Home Support Workers and Older Men: The Implications of Masculinity for Later Life Care

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 618-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Barken ◽  
Joanie Sims-Gould

With increased longevity, growing numbers of older men are using home support services. The provision of care by (mostly female) workers to male clients raises questions regarding the negotiation of gender and age relations in the private sphere of the home. In this article, we explore how home care providers confront and respond to masculinity when supporting older men. Our analysis is based on semistructured interviews with twenty-four home care providers in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We present four themes that demonstrate how masculinity is constructed and modified at the intersections of age, gender, and care: women and men are same, care and sexuality, taking control and accepting help, and health and well-being. While old age and the need for care present challenges to some aspects of masculinity, we find that many older men continue to engage in practices consistent with hegemonic versions of masculinity developed over the life course. Based on these findings, we make recommendations to equip workers with the resources needed to safely and effectively care for older men.

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e041191
Author(s):  
Emily YY Chan ◽  
Eugene SK Lo ◽  
Zhe Huang ◽  
Jean H Kim ◽  
Heidi Hung ◽  
...  

ObjectivesGlobally, the COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed many healthcare systems, which has hampered access to routine clinical care during lockdowns. Informal home care, care provided by non-healthcare professionals, increases the community’s healthcare capacity during pandemics. There is, however, limited research about the characteristics of informal home care providers and the challenges they face during such public health emergencies.DesignA random, cross-sectional, population-based, RDD, telephone survey study was conducted to examine patterns of home care, characteristics of informal home care providers and the challenges experienced by these care providers during this pandemic.SettingData were collected from 22 March to 1 April 2020 in Hong Kong, China.ParticipantsA population representative study sample of Chinese-speaking adults (n=765) was interviewed.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe study examined the characteristics of informal home care providers and self-reported health requirements of those who needed care. The study also examined providers’ self-perceived knowledge to provide routine home care as well as COVID-19 risk reduction care. Respondents were asked of their mental health status related to COVID-19.ResultsOf the respondents, 25.1% of 765 provided informal home care during the studied COVID-19 pandemic period. Among the informal home care providers, 18.4% of respondents took leave from school/work during the epidemic to provide care for the sick, fragile elderly and small children. Care providers tended to be younger aged, female and housewives. Approximately half of care providers reported additional mental strain and 37.2% reported of challenges in daily living during epidemic. Although most informal home care providers felt competent to provide routine care, 49.5% felt inadequately prepared to cope with the additional health risks of COVID-19.ConclusionDuring public health emergencies, heavy reliance on informal home healthcare providers necessitates better understanding of their specific needs and increased government services to support informal home care.


Author(s):  
Woosang Hwang ◽  
Xiaoyan Zhang ◽  
Maria T. Brown ◽  
Sara A. Vasilenko ◽  
Merril Silverstein

We used classification analysis to examine change in religiosity among baby boomers from young adulthood to early old age and how religiosity transition patterns are associated with psychological well-being in later life. In addition, we tested the gender difference in the above association. We applied latent class and latent transition analysis to 392 baby boomers who participated in the Longitudinal Study of Generations in Wave-1 (1971) and Wave-9 (2016). We identified three classes describing religiosity at each wave (strongly religious, doctrinally religious, and weakly religious), and considered five types of change or stability in religious class membership from Wave-1 to Wave-9. Multiple regression with gender interactions revealed that men who stayed strongly religious over the period reported better psychological well-being compared to men who declined in their religiosity; no such pattern was found for women. Our findings suggest that maintaining strong religiosity over the life course was beneficial for baby boom men in later life.


The Lancet ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 395 (10242) ◽  
pp. 1957-1959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Ying Yang Chan ◽  
Nina Gobat ◽  
Jean H Kim ◽  
Elizabeth A Newnham ◽  
Zhe Huang ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Karen Davies ◽  
Elizabeth Dalgarno ◽  
Colin Angel ◽  
Susan Davies ◽  
Jane Hughes ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 182-193
Author(s):  
Kyeongra Yang ◽  
Kimberly M. Colorito ◽  
Kathryn H. Bowles ◽  
Gail R. Woomer ◽  
Christopher M. Murtaugh

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S382-S382
Author(s):  
Yu-Chih Chen ◽  
Sojung Park ◽  
Nancy Morrow-Howell

Abstract Wealth, an important financial cushion for older adults to buffer economic stress, requires a longer time to accumulate and develop in one’s course of life. However, little is known about the trajectories of wealth in later life, and how the life course socioeconomic status (SES) may contribute to the development of wealth at old-age. This study investigated longitudinal patterns of wealth trajectory and whether SES across the life course affects these trajectories using critical period, accumulation, and social mobility models. Using data from 16,189 adults aged 51 and older from the 2004-2014 Health and Retirement Study, a growth mixture model was used to explore distinct wealth trajectories. Impacts of life course models were studied using multinomial logistic regression. Results showed that four heterogeneous latent classes of wealth were identified: Stable high (reference group), Low and increasing, Stable low, and High but decline. Disadvantaged adulthood SES, accumulated exposure to socioeconomic risks, and downward or persistent socioeconomic disadvantage over the life course were associated with Stable low, Low and increasing, and High but decline, supporting all three life course mechanisms on wealth development in later life. Evidence suggests that wealth development is heterogeneous across individuals, and a strong gradient effect of life-course SES on wealth trajectories are clearly observed. Programs and policies should address the effects of life course on wealth development to strengthen the economic well-being in later life.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S128-S129
Author(s):  
Melanie S Hill ◽  
James E Hill ◽  
Stephanie Richardson ◽  
Jessica Brown ◽  
Jeremy B Yorgason ◽  
...  

Abstract Identity scholars have suggested that having a unified sense of past, present, and future is related to positive well-being outcomes (Whitbourne, Sneed & Skultety, 2009). One’s occupation can have a profound influence on an individual’s identity throughout the life course (Nazar & van der Heijden, 2012). Research has looked at career mobility among younger age groups (Baiyun, Ramkissoon, Greenwood, & Hoyte, 2018); however, less is known about the impact of career stability later in life. Consistency in career choice over the life course may have positive outcomes down the line as career becomes part of an individual's identity. The current study uses the Life and Family Legacies dataset, a longitudinal state-representative sample of 3,348, to examine individual’s careers at three points in the life course: high school (projected career choice), early adulthood, and later life. Results revealed that a match of desired career in high school and actual career in early adulthood was not predictive of life satisfaction or depressive symptoms in later life. However, a match of career in early adulthood and later life was significantly related to better life satisfaction and less depressive symptoms, which was explained through higher levels of job satisfaction. This study highlights the importance of acquiring and maintaining a career that is fulfilling to the individual over the course of early adulthood to later life.


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