What characterizes senior citizens clubs is the fact that they are independently run: this raises the question of leadership within these groupings. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between two styles of leadership in club presidents and the mother tongue, the number of hours/week spent on the club's business, the size of the board and club membership. Over 160 presidents completed the “Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire”. A canonical analysis revealed that styles of leadership are related to maternal language, size of board and club membership, and hours/week spent on club's business.

This case study is an analysis of a mandated municipal senior's group. Earlier work has suggested that variability in effectiveness is related to organizational structures, external forces and the level of institutional change sought.

In this study information was obtained on the political, economic and social context within which the group operated; its organizational composition and structure; its objectives and strategies employed to achieve these; and resources available to the group. Outcome was assessed in terms of impact on programs, resource allocation, policy statements, changes in the definition of issues, and influence on decision makers. Data collection methods included non-participant observation; taped interviews with group members and leaders; key informants in the community; and content analysis of written committee documents.

This paper identifies some factors associated with changes in face-to-face contact between grandmothers and grandchildren following a child's marriage breakdown. A qualitative analysis showed that geographic mobility, the appeal of a grandmother's home, employment status of the adult child, and the absence of the child-in-law were related to increases in visiting. Unresolved conflict and difficulties re-negotiating post-breakdown relationships were related to decreases in visiting. These findings as well as implications for service delivery are discussed.

This paper presents an analysis of access to social and health services of elderly people at three community and social service centres (CLSCs) in Montreal. Workers at the CLSCs were interviewed about service accessibility for elderly people in their neighbourhood. The elderly clientele of one CLSC, located in the centre of Montreal, primarily consists of French-Canadians and English-Canadians; the second CLSC is in a neighbourhood with many elderly Portuguese and the third CLSC is in a neighbourhood where a large concentration of elderly Chinese people live. No problems of access to services were perceived for elderly French-Canadian, English-Canadian or Portuguese people while serious problems of access were perceived for elderly Chinese people. Services provided for elderly people of the dominant cultures and elderly Portuguese are limited or unavailable to elderly Chinese people of Montreal. This suggests institutional racism against elderly Chinese people.

Programmes for publicly assisted housing for senior citizens are making it increasingly possible for the elderly to reside in towns and villages. A study of senior citizen apartment projects in nine small Ontario Towns appraises the quality of housing being produced. Many shortfalls in design and construction are revealed along with out-of-the-way locations for projects. Deficiencies are not easily rectified and responsibility impossible to assign.

The majority of long term care facilities for the elderly have the characteristics of total institutions. Care is based on the medical model which emphazises the physical needs of the residents. Current gerontological research and literature concludes that a biopsychosocial approach offers the highest quality of care to the elderly in institutions. This paper discusses political, economic, institutional and professional barriers to the implementation of the holistic approach to care. It recognizes that accommodation to the constraints identified is required. It then comments on the potential for an active alliance between two important actors in traditional long term care service delivery, the professional social worker and the nurse, to move the institution towards biopsychosocial care.

This book is the first in a series on perspectives on individual and population aging. Emphasis is placed on the social patterns and institutions, and policy issues which arise from demographic aging in the Canadian context. A variety of topics are covered in the text. The general theme that emerges from the selected review of the available evidence presented in this volume is that scare imagery or siege mentality have no role in the discussions of this topic and may well create further problems rather than solutions. The book is written in a style that does not require any particular expertise.

Canada's Aging Population attempts to raise social issues that will have to be debated in Canada as a result of the fact that our population is getting older. The main analytical approach McDaniel uses in this book is the structural, contextual approach which sees population aging issues as being influenced by social systems such as economic structure, attitudes toward dependency and productivity, stratification, and gender relations, among others. This leads the reader to believe that fundemental issues about the socieconomic situation of elderly Canadians would be debated in this book. This critical analysis does not fully materialize. Certainly, McDaniel does raise some important issues such as zero population growth, women and aging, and pension programmes but the critical analysis from a structural, contextual perspective is lacking. Thus, while this book may provide useful information to students, volunteers, and practitioners, it is unlikely that it will contribute to significant social change, in terms of research studies or policy formation, for elderly Canadians.

In A Will and a Way, Kane and Kane have once again demonstrated their ability to accumulate masses of data. This book offers a wealth of descriptive information on three long term care systems in Canada, as well as some of the features of these systems which may be appropriate for the United States (such as universal programs based on need, case management practices, panelling practices, and size of jurisdiction). Those interested in specific practical questions and/or figures on utilization will find this book a good resource. However, those interested in a broader discussion from a theoretically informed perspective or a good discussion of existing research in this area will be disappointed.