Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / A shifting of age patterns towards a larger number of older people in the population is creating a new frontier for social work in our American Society. Increasingly, group work agencies are being challenged to meet the needs of our senior citizens through day center and club programs. For most group work agencies programming for the older person is a relatively new development and one requiring constant experimentation and evaluation . While aged persons have much in common , just as other age groups do, there still remains a uniqueness of different individuals and groups. Therefore, in evaluating the effectiveness of a group work program for the aged, each group must be studied in light of the needs and characteristics of this particular group .The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the program of the Sixty Club of Union Settlement of Hartford in light of the following criteria. Does the program grow out of the needs and interests of the individuals who compose the group? Does the program take into account such factors as age of group members and economic and cultura l backgrounds? Is the program diversified enough to satisfy a variety of needs and interests?

Over 75% of adults 60 years of age or older who live in Washington, D.C. are unaware of access to Aging and Disability Resource Centers' (ADRC) community-based services. Approximately 25% of these individuals are low-income and reside in multifamily subsidized housing. With a theoretical basis in Penchansky and Thomas' construct of access, this phenomenological study explored whether increased awareness of access to ADRC service delivery may potentially better meet the needs of this socioeconomically marginalized population. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 20 senior citizens in Washington, D.C. who received some programmatic assistance, such as housing or meal delivery, but not necessarily through an ADRC. Interview data were inductively coded and analyzed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis method. Findings indicate that while there is an apparent need for community-based services, many participants who were not aware of ARDC services wanted more information about how to access the service delivery system to age in place, avoid burdening children, retain housing vouchers, and prevent nursing home placement. In contrast, seniors who accessed ADRC, based on the construct of access, found services acceptable, accessible, affordable, available, accommodating, and helpful in allowing them to remain independent and at home. The results of this study contribute to positive social change by recommending that program administrators focus on outreach to the program's target population, thereby improving access to resources so they can be self-reliant and prolong residential longevity for aging-in-place demands.

The accessibility, predictors, and use of health care and social services among developmentally disabled elderly adults in Canada were examined using a nationally representative social survey. The first research hypothesis is that the independent variables will contribute significantly to the prediction of the dependent variables. A second hypothesis is that the slope of any given independent variable will not equal zero. The results of this research show that the illness (need) variables are the most predictive correlate of the utilization of health care and social services. The predisposing variables have secondary explanatory power, with the enabling variables accounting for the least amount of variance. The hypotheses were tested by step-wise multiple regression analysis using SPSS-X.