Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (Reports)

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  • Publication
    Care experiences and home care preferences amongst older Travellers and older people experiencing homelessness
    (Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, 2021) Irish Centre for Social Gerontology
    [No abstract available]
  • Publication
    Life-course and structural determinants of positive health and ageing for older adult Travellers and older people who have experienced homelessness
    (Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, 2021) Irish Centre for Social Gerontology
    [No abstract available]
  • Publication
    The meaning of positive health and ageing for older adult Travellers and older people who have experienced homelessness
    (Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, 2021) Irish Centre for Social Gerontology
    [No absstract available]
  • Publication
    An overview of intergenerational programmes in Ireland
    (Age Action Ireland, 2012) Finn, Caroline; Scharf, Thomas; |~|
    [no abstract available]
  • Publication
    Marginalised care: migrant workers caring for older people in Ireland
    (Springer, 2010-12-21) Walsh, Kieran; O'Shea, Eamon; |~|
    Older adult care in Ireland is a mix of public, private, voluntary and family provision. This model is characterised by deficient funding and support structures for both care recipients and carers, leading ultimately to fragmented service delivery, both in the community and in residential care. Against this backdrop, there has been a significant and rapid growth in the number of migrant registered nurses and care assistants providing care to Irish older people. With two potentially marginalised groups now at the centre of the caring relationship, questions arise regarding the sustainability of quality of care and quality of life for both providers and recipients of care. This research study draws on the perspectives of the older person, the migrant carer and the employer to develop an understanding of migrant worker care provision within the disadvantaged ageing sector in Ireland. The paper will frame migrant care workers¿ experiences within the perspective of a marginalised sector, whose central consumers, older people, are not prioritised in policy or practice. Providing evidence of disadvantage for older adults and migrant carers, the research findings demonstrate that it is necessary to improve caring experiences and conditions for both groups if quality of care is to be enhanced.
  • Publication
    Deprivation and its measurement in later life: findings from a mixed-methods study in Ireland
    (Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, 2012-11) Walsh, Kieran; Scharf, Thomas; Cullinan, John; Finn, Caroline; |~|IRCHSS|~|Other|~|Other Government|~|
    Against the background of an ageing population and the current economic recession, the research reported here explores deprivation, and its measurement, for diverse groups of older people living in Ireland. We assess the effectiveness of existing measures of deprivation ¿ in particular the 11-item basic deprivation index used in official statistics in Ireland ¿ and explore how the perceptions and experiences of older people, from different backgrounds, can be used to inform how we think about and measure disadvantage for older people.
  • Publication
    The role of migrant care workers in ageing societies: report on research findings in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the United States
    (International Organization for Migration - IOM Migration Research Series - No. 41, 2010-12) O'Shea, Eamon; Walsh, Kieran; |~|Other|~|
    The ageing of the population presents serious challenges to developed Western nations, particularly those managing the retirement and care of a growing number of older persons. The ageing population will generate an increasing demand for caregivers, a demand made challenging because of the declining availability of nativeborn caregivers compounded by various factors including declining family care of older people, increasing life expectancy of infirm elderly and the increasing demand for social caregivers, often in home settings. Health care institutions and long-term care facilities have been turning to the foreign born to address shortages of workers, reflecting a parallel trend in the migration of health care workers worldwide. Indeed, migrants already play a significant role in the care of older persons. This report presents the comparative results of a research project on the role of migrants in the workforce of caregivers for the elderly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the United States. The purpose of the study is to examine 1) the contextual factors influencing current and future demand for care workers in an ageing society, particularly migrant care workers; 2) the experiences of migrant workers, of their employers, and of older people in institutional care (residential and nursing care homes) and in homebased care; 3) the implications of the employment of migrant workers in the care of older people for the working conditions of the migrants concerned and for the quality of care; and 4) the implications of these findings for the future care of older people and for migration policy and practice.
  • Publication
    Older people in rural communities: exploring attachment, contribution and diversity in rural Ireland and Northern Ireland
    (Healthy Ageing in Rural Communities (HARC) Research Network, 2010) Walsh, Kieran; Gavin, Martina; McDonagh, John; O'Shea, Eamon; Scharf, Thomas; |~|Other|~|
    This report documents research on older people living in three rural case-study areas across the island of Ireland. The work originated from within the Healthy Ageing in Rural Communities (HARC) research network, which was funded by the Centre for Ageing Research and development in Ireland (CARDI).
  • Publication
    Evaluating the impact of membership of Active Retirement Ireland on the lives of older people
    (Active Retirement Ireland, 2012-11) Ní Léime, Áine; Callan, Aoife; |~|Other|~|
    The purpose of the current independent evaluation is to assess o what extent is Active Retirement Ireland achieving its central aim of encouraging healthier lifestyles and enhancing well-being? Specific objectives are to assess: 1. What constitutes healthy ageing for older people? 2. What are the processes through which quality of life for older people is enhanced? 3. Does involvement in a social organisation such as ARI promote a healthier lifestyle and/or lead to enhanced quality of life in older people? 4. What are the next steps for ARI in furthering this aim?
  • Publication
    The Role of Migrant Care Workers in Ageing Societies (Irish national report).
    (Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, National University of Ireland Galway, 2009) O'Shea, Eamon; Walsh, Kieran; |~|Other|~|
    This report explores the role and potential of migrant care workers in caring for older people in Ireland. The proportion of migrant carers caring for Irish older people has increased over recent years, reflecting a broader global trend in care worker migration and thus, a highly competitive global market for migrant carers.
  • Publication
    Exploring Community Perceptions of the relationship between age and social exclusion in rural areas
    (Emerald, 2012-02) Walsh, Kieran; O'Shea, Eamon; Scharf, Thomas; |~|
    This paper aims to explore, for the first time, community perceptions of the relationship between age and social exclusion in rural areas of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach The paper builds on learning from a previous baseline cross-border rural ageing study and draws its methodology from a broader ecological multi-level approach. The research was conducted through focus groups with community stakeholders, which were undertaken in ten communities in different rural settings (village, near-urban, island, dispersed, and remote) in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.Findings In total, four interconnecting thematic areas emerged as important in determining exclusion or inclusion for older people living in rural areas: place, economic circumstances, social provision, and social connectedness. Within these themes, various tipping points emerged as important for pathways into and out of exclusion, most notably local systems of social support and the mindset of older people themselves in relation to participation. Originality/value This research lays the foundations for understanding the lived experiences of older people on the island of Ireland and the pathways for their inclusion and exclusion in diverse rural areas, as seen through the lens of community stakeholders.
  • Publication
    Rural Disadvantage: Quality of life and disadvantage amongst older people - a pilot study
    (Commission for Rural Communities (UK), 2006-02) Scharf, Thomas; |~|
    This study highlights different forms of disadvantage experienced by older people living in diverse rural settings. It addresses the experience of disadvantage across the life course, and the impacts of such disadvantage on rural older people's quality of life. As such, the research seeks to contribute to the Commission for Rural Communities' aim to develop policies that better meet the needs of disadvantaged people in rural areas.
  • Publication
    Necessities of life: older people s experiences of poverty.
    (Help The Aged, 2006) Scharf, Thomas; |~|
    This report presents findings from a study which seeks to inform the development of alternative approaches to the measurement of older people¿s poverty.The research, developed using qualitative techniques, explicitly focuses on the experiences of people who tend to be overlooked in much mainstream research on older people¿s incomes and material conditions.
  • Publication
    Multiple exclusion and quality of life amongst excluded older people in disadvantaged neighbourhoods
    (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (UK), 2005-03) Scharf, Thomas; |~|
    This report highlights the experiences of older people whose lives are affected by multiple forms of social exclusion, and represents part of the Social Exclusion Unit¿s new focus on excluded older people. Despite growing evidence of the positive impacts of a range of policies aimed at reducing the social exclusion experienced by older people, research shows that some groups of pensioners continue to be disadvantaged by poverty. Others are affected by exclusion from services, community activities, social isolation and discrimination.
  • Publication
    The impact of government policy on social exclusion of older people: a review of the literature (
    (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (UK), 2004-08) Scharf, Thomas; |~|
    This report presents the findings of research that reviews the impact of Government policy on the social exclusion of older people. The research was commissioned by the Social Exclusion Unit in July 2003, and is mainly based on research and analytical evidence published until February 2004. This is one of four reviews commissioned to inform the Social Exclusion Unit's assessment of progress made in tackling social exclusion.
  • Publication
    Older women workers'access to pensions: vulnerabilities, perspectives and strategies
    (Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, National University of Ireland Galway, 2012) Duvvury, Nata; Ní Léime, Áine; Callan, Aoife; |~|Other|~|
    Pension systems globally are in a period of transformative change as governments struggle to manage the twin constraints of an ageing population and fragile government budgets in the context of the economic recession. In the policy debate and public discourse on pension systems and the changes needed for sustainability, the gender implications of these changes rarely receive serious attention, though a body of literature has documented the unequal access to pension by gender. (Frericks, Maier and de Graaf, 2007; Ivosevic, 2009).
  • Publication
    End-of-life care for older people in acute and long-stay care settings in Ireland
    (National Council for Ageing and Older peeople, 2008) O'Shea, Eamon; Murphy, Kathy; Larkin, Philip; Payne, Sheila; Froggatt, Katherine; Casey, Dympna; Ní Léime, Áine; Keys, Mary; |~|Other|~|
  • Publication
    Well into Older Age Age & Opportunity and the Evidence: what research says about the value of promoting participation of older people
    (Age & Opportunity., 2010-12) Ní Léime, Áine; O'Shea, Eamon; |~|Other|~|
    The overall objective of this report is to examine the work of Age & Opportunity within an international context, and to explore its various impacts on age and ageing in Ireland today. The work of Age & Opportunity is assessed in the context of the relevant goals set out by international bodies such as the United Nations and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in order to encourage older people to live their lives as fully as possible. The report provides a concise summary of some of the key findings arising from research in areas relevant to the work of Age & Opportunity, specifically in regard to the promotion of greater participation by older people in physical activity, the arts, politics, advocacy and peer-led community and voluntary activity.
  • Publication
    An evaluation of the Bealtaine festival: a celebration of older people in the arts.
    (Age and Opportunity, 2008-04) Ní Léime, Áine; O'Shea, Eamon; |~|Other|~|
    This evaluation assesses the contribution of the Bealtaine festival, celebrating creativity in older age, to promoting the participation of older people in the arts in Ireland, and to improving the health and well-being of the people who participate.
  • Publication
    Community engagement in Ireland's developmental welfare state: a study of the life cycle approach
    (Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, 2011) Carney, Gemma M.; Dundon, Tony; Ní Léime, Áine; |~|Other|~|
    The idea that people matter in modern democracies, often referred to as 'civic engagement' is recognised at the highest international level (United Nations 2008: 9). Civic or community engagement is essential to how budgets are decided, policy is developed and public services delivered. Significantly, community engagement is crucial in developing policy for sustained economic and social development. In Ireland the idea of the Developmental Welfare State (DWS) is based on the premise that the social policy system should support citizens so as to reach their full potential. Such a system comprises three overlapping elements: tax and welfare transfer, the provision of services and activist initiatives (National Economic and Social Council, 2005: ix-xviii). Civil Society Organisations have been challenged to 'operationalise the DWS' using a 'life cycle framework' as part of Ireland's corporatist partnership model (Department of Taoiseach, 2006: 40).