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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Social isolation in old age
— a qualitative exploration of service providers' perceptions | | Author(s) | Cherry Russell, Toni Schofield |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 19, part 1, January 1999 |
| Pages | pp 69-91 |
| Keywords | Isolation ; Loneliness ; Needs [elderly] ; Care support workers ; Social surveys ; Australia. |
| Annotation | A qualitative study of social isolation in the context of service provision to older people draws on in-depth interviews with 18 Australian care practitioners, concerning their perceptions of social isolation among their clients. The findings show that service providers experience significant levels of concern and frustration and a sense of powerlessness in meeting the needs of such clients. In analysing these accounts, the identification and management of isolation is conceptualised as a social practice which occurs in specific relational settings. The provision of care to lonely, isolated older people is structurally constrained in two ways. First, because of inadequate public resource allocation, the relationship between practitioners and older clients is dominated by time pressure and instrumentality. Secondly, the organisational and professional rules which service providers are required to follow shape the interpersonal relations between practitioner and client in ways which negatively impact on the outcomes of care for both. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-990616204 A |
| Classmark | TP: DV: IK: QRS: 3F: 7YA |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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