Title

Psychological Well-Being And Social Support Among Elders Employed As Lay Helpers

Keywords

Lay helper; Psychological well-being; Severe mental illness; Social support

Abstract

Impacts on lay helpers of participation in part-time work supporting rural elders with severe mental illness were explored in a group of 17 older adults employed in a demonstration project. Self-rated well-being and social support were assessed over 1 year. Ratings of autonomy and positive relations with others varied over 1 year. Perceptions of the amount of social support provided showed a trend toward improvement at 1 year. Results are considered in the context of role theory and illustrated with an ethnographic case study of the service environment. The lay helper role is a form of productive engagement through paid caregiving, with potential to supplement rural mental health service systems while supporting elders' needs for meaningful civic engagement.

Publication Date

2-27-2009

Publication Title

Journal of Gerontological Social Work

Volume

52

Issue

1

Number of Pages

64-80

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1080/01634370802561976

Socpus ID

60749132194 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/60749132194

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS