"Client participation" is a popular ideal and object of rhetorical commitment in social work service. But the much-touted potential of this concept requires careful and critical scrutiny. This article reports on a study of client-participation initiatives in the Hong Kong welfare sector. The study identified significant differences in…

Research shows that few social workers are interested in working with cognitively impaired older adults, such as those with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. As the number of individuals with dementia grows, the demand for social workers to provide services to patients with dementia will increase. Although much attention has been given to…

Older adult inmates have grown both in proportion and in number due to the confluence of a number of factors. This aging of the prison population has created a host of policy and practice issues that encompass justice considerations, cost containment issues, and biopsychosocial care needs. The older prisoner's physical, social, and psychological…

Although significant numbers of social service clients experience mental health problems, virtually no research has examined the responsiveness of social service agencies to mental disorder. This article examines the extent to which client depression is reflected in records of a public social service agency, community long-term care (CLTC).…

Native Hawaiians constitute 401,000 or 0.1 percent of the total U.S. population, with approximately 60 percent residing in the state of Hawai'i. In Hawai'i, Native Hawaiian elders ("na kupuna") face a number of social and health disparities when compared with their non-Native Hawaiian counterparts: higher rates of poverty, greater…

Interviewed 80 social workers in 36 acute care hospitals concerning amount of time they spent on and importance of 73 discharge planning tasks. Findings suggest that discharge planning comprises primarily concrete resource provision with counseling component focused on decision making. Time spent on tasks was influenced by prospective payment…

Used oral history methodology to collect information on life experiences of six female elders (kupuna) to identify life themes and cultural values and, more important, to contribute to cultural preservation. Findings revealed three major life themes: relationships with people; relationships with nature; and spiritual and religious beliefs. Results…

Older rural Americans remain underserved because most social services are established in urban areas. Even with recent efforts to assess the conditions of the nation's rural elderly, there have been oversights that affect the development of policies intended to provide needed services. These problems and suggestions for constructive changes in…

Interviewed homosexual men and women (N=18) aged 40 to 72 to identify the characteristics and needs of this group. Results showed that issues involved in adaptation to aging are essentially the same for heterosexuals and homosexuals: need for activities, friends,and sufficient finances, and concerns about health and sexuality. (LLL)

To understand the challenges African American families face when combining employment commitments and informal caregiving responsibilities, uses data from a sample of 119 African American elder-caregiver dyads. Examines the nature of caregiving relationships and extent to which caregivers' employment statuses affect the hours of care provided.…

Studied the participation of elderly patients (N=148) in the planning for discharge from acute care hospitals. Found that most patients participated actively, but that poor patient condition inhibited full participation. Concludes that family control over decision making also limits participation. (Author/ABL)

Studies spouseless, childless elderly women living in a metropolitan area including women who had never married, women who were widowed, and women who were divorced or separated. Most of the women had developed substitute supports for the close kin they lacked. Most younger elderly respondents, aged 65 to 74, considered themselves in good health.…

Examined 125 case records from public agency and 157 case records from private agency in Chicago, Illinois. Findings suggest that elderly people, particularly elderly women, are emerging as newest group caught in widening net of homelessness. This group does not fit stereotypes attributed to homeless population; nevertheless, elderly people are at…

Assessed care afforded the elderly through informal support networks, particularly their families, as opposed to formal services. Focused on strain experienced by primary caregivers, who tended to be women. Analyzed instrumental aid (tangible aid and service referral) and expressive support given by role models and confidants who provided a form…

Although the elderly in this country are often thought of as isolated and forgotten by family and friends, the study reported here found that this image differs significantly from reality in most cases. The authors discuss the various aspects of the support systems on which most elderly people rely. (Author)