New Article: Strier & Werner, Stigma in Long Term Care Insurance in Israel

Strier, Roni, and Perla Werner. “Tracing Stigma in Long Term Care Insurance in Israel: Stakeholders’ Views of Policy Implementation.” Journal of Aging & Social Policy (early view; online first).

 
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2016.1111726
 
Abstract

Almost all developed countries provide some answers for long term care, but only a few countries in the world such as Japan, Austria, Netherlands, Germany, and Israel have implemented Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI) based on legislation and entitlement principles. In Israel, community-based LTCI social program has achieved multiple goals and considerably improved the life of frail older people. However, some studies show that despite the rising costs of home care and the mandatory and almost universal nature of LTCI there are still cases where people with AD and other types of dementia or their relatives vacillate or even decline to make use of their rights. We examined the question of whether these patterns may reflect the presence of welfare stigma, i.e., stigmatized views of LTCI, either related to identity stigma of persons with AD or to treatment stigma, usually associated to welfare bureaucracy. Based on a qualitative design, this article uses a methodology of personal in depth and focus group triangulation, by which the views of three groups of stakeholders are explored and compared: persons with AD, relatives and professionals. Findings showed the presence of stigmatic self images among persons with AD or other types of dementia, the absence of such images in relatives’ and professionals’ views of them, and of LTCI. However treatment stigma was found to be primarily associated with eligibility determination procedures. The study concludes that LTCI, even when mandated and almost universal may also generate welfare stigma due to the ways in which it is implemented.

 

 

 

New Article: Iecovich & Avivi, Agism and Burnout among Nurses in Long-Term Care Facilities

Iecovich, Esther, and Michal Avivi. “Agism and Burnout among Nurses in Long-Term Care Facilities in Israel.” Aging & Mental Health (early view; online first).

 

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2015.1102198

 

Abstract

Objectives: The extent to which agism and professional qualifications are associated with nurses’ burnout in long-term care facilities for older adults has been barely examined. This study is aimed to examine the extent to which agism, professional education, and geriatric training explain work burnout.

Method: The study included a convenience sample of 154 nurses working in 17 long-term care facilities in the Tel Aviv area in Israel. To examine agism, Kogan’s Attitudes toward Old People Scale was used, and to probe burnout, the Maslach Burnout Inventory was used.

Results: Overall burnout was significantly explained by agism, nurses’ professional education, length of working as a nurse, and type of facility ownership. When examining each dimension of burnout, agism was a significant predictor of depersonalization and personal achievement.

Conclusion: Agism plays a role in overall burnout. Therefore, training programs that can combat agism can reduce burnout of nurses in long-term care facilities.

 

 

New Article: Borowski, Israel’s Long-Term Care Social Insurance Scheme

Borowski, Allan. “Israel’s Long-Term Care Social Insurance Scheme After a Quarter of a Century.” Journal of Aging and Social Policy 27.3 (2015): 195-214.

 

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2015.1022101

 

Abstract

Long-term care social insurance schemes exist in a number of countries, while the introduction of such schemes enjoys some support in others. Israel’s long-term care social insurance scheme has been operating since 1988. This article examines the emergence, goals, design, and impacts of this scheme and draws out some of the lessons that can be learned from Israel’s quarter century experience of long-term care social insurance.

 

New Article: Barak et al, Where to Die? A Study of Cancer Patients in Israel

Barak, Frida, Sofia Livshits, Haana Kaufer, Ruth Netanel, Nava Siegelmann-Danieli, Yasmin Alkalay, and Shulamith Kreitler. “Where to Die? That Is the Question: A Study of Cancer Patients in Israel.” Palliative and Supportive Care 13.2 (2015): 165-70.

 

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1478951513000904

 

Abstract

Objective: Most patients prefer to die at home, but barely 30% do so. This study examines the variables contributing to dying at home.

Methods: The participants were 326 cancer patients, of both genders, with a mean age of 63.25 years, who died from 2000 to 2008 and were treated by the palliative care unit of the Barzilai Hospital. Some 65.7% died at home and 33.4% in a hospital. The data were extracted from patient files. The examined variables were demographic (e.g., age, gender, marital status, ethnic background, number of years in Israel until death), medical (e.g., age at diagnosis, diagnosis, nature of last treatment, patient received nursing care, patient given the care of a social worker, patient had care of a psychologist, family received care of a social worker, patient had a special caregiver), and sociological (e.g., having insurance, having worked in Israel, living alone or with family, living with one’s children, living in self-owned or rented house, family members working).

Results: The findings indicate that the chances of dying at home are higher if the patient is non-Ashkenazi, the family got social worker care, the patient lived in a self-owned house, the patient lived with his family, the family members worked, and the patient’s stay in Israel since immigration was longer. Logistic regression showed that all the predictors together yielded a significant model accounting for 10.9–12.3% of the variance.

Significance of results: The findings suggest that dying at home requires maintaining continued care for the patient and family in a community context.

New Article: Zisberg et al, Adaptation to Life in Continuing Care Communities among Older Adults

Zisberg, Anna, Waheed Kaabiya, and Elena O. Siegel. “Trait of Routinization and Adaptation to Life in Continuing Care Communities among Older Adults in Israel.” Geriatrics & Gerontology International 15.4 (2015): 501-507.

 

URL: http://dx.do.org/10.1111/ggi.12289

 

Abstract

Aim

To examine the relationship between levels of adaptation to independent living in continuing care communities and the personality trait, routinization.

Methods

Using a correlative design, structured face-to-face interviews were carried out with 120 older adults residing in independent housing units across six continuing care facilities in Israel, using the Index of Relocation Adjustment and the Variety Assessment Scale questionnaires.

Results

In a mixed model, one of the two routinization subscales (disliking disruption) was moderately associated with adaptation, controlling for decision to enter the facility, satisfaction with the facility, family relationship, functional status, education, family status and type of setting. Residents who expressed high levels of disliking disruption, higher functional status and less involvement in the decision to enter the facility reported poorer adaptation to their living conditions.

Conclusion

Our findings point out the complexity and intricacy of personal attributes as factors associated with adaptation to transitions in older age, and highlight the potential contribution of the trait of routinization to adaptation. Further research is required to identify ways to best support older adult transitions to institutional environments, considering different personality traits and environments.

New Article: Doron, The Israeli Experience of Regulating Residential Care for Older Persons

Doron, Israel. “The Israeli Experience of Regulating Residential Care for Older Persons.” In Towards Human Rights in Residential Care for Older Persons. International Perspectives (ed. Helen Meenan, Nicola Rees, Israel Doron; New York: Routledge, 2016), 126ff.