This study investigated older persons' perception of the negative impact of ill health, retirement, and widowhood in relation to the mobilization of relevant coping mechanisms. In addition, the relationship of coping mechanisms and dissatisfaction with current gender-role identity to seeking counseling was studied. A distributed questionnaire package provided demographic data as well as information pertaining to satisfaction in various areas of life, impact of live events, and coping style. Subjects were 54 males and 67 females aged 50 to 92. Safeguards were taken to ensure complete confidentiality and anonymity of response. Stepwise multiple regression (listwise deletion of data), multivariate and univariate analysis of variance and bivariate correlational analyses of the data were performed, suggesting that perception of negative impact of the events measured (ill health, widowhood, retirement) was related a) to employing numerous useful coping strategies, b) to low dyadic satisfaction, and c) to low life satisfaction. Analyses also suggested that variables which distinguished those in the sample who sought counseling were a) identity discrepancy (wherein Ideal exceeded Real) on the Masculine and Androgynous dimensions, b) employing fewer Coping with Health strategies, and c) employing more Coping with Retirement strategies. These variables also distinguished males who sought counseling, but only the variable Age, distinguished females, who sought counseling from those who do not.

This paper defines the difference between "cosmopolitans" and "locals" in Denton, Texas, as they relate to the aged black and white communities.

No description available.

Family is widely expected to be the main source of support for Senior Citizens and, like many religions and cultures, the Jewish tradition has expectations of filial obligations of care. South Africa and its Jewish community have experienced increased emigration over the last decade resulting in many Senior Citizens remaining in South Africa after all their children have emigrated. A phenomenological methodology was used in this study, with the aim of gaining more understanding, firstly about what is experienced by Senior Citizens as beneficial and not beneficial in regards to support in general and secondly about the challenges of later stages of life from Senior Citizens&rsquo / perspective, especially without expected support of offspring. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight Jewish women, aged over 75, who find themselves in such a position. Their experiences are described in terms of social, practical, emotional and spiritual support as well as in terms of the contextual experiences that necessitate support. The overall experience was found to be one of managing aloneness and dealing with the loss of family and its accompanying sense of belonging. It includes constantly missing one&rsquo / s family, trying to keep in satisfyingly regular contact and trying to comprehend, justify and accept their emigration in terms of expected intergenerational roles. It demands adjusting to constant changes in supports and in one&rsquo / s independence and identity and finding the motivation to strive to remain alive and discover meaning in the painful situation. In the face of all this, there is also a discovery of previously unsuspected new strengths in being able to cope with these difficulties and an exciting new sense of liberation in catering only for oneself. A model of perceived Ideal Support was uncovered comprising a hierarchy of needs within such support, including / Consistency, Reliability, Role Fulfilment, Desire to Support, Respect, Dignity, Enabled Independence, Affection, Like-Mindedness and Belonging.

A group of 101 older adults (sixty-five years of age and over) who lived independently in three retirement apartment residences in Denton, Texas, were asked about their patterns of reading, television viewing, and radio listening habits for two periods in their lives: (1) at age forty to fifty-five and (2) at the present. Respondents were asked about their use of external information sources (public library, grocery store, newsstand, etc.) and their use of proximate information sources (radio, friends/relatives, television, etc.) They were also asked about access to transportation, income satisfaction, status of general health, vision, hearing, physical mobility and reasons for utilizing various information sources. Four hypotheses relating changes in health, environment, economic status, and education to reasons for reading and use of information sources were tested through the use of t-tests, regression analysis and analysis of variance. Within this group of older adults, use of external information sources decreased from the past to the present. There was, however, no change in the use of information sources located in or near the residence as difficulties in these areas increased. A relationship was found between educational level and reading for pleasure earlier in life. Also, those with higher educational levels reported fewer differences in their reasons for reading in the present and in the past.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

The living situation of the older generation is a matter of increasing social concern. Demographic changes are leading to larger proportions of elderly people in the populations of the developed world. Tied into this evolution and even more important are the processes of social change - in particular the loosening of traditional family bonds - which make the living situation of older people extremely precarious once they begin to become frail.One aspect of the living situation of older people, namely their housing situation, or more specifically the question of housing and care, has long been neglected or mainly answered with uniform solutions of institutionalized housing for the elderly. Today, these cannot be seen as the only answer to the diverse needs of elderly people, especially since the housing situation has a very strong influence in determining their degree of self-sufficiency. The increased need for housing suited to the needs of elderly people is the impetus for additional investigation, improvement of present conditions, and studies of future developments. The resulting knowledge and impact on the built environment will be very important to academia and the future education of all environmental design professionals as well as society in general.The purpose of this investigation is to illustrate the significance and relationship of socialand spatial requirements within the concept of living and care, because only the simultaneous addressing of these conditions allows for 'aging with dignity'. The existing demographic situation as well as the inadequate housing situation for the elderly makes it important to investigate the provision of health care, social services, and everyday necessities along with a well-designed architectural and urban development framework.This paper consists of three main parts. The first two parts focus on the research of theoretical and practical design aspects as they pertain to current thinking in elderly care and assisted living. This is accomplished through an investigation of published international examples. In addition, valuable information about the housing needs and desires of elderly people was gathered by exploring four built examples in the United States and Germany, thus helping to identify the framework of the architectural exploration.The third part documents the development and process of both an operational and design concept for elderly housing in a selected urban community. The site is located in Potsdam, Germany, within an existing urban block of the old city core. The architectural design attempts to express the idea of 'aging in dignity' and includes thoughts about the interrelation of new and existing residential units as well as their impact on the context.The aim of the study is to ascertain information about the effects of diverse, networked and, in part, innovative facilities and services on the independent living capabilities of the elderly, and the control over one's living environment. Promoting independent living, this study should help to determine the extent to which these services could be provided. / Department of Architecture

Family is widely expected to be the main source of support for Senior Citizens and, like many religions and cultures, the Jewish tradition has expectations of filial obligations of care. South Africa and its Jewish community have experienced increased emigration over the last decade resulting in many Senior Citizens remaining in South Africa after all their children have emigrated. A phenomenological methodology was used in this study, with the aim of gaining more understanding, firstly about what is experienced by Senior Citizens as beneficial and not beneficial in regards to support in general and secondly about the challenges of later stages of life from Senior Citizens&rsquo / perspective, especially without expected support of offspring. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight Jewish women, aged over 75, who find themselves in such a position. Their experiences are described in terms of social, practical, emotional and spiritual support as well as in terms of the contextual experiences that necessitate support. The overall experience was found to be one of managing aloneness and dealing with the loss of family and its accompanying sense of belonging. It includes constantly missing one&rsquo / s family, trying to keep in satisfyingly regular contact and trying to comprehend, justify and accept their emigration in terms of expected intergenerational roles. It demands adjusting to constant changes in supports and in one&rsquo / s independence and identity and finding the motivation to strive to remain alive and discover meaning in the painful situation. In the face of all this, there is also a discovery of previously unsuspected new strengths in being able to cope with these difficulties and an exciting new sense of liberation in catering only for oneself. A model of perceived Ideal Support was uncovered comprising a hierarchy of needs within such support, including / Consistency, Reliability, Role Fulfilment, Desire to Support, Respect, Dignity, Enabled Independence, Affection, Like-Mindedness and Belonging.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Also available in print.