Gambling

Addictions can be in a form of drugs, alcohol, and gambling. I am going to talk about addictions in gambling.

When I was driving the other day by Mc Phillips Station Casino, I noticed that there were many people who went there and I was struck by the fact that among these people are many older people. One time a friend took me to sing at Club Regent Casino around 8pm, it was the same story. I wonder why this is happening, according to Kausch (2004), “elderly patients... changes in life can be associated with retirement and loss of a spouse can be associated with a serious addiction late in life, which can quickly spiral out of control” (p.17). Problem gamblers experience a range gambling-related problems, including spending more time or money gambling than intended, feeling guilty about their gambling, being criticized for their gambling, or borrowing money to gamble”(Pietrzak & Petry, 2006, p. 107). In most cases gambling is considered a severe issue if the elderly person spends too much of his money on gambling. It is also considered an issue if they spend it on these gambling machines instead to buy medications and food.
Gambling can be a severe problem if a person spends more time or money that is not unplanned, if a person gets to the point of borrowing money and increase of debts from other people. Takes granted work, school and family to gamble, lying because of gambling. And worst of all is arguing with friends and family about money issues, and trying to get back on losses to get money back. (Manitoba Lottery Corporation, 2011).
There are different kinds of resources to cure gambling addictions. There is the 24-Hour “Problem Gambling Helpline Confidential and Free, Addictions Foundation of Manitoba” (Addictions foundation Manitoba, 2011, front page). They have the orientation to problem gambling services: individual counselling, gambling rehabilitation group, continuing care group, telephone counselling, residential problem gambling program (Manitoba Lottery Corporation, 2011). There are also some more services that assist individuals with gambling problems through online like “GamTalk is an online community for people with gambling issues to share their experiences and ideas. Whether you have a gambling problem, know someone who does, have stopped gambling completely, or just want to get ideas on playing safely” (GamTalk, 2011, front page.). Once the program is completed, participants can receive ongoing support through their local AFM office.
Gambling addiction may develop later in life and can be a big problem as long as gambling opportunities such as Casinos continuously exists. I hope there will be more social activities that elders can spend their time on rather than going to Casinos. I am not saying that it is bad to go there or visit once in awhile for as long as there are limitations as to how much money is put in there. In addition, as long as it does not affect the elder person’s life by not buying necessary food and medications that they must purchase. Being a social work student working with the elderly people is a challenge for me. There is need to encourage these people in joining brain stimulating activities instead of motivating them in joining this kind of gambling activities that in the end they will waste their money and worst be addicted to it. I am wondering if there are services that deals mainly for elderly, because they have different issues compared to the rest of the population.

Reference:
Addictions Foundation Manitoba. (2011). Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://www.afm.mb.ca/

Gamtalk. (2011). Retrieved April 6, 2011, from http://www.gamtalk.org/index.html

Kausch, O. (2004). Pathological gambling among elderly veterans. Journal of Geriatric and Neurology. Retrieved April 2, 2011, from http://jgp.sagepub.com/content/17/1/13

Manitoba lotteries corporation. (2011). Responsible Gaming. Retrieved April 2, 2011, from http://www.mlc.mb.ca/MLC/content.php?pageid=400&langdir=E

Pietrzak, R. & Petry, N. (2006). Severity of gambling problems and psychosocial functioning on older adults. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology. Retrieved April 2, 2011, from http://jgp.sagepub.com/content/19/2/106

I posted a video from YouTube; please check the link. This video is about financial abuse of an elderly woman.

A definition of elder abuse, according to Schiamberg (2000), includes hurtful acts of omission and commission against elderly people. There are different types of abuse such as physical abuse, psychological abuse/emotional or mental abuse, material abuse/ financial exploitation, active neglect, passive neglect, violation of civil rights, and self-neglect. Therefore, anything that a person does that violates civil rights of an elderly person is considered an abuse. We know that there are different kinds of abuse and one of them is financial exploitation or material abuse. My topic will focus on financial abuse among elderly person.

I agree that “Money is the root of all evil”. The truth of this saying was illustrated by an experience of an elderly couple that I know of who was taken advantage of by their daughter and son-in-law. This couple asked for help from me, knowing that I am a Social work student. The story started when this couple together with their daughter and the son in-law and three grandchildren agreed to live together in one house. It is a two storey house; the elder couple occupied the ground floor while the daughter occupied the second floor. The elder couple were paying for the mortgage because they owned the house, while the daughter and her family were paying for the utilities and groceries. The son-in-law demanded that the elder couple change the title of ownership to him but agreed that they would pay the couple twenty thousand dollars and that the couple could stay in the house until they die. Both sides agreed with the condition; however the son-in-law came in the house with a lawyer and made the couple sign papers without reading them. The son-in-law said the lawyer was in a hurry; therefore they needed to sign the papers right away. The daughter and the son-in-law did not even give them the copy of the agreement. After a month the daughter and the son-in-law started to throw the elders belongings in the garbage and were trying to imply that they should leave the house. They paid them 10,000 dollars and they still owe $10, 000 more. The couple were upset so they made a decision to move to an apartment. It is hard to accept the fact that because of the money, family values are at stake. They assume that since the couple are already ageing they can take advantage of the situation. I know this is one story but I wonder what about other elders who are being taken advantage of financially.

Through working at my practicum I was able to see different kinds of situations in relation to financial abuse where in most cases elder women became the victim of it. Sad to say, that almost all of the perpetrators are family members. On the other side, the good advantage of Home Care is when conducting home visits, Social workers must be alert in determining if there are issues about financial abuse. Medications should be checked if the caregiver buys them for the client. Another thing to be checked is the food that clients are eating. There are instances where caregivers live in the client’s house but solely rely on the client’s pension. Sometimes elder persons cannot report this kind of act since they are vulnerable and lack information about the steps to take. Some other hindrances are because of shame for the family and due to physical health problem s which prevents them from reporting. On the couple’s case since they asked information from me on how to resolve their situation. I have given them information about the Legal assistance that Age and Opportunity is offering. I am still waiting for this couple’s response if they are really willing to take legal action on the matter.

Reference:

Schiamberg, L (2000). Elder abuse by adult children: An applied ecological framework for understanding contextual risk factors and the integrational character of quality of life. International Justice aging and Human Development. 50 (4), 329-359. Retrieved February 18, 2010 from Ebscohost

The Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (2006). ONPEA Financial Abuse PSA. Retrieved from Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeKOy71jmJY

Supportive Housings

One of our clients in my practicum aged 90 cannot apply for supportive housing. She had been a widow for almost 20 years and does not have children or any family members. Her friends died a long time ago. She needs to be in a supportive housing for safety purposes since she is demented. She forgets to close the oven most of the time and tends forget her medication. She does not have any social activities as well. If she will be in a supportive housing there will be someone who can look after her and check her medication. Although there is a Home Care Attendant who looks after her but with limited time. She needs twenty four hours of care.

I conducted a tour of six supportive housing facilities here in Winnipeg last September/October 2010. I visited these Supportive Housing facilities because I needed to become familiar with the programs and services that the facilities offer. As a social work student who is doing practicum at WRHA this gave me knowledge as to who and when to refer clients.

I discovered many things during my tour. I found out that in every supportive housing facility, women have 90% more population than men. Interestingly, according to Moris et al. (1999), “women have more life expectancy than men...and women tend to outlive their husbands” (p. 3). This clearly shows that there are more population of elderly women than elderly men. I also discovered different things in supportive housing facilities. Some of them are much safer and much convenient in terms of programs and services. Seniors have different kind of activities every day and they are well taken care of. Seniors can garden during summertime and can go to the veranda and sit for a while for coffee. Some of the facilities have a friendly environment and I think seniors enjoys being in there. The services can be accessed right on the site like, salons, spas, jewellery shops, bookstore, and etc.

However, there are also supportive housing facilities that do not have many activities and are not safe for seniors in terms of people going in and out of the building especially around down town areas. There are also supportive housings that are intended for low income elderly people. Which means that services are not as good compared to those middle income supportive housing facilities. I am really concerned because those seniors who do not have sufficient income just end up with a supportive housing that does not have sufficient services for seniors to enjoy the last days of their lives.

Nothing is going to be worst if a client cannot go for a supportive housing because of the eligibility criteria set. According to Winnipeg Regional Health Authority to be eligible for a client to be accepted is to “have a family member or advocate that are in agreement with philosophy of the program and accept that a move to another suitable location will be necessary when the individual no longer meets the criteria of the supportive Housing Program” (Supportive Housing Criteria, n.d.).

What if the client does not have a family member or an advocate? Considering the fact that she has outlived all her family members and has no friends and other relatives who will visit and can take him/her for an appointment? Would that be just demeaning again on the client to be in a supportive housing? Since elder women comprise most of the elderly population then women are more affected than men. Sometimes clients don’t have family members who can take them for an appointment. I think Supportive Housing should change their criteria especially in terms of accepting the client with or without family members who can take them for an appointment.

Reference:

Morris, M., Robinson, J., Simpson, J., Galey, S., Kirby, S., Martin, L., & Muzychka, M. ( 1999). The changing nature of home care and its impact on Women’s vulnerability to poverty. Status of Women Canada. Retrieved April 2, 2011, from

http://dsp-psd.pwgsc.gc.ca/collectionSW21-49-1999-IE.pdf.

Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. Supportive Housing Entry Criteria # 4 doc. n.d.

Sexuality

Sexuality

I’ve chosen sexuality among elder because I am curious about how elders deal with their sexuality especially among elderly women who have gone through menopause. From the place where I grew up if the woman hits menopause then it is the end of her sexual life. Those are just beliefs and I want to know if that is the case.

There are different perception among sexuality among elders depending on the cultures. According to Ehrenfeld et al. (1999), “sexuality is an integral part of human life throughout all stages of the life span” (p. 145). This means that sexuality needs to be part of care among elders. “Many younger people have a negative attitude toward sexuality among older people; some even view it as immoral and disgraceful. Elderly people, in contrast, see sex as a natural extension of their way of life, especially since love in later life usually undergoes transformation and amplification, and people feel love more strongly…. Therefore it is not surprising that the human need for touch, hugs and kisses increases with age in both men and women” (Ehrenfeld et at., 1999, p. 144). Sometimes it is perceived that as women get to the menopausal stage sexual activities are much lesser. A woman’s ethnic and cultural background shapes her attitude to the menopause, as well as her expectations regarding sexuality and intimate relations. “There are number of factors that can impinge on sexuality…. These includes hormones, ageing itself, length of a relationship, declining physical health, chronic conditions and their medication, education and mental health” (Pitkin, 2011, p. 34).

In my field practicum I have experienced a widowed lady, aged eighty years old who is demented and at the same time had alcohol problems. She spends time with the man living in the same building where she lives. He is demented as well but not as bad as she is. They both have alcohol problems and spend most of the time together. It struck me when one of the health care attendants found her underwear over the man’s laundries, which made me think if she is aware sexual activity. There were reports that it happens all the time and it made me wonder. I don’t want to assume things but I think something is happening. Based on this lady, though she is eighty years old, it clearly shows that though she passed menopause she has sexual life.

I also talked with another woman and asked her about sexuality, she is around sixty five years of age and she said she also have sexual life and stated that women can have it or not based on their own personal choice and perception about sexuality. Women’s sexuality is multifaceted and it is difficult to separate the effects of ageing and changing of hormones especially if women are passed menopause.

On my own perception being a Social Work student where I am doing an assessment it is also important to have an understanding that older people are not just merely experiencing memory loss, health concerns, needs assistance from their caregivers and are sexual beings. Based from the articles that I read it is so easy from the workers perspective to understand that elderly do need love and care but difficult to accept romance. It is important to understand that they are also human beings who have biological needs. I guess it might be too personal to ask them if “they are sexually active or not” who cares? But then again it is important to have an understanding on this kind of issue rather than attach stigma on it.

Reference:

Ehrenfeld, M., Bronner, G., Tabak, N., Alpert, R., & Bergman, R. (1999). Sexuality among institutionalized elderly patients with dementia. Nursing Ethics. 6 (2) 144-149.

Pitkin, J. ( 2009). Sexuality and the menopause. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetric and Gynaecology. Retrieved April 2, 2011, from http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy1.lib.umanitoba.ca/science.

Suicide among Elders

Suicide among Elders

I personally had experienced a relative who committed suicide because of various reasons. He was around seventy five years of age that time. It was so hard to accept the fact that he committed such a thing. There were varieties of reasons that the family suspected why he committed the act. Some of the reasons were loneliness, being dependent on his wife, does not have social network, illnesses, and difficulties of accepting the death of his favourite grandson. It is said that “social isolation is an accepted factor for suicide. Living alone and loneliness may be the most highly correlated social variable in late life suicide” (Kennedy & Tanenbaum, 2000, p. 351). By that time I really did not understand why he did such thing and I felt really sorry for him. I consider this man very tough in terms of dealing with different kinds of struggles. He was well respected in their town in fact he and his wife were awarded as one of the most promising couple in their town, since they were able to raise eight children with academic degrees. Considering that they were belong to low income family during their days. I was only sixteen years old that time and his immediate family did not reveal to the people how he died. They said it was because of heart failure but the reality is he killed himself. It was a top secret among the relatives. Now having the knowledge regarding aging population, I realized that though elders are said to be tougher and wiser, they are also human beings who have struggles in life. I became aware that although suicide is a well known predicament among teenagers, it also happens among elders. Sad to say, because my relative’s needs were not well addressed, he committed suicide. He never told anybody, not even his wife. Now having some knowledge about how elders deal with great loss in terms of privacy, power, independence and so many more, I can understand how life would be if I was in their situation.

The elderly more often cite loneliness as the major reason to consider suicide...some other reasons are financial problems, poor health, depression, alcohol problems, not taking prescription drugs properly, feelings of worthlessness and isolation” (Kennedy & Tanenbaum, 2000, p. 354). Kanel (2007) also stated that “factors associated with a risk of suicide include unemployment, illness, impulsivity, rigid thinking, several stressful vents and release from hospitalization”(p.77).

Among biomedical and psychopathological explanations about suicides among older adults, physical illness which means that older adults kill themselves because they have the perception that there is no point in pursuing life as they are just suffering from chronic illness or some are terminally ill people. In my relative’s case this might be true but no one knows what the real reason. “Firearms are the most common method of suicide among older men and women. The usual household methods of suicide, death by hanging, suffocation, knifing and poisoning with non prescription medications vary by locale” (Kennedy & Tanenbaum, 2000, p. 351).

“Depression and bereavement are common in women but men suicide more frequently” (Kennedy & Tanenbaum, 2000, p. 358). Some older men have the tendency to commit suicide and it seems that older women are tougher in dealing with difficulties in their lives. It just makes me think that probably because women are in relationship and are more emotional that they can release their emotions with friends whereas, men on the other hand cannot be open in terms of their problems. “Explanations for the high rates of suicide in older males include divorce and loss of status are related to retirement”( Kennedy & Tanenbaum, 2000, p. 350). There are several facts about the social character of suicide “men commit suicide at all ages at rates from two to four times that of women culminating in twelve to one by age 85. Rates for both men and women increase with age rising precipitously at 75 years” (Kennedy & Tanenbaum, 2000, p. 349).

Although we have different kinds of services for elders there is a need to more crisis intervention units that basically deal mainly with elders. There is Klinic Community Health Centre but I think there should be more.

Reference:

Kanel, K. ( 2007). A guide to crisis intervention. Davis drive, Belmont, CA.

Kennedy, G. & Tanenbaum, S. (2000). Suicide and aging: International perspective. Psychiatric Quarterly. Retrieved March 18, 2011, from http://www.springerlink.com/content/k2g71214541wq178/