raised in this paper affect older people as voters, tax payers and as existing or potential users of health and social care services. As a group they will attract significant attention from political parties in the next election campaign.

scholarly journals Supporting Older Co-Resident Carers of Older People – The Impact of Care Act Implementation in Four Local Authorities in England

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Gareth O’Rourke ◽  
Liz Lloyd ◽  
Agnes Bezzina ◽  
Ailsa Cameron ◽  
Tricia Jessiman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Carer Support ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Preventative Services

The Care Act 2014 provides for ‘parity of esteem’ between people with social care needs and carers. This is achieved by extending the principles of prevention and wellbeing to carers; reinforcing carers’ right to an assessment; and setting national eligibility criteria for access to carer support services. This article reports on research that examined the impact of these changes on older co-resident carers of older people in four English local authorities. Findings are described in relation to four key themes: organisational arrangements and rationale; the aims of carer support and preventative services; design and delivery of carer assessment; and barriers to assessment and support. The findings of the research suggest that, despite the new statutory requirements, underlying contradictions and tensions in local authorities’ relationship with carers, and efforts to support them, remain unresolved.

scholarly journals The Capability Approach in Research on Ageing Well at Home for Frail Older People

2022 ◽  
pp. 95-107
Author(s):  
Synneve Dahlin-Ivanoff ◽  
Qarin Lood ◽  
Katarina Wilhelmson ◽  
Kajsa Eklund ◽  
Emmelie Barenfeld ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Older People ◽  
Research Group ◽  
Frail Elderly ◽  
Capability Approach ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Frail Older People ◽  
Support Research ◽  
Broad Understanding ◽  
The Capability Approach

AbstractThis chapter describes the work of the Frail Elderly Support Research Group (FRESH) in relation to the capability approach as a theoretical framework. The FRESH research group works with people who are at risk of developing frailty, as well as those who are already frail or very frail. In this chapter, FRESH aims to utilise the capability approach as a theoretical framework for research with and for frail older people, and to focus on the older people’s opportunities to realise their goals in relation to contextual factors that may influence them. A broad understanding of the concept of frailty in general is also presented. The capability approach makes a fundamental contribution to the understanding of the process of becoming frail, and how it may influence people as they age, because it focuses on people’s real opportunities, what it is possible to achieve and what people have reason to value, in relation to the resources that they have at hand. This chapter will hopefully encourage future researchers to consider evaluating the capability approach and implementing it in their own research.

scholarly journals The Capability Approach in Social Work with Older People

2022 ◽  
pp. 149-162
Author(s):  
Inger Kjellberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Justice ◽  
Social Work ◽  
Older People ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Capability Approach ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Developmental Studies ◽  
The Capability Approach

AbstractThis chapter reports the findings from a scoping review of the use of the capability approach in social work with older people. Four peer-reviewed articles using the capability approach and addressing social work practice with older people are discussed. The purpose was to examine how the use of the capability approach is linked to policies, practices and social justice approaches in social work research. Two main applications of the capability approach were found: to explore the subjective sense of well-being, and to address social inequalities at a structural level. The capability approach was framed as congruent with the aims of social work, and as a call for action for social workers to promote social justice, human dignity and well-being. Only a few studies were found in this scoping review; however, more seemed to have been done within the fields of healthcare and developmental studies. Despite these limitations, the conclusion is that the capability approach has attracted some attention in social work with older people, and the number of studies elaborating on the capability approach in social work in general is growing.

Living well in later life in Scotland

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Hendry
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Living Well ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Scottish Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the development, implementation and early impact of a national action plan for active and healthy ageing in Scotland. Design/methodology/approach The Joint Improvement Team, NHS Health Scotland, the Scottish Government and the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (ALLIANCE) co-produced the action plan with older people from the Scottish Older People’s Assembly. Together they supported partnerships to embed the action plan as an important element of the reshaping care for older people transformation programme in Scotland. Findings A cross-sector improvement network supported health, housing and care partnerships to use a £300 million Change Fund to implement evidence based preventative approaches to enable older people to live well. Older people in Scotland spent over two million days at home than would have been expected based on previous balance of care and impact of ageing. Practical implications Improving the health and wellbeing of older people is not just the responsibility of health and social care services. Enabling older people to live independent, active and fulfilling lives requires coordinated effort that spans national and local government policy areas, mobilises all sectors of society, and involves all health and care disciplines. Success starts with listening to what matters to older people, and working together, and with older people and local communities, to make that a reality. Originality/value This case study from Scotland offers transferable learning for other systems who have an ageing population and an ambitions to enable them to live well in later life.

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