Diverse Needs
Promoting Health and Safety in an Aging Society
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Alma Jackson
Promoting health and safety for an aging society involves an understanding of normal aging processes including sensory/perceptual, cognitive, and psychomotor changes. Simple adjustments to the environment minimizes risks and increases social engagement and productivity while enhancing cognitive abilities. Based on research done to promote health and safety of an aging workforce, this study discusses these changes and offers numerous suggestions to improve the environment for all older persons. Incorporating these changes is a public health issue that requires proactive changes in policy.
The Role of Volunteers in the Delivery of Social Care Services for Older People
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Eleanor K Johnson
Faced with rising demand for services, cuts to health and social care funding, and recruitment difficulties, social care services are becoming more dependent on the use of volunteers in the provision of care to older people. Drawing upon findings from a study of the roles and experiences of volunteers in social care settings in England, this paper considers how volunteers are used in different social care settings and how their work is organised, managed, and delivered. Taking account of the financial and demographic context in which older people’s care provision takes place, we will consider how the roles and experiences of volunteers vary across the mixed economy of social care. Our findings indicate that volunteers are making a substantial contribution to the provision of care and support services for older people in England and, moreover, that social care organisations recognise the value of this contribution, particularly in terms of alleviating loneliness and isolation amongst the older population. Our findings also suggest, however, that working with volunteers in older people’s social care settings is most successful when it is formalised in terms of recruitment and training, and when the boundaries of the volunteer's role in care provision is clearly demarcated and maintained.
Using the Ecological Model to Address Physical Inactivity in Older Adults
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kimberly Feiler
Physical activity has been shown to have a significant impact on health. Lack of adequate physical activity contributes to multiple, preventable, chronic diseases. The ecological model has shown to be a useful approach in addressing various health problems, including physical inactivity. Descriptions are provided for the factors in the ecological model (physical environment, social environment, biological factors, psychological factors, and socioeconomic status) as relate to physical activity, and proposed levels of intervention are provided through a hypothetical community-wide example.
A Study on Disparity of Elderly Care in Japan : Dilemma of Care Service Supply in Japan
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nobuko Nishina
The Japanese Elderly Care Insurance system was started twenty years ago by the Japanese government. It aimed to support the elderly to stay at home when they were no longer able to provide their own transportation. It also made it possible for them to choose their own services instead of services being assigned. The insurance system is run by each municipal government and services are provided by private for-profit and non-profit organizations. This study found that there is a discrepancy in the amount and quality of care resources provided between large cities and small villages. According to this study, the services supplied in any given geographical area is largely dependent on population density, which also determines whether elderly can receive home care. The cause is market-oriented supplier behavior, resulting in elderly living in low-density areas having less choice in care services provided.
