scholarly journals Self-Perceptions and Behavior of Older People Living Alone

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (23) ◽  
pp. 8739
Author(s):  
Jesús Molina-Mula ◽  
Julia Gallo-Estrada ◽  
Antonio González-Trujillo
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Health Resources ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Family Assistance ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Physical Autonomy ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
At Home

It is currently acknowledged that older people prefer to live in their own home, even if they are lonely or disabled in some way. The factors that condition aging among older people members of the population living alone include the following: the existence or absence of a social network, gender, the home or place where they live, their capacity to function, and welfare and health resources. The main goal of this study was to explore the perceptions of older peoples over 75 years old about adaptation strategies and the social, gender, physical autonomy, and socio-health resource factors that determine their permanence at home. The authors used a qualitative methodology, within a critical social framework, based on the theories of Pierre Bourdieu. When the interviewees’ discourse was analyzed, four main categories were evident: (a) “A desire to stay at home”, (b) “Changes and every-day aspects of domestic life”, (c) “Reliance on social and family assistance”, and (d) “The use of social services and resources”. In synthesis, the participants questioned the benefits of the type of home life offered by members of the family. They believed that, in some cases, this option did not overcome the problem of loneliness or the need to hire assistance. The findings of the study revealed that one needs to dispel the notion of geriatric care as a form of charity, and to distinguish between the activities of caring, providing support, and offering companionship to someone. It is important to identify products designed for older people who might live for a long time.

scholarly journals Older and ‘staying at home’ during lockdown: informal care receipt during the COVID-19 pandemic amongst people aged 70 and over in the UK

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Evamdrou ◽  
Jane Falkingham ◽  
Min Qin ◽  
Athina Vlachantoni
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Community Action ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Household Members ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Staying At Home ◽  
At Home

On 23 March 2020 the UK went into lockdown in an unprecedented step to attempt to limitthe spread of coronavirus. Government advice at that time was that all older people aged 70and over should stay at home and avoid any contact with non-household members. This studyuses new data from the Understanding Society COVID 19 survey collected in April 2020,linked to Understanding Society Wave 9 data collected in 2018/19, in order to examine theextent of support received by individuals aged 70 and over in the first four weeks oflockdown from family, neighbours or friends not living in the same household, and how thatsupport had changed prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The researchdistinguishes between different types of households as, given with guidance not to leavehome and not to let others into the household, those older people living alone or living onlywith a partner also aged 70 and above are more likely to be particularly vulnerable. Theresults highlight both positive news alongside causes for concern. The receipt of assistancewith Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), especially shopping, has increasedparticularly among those living alone or with an older partner, reflecting the rise ofvolunteering and community action during this period. However, not all older people reporteda rise, and the majority reported ‘no change’, in the support received. Moreover, amongstthose older people reporting that they required support with at least one Activity of DailyLiving (ADL) task prior to the pandemic, around one-quarter reported receiving no care fromoutside the household and one-in-ten of those with two or more ADL care needs reportedreceiving less help than previously. Although formal home care visits have continued duringthe pandemic to those who have been assessed by the local government to be in need, it isimportant to acknowledge that some older people risk not having the support they need.

Changes in older people's living arrangements in Flanders, 1993–98

2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 451-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
VEERLE AUDENAERT
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Residential Care ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Family Care ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Very Old ◽  
Registration Data ◽  
Single Person ◽  
Very Old Age

The living arrangements of older people are changing. An analysis of official registration data (1993–1998) in Flanders, Belgium, shows that while the number of single person households has been increasing, the proportion of people aged 75 or more years living alone has been falling and the proportion living with a spouse or partner increasing. No less than one third of the older people who lived alone in 1993 sustain a one-person household into very old age. It was also found that those who are widowed at a very advanced age change house or move very quickly, women to a greater extent and at younger ages than men. The principal destinations are residential care homes and, to a lesser extent, child's households. Living alone appears to be a decreasingly acceptable option. Since very old people with a disability appear to have an increasing preference for residential care and a lessening preference for co-residence with relatives, these developments have consequences for both informal family care and public social services. Particular attention needs to be paid to men who live alone as a risk-group, and residential care provision requires expansion.

Older people living alone at home with terminal cancer

2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 356-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Aoun ◽  
K. Deas ◽  
K. Skett
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Terminal Cancer ◽  
At Home

scholarly journals Long-term care needs assessments: French and Russian experience

POPULATION ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 59-70
Author(s):  
Irina I. Korchagina ◽  
Lidia M. Prokofieva
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Elderly Person ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Care At Home ◽  
At Home

Social support of older people is given a very great attention. In many countries, older people receive long-term care at home. The long-term care (LTC) is actively developed worldwide over the past 20 years. LTC improves the life quality of older people and people with disabilities. Such system includes medical and social services. Currently, in many OECD countries, from a half to three quarters of older people receive long-term care at home. France is one of those countries in which the social support of older people is given a very great attention. In Russia, long-term care is a task of family. Our country is taking first steps in creation of a long-term care system. It is important to take into account the experience of countries that already have specialized social services for older people with loss of autonomy. A new and important element of the LTC system will be a special scale for determining the level of need for long-term care. Such scale helps to differentiate the needs of each elderly person or person with a disability. This paper analyses the methods of determining the level of need for long-term care, used in France and in Russia and describes the advantages and disadvantages of these methods.

Ageing at home, co-residence or institutionalisation? Preferred care and residential arrangements of older adults in Spain

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 586-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
CELIA FERNÁNDEZ-CARRO
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Living Situation ◽  
Ageing In Place ◽  
Residential Preferences ◽  
Explanatory Factors ◽  
The Ideal ◽  
At Home

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the opinions of Spanish older people regarding the ideal living situation in later life – living in their own home, co-residing in a relative's home or institutionalisation – differentiating between two hypothetical situations: healthy ageing and frailty. Data are drawn from the Instituto de Mayores y Servicios Sociales (Institute of Older People and Social Services; IMSERSO) survey Encuesta de Mayores 2010 (Older People Survey 2010), comprising 2,535 individuals aged 65 and over living in private dwellings. The results confirm that residential preferences vary depending on expected health conditions. Remaining in one's own home is preferred when older people foresee a healthy old age, whilst co-residence at a relative's home turns into the favoured solution if older people have to face some physical or cognitive limitation. The particularities of the Spanish context regarding family-oriented values about care responsibilities and the structural deficiency in the provision of formal support, in addition to other socio-demographic, psychological and attitudinal aspects, were explanatory factors of the lower desirability for ageing at home in the case of frailty. The findings question the uniform image of ‘ageing in place’ as a preference, inviting reflections on the need to distinguish between later-life stages and national contexts.

scholarly journals Effect of the Information Support Robot on the Daily Activity of Older People Living Alone in Actual Living Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2498
Author(s):  
Jumpei Mizuno ◽  
Daisuke Saito ◽  
Ken Sadohara ◽  
Misato Nihei ◽  
Shinichi Ohnaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Function ◽  
Older People ◽  
Daily Activity ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Information Support ◽  
Sleep Patterns ◽  
High Cognitive Function ◽  
Environment Study ◽  
The Impact

Information support robots (ISRs) have the potential to assist older people living alone to have an independent life. However, the effects of ISRs on the daily activity, especially the sleep patterns, of older people have not been clarified; moreover, it is unclear whether the effects of ISRs depend on the levels of cognitive function. To investigate these effects, we introduced an ISR into the actual living environment and then quantified induced changes according to the levels of cognitive function. Older people who maintained their cognitive function demonstrated the following behavioral changes after using the ISR: faster wake-up times, reduced sleep duration, and increased amount of activity in the daytime (p < 0.05, r = 0.77; p < 0.05, r = 0.89, and p < 0.1, r = 0.70, respectively). The results suggest that the ISR is beneficial in supporting the independence of older people living alone since living alone is associated with disturbed sleep patterns and low physical activity. The impact of the ISR on daily activity was more remarkable in the subjects with high cognitive function than in those with low cognitive function. These findings suggest that cognitive function is useful information in the ISR adaptation process. The present study has more solid external validity than that of a controlled environment study since it was done in a personal residential space.

scholarly journals Older people living at home: experiences of healthy ageing

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astrid Fjell ◽  
Kristin Ådnøy Eriksen ◽  
Monica Hermann ◽  
Anne-Marie Boström ◽  
Seiger Berit Cronfalk
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Healthy Ageing ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Manifest Content ◽  
Professional Perspective ◽  
At Home

Abstract Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate how old persons perceived their life to be, how they viewed the ageing process and their need of health care and societal support. Background: The purpose of WHO’s Healthy Ageing strategy and development of age-friendly environments is to support physiological and psychosocial changes in old persons by facilitating basic needs. Interventions to operationalize these needs in older people living at home are often developed from a professional perspective and to a small extent involves the perceptions, experience and expectations of the older persons. Method: This qualitative study has an explorative design using focus group discussions to collect data. In all, 34 persons between 69 and 93 years of age participated in seven group discussions. The interviews were analyzed using inductive manifest content analysis. Findings: The main results suggest that most old persons enjoyed life and wished it to continue for as long as possible. Important was to sustain networks and to feel useful. Unexpected changes were described as threats and the need to use health care services was associated with illness and being dependent. The result is presented in three categories with sub-categories: ‘Embracing life’, ‘Dealing with challenges’ and ‘Considering the future’.

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