| Abstract: |
Social Development Canada’s mission is “to strengthen Canada’s social
foundations by supporting the well-being of individuals, families and
communities and their participation through citizen focused policies, programs
and services” (Social Development Canada 2005a). Well-being is a concept that
goes beyond good health to encompass physical and mental fitness as well as
social fitness (being able to perform one’s social roles and the demands of
everyday living adequately). As people age, they experience a number of
transitions in their lives. They may retire, change residence, loose a spouse,
become a caregiver, and/or develop a health problem or disability. These
transitions, especially when they occur around the same time, may impact on
their well-being and independence and prevent them from being contributing
members of society. This paper summarizes the research on what we currently
know about the key events and transitions experienced by seniors, their
impacts, and the resources seniors have or need to successfully cope with
these events throughout the senior years. It will also review what we know
about opportunities, gaps or barriers in accessing social support programs and
service delivery designed to assist seniors in coping successfully with
adverse events and life transitions. Issues to be considered include
availability, access and costs of community support and home health care
services. Finally, the paper will attempt to provide potential policy research
directions to address current knowledge gaps. This is an extensive literature,
and we have limited the scope by focusing on the last 10 years of Canadian
research published in Journals and by Statistics Canada. We have favored
research based on national studies in this review, though there are many
excellent case studies and qualitative studies that add texture to our
knowledge. Recognizing that the senior population is a very heterogeneous
group, this review will examine (where the research permits) differences by
senior life-course stages, and other target groups such as women, the
disabled, visible minority, immigrants, Aboriginal peoples, sub-regions, low
income, and persons living alone. This review of the literature has shown that
while we have basic information about many of the transitions in seniors’
lives, there is very little information about the various life course stages
or about various sub groups of society. |