Not in Australia. Migration,work and age discrimination

Perceptions of older people are changing both nationally and internationally, with policy developments that emphasise the value of older workers and the extension of working life to accommodate a longer life‐course. For national economies older workers produce benefits of increasing tax dollars and personal savings and reduce claims on the state through pensions. In terms of migration, older adults bring assets and other benefits generated elsewhere into the host economy, as skilled workers or as active retirees. It has also been argued that older societies may be more productive as a consequence of the contribution of older citizens. Nations that create barriers to older migration, such as is currently the case for Australia, run the risk not only of perpetuating age discrimination, but also of failing to take advantage of population change in a global context. The authors critically examine this area and raise a series of questions for future policy.     

Residential Aged Care Workers In Rural Settings: A Study Of Their Roles And Training Needs

The role of the rural care worker is being affected by a number of significant social changes. This paper focuses on the competencies required by these workers and the most appropriate way of providing training in these changing times. A competency profile was developed and verified with 80 rural and 58 city care workers in South Australia, and a training needs analysis was completed with the rural care workers. The results of this research indicate that a number of care workers do not have formal training in aged care. Further, while most workers have experienced difficulties in gaining access to training, they firmly believe that on-going development is important for them in their role as carers. The study also identified a number of areas where training was considered to be a priority and obtained opinions from care workers on the best ways to provide this training. A number of implications and ideas for further research are explored.     

Role ambiguity: Older workers in the demographic transition

This paper presents recent empirical evidence to support the argument that policies designed to increase workforce participation of older workers have been unsuccessful because they have not recognized the contradictory attitudes towards older workers of employers, government, and older workers themselves. Qualitative and quantitative research with Australian employers, employees, and older job seekers were used to test two hypotheses, about the low success rate of mature-aged job seekers and about the worth of older workers with regards to the work-related attributes required in the new world of work. It was concluded that currently employed older workers are valued for their task- and organization-specific skills which, however, count for little when competing for a new job. The paper concludes by suggesting that a radical change in attitudes towards the training and trainability of older workers is required of all parties. A strong emphasis on training should be a cornerstone of policies aimed at increasing mature-aged workforce participation, which will be increasingly essential in coming decades. His publications in social gerontology include papers on well-being, productive aging, mature aged employment, retirement, fear of crime, and indigenous aging.     

Minimising harm to older Victorians from heatwaves: A qualitative study of the role of community‐based health profession and carer organisations

Aim: To investigate the role of community‐based health profession and carer organisations in Victoria in minimising harm to older people from heatwaves. Methods: A qualitative study based on semistructured interviews was conducted in Victoria, Australia. Twelve people were interviewed, representing four professional groups that support the health of older Victorians who reside at home. Results: None of the health profession and carer organisations studied had formalised heatwave strategies; however, their staff conduct a range of activities before and during heatwaves that may reduce harm to older clients. Interviewees discussed roles their organisations could play in a heatwave response plan, including coordination, identification of high‐risk individuals and education. All saw a need for extra resources and training if responses to heatwaves were required more frequently. Conclusion: It may be feasible to utilise the existing services and infrastructure of community‐based health profession and carer organisations operating in Victoria within a State‐wide Heatwave Response plan; however, this will require extra resources, training and coordination.     

Mature Age Employment: Recent Developments in Public Policy in Australia and the UK

Objective : To examine recent policy developments in mature age employment in Australia and the UK. Method: Recent data and policy statements in the UK and Australia, supplemented by the findings from interviews undertaken with government and industry leaders in the UK in October/November 1998, reflecting similar work in Australia, were analysed and compared. Conclusions : ?bL Population ageing, a long term decline in activity rates and skills among mature age workers and discrimination against them are important policy issues in both Australia and the UK (as in other countries). ?bL A major policy difference is the use of antidiscrimination and related legislation in Australia; compared with a reliance on education and codes of practice in the UK. Sustained awareness raising is required, together with evaluation of the longer‐term impact on employer practices. ?bL Employer involvement is low and systematic approaches are needed to identify and support good practice by employers towards older workers in both countries. ?bL A comprehensive approach is crucial (whole of government, industry, unions), taking into account industry, occupational, locational and gender differentials.     

Older workers: can they succeed in the job market?

Objectives: To identify and track the progress of mature age workers who have overcome barriers associated with their age. To identify factors contributing to successful employment outcomes for older workers. To evaluate the success rate of service providers in facilitating access to the labour market for older workers. Methods: Three job network providers were approached: Mission Employment, Salvation Army Employment Plus and Work Ventures Inc. All three agreed to provide addresses of clients aged 45 years and over to be reached through a mail questionnaire. A total of 700 questionnaires were dispatched anonymously with the cooperation of these three organisations. A small number of follow‐up interviews were also conducted with survey respondents who indicated their willingness to be interviewed, and had signed a consent form for this purpose. Several interviews were also conducted with staff at the three cooperating agencies. Results: Of the 700 questionnaires dispatched, 163 were returned, giving a response rate of 23%. Among the respondents, 82 were employed at the time and 81 were unemployed. There were approximately equal responses from men and women. Of the 82 employed persons, 48 had obtained jobs either through answering advertisements or through personal contacts. Only 19 had obtained employment through a job network agency. The most important barrier to employment was identified as age, followed by lack of specialised skills. Conclusions: Early intervention is essential. The chances of re‐employment decline steadily with the duration of unemployment. Age discrimination stands out as the major obstacle to re‐employment for older workers. Personal connections and specialised skills are more important than the activities of job network agencies. Job seekers are also handicapped by inflexibility in relation to training, travel to new locations, and acceptance of a different kind of job.     

Connecting Social,Clinical, and Home Care Services for Persons with Serious Illness in the Community

The medical, psychological, cognitive, and social needs of older adults with serious illness are best met by coordinated and team‐based services and support. These services are best provided in a seamless care model anchored by integrated biopsychosocial assessments focused on what matters to older adults and their social determinants of health; individualized care plans with shared goals; care provision and management; and quality measurement with continuous improvement. This model requires (1) racially and ethnically diverse healthcare professionals, including mental health and direct service workers, with training in aging and team collaboration; (2) an integrated network of community‐based organizations (CBOs) providing in‐home services; (3) an electronic communication platform that spans the system of providers and organizations with skilled technology staff; and (4) payment models that incentivize team‐based care across the continuum of services, including CBOs, with adequate salaries and academic loan forgiveness to recruit and retain high‐quality team members. Assuring that this model is effective requires ongoing quality assurance measures that include not only quality of care and utilization data to demonstrate cost offsets of service integration, but also quality of life for both the older adults and the family members caring for them. Although this may seem a lofty ideal in comparison with our current fragmented system, we review models that provide the key elements effectively and cost efficiently. We then propose an Essential Care Model that defines best practice in meeting the needs of older adults with serious illness and their families. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:S412–S418, 2019.     

“My Older Clients Fall Through Every Crack in the System”: Geriatrics Knowledge of Legal Professionals

With the number of older adult arrestees and prisoners increasing rapidly, legal professionals increasingly provide front‐line identification and response to age‐related health conditions (including cognitive and physical impairments) that may affect legal outcomes, such as the ability to participate in one's defense or stay safe in jail. The goals of this study were to assess the ability of legal professionals to recognize and respond to age‐related conditions that could affect legal outcomes and to identify recommendations to address important knowledge gaps. This was a mixed quantitative–qualitative study. Legal professionals (N = 72) in the criminal justice system were surveyed to describe their demographic characteristics, expertise, and prior aging‐related training and to inform the qualitative interview guide. Those surveyed included attorneys (district attorneys (25%), public defenders and legal advocates (58%)), judges (6%), and court‐affiliated social workers (11%). In‐depth qualitative interviews were then conducted with a subset of 10 legal professionals who worked with older adults at least weekly. Results from the surveys and interviews revealed knowledge deficits in four important areas: age‐related health, identification of cognitive impairment, assessment of safety risk, and optimization of services upon release from jail. Four recommendations to close these gaps emerged: educate legal professionals about age‐related health, train professionals to identify cognitive and sensory impairment, develop checklists to identify those at risk of poor health or safety, and improve knowledge of and access to transitional services for older adults. These findings suggest that geriatrics knowledge gaps of legal professionals exist that may contribute to adverse medical or legal outcomes for older adults involved in the criminal justice system and that partnerships between healthcare and legal professionals are needed to address these challenges.     

Enhancing attitudes, knowledge and skills of paraprofessional service providers in elder care settings

The preparation of paraprofessional providers of services to older adults is often a "back-burner" issue, even though most direct care of older clients and patients is provided by paraprofessionals. This community-academic project delivered gerontological training to 74 paraprofessional service providers and evaluated the impact of training on gerontological attitudes, knowledge, and skills, and client satisfaction. Key features are that paraprofessional trainees selected training topics, gerontological social workers provided the training, pre- and post-tests assessed the impact of training, and interactive training modeled processes to apply with older adults. Findings suggest that age-related "attitudes" and "skills" can progressively develop, "knowledge" is likely to change sooner, and "client satisfaction" can be enhanced. Future training initiatives can address the value of "reinforcement training," enhancing the capabilities of gerontology and geriatric educators to meet needs of paraprofessionals who influence the quality of later lives.     

Work and retirement in the Asia–Oceania region: Perspectives on longer employment and flexible retirement

This paper considers the situation of older workers in developed economies generally, and the specific cases of Australia and Japan. It examines trends in the employment of older people, the development of public policies, and identifies measures for promoting longer employment, re-employment, and gradual retirement.     

New for old – recent developments in public policies towards older workers in the United Kingdom

This article reviews recent developments in public policies towards older workers in the United Kingdom. In the last decade, against a background of population ageing, tightening labour markets and a recognition that older workers face barriers in the labour market, successive UK governments have begun to implement policies aimed at increasing labour force participation rates among this group. These have included education campaigns encouraging the recruitment and retention of older workers by firms and assistance and guidance aimed at helping older workers to obtain training and to make decisions about returning to work. The impact of these policies is discussed and proposals for developments in policies are set out.     

NEEDS OF OLDER PEOPLE: DO EDUCATION PROGRAMMES MEET THE CHALLENGE?

It has been established that older people have the potential to continue to learn. Evidence that learning and intellectual stimulation is highly valued by older people is illustrated by the popularity of education programmes offered by the University of the Third Age (U3A). The paper will give an overview of educational opportunities presently extsting in Australia and trace the history of the development of U3A. Emphasis will be placed on issues which should be addressed if access to educational opportunities is to be improved.     

New for old – recent developments in public policies towards older workers in the United Kingdom

Summary This article reviews recent developments in public policies towards older workers in the United Kingdom. In the last decade, against a background of population ageing, tightening labour markets and a recognition that older workers face barriers in the labour market, successive UK governments have begun to implement policies aimed at increasing labour force participation rates among this group. These have included education campaigns encouraging the recruitment and retention of older workers by firms and assistance and guidance aimed at helping older workers to obtain training and to make decisions about returning to work. The impact of these policies is discussed and proposals for developments in policies are set out. Received: 5 June 2000 Accepted: 16 June 2000     

Weiterbildung älterer Arbeitskräfte angesichts einer veränderten Weiterbildungsorganisation

In the following contribution the under-proportional participation rate of older workers in vocational training is analyzed. Regarding the changes concerning the organization of vocational training to more job-integrated, self-directed and computer-based learning the consequences for training opportunities, motivation to learn and performance possibilities as well as institutional basic conditions to optimize the participation of elderly workers in further training are discussed.     

African Americans,Mental Health,and Aging

A critical examination of the literature suggests that older African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and dementia. Assessment is complicated by potential differences in symptom presentation or reporting and a lack of assessment instruments validated for use with ethnically diverse older populations. Disparities in treatment are exacerbated for several reasons, including failure to access formal treatment, differences in symptomatology response to treatment, lack of available mental health resources, and stigma. Results indicate an enhanced awareness and training of the cultural context of mental health should be considered in clinical practice and research.     

Building social capital among rural,older Australians through information and communication technologies: A review article

This paper undertakes a comprehensive review of the growing international literature on the adoption and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) among older people. Issues associated with access and adoption of ICTs among older people living in rural communities will be explored, drawing on social capital as a theoretical lens through which to identify how these new technologies can build healthy ageing. ICTs as bridging social capital can address some of the challenges of service provision in rural Australia and provide access to more extensive information and resources. ICTs can also contribute to bonding social capital through access to other forms of communication to build on local connectedness. However, rural, older people face particular challenges of access, which may exacerbate the cycle of rural social exclusion. In the context of the Australian National Broadband rollout, it is timely to consider how some of these disparities can be addressed.     

Gerontological education in Japan--in training of social welfare personnel and nurses.

Though Japan is noted for the custom of respect for the elderly, gerontological education is not widely practiced. At present it is only done in the training of several professionals and semi-professionals in health and welfare services for the elderly, i.e., medical doctors, nurses, social workers, and care workers for the disabled and older persons. In the training of social workers who are expected to serve as the pivot of a team for psycho-social help and caregiving, gerontological education is given as a part of social work education. In schools for care workers for the disabled and older persons that are two-year vocational schools, practical gerontological knowledge and skills needed in the care of the elderly are taught as an important base for their future work. In schools of nursing, most of which are two-year or three-year vocational schools in Japan, gerontological education is included as an indispensable component of the curriculum and is being given increasing importance these days.     

Street‐level workers’ criteria for identifying indigents to be exempted from user fees in Burkina Faso

Objectives Universal healthcare coverage cannot be achieved in Africa as long as the indigent, the poorest, are unable to access healthcare systems. This study was carried out in Burkina Faso to obtain street‐level workers’ perspectives on what criteria should be used to select indigents to be exempted from user fees. Methods Two group consensus techniques were used (Delphi and Concept Mapping). The participants were nurses (CM; n = 24), midwives (CM; n = 23) from a rural district and Social Action agents (CM; n = 31) and healthcare workers (Delphi n = 23) in training at two national schools. Results Altogether, 446 criteria were proposed. The nurses put forward criteria related to being ill without support and being a victim of society. The midwives focused more on the disabled poor and those who were ill and unsupported. The healthcare workers in training mentioned disabled persons and the elderly with no family support. The Social Action agents spoke about vulnerability related to illness or disability and the fact of being excluded or being a disaster victim. Conclusions These criteria proposed by street‐level workers add to other studies conducted in Burkina Faso and should help the State to improve indigents’ access to care.     

Older Adults: the Labour Market,Employers and the Role of the Employment Specialist

Trends in the Australian labour market indicate that the nature and extent of work will continue to change into the next century, creating obstacles and opportunities for the employment of older workers. Current labour market programs are viewed as inadequate to meet the employment needs of older adults. The impact of the labour market upon the employment of older adults is discussed. It is argued that employers need to change their employment practices in order to employ and retain older workers in the work place and the importance of the employment specialist in this process is outlined. Recommendations are made regarding the role of employment specialists in terms of promoting the employment and retention of older adults.     

Development of the interpersonal dependency scale for older adults

Objectives: This research developed a new, theory‐based measure of interpersonal dependency for use with older adults. Methods: Group discussions were facilitated with older people along with input from a group of allied health workers to assist with the initial item selection process. Then, based on Bornstein's interactive theory of dependency, 85 items were selected for distribution to two random samples of 350 people, aged 65–90 years, from two Perth organisations (the Silver Chain Nursing Association and the Positive Ageing Foundation of Australia). Results: Using item‐total correlations, the 85‐item scale was reduced to a highly reliable, short (20‐item) screening tool. Coefficient alphas ranged from 0.92–0.94. Conclusions: The new interpersonal dependency measure will assist further research in the area of older adult dependency. In addition, if used as a screening tool by home‐care agencies it has the potential to inform interventions.