Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Resources On Aging, Sociological Practice Editors

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

The Older Person As Mediator Between Technology And Environment: Toward The Role Of "Technoguide, Arthur B. Shostak

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Footprints On The Sands Of Time: A Student-Senior Citizen Community Project, Edwin Rosenberg

Sociological Practice

The indisputable growth which will take place in the older American population over the next four decades and the predictable changes in the characteristics of that population allow occupational forecasts of an increase in jobs which directly or indirectly serve the aged. This is one reason for the persistence of gerontology training programs in higher education.

While such programs obviously develop a solid academic foundation in gerontology, it is equally important that prospective gerontologists or gerontological human service professionals gain first-hand experience in working with the elderly. Such an experience, and the student's reaction to it, achieves several goals, including …

Section: Educational Issues, Sociological Practice Editors, Edwin Rosenberg, Arthur B. Shostak

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Physicians' Treatment Of Elderly Alcoholics, Sylvia I. Mignon

Sociological Practice

A review of the literature on physicians' perceptions of alcoholics and the elderly shows that scant professional or research attention has been given to the elderly alcoholic. Medical schools offer little training on alcoholism, fostering the impression that physicians do not have responsibility for treating alcoholic patients. An exploratory study of 26 physicians reaffirmed physicians' limited knowledge of, or interest in, addressing older patients' drinking problems, as assessed by physicians' responses to vignettes. These findings challenge the existing health care system, especially in light of the current demographic predictions that the proportion of the elderly population wilt increase substantially and …

The Medical Sociologists' Contribution To The Interdisciplinary Geriatric Assessment Unit: A Sociology "With" Medicine, Jeffrey Michael Clair

Sociological Practice

Observations are drawn from field experience to explicate the role of the medical sociologist within geriatric clinical practice—a case presentation of a sociology "with" medicine. A sociology "with" medicine is presented as promoting the institutionalization of medical sociology as a special field within, yet independent of, medicine. The aim is to promote initiatives which generate and lest social theory while expanding collaboration with medical clinicians, researchers, and educators to maximize the application of social scientific data to patient care. The goals of specialized geriatric practice are then described. Next, the substantive functions and activities of the medical sociologist in a …

Section: Medical System And The Elderly, Sociological Practice Editors, Jeffrey Michael Clair

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of The Use Of Respite Services By Caregivers Of Alzheimer's Patients: Racial And Generational Differences, Gary T. Deimling, Wendy J. Looman

Sociological Practice

This research applies one prominent model of service utilization (the Andersen- Newman Model) to better understand the way in which family care givers utilize respite services when caring for older relatives. Specifically, this research examines racial (black and white) and generational (spouse and adult-child) differences between caregivers of Alzheimer's patients and the volume and type of respite services used. The sample (N= 359) is drawn from six Northeast Ohio programs in a consortium that uses a personal computer-based information system to collect intake, assessment, service use, and program satisfaction data from respite clients. Racial differences are found in client attrition …

Satisfaction With Medical Encounters Among Caregivers Of Geriatric Outpatients, Jeffrey Michael Clair, Ferris J. Ritchey, Richard M. Allman

Sociological Practice

Caregivers' experiences and satisfaction with physicians and medical services provided to geriatric patients are reported. An outstanding predictor of satisfaction with physician communication and overall patient care was the extent to which caregivers were experiencing role strain. Other significant predictors included caregiver knowledge of clinic and social support services provided to patients. The data suggest that, irrespective of the quality of clinic services and physician communication style, some caregivers will be dissatisfied because their encounter is mediated by the stress of activities separate from the medical encounter. We assert the importance of specialized geriatric services and argue that if these …

Pennsylvania's Family Caregiver Support Program: A Demonstration Project, Elizabeth K. Keech, Robert A. Harris, John M. Kelley, Lori F. Gerring, Christopher P. Peters

Sociological Practice

The physical, emotional, and economic burdens of family caregiving can present a serious threat to the stability and continuity of a caregiving situation. Public policymakers, aware of the high costs of replacing such voluntary efforts with publicly funded institutional care, are becoming more and more concerned about the needs of caregivers and possible intervention strategies to meet those needs.

This article begins with a description of Pennsylvania's new policy initiative for caregivers, the Family Caregiver Support Program (FCSP). Following is a discussion of the evaluation of the program's demonstration phase by the Human Organization Science Institute of Villanova University. The …

Section: Caregivers Of The Elderly, Sociological Practice Editors, Elizabeth K. Keech, Robert A. Harris, John M. Kelley, Lori F. Gerring, Christopher P. Peters, Jeffrey Michael Clair, Ferris J. Ritchey, Richard M. Allman, Gary T. Deimling, Wendy J. Looman

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

The Rural Elderly: Providers' Perceptions Of Barriers To Service Delivery: Providers' Perceptions Of Barriers To Service Delivery, C. Neil Bull, Share Decroix Bane

Sociological Practice

A 1989 survey of the State Units on Aging (SUAs) produced five themes that seem to underlie the many barriers to the delivery of services to the rural elderly. A systematic review of these five themes led to the identification of 34 specific challenges or barriers, which were then placed under the appropriate theme. Such a schema has been outlined in order to aid social service providers, researchers, and students in making sense of the problems faced by the increasing number of rural elderly. In addition, in order to assess the relative importance of these barriers, a second survey of …

Everyday Lives Of The Elderly: A Dimensional Analysis, David Kowalewski, Steven Peterson

Sociological Practice

Considerable dissension surrounds the number and composition of the domains comprising the daily lives of the elderly. The present study employs an array of biological, economic, political, social, and psychological data obtained from a house-to-house survey of elderly citizens to derive a mapping of dimensionality. Factor analysis of the data isolated eight domains: Poor Health, Disengagement, Self-Sufficiency, Female Aging, Meaningful Employment, Political Faith, Self-Starting, and Stoicism. External validation supported the factor solution and highlighted the impact of dietary and economic deficits on the problems of the aged.

Health Policy Development: Health Promotion And Illness Prevention Among Older Adults In Illinois, Thomas R. Prohaska, Hansi K. Trites, Karen L. Scott

Sociological Practice

This paper offers recommendations for health promotion and illness prevention for older adults in Illinois and offers a structure for policy development. It is based on the premise that policy development should consider the experiences of older adults, family members, and health care providers delivering direct services. Personal experiences and expert analyses were examined in the context of strategies to promote health. This example of policy development is discussed in terms of its application to alternative methods of social and health change and identifies roles for the sociological practitioner.

Economic Diversity And Informed Old Age Social Policy, Charles F. Longino Jr.

Sociological Practice

The issue explored here is an example of the interface between social research and social policy in the United States. The aging policy debate concerning the economic status of the elderly has tended to focus upon the disadvantaged; it is informed by a relatively selective view of the financial resources of older persons. The result has been policy that is vulnerable to the market attention given to the advantaged elderly by business as the economic status of the elderly improves. Sociological practitioners whose work focuses upon older Americans are in a unique position to understand this policy problem and to …

Section: General Policy Issues, Sociological Practice Editors, Charles F. Longino Jr., Thomas R. Prohaska, Hansi K. Trites, Karen L. Scott, David Kowalewski, Steven Peterson, C. Neil Bull, Share Decroix Bane

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Aging In The Twenty-First Century, Matilda White Riley

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Social Adjustment In Old Age: A Research Planning Report, Otto Pollack, Glen Heathers

Sociological Practice

This article is a reprint of a planning report prepared by the Social Science Research Council in 1948. It represents one of the first earliest reports on the implications of the changing demographic structure of society in the United States.

History Of Social Gerontology, Harold Cox, Richard Newtson

Sociological Practice

This article addresses the historical development of the field of social gerontology and examines the unique contributions of sociology, as well as the other social sciences. Cowgill and Holmes' "Modernization Hypothesis" is outlined and critiqued. Critical variables determining the status of the aged in different societies and historical periods are delineated, including family form, religion, knowledge base, harshness of the environment, and speed of social change.

Section: Setting The Stage: Past And Future, Sociological Practice Editors, Harold Cox, Richard Newtson, Otto Pollack, Glen Heathers, Matilda White Riley

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Introduction, Joyce M. Iutcovich

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Conflict Processing Resources, Sociological Practice Editors

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Move/Philadelphia Bombing: A Conflict Resolution History, Paul Wahrhaftig, Hizkias Assefa

Sociological Practice

In 1985 police bombed the Philadelphia headquarters occupied by members of the black counterculture group MOVE. What began 15 years earlier as a neighborhood squabble provoked by conflicting lifestyles ended in the destruction of sixty-one homes and the death of eleven residents—five of them children. Some 250 people were left homeless. The authors examine the dynamics of the conflict, analyzing attempts at third-party mediation and the possibility of resolution without violence. Interventions raised ethical issues, and there were failures to define and involve appropriate parties, break down mutual misperceptions, oversee implementation of an agreement, and understand the decision-making structure of …

Mediating Political And Social Conflicts: The Skokie-Nazi Dispute, Richard A. Salem

Sociological Practice

In 1978, a mediation team from the Community Relations Service [CRS] of the United States Department of Justice attempted to mediate the dispute between residents of Skokie, the predominantly Jewish suburb of Chicago and the Nazi party members of the National Socialists Party of America. This dispute involved a number of issues of legal and legislative significance. After a series of complicated negotiations, the Nazis canceled the Skokie demonstration.

Research And Policy Implications, Louis Kriesberg

Sociological Practice

This article focuses on intractable conflicts and how they are transformed. Specific attention is given to the kinds of questions raised by research on such conflicts as well as the policy implications of selected research efforts.

Getting To The Table: Creating The Forum For Negotiations In Deep-Rooted Conflicts, James H. Laue

Sociological Practice

The first step in the conflict resolution process is establishing a forum in which cooperative negotiation can occur among the parties. Three aspects of this "getting to the table" process are analyzed: functional requirements for the table or setting, methods of getting the parties there, and value choices about the nature of the table and the process there.

Section: Handling Deep-Rooted And Protracted Conflict, Sociological Practice Editors, Louis Kriesberg, James H. Laue, Richard A. Salem, Paul Wahrhaftig, Hizkias Assefa

Sociological Practice

No abstract provided.

Consumer Complaints And Public Policy: Validating The "Tip-Of-The-Iceberg" Theory, Drew Hyman, John Shingler, Mitchell Miller

Sociological Practice

This article examines data from a statewide study to test whether organizational aberration theory or systemic pattern theory is supported by data on complaining. The article concludes that citizen and consumer complaints can serve both as early-warning and fail-safe functions leading to increased accountability and safer, more effective, high quality processes, products, and services.

Power Imbalance Within The Setting Of Special Education Mediation: A View Toward Structural And Organizational Factors Influencing Outcome, Jennifer Adams Mastrofski

Sociological Practice

Research on mediation as a means of dispute resolution has alluded to potential injustices that may emerge from the process when conflict occurs between persons of unequal status. An example of such inequity would be when one parly in the dispute is an individual who is somehow dependent on the second party (who may represent an organization or institution).

In a recent evaluation of special education mediation services, structural and organizational factors were identified that could influence the impact of power imbalance between disputants (parents and school personnel) independent of the mediation session itself. This paper examines these factors and …

Workplace Dispute Resolution And Gender Inequality, Patricia A. Gwartney-Gibbs, Denise H. Lach

Sociological Practice

Despite substantial bodies of research on employment differentials between women and men and on conflict in the workplace, little prior research links the two. This article summarizes preliminary results of a study which attempts to fill this knowledge gap. We conceive of workplace disputes as having origins, processes, and outcomes. We theorize that these three components are patterned by sex roles, sex segregation of jobs, and work structures (unions, firms, industries). Our findings indicate that workplace jurisprudence operates differentially for women and men employees, as hypothesized. The results suggest linkages to other aspects of employment inequality and provide a theoretical …