O mercado de idosos tem ganhado cada vez mais expressividade no contexto de consumo contemporâneo. Sendo assim, as empresas de serviços que atendem esse público-alvo devem desenvolver atividades de marketing específicas para alcançar este segmento de consumidores. Este trabalho teve como objetivo identificar quais são as atividades de marketing desenvolvidas e aplicadas por empresas de serviços que têm como público-alvo o mercado de idosos, mais especificamente moradias especializadas em idosos, e verificar se essas empresas seguem as propostas da literatura. Para atingir este objetivo, realizou-se uma profunda revisão da literatura sobre marketing de serviços e o mercado de idosos. Foi realizada, em seguida, uma pesquisa exploratória e qualitativa, que utilizou como método de pesquisa o estudo de casos múltiplos. Para a consolidação da pesquisa empírica, três empresas de serviço que atendem especificamente o público idoso - moradias especializadas - foram estudadas. Analisaram-se as atividades de marketing de serviços desenvolvidas por elas sob a luz da teoria de segmentação, posicionamento e composto de marketing para serviços - produto, processos, pessoas, preço, promoção, praça e evidências físicas. Foi possível concluir que as atividades de marketing de serviços não são elaboradas de forma estruturada, mas sim com base no feeling e na experiência de seus gestores, e que as empresas não possuem um direcionamento competitivo em relação ao desenvolvimento de suas atividades de marketing de serviços. No entanto, percebeu-se que algumas dessas atividades, ainda que desenvolvidas de forma intuitiva, em diversos aspectos corroboram a proposta da literatura. / The elderly market has increasingly gained expression in the context of the contemporary consumer. In consequence, the service companies, which meet the intended target audience, should develop marketing activities in order to reach this segment of consumers. The objective of this study is aimed to identify what the developed and applied marketing activities are by the service companies who possess the elderly market as a target audience, specifically housing specialized for the elderly, and verify if these companies follow the proposals established in the literature. In order to achieve this objective, a profound revision of the literature in regards to marketing services and the elderly market was performed. Subsequently, an exploratory and qualitative survey was completed, which utilized the study of multiple cases as a research method. For the consolidation of the empirical survey, three service companies, which specifically serve the elderly population - specialized housing - were studied. It analyzed the activities of marketing services developed by them in the light of theory of segmentation, positioning and marketing composition for services - product, process, people, price, promotion, place and physical evidence. It was possible to conclude that the activities of marketing services are not elaborated in a structured form, and they follow the feeling and experience of their managers; consequently, the companies do not possess a competitive direction in relation to the development of their activities of marketing services. Nonetheless, it was possible to realize that some of these activities, even developed intuitively, in diverse aspects, corroborate the proposal of the literature.

The diploma thesis deals with the description of terms such as senior, old age and basic physical and psychological changes that accompany this period. The next part of the thesis describes the concept of client, social worker and the possibilities of social work legislation in the Czech Republic. In the third part the thesis describes in detail the terms such as ethics, ethical behavior, professional ethics, ethical code and ethical dilemmas. The following chapter, based on a written questionnaire, describes the view of the ethical dilemmas of six female social workers. Furthermore, in this chapter, I present 13 selected dilemma situations that are based on the direct practice of female social workers. This part of the thesis is followed by another chapter, in which the analysis of the selected dilemma situation is carried out and a preview of the various ethical theories most frequently encountered in the literature. The ethical theories chosen are deontology, utilitarianism and ethics of care. The aim of this thesis was to describe the basic concepts of ethical dilemmas with which workers in social services can meet. The concrete practical solution of individual ethical situations by social service workers will enable a realistic view of solving ethical dilemmas in practice. The analysis of a particular selected dilemma situation will provide a view of solving this situation using the most important ethical approaches. Knowledge of these approaches can help social workers to make choices and choose the right ethical approach.

O interesse sobre o papel dos elementos traço na gênese de doenças, na mortalidade e na manutenção da saúde vem sendo cada vez maior. Este trabalho tem como objetivo determinar as concentrações séricas dos elementos: Br, Ca, Cl, Fe, Na, Rb, Se e Zn e correlacioná-las com os aspectos clínicos de uma população de idosos saudáveis. Foram considerados saudáveis os idosos sem senilidade sistêmica e sintomática, sendo selecionamos 101 idosos saudáveis, 33 (32,67%) homens e 68 (67,33%) mulheres com idade média de 71,7 ± 7,1 (60-98). O nível sérico de Se foi significativamente menor em pacientes mais idosos (p < 0.001). Em comparação com os valores de referência, o Br, Cl e Na apresentaram médias menores. Em relação ao sexo, os homens tiveram menores níveis de Br (p < 0,001) e de Se (p = 0,005) com maiores níveis de Fe (p < 0,001). Menores níveis de Se foram relacionados com menor escolaridade (p= 0.013). Os valores de Br estiveram muito abaixo dos valores de referência e a prática da atividade física correlacionou-se com menores níveis de Br (p= 0,008). Poderíamos questionar se os altos níveis de Br seriam prejudiciais ao envelhecimento saudável, se níveis baixos de bromo seriam marcadores de saúde em idosos ou até se existe relação entre hábitos de vida saudáveis com os níveis de Br. A partir dos 71,2 anos, os níveis séricos de selênio começam a cair mesmo em indivíduos saudáveis. Estudos adicionais deverão determinar se o monitoramento dos níveis séricos de selênio pode ser utilizado como marcador precoce do desenvolvimento de doenças e mortalidade / Concern about the role of trace elements in the genesis of disease, mortality and health maintenance has been increasing. This study aims to determine serum concentrations of the elements: Br, Ca, Cl, Fe, Na, Rb, Se and Zn and correlate them with clinical features of a population of healthy elderly. Were considered healthy elderly people without senile systemic symptoms. We selected 101 healthy elderly, 33 (32.67%) men and 68 (67.33%) women with a mean age of 71.7 ± 7.1 (60-98). The serum level of Se was significantly lower in older patients (p <0.001). Compared with the reference values Br, Cl and Na diminished. Longer averages about sex men had lower levels of Br (p <0.001) and Se (p = 0.005) with higher levels of Fe (p <0.001). If lower levels were associated with less education (p = 0.013). Br values were well below the reference values and physical activity correlated with lower levels of Br (p = 0.008). One might question whether high levels of Br would be detrimental for healthy aging, if low levels of bromine were markers of health in the elderly or even if there is a relationship between healthy lifestyle habits with the levels of Br. From 71.2 years, serum levels of selenium begin to fall even in healthy individuals. Additional studies will determine if monitoring of serum levels of selenium can be used as a marker of early development of disease and mortality

The elderly population have developed some resistance toward accepting community-based social services. Such resistance could be detrimental to the well-being of low-income seniors by hindering their chance of accessing services intended for them in the first place. Art therapy is seen as a promising intervention against client resistance. This study evaluated the effectiveness of art therapy on reducing resistance to services among low-income seniors living in independent living communities. Through a pre-experimental design, this study analyzed administrative data for a sample of 37 participants from a social service agency in Southern California. Results from two non-parametric tests (WilcoxonSigned-Rank and Mann-Whitney-U) revealed that art therapy is very effective in reducing resistance among seniors. Implications for gerontology and social services providers were discussed.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

<p>This study is about how older people are portrayed in TV- commercials, and what those images are saying about senior citizens as consumers. I’ve chosen two of Sweden’s most popular TV channels that are broadcasting commercials and from those two channels recorded commercials in a period of one week, three times a day (morning, afternoon and evening/night). My purpose with this study was to see when older people stared in commercials, which kind of merchandises they were marketing, in which manor they acted out their roles, and (if possible) say something about the elderly people as consumers.</p>

Despite the benefits of physical activity for older adults, many residents living in long-term care homes (LTC) are relatively inactive. Previous research has revealed barriers to physical activity at the resident-level, organizational, and environmental level. However, little attention has been paid to other factors influencing physical activity within the broader institutional complex. The goal of this study was to uncover how the work of personal support workers (PSWs) related to the promotion of physical activity was socially organized. Institutional Ethnography (IE), developed by Dorothy Smith, guided this study. Smith proposed that peoples’ everyday experiences in local settings are organized, often unknowingly, by the actions of people located outside of the local setting and that this organization is textually-mediated. Two LTC homes in Ontario participated in this study. I began data collection by observing PSWs as they went about their work. Next, I interviewed PSWs and other people located inside (e.g. nurses, managers) and outside the LTC homes (e.g. representatives from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). Lastly, I collected texts that organized the PSWs’ work, such as Ministry standards. The findings revealed that although the MOHLTC standards were viewed as producing something “good” for the residents, some of the standards disrupted the PSWs’ work, which made it challenging for them to support daily physical activity. The promotion of physical activity was seen as an additional program that happened a few times per week and it was parceled out as a professional activity that was socially organized “out” of the PSW role. The findings suggest that local solutions are needed. A good starting point would be to go and talk to PSWs and residents to determine what type of assignments would permit the incorporation of physical activity into daily care. To embed the promotion of physical activity into daily care, a major rethink and reorganization of PSWs work will be needed, including a greater investment in human and material supports for PSWs.

Despite the benefits of physical activity for older adults, many residents living in long-term care homes (LTC) are relatively inactive. Previous research has revealed barriers to physical activity at the resident-level, organizational, and environmental level. However, little attention has been paid to other factors influencing physical activity within the broader institutional complex. The goal of this study was to uncover how the work of personal support workers (PSWs) related to the promotion of physical activity was socially organized. Institutional Ethnography (IE), developed by Dorothy Smith, guided this study. Smith proposed that peoples’ everyday experiences in local settings are organized, often unknowingly, by the actions of people located outside of the local setting and that this organization is textually-mediated. Two LTC homes in Ontario participated in this study. I began data collection by observing PSWs as they went about their work. Next, I interviewed PSWs and other people located inside (e.g. nurses, managers) and outside the LTC homes (e.g. representatives from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC). Lastly, I collected texts that organized the PSWs’ work, such as Ministry standards. The findings revealed that although the MOHLTC standards were viewed as producing something “good” for the residents, some of the standards disrupted the PSWs’ work, which made it challenging for them to support daily physical activity. The promotion of physical activity was seen as an additional program that happened a few times per week and it was parceled out as a professional activity that was socially organized “out” of the PSW role. The findings suggest that local solutions are needed. A good starting point would be to go and talk to PSWs and residents to determine what type of assignments would permit the incorporation of physical activity into daily care. To embed the promotion of physical activity into daily care, a major rethink and reorganization of PSWs work will be needed, including a greater investment in human and material supports for PSWs.

The literature on the travel market has focused on the motivations and activities of different market segments, destination attributes, evaluation of well-being, travel behaviour and characteristics, and demographic information. Some work has been undertaken on seniors’ travel motivations but the majority of this worked reported for North America. Few comparisons have been made between baby boomers’ and seniors’ travel motivations and preferences for domestic trip. This study investigated the domestic travel motivations of baby boomer (age 50 to 60) and senior (age 61 and over) citizens in Tainan, Taiwan. The study objectives were: (1) to present demographic information on senior and baby boomer domestic travelers; (2) to examine the travel motivations, destination attributes, and well-being of senior and baby boomer travelers; (3) to determine the differences in travel-related characteristics between senior and baby boomer travelers; and (4) to investigate whether those who travel more domestically also travel more internationally. A total of 184 citizens (100 baby boomers and 84 seniors) in Tainan, Taiwan, participated in this study. The data were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics, t-tests, cross-tabulations, chi-squared tests and correlation analyses. The open-ended questions were recorded and analyzed for themes. The demographic data revealed that marital status, employment status, education, income and major source of income were significantly different between baby boomer and senior respondents, as were travel motivations. The destination attributes sought and evaluations of well-being were not significantly different between the groups. Some differences were found in travel behaviours and characteristics reported by baby boomer and senior respondents, especially in the likelihood of traveling with an organized party, spending of money on traveling, joining an all-inclusive package tour, willingness to spend extra money on recreation, perceiving that seniors should stay at home or in silver town, and perceiving that travel improves their quality of life. In addition, traveling on overnight international trips influences the frequency of taking domestic trips for both groups. This study contributes to the tourism literature by comparing baby boomer and senior respondents’ travel motivations and preferences in domestic trips. The findings provided new insights into the understanding of tourist motivations, destination attributes, positive/negative affects and tourists’ behaviors, particularly as experienced in domestic trip taken by baby boomers and seniors in Tainan, Taiwan.