Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T05:47:52.478Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social Integration and Caregiving among Seniors in Bermuda

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 November 2008

Neena L. Chappell  and
Victor W. Marshall
Neena L. Chappell
Affiliation:
Centre on Aging, Sedgewick Building, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada.
Victor W. Marshall
Affiliation:
Centre for Studies of Aging, University of Toronto, 305-455 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2G8, Canada.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This paper examines social interaction among seniors in Bermuda, the relationship of various interaction variables with psychological or emotional well-being, and caregiving. The data come from the first ever social science survey conducted among seniors in this country. The findings are compared with selected industrialised countries. Bermudian seniors have strong social ties, somewhat stronger than have been reported in other developed nations. Overwhelmingly, perceived health is related to life satisfaction and functional disability is related to self-esteem among Bermudian seniors. The lack of relationship with social support may well be due to the lack of variation in social support, with virtually everyone having strong social ties. Informal assistance is strong in Bermuda as has been demonstrated for seniors elsewhere. Similarly, the predictors of informal assistance were no surprise, including functional disability, perceptions of health, and having a household member. That is, Bermudian seniors were somewhat distinctive, particularly in their strong social ties, but otherwise appear to be quite similar to seniors in other developed nations. Their geographical isolation and relative small size are believed to be related to their strong social network.

Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , December 1992 , pp. 499 - 514
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Allan, G. 1988. Kinship, responsibility and care for elderly people. Ageing and Society, 8, 249–68.Google Scholar
Andrews, F. M. and Withey, S. R. 1976. Social Indicators of Well-Being. Pleneum Press, New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Antonucci, T. C. 1985. Personal characteristics, social support, and social behavior. In Binstock, R. H. and Shanas, E. (eds), Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences (Second Edition). Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York.Google Scholar
Antonucci, T. C. 1990. Social supports and social relationships. In Binstock, R. H. and George, L. K. (eds), Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences (Third Edition). Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Arber, S. and Ginn, J. 1990. The meaning of informal care: gender and the contribution of elderly people. Ageing and Society, 10, 429–54.Google Scholar
Barker, J. C. and Mitteness, L. S. 1990. Invisible caregivers in the spotlight: non-kin caregivers of frail older adults. In Gubrium, J. F. and Sankar, A. (eds), The Home Care Experience: Ethonography and Policy. Sage Publications, California.Google Scholar
Chappell, N. L. 1989. Health and helping among the elderly, gender differences. Journal of Aging and Health,I, 102–20.Google Scholar
Chappell, N. L. 1990 a. Aging and social care. In Binstock, R. H. and George, L. (eds), Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences (Third Edition). Academic Press, California.Google Scholar
Chappell, N. L. 1990b. In-group differences among elders living with friends and family other than spouse. Journal of Aging Studies, 5, 61–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chappell, N. L. The role of family and friends in quality of life. In Birren, J. E., Lubben, J. E., Cichowlas, Rowe J. and Deutchman, D. (eds), The Concept and Measurement of Quality of Life in the Frail Elderly. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Chappell, N. L. 1992. Social Support and Aging in Canada. Butterworths, Toronto, Ontario.Google Scholar
Chappell, N. L. and Blandford, A. A. 1991. Frailty and informal support. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco, California, 11.Google Scholar
Chappell, N. L. and Edness, Q. L. 1991. Health and social services for seniors in Bermuda. Ageing International, 18, 28–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chappell, N. L. and Marshall, V. W. 1991. The elderly in Bermuda. Ageing International, forthcoming.Google Scholar
Cohen, S. and Syme, S. L. 1985. Issues in the study and application of social support. In Social Support and Health. Academic Press, Florida.Google Scholar
Connidis, I. A. 1989. Family Ties and Aging. Butterworths, Toronto, Ontario.Google Scholar
Donnenworth, G. V., Guy, R. F. and Norvell, M. J. 1978. Life satisfaction among older persons: rural–urban and racial comparisons. Social Science Quarterly, 59, 578–83.Google Scholar
Gottlieb, B. H. 1983. Social Support Strategies: Guidelines for Mental Health Practice. Sage Publications, California.Google Scholar
Hagestad, G. O. 1985. Continuity and connectedness. In Bengtson, V. L. and Robertson, J. F. (eds), Grandparenthood. Sage Publications, California.Google Scholar
Hanson, S. M. and Sauer, W. J. 1985. Children and their elderly parents. In Sauer, W. J. and Coward, R. T. (eds), Social Support Networks and the Care of the Elderly. Springer, New York.Google Scholar
Harvey, C. and Harris, M. 1985. Decision-making during widowhood: The beginning years. Paper presented at the Beatrice Paolucci Symposium, Michigan State University.Google Scholar
Hendrix, L. 1976. Kinship, social network and integration among Ozark residents and out-migrants. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 38, 97–104.Google Scholar
Hess, B. B. and Soldo, B. J. 1985. Husband and wife networks. In Sauer, W. J. and Coward, R. T. (eds), Social Support Networks and the Care of the Elderly. Springer, New York.Google Scholar
House, J. S. and Kahn, R. L. 1985. Measures and concepts of social support. In Cohen, S. and Syme, S. L. (eds), Social Support and Health. Academic Press, Orlando, Florida.Google Scholar
Hynson, L. M. Jr 1975. Rural–urban differences in satisfaction among the elderly. Rural Sociology, 40, 64–6.Google Scholar
Kane, R. L. 1990. Introduction. In Kane, R. L., Evans, J. G. and MacFadyen, D. (eds), Improving the Health of Older People: A World View. Oxford University Press, New York.Google Scholar
Kessler, R. C. and McLeod, J. D. 1985. Social support and mental health in community samples. In Cohen, S. and Syme, S. L. (eds), Social Support and Health. Academic Press, Orlando, Florida.Google Scholar
Lawton, M. P., Nahemow, L. and Teaff, J. 1975. Housing characteristics and the well being of elderly tenants in federally assisted housing. Journal of Gerontology, 30, 601–7.Google Scholar
Lee, G. R. 1985. Theoretical perspectives on social networks. In Sauer, W. J. and Coward, R. T. (eds), Social Support Networks and the Care of the Elderly. Springer, New York.Google Scholar
Lee, G. R. and Cassidy, M. L. 1985. Family and kin relations of the rural elderly. In Coward, R. T. and Lee, G. R. (eds), The Elderly in Rural Society. Springer, New York.Google Scholar
Lee, G. R. and Whitbeck, L. B. 1987. Residential location and social relations among older persons. Rural Sociology, 52, 89–97.Google Scholar
Lewis, J. and Meredith, B. 1988. Daughters caring for mothers. Ageing and Society, 8, 1–21.Google Scholar
Lopata, H. Z. 1978. Contributions of extended families to the support system of metropolitan area widows: limitations of the modified kin network. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 40, 355–64.Google Scholar
Marshall, V. W. 1987. Factors affecting response and completion rates in some Canadian studies. Canadian Journal on Aging, 6, 217–27.Google Scholar
Martin, Matthews A. 1987. Widowhood as an expectable life event. In Marshall, V. W. (ed.), Aging in Canada (Second Edition). Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ontario.Google Scholar
Mindel, C. H. and Wright, R. 1982. The use of social services by black and white elderly: the role of social support systems. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 4, 107-20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenberg, M. 1965. Society and the Adolescent Self-Image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Rosenthal, C. 1987. Aging and intergenerational relations in Canada. In Marshall, V. W. (ed.), Aging in Canada (Second Edition). Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ontario.Google Scholar
Stone, R., Cafferata, G. L. and Sangl, J. 1987. Caregivers of the frail elderly: a national profile. The Gerontologist, 27, 616–26.Google Scholar
Strain, L. A. and Chappell, N. L. 1980. Rural–urban differences among adult day care participants in Manitoba. Canadian Journal on Aging, 2, 197–209.Google Scholar
Strain, L. A. and Chappell, N. L. 1982. Confidants– do they make a difference in quality of life? Research on Aging, 4, 479–502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tennstedt, S. L., McKinlay, J. B. and Sullivan, L. M. 1989. Informal care for frail elders: the role of secondary caregivers. The Gerontologist, 29, 677–83.Google Scholar
Ward, R. A. 1983. Limitations of the family as a supportive institution in the lives of the aged. In Gutknecht, D. B., Butler, E. W., Criswell, L. and Meints, J. (eds), Family, Self, and Society: Emerging Issues, Alternatives, and Interventions. University Press of America, Lanham, Maryland.Google Scholar