The assessments of research in social gerontology in Quebec are already numerous. The need to continue to reflect on one's work is a sign of the uncertainty amongst Quebec researchers in social gerontology. Although research activities have been multiple in the past years and research in social gerontology has a few of the characteristics of an institutionalized scientific activity, the experience of research centres in gerontology has not always been a happy one; researchers have no definite place of work and scientific publications hardly get out of Quebec. Nevertheless, numerous works should be entitled to a Canadian and international circulation, and this exposure to the international trends of research in social gerontology would in turn profit Quebec researchers. Moreover, research in social gerontology is too exclusively concentrated in the field of social psychology, while the almost ideological rejection of quantitative methods appears largely unjustified. It is imperative that social research in gerontology in Quebec be diversified, but it is also important that researchers group together around research themes and that these groups be given adequate financial assistance by the funding agencies.

Commentaire

Lorsqu'un auteur aborde le thème de la scientificité d'un domaine de la connaissance, il rend explicite une démarche à la fois réflexive et appréciative d'une discipline sur elle-même. Dans le domaine de la gérontologie sociale, cet exercice soulève aisément des débats houleux. Ne craignant pas la polémique, F. Béland dresse son propre bilan de la recherche québécoise dans ce domaine en traitant de questions méthodologiques, de problèmes relatifs à la théorisation, ainsi que du développement institutionnel de la gérontologie. Ce bilan se veut utile, en ce qu'il doit permettre d'identifier les éléments qui favorisent ou qui entravent le développement de la recherche en gérontologie sociale.

Commentary

When an author comments on the scientific value of a particular discipline, he leads the way to an insightful period of introspection. In the field of Social Gerontology, such an undertaking could stir up quite a stormy debate. F. Béland, undaunted by controversy, prepared his own review of the research conducted in Quebec in this field, addressing methodological issues, problems related to theorization, as well as the institutional development of Gerontology. The document is useful in that it highlights the elements which benefit or hinder the advancement of research in Social Gerontology.

François Béland in his appraisal identifies certain peculiarities characteristic of research in Social Sciences in Gerontology in Quebec; however, he seems somewhat unfamiliar with the material in question. Béland does not retrace the history of Gerontology in Quebec, nor does he situate it in its social, political, economical and cultural context; this would have been quite beneficial when trying to determine the future course of research. The present commentary attempts to lay the groundwork for such an undertaking and suggests that the growing strength of the Welfare-State and of Quebec nationalism accounts for the major characteristics found in the material compiled by Béland.

Les critiques de Thomas et Stryckman sont de plusieurs ordres, mais deux sont particulièrement dommageables pour l'économie de mon texte si elles s'avéraient exactes. La première veut que les chercheurs dans le domaine de la gérontologie sociale n'ont pas proposé de si nombreuses réflexions sur leur champ de pratique et la deuxième affirme que je réduis à la formalisation mathématique la logique de la démarche scientifique

Thomas and Stryckman wrote a sweeping critique, and two of their points could be particularly damaging to the substance of my text, should they be proven correct. First, they submit that researchers in social gerontology have not produced that many overviews, and in their second point, they contend that I reduce the logic of the scientific approach to mathematical formalization.

This article examines the extent and the meaning of solitude among the aged. A comprehensive study of the foreign, Canadian and Quebec literature was undertaken to prepare this document, but priority was given to the somewhat lesser known investigations originating from Quebec. First, the concepts most often utilized in discussing the phenomena under scrutiny were defined: solitude, social isolation and the feeling of loneliness. Then, the relative importance of each phenomenon was assessed, based on the available data. In order to fully understand the meaning of the facts observed, their causes were also examined. Finally, avenues for future research were proposed. This study suggests that solitude among the elderly is a more complex problem than believed. Even if the isolated and (or) lonely aged are in the minority, this does not mean that all their socio-affective needs are being met. These people spend long periods of time alone and this affects their lives. The problem as such is largely caused by the position the elderly occupy in the society and, in turn, this position probably influences their behaviour. However, gerontologists have scarcely studied this hypothesis. This article then highlights certain aspects of the solitude phenomenon which have so far been overlooked by gerontologists.

A survey conducted amongst 2,3 72 patients of Quebec chronic care hospitals and nursing homes confirms a high rate of restraints usage. There are differences between those centres in their utilization rate and models employed. It seems that acute care hospitals are also using frequently those coercive methods for their patients aged 65 years and older. Restraints are currently used without any written prescription in the patient's chart.

A total of 59 bereaved elderly persons and 20 married elderly persons were asked to complete a series of questionnaires on depression, anxiety and well-being. The bereaved elderly persons were divided into three groups based on the length of time elapsed since the death of the spouse. The results showed that bereaved subjects were more depressed and anxious and that their well-being was generally inferior to their married counterparts; further, their emotional reactions persisted after many months of mourning and finally some of the bereaved seemed more at risk than others. These issues should be examined more thoroughly using longitudinal studies.

This study included 150 subjects aged between 20 and 84, divided into 5 age groups. Analysis of their reproduction and immediate recall work of Rey's complex figure suggested that a) the encoding strategy used during the reproduction phase of this complex figure was not characteristic of a given age, b) elderly subjects reproduced less during the encoding phase and retrieved fewer elements during the recall phase, c) until the age of 74, there was a relationship between the encoding strategy and performance in recall; however, in our subjects aged over 75, memory problems developed differently and the relationship between the encoding strategy and the results in recall became insignificant.