| Popis: |
This research was undertaken to better understand older adults' knowledge of community support services (CSS) and whether social support makes a difference in this knowledge. Further, there is a need to know if people recognize a need for assistance when facing a problem; if they see CSS as a source of assistance, and where they seek information about community services. Existing research had yielded inconsistent results due to the use of different community services and different definitions of knowledge. There has been a limited exploration of social support. A telephone survey of 1152 people aged 50 and older in Hamilton, Ontario collected information on respondents' demographics, community engagement and social support. To assess knowledge, respondents listened to four vignettes of problems commonly faced by seniors and were asked, "If you were in this situation what would you do?" Knowledge of CSS was the number of agencies named. The results of the logistic regression show that being female, having a higher income, perceiving social support, belonging to clubs or organizations, and being able to name an information source were positively associated with knowledge of CSS. Most people recognized the problem presented in the vignettes and would take action. Of those who would not take action, over half did not know any CSS. Most people named at least one information source and over half named two or more. Results underscore the importance of support networks in providing informational support to individuals. People who receive support were more likely to know of CSS than those who neither provided nor received support. There are differences between being a member of a support network and a care network. Providers of care were more likely to know of CSS than providers of support. Word of mouth including family and friends was one of the five most frequently used sources of information. Policy implications focus on improving information available to seniors. Funded by CIHR and United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton. |
