The sharp increase in the number of older persons (60 years and older) is a distinctive demographic feature of the 20th century. Ageing populations and the unique challenges they pose have obliged countries worldwide to reflect on the problems relating to older persons. In 2002 the United Nations convened the Second World Assembly on Ageing at which the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) was drafted and adopted. This plan sought to meet the challenges associated with ageing populations. In South Africa the elderly population is also increasing dramatically. The fact that older persons are starting to constitute a proportionally larger segment of the total population while they are, at the same time, amongst the poorest people in the country and dependent on others for support and care holds serious implications for South Africa. In post–apartheid South Africa (after 1994) residential care facilities were opened to all South Africans regardless of race or colour. Apart from dealing with diversity, residential care facilities have to manage the long–term care needs of older persons and their lack of the financial or human resources to sustain themselves. Against this background the South African government promulgated legislation in line with the recommendations of the MIPAA. The legislation seeks to lighten the burden placed on residential care facilities while, at the same time, emphasising the importance of enhancing the well–being of older persons. Despite the legislation and the policy frameworks, the circumstances in most residential care facilities in South Africa are challenging and call for action and psychosocial interventions. Given that racial segregation still exists in residential care facilities and the importance of the relational well–being of older persons, it was decided to explore the sense of community of older persons in South Africa who reside in a diverse and economically challenged residential care facility. A purposive sample was drawn of the male and female, and black and white older persons living in the facility. The study used the Mmogo–methodTM, interviews, focus groups, observations and reflective notes to collect qualitative data from the research participants. A possible limitation of the study is that some participants – being older persons – might experience some degree of being cognitively challenged or might struggle to express themselves. To counter this limitation and to ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, a variety of data collection methods were used in order to be able to cross–check the information gathered. Apart from this, specific data collection methods were used that make provision for cognitively challenged older persons. As the study involved older persons as a vulnerable group, special attention was paid to ethical considerations. Ethical approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the North–West University, Potchefstroom Campus, as part of a larger project, being: “An exploration of enabling contexts (05K14).” The main finding of the study is the low sense of community that the older persons in this particular residential care facility experience. This is supplemented by two themes that emerged throughout the study, being the lack of social interaction between the residents and the residents' need to have a sense of purpose. The occurrence of these two themes is supported by findings in community psychology and sense of community theories, and some of the findings of the study are consistent with findings reported in the literature. The study concludes with recommendations on how the residents' sense of community could be enhanced. / Thesis (M.A. (Research Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The sharp increase in the number of older persons (60 years and older) is a distinctive demographic feature of the 20th century. Ageing populations and the unique challenges they pose have obliged countries worldwide to reflect on the problems relating to older persons. In 2002 the United Nations convened the Second World Assembly on Ageing at which the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (MIPAA) was drafted and adopted. This plan sought to meet the challenges associated with ageing populations. In South Africa the elderly population is also increasing dramatically. The fact that older persons are starting to constitute a proportionally larger segment of the total population while they are, at the same time, amongst the poorest people in the country and dependent on others for support and care holds serious implications for South Africa. In post–apartheid South Africa (after 1994) residential care facilities were opened to all South Africans regardless of race or colour. Apart from dealing with diversity, residential care facilities have to manage the long–term care needs of older persons and their lack of the financial or human resources to sustain themselves. Against this background the South African government promulgated legislation in line with the recommendations of the MIPAA. The legislation seeks to lighten the burden placed on residential care facilities while, at the same time, emphasising the importance of enhancing the well–being of older persons. Despite the legislation and the policy frameworks, the circumstances in most residential care facilities in South Africa are challenging and call for action and psychosocial interventions. Given that racial segregation still exists in residential care facilities and the importance of the relational well–being of older persons, it was decided to explore the sense of community of older persons in South Africa who reside in a diverse and economically challenged residential care facility. A purposive sample was drawn of the male and female, and black and white older persons living in the facility. The study used the Mmogo–methodTM, interviews, focus groups, observations and reflective notes to collect qualitative data from the research participants. A possible limitation of the study is that some participants – being older persons – might experience some degree of being cognitively challenged or might struggle to express themselves. To counter this limitation and to ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, a variety of data collection methods were used in order to be able to cross–check the information gathered. Apart from this, specific data collection methods were used that make provision for cognitively challenged older persons. As the study involved older persons as a vulnerable group, special attention was paid to ethical considerations. Ethical approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the North–West University, Potchefstroom Campus, as part of a larger project, being: “An exploration of enabling contexts (05K14).” The main finding of the study is the low sense of community that the older persons in this particular residential care facility experience. This is supplemented by two themes that emerged throughout the study, being the lack of social interaction between the residents and the residents' need to have a sense of purpose. The occurrence of these two themes is supported by findings in community psychology and sense of community theories, and some of the findings of the study are consistent with findings reported in the literature. The study concludes with recommendations on how the residents' sense of community could be enhanced. / Thesis (M.A. (Research Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Currently a need exists in South Africa for an age-, linguistically- and culturally appropriate perceptual speech assessment protocol for Zulu-speaking pre-school children with cleft palate. The aim of this study was to develop a reliable perceptual speech assessment protocol for Zulu-speaking pre-school children with cleft palate based on the international guidelines (www.eurocran.org). Furthermore the clinical applicability and relevance of these guidelines for the perceptual assessment of cleft palate speech in the Zulu language were determined. The aims were reached by following a mixed methods research approach and by conducting the research in four phases. In phase one the protocol was compiled with the assistance of an expert Zulu linguist, in phase two the protocol was pre-tested on 12 normal Zulu-speaking pre-school children between three and six years of age; in phase three the perceptions of speech-language therapists regarding the clinical applicability of the protocol were determined after administration thereof on 12 Zulu-speaking pre-school children with cleft palate between the ages of three and six years; and finally in phase four the relevance of applying the international guidelines to the Zulu language was reflected on. A critical analysis of the protocol indicated that the international guidelines (www.eurocran.org) could be used to develop a perceptual speech assessment protocol in an African language namely Zulu. Results of the pilot study revealed that the protocol was age, culturally and linguistically appropriate for normal Zulu-speaking pre-school children. The speech-language therapist participants indicated that the protocol was clinically applicable to Zulu-speaking pre-school children with cleft lip and palate in terms of cultural sensitivity, administration time and its ability to elicit and identify cleft palate speech characteristics. The international guidelines (www.eurocran.org) could be applied to the Zulu language with an emphasis on the click sounds in Zulu. The results have clinical implications for cleft palate service delivery in South Africa. These implications were for in-service training of speech-language therapists regarding cleft palate to provide them with evidence-based guidelines for clinical practice. Implications for further research included the development of norms of speech development in the Zulu language and the standardization of the perceptual speech assessment protocol. This study is valuable as it is the first tool for the perceptual assessment of cleft palate speech in Zulu. The research methodology may serve as an example for the development of similar speech assessment protocols for children with cleft palate in other African languages. AFRIKAANS: Tans bestaan daar ‘n behoefte in Suid-Afrika vir ‘n ouderdoms-, taal- en kultureel toepaslike persepsuele spraak assesseringsmateriaal vir Zoeloe-sprekende voorskoolse kinders met gesplete lip en verhemelte. Die doel van hierdie studie was om ‘n betroubare en geldige Zoeloe persepsuele spraak assesseringsprotokol vir voorskoolse kinders met gesplete lip en verhemelte te ontwikkel gebasseer op die internasionale riglyne (www.eurocran.org). Die kliniese toepaslikheid en relevansie van die internasionale riglyne vir die persepsuele assessering van gesplete lip en verhemelte is bepaal. Die doelwitte is bereik deur ‘n gemengde kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe navorsingsmetode te volg asook deur die navorsing in vier fases uit te voer. In fase een is die protokol ontwikkel met die bystand van ‘n Zoeloe taalkundige, in fase twee is die protokol getoets op 12 normale Zoeloe-sprekende kinders tussen drie en ses jaar, in fase drie is die persepsies van drie spraak-taalterapeute verkry aangaande die kliniese toepaslikheid van die protokol na afloop van evaluasies op 12 Zoeloe-sprekende voorskoolse kinders met gesplete lip en verhemelte tussen drie en ses jaar, in fase vier is gereflekteer op die toepaslikheid van die internasionale riglyne vir Zoeloe. ‘n Kritiese analise van die protokol het aangedui dat die internasionale riglyne (www.eurocran.org) gebruik kon word om ‘n persepsuele spraak assesseringsprotokol in ‘n Afrika taal, naamlik Zoeloe, op te stel. Resultate van die voorstudie het aangedui dat die protokol taal-, ouderdoms- en kultureel toepaslik was vir die normale Zoeloe-sprekende voorskoolse kinders. Die spraak-taalterapeute as deelnemers het aangedui dat die protokol klinies toepaslik was vir voorskoolse kinders met gesplete lip en verhemelte in terme van die kulturele sensitiwiteit van die protokol, administrasie tyd asook die vermoë om die spesifieke gesplete lip en verhemelte spraakkenmerke te ontlok. Die internasionale riglyne (www.eurocran.org) kon gevolg word vir Zoeloe met insluiting van die suigklanke in die Zoeloe taalstruktuur. Die resultate het implikasies vir dienslewering in Suid-Afrika met betrekking tot gesplete lip en verhemelte. Hierdie implikasies sluit in-diens opleiding van spraak-taalterapeute in om aan hul riglyne te verskaf vir beste praktyk. Implikasies vir verdere navorsing omsluit die ontwikkeling van norme in terme van die spraak ontwikkeling in Zoeloe asook die moontlike standardisering van die persepsuele spraak asesseringsprotokol. Die studie is waardevol aangesien dit die eerste poging was om ‘n persepsuele spraak assesseringsprotokol in Zoeloe te ontwikkel vir die evaluasie van kinders met gesplete lip en verhemelte. Die navorsingsmetodologie kan gevolg word vir die ontwikkeling van soortgelyke spraak assesseringprotokolle vir kinders met gesplete lip en verhemelte in ander Afrika tale. Copyright / Dissertation (MCommunication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / unrestricted

Please read the abstract in the section dissertation. Copyright / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted