Journal of Gerontological Social Work最新文献

This article examines post-retirement livelihood experiences of older adult women from the Nat community in rural Rajasthan. Historically marginalized under the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871, the community has been associated with itinerant entertainment and women's involvement in sex work. Based on qualitative in-depth interviews with ten older women from two villages who have exited sex work, the study uses thematic analysis to explore their late-life conditions. Findings reveal an absence of family, community and institutional support despite their earlier role as primary earners. Most now survive through festival-based begging while coping with poor health. Grounded in disengagement theory, labeling theory, active aging, and intersectionality, the study underscores the need for inclusive and culturally responsive aging policies.

China has the world's highest dementia prevalence, disproportionately impacting rural areas. Nevertheless, few prior studies have examined the lived experiences of rural dementia caregivers. Six themes emerged from 25 in-depth interviews with these caregivers: 1) limited knowledge and misconceptions of dementia, 2) motivation for caregiving, 3) the quartet of burdens, 4) family conflicts and tension, 5) coping strategies, and 6) areas of need for support. Findings reveal how filial piety, structural constraints, and low dementia literacy interactively shape caregivers' experiences. Culturally relevant policies and service infrastructure are necessary to support dementia caregivers in rural or low-resource regions in China.

Advance care planning (ACP) allows individuals to specify preferences for care and surrogate decision makers that may be needed during a serious illness or at the end of life. Cisgender sexual minority men (SMM) are an overlooked population in most ACP research. We used latent class analysis and data from a sample of midlife and older adult SMM in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Pre-contemplators (28%) were unlikely to have engaged in any ACP. Contemplators (17%) had thought about ACP but had not taken action. Formal Preparers (22%) had completed documents and asked someone to be their surrogate decision-maker but were unlikely to have thought about specific values or the flexibility afforded to their surrogate. Full Preparers (33%) had completed documents and also considered specific values and the flexibility afforded to their surrogate. Pre-Contemplators and/or Contemplators generally reported less socially supportive relationships, greater loneliness, less optimism, and less resilience than Formal Preparers and Full Preparers. Full Preparers had the highest level of AIDS-related bereavement. To maximize self-determination and preference concordant care, future ACP research and direct practice with SMM should be cognizant of underlying constellations of planning behaviors and psychosocial factors that may act as barriers or facilitators to planning.

Most research on informal caregivers has focused on European, Western, urban, and palliative-care contexts. This study explored psychosocial challenges of informal caregivers of older adults with age-related disabilities in three rural Ghanaian communities. Using a qualitative case study design, fifteen (15) caregivers were purposively sampled and interviewed. Caregivers reported psychological challenges-stress, anxiety, depression-and social difficulties, including loneliness, social isolation, financial hardship, and family conflict, worsened by communal norms and limited healthcare access. Findings emphasize the need for targeted social work interventions supporting the physical, mental, and social well-being of caregivers and their care recipients in rural settings.

This article reports the impact of an Internet-based intergenerational meditation program (I-bIMP) in reducing abuse vulnerability for South Asian older widows and promoting compassion among their young adult grandchildren compared to an inter-generational leisure program (I-bILP), as the active control condition. The I-bIMP was more effective vis-à-vis I-bILP. Dyads that were Hindu, middle class, cohabiting, and who regularly attended at least 80% of both the I-bIMP lessons and home practice, gained more. Actor-partner interdependence analyses indicated that for the I-bIMP dyads, decrease in older widowed grandmothers' perceived vulnerability to abuse was associated with increase in their young adult grandchildren's compassion.

Men aged 50+ are disproportionately represented among older adults in shelters. Drawing on Connell's theory of hegemonic masculinity, we conducted a secondary qualitative data analysis of interviews with older men in shelters/transitional housing aged 50+ (n = 21) and service providers (n = 15) to understand how older men negotiate support in three Canadian shelters/housing sites. Older men's experiences and behavior that limited support include: 1) choosing isolation; 2) self-reliance; 3) aggression in conflict; and 4) equating support with being less masculine. Older men negotiated support through: 1) social practices that avoided vulnerability; 2) relationship-building with trustworthy providers; 3) creative expression; and 4) service.

Promoting equitable end-of-life (EOL) preparedness is essential for dignified aging. This study examined whether subjective happiness mediates the association between subjective economic status and preemptive conversations (PCs) about EOL among older adults. Using cross-sectional data from 1,575 participants in Koriyama City, Japan, logistic regression assessed the association between economic status and PCs, and mediation analysis evaluated indirect effects via subjective happiness. Higher subjective economic status was associated with greater likelihood of PCs and higher subjective happiness. Subjective happiness partially mediated this association, accounting for 23.4% of the effect. These findings suggest that enhancing subjective well-being may help reduce socioeconomic disparities in EOL preparedness.

Developing and delivering meaningful and impactful activity programming in long-term care settings is essential to the promotion of emotional, social, and cognitive well-being of residents. In this article, we present qualitative findings from a feasibility study of RASCALs, a nature-focused livestream group activity program for older adults in assisted living. Using an established feasibility evaluation framework, the researchers examined eight domains: acceptability; demand; implementation; practicality; adaptation; integration; expansion; and initial impact. Interviews (N = 18) were conducted with older adult participants (n = 12), nursing staff (n = 3), interventionists (n = 2), and the facility activities coordinator (n = 1). Data were analyzed using directed qualitative content analysis. Results indicated that the RASCALs program was readily accepted by participants and that there was evidence of initial impact, particularly in terms of contributing to well-being and promoting socialization. Implementing the intervention also appeared to be practical in this setting, however there were challenges associated with delivery. Demand, adaptation, and expansion were related to resident interest, flexibility and creativity, and communications and promotion, respectively. Facilitators, barriers, and potential impact are further discussed, as are implications for practicing social workers and social work researchers.

Participant recruitment in dementia caregiver research is recognized as challenging. This article details the strategies, barriers, and successes of a recruitment approach of a clinical intervention trial for family caregivers of persons living with dementia. Throughout the study, we dealt with challenges both within and outside the researchers' control. These challenges included institutional barriers, community barriers, and individual barriers. To maximize our chances for success, we focused on building strong relationships between the research team and the participants. Using social workers as recruiters, maintaining frequent contact with participants, and flexibility in managing challenges promoted modest success in recruitment and retention.