Au cours du vieillissement, les adultes ayant une déficience intellectuelle (DI) vivent de nombreux changements susceptibles d’influencer leurs possibilités d’exercer leurs activités quotidiennes et leurs rôles sociaux. Une bonne connaissance de leurs points de vue sur le sujet apparaît cruciale pour mieux adapter l’offre de services à leurs besoins. Cette recherche a pour but de mieux comprendre les points de vue des personnes ayant une DI à l’égard de leurs possibilités de participation sociale à travers l’avancée en âge. Des entrevues individuelles et un atelier participatif ont été réalisés avec des adultes âgés de 40 à 75 ans dans la ville de Québec. L’analyse de leurs propos a permis d’identifier leurs points de vue relatifs à trois thèmes, soit leurs capacités, les possibilités d’exercer leur participation sociale et les soutiens reçus. Pour conclure, des recommandations sont proposées afin que les pratiques soutiennent réellement leur participation sociale à travers l’avancée en âge.

Les sorties de plus en plus précoces des maternités, l’isolement sociétal des parents, soulèvent la nécessité d’un accompagnement en sortie de maternité qui pour l’instant est proposé de façon ponctuelle. Des études menées par les associations d’usagers et les constats des professionnels eux-mêmes démontrent la nécessité d’organiser un soutien des parents en post-partum. L’entretien post-natal précoce, proposé depuis 2005 dans des réseaux de périnatalité en France se propose de prendre soin des parents à cette phase du post-partum, si importante et si délicate pour la parentalité et le petit humain en construction. Cette intervention, comme l’Entretien Prénatal Précoce, offre de la continuité et de la cohérence, qualités au fondement même de la sécurité émotionnelle de la « parentalité naissante ». La grossesse, l’accouchement et la naissance d’un enfant sont probablement les moments de vie les plus marquants dans la vie d’une femme, à l’origine de nombreux bouleversements physiques et psychiques. Donner la parole, observer les premiers liens, rassurer les parents et renforcer leurs capacités, repérer les premiers signes ou les éléments favorisants de dépression du post-partum, faire lien avec les acteurs du réseau en confiance avec les parents sont les objectifs de cet entretien. C’est aussi un des rares moments ou une attention et la parole sont données aux pères. Est-il réaliste de généraliser cette intervention et qu’en est-t-il des politiques publiques concernant cette action ?

Attempts to explore the mix between the provision of support by informal and formal sources typically involve evaluations of a single sample of seniors. This study examined the sources of support (i.e. informal, formal, mixed) for instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) received by seniors at two points in time, approximately 12 years apart. Sources of support were compared to consider whether those used by men and women in 1983 (n = 1479), were similar to those used by their counterparts more than a decade earlier (n = 2512). For women, the proportions receiving assistance from various sources were identical in 1983 and 1971. For men, they were not. Among seniors receiving some IADL assistance, the probability of receiving it from primarily informal sources in 1983, relative to 1971 was significantly lower for men than for women. Moreover, the probability of receiving support from primarily formal sources in 1983, relative to 1971 was significantly higher for men. These findings might imply that, for men, but not for women, the receipt of support has moved toward primarily formal sources and away from primarily informal sources. Several potential explanations for these findings are explored.

In this study we examine the impact of parent status and marital status on (1) the foundations of social support networks and (2) who one turns to if help is required with activities of daily living. Data are taken from structured interviews with 678 community-dwelling persons aged 55 and over in London, Canada. This sample overrepresents the childless, single (never married), and divorced, thus ensuring adequate numbers in each category for data analysis. Our findings indicate that marital status is more influential than parent status regarding differences in the foundations of social support. However, for more specific forms of assistance, the divorced and single are more likely than the married, and the childless are more likely than parents to rely on formal support and paid help and less likely to rely on family. As well, for both marital and parent status, there are significant interactions with gender.

This study focused on issues of concern to and service needs of older parents caring for an adult son or daughter with an acquired brain injury (ABI) in Ontario. Three issues were identified as particularly challenging: diagnosis of the brain injury, parents’ feelings about the cause of the brain injury, and planning for long-term accommodation for their family member with a brain injury. The most frequently cited services needed for the person with ABI were social and/or recreational activities, day programs, and residential placement. The most frequently cited services needed by parents were parent education and support groups. The information gathered provides a base for further research in other sectors. Implications of these initial findings for clinical practice and policy and program development are discussed.

The purpose of this research was to study the influence of spousal support in the pursuit of retirement goals on retirement satisfaction and marital satisfaction. The 100 retirees had to evaluate the support they received from their spouse for the realization of their personal projects. Regression analyses demonstrated that availability of spousal support, capacity to realize one's projects and spousal support to these projects accounted for 36% of the variance of retirement satisfaction and for 71% of the variance of marital satisfaction. Spousal support in the realization of retirement projects is an important element to consider in the evaluation of retirement and marital satisfaction.

Accessible support programs can improve health outcomes for family caregivers of older relatives with a chronic condition. Over the course of 6 months, 27 experienced family caregivers provided weekly support via the telephone to 66 individuals, either new family caregivers of seniors recently diagnosed with stroke or newly vulnerable family caregivers (i.e., facing increasing demands from the deterioration of their senior relative's condition) of seniors with Alzheimer's disease. Qualitative data documented the perceived impact of the intervention, including increased satisfaction with support, coping skills, caregiving competence and confidence, and decreased caregiver burden and loneliness. Caregivers identified varied support processes that overcame support deficits in their social networks. These processes can facilitate replication in future research and inform practice, programs, and policies.

Leisure represents a positive way to keep relationships satisfactory between caregivers and a person with dementia. Adapted leisure education is a promising approach to assist the family to discover new ways to share good times with their relatives. This study aimed to develop an adapted leisure education program. It included an evaluation of the caregivers’ needs, the program content development, and a pilot study to experiment with the content of the program. Three focus groups of dementia caregivers (n = 19) were conducted to investigate caregivers needs. Based on content analysis of these focus groups and a literature review, the content of the program was developed. The pilot study (n = 4) included a quasi-experimental trial and an implementation evaluation. This study led to the development of an adapted leisure education program that puts caregiver support in a new perspective, focusing on positive aspects rather than the burden of caregiving.