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.

Experiences of nursing in older care facilities in New Zealand

2010 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Carryer ◽  
Chiquita O. Hansen ◽  
Judy A. Blakey
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Older People ◽  
Registered Nurses ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Nurse Practitioners ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Nursing Services ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Care For Older People

To examine issues related to the working life of registered nurses in residential care for older people in New Zealand, 48 registered nurses completed surveys (n = 28) or participated in discussions (n = 26) regarding their work roles, continuing education and interactions with specialist nurse services when providing care for older people living with chronic illnesses. This nursing workforce is characterised by ageing, relative isolation, reduced confidence and few opportunities for induction of new graduates. Registered nurses reported their struggle to deliver the appropriate quality of care to residents as acuity increases, general practitioner availability decreases and the opportunities for increasing their knowledge and competence remain limited. The provision of nursing services in residential care for older people is an area of growing concern to many Western countries. Nurse practitioners offer opportunities to improve the quality of residential care. What is known about the topic?The lack of registered nurses generally and the more critical shortage in residential care is well known. What does this paper add?This paper explains the impact on the current and future viability and the quality of registered nurse services in an area of service where acuity continues to rise and the demand for nursing services is increasing. What are the implications for practitioners?Nurses in older care settings often express a sense of isolation and note limited career development despite their passion for serving the frail older person. The establishment of nurse practitioner (gerontology) roles offers the potential for improved quality of clinical care for residents and clinical champions for development of nursing services.

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.

Promoting spiritual care for older people in New Zealand: the Selwyn Centre for Ageing and Spirituality

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 107-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Perkins
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Older People ◽  
Spiritual Care ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Education ◽  
History Of ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Care For Older People

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the development of a centre to promote the spiritual care of older people in New Zealand. Design/methodology/approach – The spiritual scene in New Zealand is described and “spirituality” defined. The history of the Selwyn Centre for Ageing and Spirituality (SCAS) is illustrated by case studies in three areas: research, education and advocacy, noting challenges in providing spiritual care to older people. Findings – The number of New Zealanders claiming a religious affiliation is dropping but spirituality is of interest and relevance to many people. The acknowledgement of Maori spirituality has affected government policy. The SCAS has supported research and provided education throughout the country. Advocacy is difficult where care focuses on the physical and funding for frail older people is limited. Research limitations/implications – While the importance of good spiritual care for older people is clear, this is not easy to achieve. However, an organisation like SCAS has brought the issue to national awareness and made some contribution to increased understanding and improved practice. Practical implications – As the population ages and expressions of spirituality diversify, a deeper understanding of spirituality beyond Christian religion is required. Social implications – While the SCAS focuses on older people, it has formed a nexus of people more widely interested in spirituality at all ages, in different cultures and throughout the country. Originality/value – This is the first description of a New Zealand organisation specifically addressing the spiritual care of older people.

scholarly journals In-home care and ‘supported independence’ for the frail elderly: A social work perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-13
Author(s):  
Doug Matthews
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Older People ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Positive Aging ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Care For Older People

The article focuses on role of social workers in providing in-home care and assistance with the activities of daily living (ADL) for older people in New Zealand. From the physician- and hospital-based medical care for older people, a shift back to home-based medical care was emphasized by the Ministry of Social Development in April 2001. The New Zealand Health of Older People Strategy was implemented with the aim of achieving positive aging, quality of life and independence.

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.

Care by Spouses, Care by Children: Projections of Informal Care for Older People in England to 2031

2007 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Pickard ◽  
Raphael Wittenberg ◽  
Adelina Comas-Herrera ◽  
Derek King ◽  
Juliette Malley
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Adult Children ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Patterns Of Care ◽  
Future Market ◽  
Term Care ◽  
If Current ◽  
Care For Older People

The future market costs of long-term care for older people will be affected by the extent of informal care. This paper reports on projections of receipt of informal care by disabled older people from their spouses and (adult) children to 2031 in England. The paper shows that, over the next 30 years, care by spouses is likely to increase substantially. However, if current patterns of care remain the same, care by children will also need to increase by nearly 60 per cent by 2031. It is not clear that the supply of care by children will rise to meet this demand.

scholarly journals Supported Independent Accommodation for Older New Zealanders: a Review of Current Policy and Innovative Practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Maxwell F Reid
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Older People ◽  
Models Of Care ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Intersectoral Collaboration ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Care For Older People

<p>Existing research establishes a clear link between poor housing and poor health. There is also growing evidence that the physical, mental and social wellbeing of individuals and households can be improved by ensuring their access to suitable accommodation. Despite the growing body of research documenting the benefits of supported independent accommodation (SIA) as a means of maintaining the independence and wellbeing particularly of older people, there is little research evaluating the place of such accommodation within the New Zealand context. This thesis aims to address that gap. It reviews the existing body of literature surrounding this topic - exploring population and accommodation demographics, and analysing government policy in relation to both housing and health. It considers six New Zealand examples of SIA - each selected on the basis of their distinctiveness and innovation - documents these, and compares them using a case study approach. Adopting a general inductive methodology, each case study is then analysed against themes identified in the literature review, identifying any further trends, and the implications of these for ongoing policy and service development. Intersectoral collaboration is identified as having had particular bearing upon the development of SIA within the New Zealand context. This thesis concludes that SIA will play an increasingly important role in the continuum of accommodation and care for older people. It offers an alternative to more institutionalised models of care for older people, maintaining their independence and social integration within their own community. As demographic and economic factors drive up the cost of more traditional models of residential care, SIA offers government an equally important alternative. However, ongoing development in this area is not without it challenges. To this end, a number of policy implications are also identified and discussed.</p>

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