As the number of older adults experiencing homelessness continues to increase, understanding the experiences of older homeless adults is necessary. Although housing first initiatives are vital to removing individuals from homelessness, the psychosocial aspects of homelessness are often neglected. The efforts to end and prevent homelessness among older adults require interagency collaboration to include counseling professionals who can assist with the psychosocial aspects of the phenomenon. In an effort to provide a platform for older adults experiencing homelessness to inform researchers and practitioner alike, a phenomenological qualitative study was conducted to explore their lived experiences and their human and social capital. The findings of the study suggest that the experiences older adults participants of this study ranged from maladaptive behaviors (e.g., poor decision making) to positive outlooks for their future. Overall, both their human and their social capital are impaired, and they require interventions that address psychosocial aspects of homelessness, such as loss of social ties and financial insecurity.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uiowa.edu/oai:ir.uiowa.edu:etd-7203 |
| Date | 01 August 2017 |
| Creators | Butler, Maggie K. J. |
| Contributors | Estrada-Hernández, Noel |
| Publisher | University of Iowa |
| Source Sets | University of Iowa |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | Copyright © 2017 Maggie K. J. Butler |
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