Finding Balance
In/dependence and Agency in the Everyday Life of the Older People on the Example of Food Preparation and Consumption View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Marcela Petrova Kafkova
A nutritious and enjoyable eating experience is important to achieve good health and well-being in old age. Procuring, preparing, and consuming food is important in people’s lives and identity construction. Meals add a sense of meaning and structure to an older adult’s day, providing the feeling of independence and control and are based on their agency. In this contribution, we focus on the choices that older people have in their eating habits. We focus on frail older people, with varying degrees of disability, dependent on care. Based on a secondary analysis of interviews with older people in care homes and in-home environments dependent on care, we explore how different care regimes in the Czech Republic limit or support the identity of older adults associated with their eating habits, and how they can exercise agency to achieve satisfactory forms of their eating. Meals in care homes in the Czech Republic are strictly regulated by hygiene standards, and client and food safety are prioritized over the qualitative or identity-forming elements of food, as well as over the promotion of clients' self-sufficiency. The nutritional aspect of the diet is emphasised. However, even within these care regimes, older adults apply different strategies to meet their needs regarding their meal’s composition and timing. These strategies are pursued in this paper. This work was supported by the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR), project No. GA23-06348S (Meanings of food intake in old age).
Promoting Inclusion of Migrants in Long-term Care through Education: The Results of an “On-the-job” Training in Four European Countries View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Matteo Finco, Flavia Galassi
The progressive ageing of the population in many Western countries determines a growing need for long-term care for older people. At the same time, migrants and refugees, while experiencing mistrust, stigma and financial constraint, often suffer objective difficulties to enter the labour market, due to language, cultural differences, and lack of recognition of their qualification. Creating educational opportunities in elderly healthcare for migrants may help their social inclusion, increase their employability (so improving their quality of life) and respond to the increasing demand of care. The HERO Erasmus+ project moved in this direction by planning, designing and carrying out, in Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Portugal an original training curriculum, which included both face-to-face and online lessons on national language, healthcare terminology and procedures, local culture of care, communication strategies. The theoretical part was followed by an internship in healthcare facilities and an ad hoc online platform was developed for at distance learning. Ninety-nine migrants and refugees from Central and South Africa, South America and Middle-East were reached and 72 individuals attended the training and obtained the certification. A mixed-methods pre-post training assessment study was carried out. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaires were administered to trainees and focus-group were moderated with care managers and policy makers. The results call for tailored and practical trainings for migrants and refugees and shown the potential of learning activities for social inclusion. Four ideal-types of learning pathways in the elderly health care were drawn leading to specific recommendations for trainers, care providers and policy makers.
Healing and Hindering: Highlighting the Complex Role of Animal Companionship When Homeless and Seriously-Ill View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Chesney Ward
Despite the prevalence of animal companions in the lives of homeless individuals and the established benefits and complications offered by pets during serious illness and end-of-life, little is known about the experience of serious illness and end-of-life among homeless people who have animal companions. Two subsamples from a parent study– longitudinal medical documentation of homeless palliative care patients who discussed animal companionship during their care, and interviews with cross-sector service providers who spoke to the role of animals in care– were analyzed using an interpretive description approach. Results showcase three major themes: (1) healing benefits to animal companionship during concurrent homelessness and serious illness; (2) facing the choice between animal companionship and formal housing and health services; (3) distress surrounding the paradoxical relationship between animal relationships and formal care access. These findings provide practical implications for service expansion in healthcare settings for persons with animal companions in addition to future research on the benefit of animal companions for those working with unhoused individuals with serious illnesses.
