published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

by Ho Keung-sing. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references. / Preface --- p.i / Abstract --- p.iii / Acknowledgements --- p.iv / Contents --- p.v / Detailed Contents --- p.vii / Maps --- p.xi / Photos --- p.xii / List of Tables --- p.xiii / List of Figures --- p.xv / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Profile of the Community --- p.5 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Literature Review --- p.8 / Chapter 2.1 --- What is Filial Piety --- p.8 / Chapter 2.2 --- Approaches to study Filial Piety --- p.9 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Methodological Debate in Sociology --- p.15 / Chapter 3.1 --- The Major Characteristics of Positivism --- p.15 / Chapter 3.2 --- The Rise of Positivism from the View of the Sociology of Knowledge --- p.19 / Chapter 3.3 --- Research Method and Instrument of Positivism --- p.20 / Chapter 3.4 --- The Major Characteristics of Anti-positivism --- p.22 / Chapter 3.5 --- Methodological Implications --- p.43 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Research Problems --- p.49 / Chapter 4.1 --- Definitions of Variables --- p.51 / Chapter 4.2 --- Hypothesis --- p.56 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Data Collection Methods and Methods of Analysis --- p.61 / Chapter 5.1 --- Data from Survey --- p.51 / Chapter 5.2 --- Methods of Analysis on the Survey --- p.65 / Chapter 5.3 --- Indepth Interview --- p.65 / Chapter 5.4 --- The Analysis of Indepth Interview-----Verbal Description --- p.68 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Findings --- p.71 / Chapter 6.1 --- The First Group Hypothesis-----Relationship between Demographic Characteristics and the Perception of Responsibility Fulfillment --- p.72 / Chapter 6.2 --- The Second Group Hypothesis-----Relationship between Demographic Characteristics and the Present Request on Children --- p.81 / Chapter 6.3 --- The Third Group Hypothesis-----Relationship between Demographic Characteristics and the Future Request on Children --- p.84 / Chapter 6.4 --- The Fourth Group Hypothesis-----The Effects of Parents' Perception on Respondents' Present and Future Request on Children --- p.104 / Chapter 6.5 --- LISREL Model and Some Alternatives --- p.115 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- Interpretation and Discussion --- p.125 / Chapter 7.1 --- Group One Hypothesis-----Relationship between Demographic Characteristics and the Perception of Responsibility Fulfillment --- p.127 / Chapter 7.2 --- Group Two Hypothesis-----Relationship between Demographic Characteristics and the Present Request on Children --- p.137 / Chapter 7.3 --- Group Three Hypothesis-----Relationship between Demographic Characteristics and the Future Request on Children --- p.139 / Chapter 7.4 --- Group Four Hypothesis-----The Effects of Parents' Perception on Respondents' Present and Future Request on Children --- p.142 / Chapter 7.5 --- Sex Role Effects on Elderly Care Perception --- p.143 / Chapter 7.6 --- The Relationship between Region and Elderly Care Perception --- p.147 / Chapter 7.7 --- Multi-variate Analysis --- p.147 / Chapter Chapter 8 --- Conclusion --- p.150 / Chapter Chapter 9 --- Limitation and Suggestion --- p.152 / Bibliography --- p.154 / Appendices

熊躍根. / 論文(博士)--香港中文大學社會工作學部, 1998. / 參考文獻: p. 192-213. / 中英文摘要. / Available also through the Internet via Dissertations & theses @ Chinese University of Hong Kong. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Xiong Yuegen. / Lun wen (Bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue she hui gong zuo xue bu, 1998. / Can kao wen xian: p. 192-213. / Zhong Ying wen zhai yao.

published_or_final_version / Community Medicine / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Nursing Studies / Master / Master of Nursing

No description available.

Guided by the life course perspective, this study examined the frequency of caregiving provided by older adults to kin and non-kin. A telephone survey produced a random sample of adults 60 years of age and older, which was predominantly White, with higher income and education levels (n = 278). Bivariate and multivariate analyses tested the impact of demographic characteristics and other variables, conceptualized as physical, human, and social capital, on the frequency of caregiving. Gender, age, health, limitations, education, income, household composition, social contact, and reciprocity were analyzed in multinomial logistic regressions. Caregiving was defined as care provided to sick or disabled persons, with frequency of providing care classified as often, sometimes, and never. The majority of older adults provided at least some care to others over a one-year period, with almost one-third doing so often and only one-quarter never doing so. Most provided care to more than one person, with over one-quarter providing care to multiple friends only. Age failed to predict caregiving involvement when physical and social capital variables were considered. The odds of often providing care are higher for women, although gender did not predict those who never provided care. Having at least some college only significantly predicted women who often provided care. Living with a disabled person increased the frequency of caregiving, although that care was not always for the disabled person. Similarly, living with a spouse, as compared to living alone, increased caregiving involvement but often the spouse was not the care recipient. These findings highlight a need for policy changes that will support and recognize the contributions of older caregivers of both family and friends. The definition of caregiving is another policy issue that should be addressed. These findings also challenge policymakers and community leaders to promote informal caregiving by providing educational programs to enhance and better utilize the talents, abilities, and altruistic concerns of older caregivers.

Grounded in the life course perspective, this study examined stress among long-distance caregivers, asking whether stress levels vary by family relation to the care recipient or by geographic distance. A growing older adult population forecasts a corresponding need for caregivers. Although family members are the primary source of care for older adults, our population has seen high rates of mobility among both adult parents and their children, increasing the geographic distance between them. Given that the number of children per family has decreased, geographically distant children may be the only available family members to help frail, aging parents. Older adults without children available may have to rely on other family members, some of whom also live at a distance, in times of need. Caregivers who live at greater distances may have more difficulties providing care to their loved ones than those who live closer, and they may face greater stress than caregivers who live nearby. Further, because the child-parent relationship reflects the strongest kin obligation, child caregivers may have a higher likelihood of caregiver stress than nonchild caregivers. Research questions were addressed using data from a nationally representative survey of long-distance caregivers conducted in the Fall of 1996 by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) in collaboration with Matthew Greenwald and Associates of Washington, DC. Child caregivers (n=98), those whose care recipients are parents or step parents, were compared to nonchild caregivers (n=74), those whose care recipients are caring for grandparents, siblings, other relatives, or friends. Caregivers in both groups provided comparable care, such as helping with decision making, advice and information, making needed arrangements, and providing emotional support. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess the amount of variance explained by relation type and geographic distance after controlling for caregiver income, caregiving intensity, gender, care duration, and care recipient health. Bivariate relations suggested that caregivers with higher income give significantly less intense care, and that the passage of time may lessen stress for caregivers. Results of the multivariate analysis showed that relation to care recipient was a significant predictor of caregiver stress, with adult children showing higher levels of stress. Caregiver stress, however, was not greater for caregivers who lived farther away from care receivers. Using nationally representative data, the study documented the stress of long-distance caregivers, particularly adult children, thus suggesting the need for additional research and possibly programs to alleviate that stress. / Graduation date: 2003

Introduction Having a caring family is an important resource to any older person, not only does it provide a great source of care and support when they require others’ help and assistance in performing daily activities, it also serves to alleviate the burden of welfare system and balances health care expenditure. The traditional paradigm reinforced the idea that healthcare is and should be provided by doctors, nurses and health professionals within the healthcare settings (e.g. clinics and hospitals), although family members for centuries had provided care, support and assistance to each other in time of illness. The role of informal care provided by family members was often overlooked. Hong Kong, like many other advanced economies in the world, is facing this care challenge at all levels, including not limited to family, community and institutions as population ages rapidly. The proportion of the population aged 65 or older is estimated to reach a whopping 28% in 2034 from the current 13%, as a result of increased longevity, low fertility rate and the ageing of baby‐boomers. This extends the parent‐child relationship and thus would significantly prolong the extent of care to be provided by adult children. In addition, the majority of older persons in Hong Kong prefer to live and age at home than being institutionalized, implying that a large proportion of long‐term care burden of older persons, of which 74% of them live with multiple chronic diseases, would fall upon informal caregivers within family. Objectives This qualitative study was convened against this background and the purpose of this qualitative study was to develop a better understanding and more comprehensive description of the complicated, fluid, and multidimensional caregiving experience among Chinese caregiving adult children, especially daughters, who assume most responsibilities in caregiving tasks and work a greater number of hours in delivering care as compared to male caregivers by addressing the following three objectives: (1) Capturing more accurately the interaction among different factors that influence their caregiving identity, experiences and subsequent practices; (2) Highlighting the needs and gaps in support services that would allow caregivers to continue caring, working and managing other aspects of their lives; and (3) Adding to the range of perspective towards informal caregiving by conducting a case study of male caregivers. It was hoped that these efforts would enable us to understand the commonalities or essences of the subject matter being investigated and deeper insights could be developed to inform and orientate policies and services, and to make informal caregiving more gender equitable. Findings Nineteen women and two men were interviewed during the study. Their stories highlighted the diverse, wide‐ranging and dynamic nature of informal caregiving experiences. Regarding the study objectives, nine predominant themes were invoked from the participants’ narratives, including: (1) Self-identification with the identity of being an informal caregiver being gradually and socially constructed process through recognizing and acknowledging the roles constituting informal caregiving; (2) Positive and negative feelings occur simultaneously but positive ones are important motivator that keep informal caregivers in their role; (3) Support services remained largely unavailable and inaccessible to informal caregivers; (4) Team approach to caregiving as the flexible solution to family care; (5) Psychosocial support and taking occasional breaks from caregiving duties to get recharged; (6) Influences of family values, living arrangements, time resources, and social expectations towards informal care provided by adult family members; (7) Men focused more on tasks and facts instead of emotions; (8) Men are more assertive when expressing themselves to the care‐recipients and authority figures; and (9) Men were more reserved and less likely to open up and talk about feelings and emotions. Recommendations These themes reflected efforts for understanding informal caregiving in Hong Kong in terms of the forming of identity, the positive and negative experiences of being caregivers and the communication among different values in driving filial behavior among family members in Hong Kong. These had marked the beginning of the long journey to recognizing, supporting, and protecting these unsung heroes and heroines through policies and practices. Three potential directions for future development in regards to adult‐child‐parent caregiving were also discussed, which included: (1) framing informal caregiving as a public health issue; (2) understanding, promoting and celebrating male caregiving; and (3) stocktaking, need‐matching and review of support services. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

[From Editorial] A variety of papers covering interesting and relevant topics and emanating from several countries are included in this number. Togonu-Bickersteth examines levels of satisfaction with care received from sons and daughters of older Yoruba in rural Nigeria. She finds that contrary to expectations, older women are more satisfied than older men with the assistance received from children. Makoni examines the effects of Alzheimer's disease as the disease progresses on the conversational ability of an older second-language speaker. Cattell reports on exploratory research among Zulu grandmothers and granddaughters in KwaZulu-Natal and finds that older women continue to have important roles in the socialization of granddaughters, especially regarding sexual behaviour. Van Dokkum makes out a case for a durable power of attorney, not yet provided for in South African legislation, which can help to protect older citizens against malpractices or exploitation when, because of impaired mental functioning, they are no longer able to look after their affairs. Lefroy gives an update on the Special Dementia Unit as an alternative residential care facility for afflicted older Australians and examines the advantages of this type of accommodation for individuals. their families and society. Finally, Moller reviews a book written by Nana Araba Apt of Ghana. entitled Coping with old age in a changing Africa. She concludes that readers will learn much from Apt's ideas on building on indigenous institutions to meet the challenges of ageing in Africa.