Because medication prescribing and use have become a normative aspect of health care for older adults, we seek to understand how individuals navigate prescribed-medication use within the context of aging. We reasoned that, for those who are ambulatory, medication use is likely influenced by ethnocultural meanings of health and experiences with alternative approaches to health care. Accordingly, we conducted a qualitative study, with in-depth interviews, on a diverse sample of older adults in order to identify elderly persons’ perceptions and uses of medicines. Our findings depict older adults as active agents – who draw on a lifetime of experience and knowledge – who take responsibility for adherence (or non-adherence) to medicines and their associated effects on their own bodies. We represent the older person as a “pharmaceutical person” whose experiences of aging are inextricably tied up with the negotiation of medicine-reliant health care.

The aim of this exploratory study was to better understand interpersonal communication between frail elders and caregivers in the context of long-term care giving. In addition, in light of the Communication Accommodation Theory, the goal was to determine the extent to which communication can be a transmitter of ageism, particularly of implicit ageism. A total of 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted among elders and caregivers of a Quebec long-term care facility. Results suggest a close convergence between the perception of seniors and caregivers in regards to a quasi total absence of daily communication and moreover, in regards to the highly instrumental nature of this same communication. Finally, results of the content analysis also suggest that implicit ageism is indeed reflected in interpersonal communication between frail elders and caregivers.

An aging population is best served by social, personal, and health support focused on maintaining and maximizing personal independence. The Internet affords numerous opportunities for individuals of all ages to communicate, access information, and engage in recreational activities. A community-based sample of 122 adults over 60 years of age completed a questionnaire which assessed three clusters of characteristics: (a) frequency and patterns of Internet use, (b) well-being (loneliness, life satisfaction, self-efficacy, social support, and depression), and (c) demographics (age, income, education). Significant correlations emerged between the three clusters of measured variables. Controlling for demographic differences, Internet use and self-efficacy remained significantly related. Among the sample of older adults, individuals who used the Internet more had higher perceptions of self-efficacy than those who used the Internet rarely or not at all.

Restructuring – the introduction of changes that alter the way health care is delivered for maximum efficiency and least cost – layered with rurality and with rural gender ideologies and practices, results in rural long-term care settings that have particular consequences for the women working in them, and for the residents and communities that they serve. This research investigated how rurality affects the implementation of patient classification in Ontario long-term care homes. Methods involved interviews and focus groups with front-line long-term care workers, administrators, and key participants. The findings revealed that rural long-term care delivery takes place when a restructured work environment intersects with gender ideologies and practices that take on particular characteristics when developed and sustained in a rural context. These factors shape the labor market and working conditions for rural women. We argue that this produces a uniquely rural experience for long-term care workers and conclude that those implementing classification systems must consider contextual factors as well as practical and financial exigencies.

This hermeneutic phenomenological study provided insight into the experiences of family members of residents diagnosed with mild to moderate dementia who were relocated from institutional-based care to a unique assisted-living environment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 family members, and six themes emerged: (a) ongoing communication, (b) relief and contentment, (c) meaningful activities, (d) enhanced environment, (e) improved functioning, and (f) engaged staff. These findings have significant implications for care delivery and future program planning in caring for residents with special needs. Above all, we can conclude that client-centered care results in positive outcomes for residents and family members.

The purpose of this qualitative interpretive design was to explore the perspectives of researchers, health care providers, policy makers, and decision makers on key risks, concerns, and emerging issues related to home care safety that would inform a line of research inquiry. Defining safety specifically in this home care context has yet to be described; consequently, gaining insight from various stakeholders about safety issues relevant to the home care sector is necessary in order to inform strategic directions for future research. To begin to map a research agenda, a three-part environmental scan was conducted: (a) a pilot study with home care recipients and providers; (b) key informant interviews with researchers, health care providers, policy makers, and decision makers; and (c) a review of literature in three topic areas. Only the results of the key informant interviews are reported here.

Physical activity has been linked to positive health outcomes for frail seniors. However, our understanding of factors that influence the physical activity of residents in the long-term care (LTC) setting is limited. This article describes our work with focus groups, one component of a multi-component study that examined factors influencing the physical activity of LTC residents. Residents, significant others, and staff from nine LTC facilities participated in these focus groups. Analysis of group discussions revealed three themes reflecting factors that mitigate the provision of physical activity: (a) inadequate support for physical activity, (b) pervasive institutional routines, and (c) physical environment constraints. All participants considered physical activity important to health preservation. Individual, structural, and environmental factors affected the quantity and quality of physical activity accessed by residents. These findings confirm the need to develop practical strategies and ways to address modifiable barriers and embed physical activity into LTC systems of care.

The understanding of palliative care practices at home (PCH) is limited by the lack of available scientific knowledge. This is explained by the fact that its practices are relatively recent and they question our relationship with death and dying individuals. This study aims to contribute to the advancement of knowledge about PCH with the elderly. More specifically, with a perspective of social exclusion, it aims to understand how practices either do or do not produce social exclusion with seniors receiving palliative care. Nineteen participants from two local community services centers were interviewed and six multidisciplinary meetings were attended for observation. This study suggests that positive representations concerning the elderly in palliative care and recognition of their autonomy can avoid social exclusion, including its symbolic and identificatory dimensions. However, standardization of practices seems to contribute to institutional exclusion and foster nonrecognition.

We conducted a mixed-methods study – the focus of this article – to understand how workers in long-term care facilities experienced working conditions. We surveyed unionized care workers in Ontario (n = 917); we also surveyed workers in three Canadian provinces (n = 948) and four Scandinavian countries (n = 1,625). In post-survey focus groups, we presented respondents with survey questions and descriptive statistical findings, and asked them: “Does this reflect your experience?” Workers reported time pressures and the frequency of experiences of physical violence and unwanted sexual attention, as we explain. We discuss how iteratively mixing qualitative and quantitative methods to triangulate survey and focus group results led to expected data convergence and to unexpected data divergence that revealed a normalized culture of structural violence in long-term care facilities. We discuss how the finding of structural violence emerged and also the deeper meaning, context, and insights resulting from our combined methods.