36 research outputs found
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Gender Differences in Adaptation to Early Retirement
Gender differences in adaptation to early retirement are examined, focusing on the relative influences of health & financial situation. Data were gathered through face-to-face structured interviews conducted during a longitudinal survey of a sample drawn from the membership of a health maintenance organization in a midwestern, industrial SMSA (N = 521 Rs, aged 60-64). Analysis of data from 181 Rs who were retired at the time of the interview indicates that Fs & Ms do not differ in their overall adaptations to early retirement; both genders describe their experiences in positive terms. Also, both Ms & Fs are in equally good health. The only retirement outcome on which Rs differ is financial situation, with Fs' benefits only about 60% as large as Ms'; however, both genders evaluate their finances positively. For Fs, objective measures of health & finance are unrelated to overall adaptation; for Ms, objective health status is a good predictor of adaptation, while objective financial status is not. Fs' subjective assessments of their health & financial status do predict their overall perceptions of their retirements. While the perception of finances is related to retirement adaptation for Ms, perception of health is not. Finally, race is relevant for retirement adaptation for Ms but not for Fs. It is clear that although Ms & Fs adapt to early retirement equally positively, they are adapting to different financial situations through different processes
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Reviews -- Current Perspectives on Aging and the Life Cycle: A Research Annual: Personal History Through the Life Course (Vol. 3) edited by David Unruh and Gail S. Livings
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The Relevance of Chronic Illness in the Everyday Lives of Elderly Women
Much past research on the experience of chronic illness and disability is based on the theoretical assumption of illness as a stigmatizing deviance. Among the elderly, however, for whom chronic illness is almost anticipated, there is likely to be less potential for stigma, so that other aspects of physical problems may be more important to an understanding of the illness experience. In-depth interviews were conducted with 29 elderly women suffering from diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, and/or some other chronic health problem. The following research questions were addressed: (a) What is the experience of chronic illness in the everyday lives of noninstitutionalized elderly women? (b) In what ways is stigmatization part of this experience? (c) How is the chronic illness experience related to self-concept? (d) How is this relationship affected by the experience of specific ailments? Inductive data analysis revealed that although the concept of stigma was of limited value in describing the illness experience, more mundane effects of physical problems on daily tasks and lifestyles as a whole were common. For some, specific symptoms led to significant changes, whereas for others illness-related limitations on time and energy were key factors in these effects. Importantly, alterations of self-concept were not experienced universally. For some, illness was not incorporated into self-concept, despite severe physical limitations. Both illness-specific and global aspects of the illness experience emerged during the research
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David Unruh and Gail S. Livings: "Current Perspectives on Aging and the Life Cycle: A Research Annual, Vol. 3: Personal History Through the Life Course" (Book Review)
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The Experience of Chronic Illness and Consequences for Health Behavior among Women and Men Near Retirement Age
The relationships between specific illnesses, a global evaluation of life with chronic illness, & number of physician (MD) visits in the past year are explored using data from a chronically ill subsample (N = 335) of a stratified random sample of women & men aged 62-66 drawn from the membership of a large health maintenance organization in a north-central, industrial SMSA. Analysis reveals that persons with arthritis were more likely than others either to feel that they were healthy & could ignore their health problem (24% vs 17%), or that they were ill & either doing the best they could or overwhelmed (31% vs 22%). Those with hypertension were unlikely to feel they could ignore their ailment (16%) & more likely to see their condition as something they had to take care of in order to do other things (59% vs 45%). As expected, those who saw their problem as something they could ignore were more likely than others to have had no MD visits (32% vs 11%); those who saw their illness as simply something to take care of were most likely to have had 1 to 6 visits (63% vs 50%) & those who saw themselves as ill were most likely to have had more than 6 visits (39% vs 24%)
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Living with HIV and Dying with AIDS: Diversity, Inequality and Human Rights in the Global Pandemic
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Discrimination Against Older Women in Health Care
Growing awareness of apparent gaps in health care received by women and men raises concern over possible discrimination. This literature review examines this issue for elderly women, whose health care is obtained in a system that also may be permeated with age discrimination. Physicians tend to spend more time with women and older patients, suggesting that discrimination may not be an issue in the physician-patient relationship or may work in favor of older women. However, this may simply reflect elderly women's poorer health. Gender and age disparities in medical treatments received provide a more compelling argument that the health care system is a source of discrimination against older women, who are less likely than others to receive available treatments for cardiac, renal, and other conditions. The history of medical treatment of menopause suggests that stereotypes of older women have been advantageous for segments of the health care system. Finally, in addition to discrimination that has its source within the health care system itself, societal-wide inequities, particularly economic, are extremely detrimental to older women's health care. As we respond to the health care crisis, we must be alert to the potential to rectify those structures and tendencies that can lead to discrimination against women and the aged. Health care reform presents a unique opportunity to ensure health care equity
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Living with and in Spite of Chronic Illness: The Experience of Elderly Women
Much past research on the experience of chronic illness & disability is based on the theoretical assumption of illness as stigmatizing deviance. Among the elderly, however, for whom chronic illness is almost anticipated, there is likely to be less potential for stigma, so that other aspects of physical problems may be more important to an understanding of the illness experience. Data were gathered through in-depth interviews with 25 elderly women suffering from diabetes, arthritis, &/or hypertension & 5 healthy women to address the following questions: What is the perceived impact of chronic illness on the everyday lives of noninstitutionalized elderly women? How are the perceptions of the chronic illness experience affected by the experience of specific ailments? Inductive data analysis revealed that while the concepts of stigma & deviance were of limited value in describing the illness experience, more mundane effects of physical problems on daily tasks & lifestyles as a whole were common. For some, specific symptoms led to significant changes, while for others, illness-related limitations on time & energy were key factors in these effects. Importantly, alterations of self-concept were not experienced universally. For some, illness was not incorporated into self-concept, despite severe physical limitations. Both illness-specific & global meanings of the illness experience that emerged during the research & their implications are discussed