Browsing by Author "Kwan, Crystal"

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    Older People’s Resilience in the Context of Climate-Disasters: A Single Instrumental Case Study of Older Women in Poverty who are Widowed, Head of Household, and Living in a Disaster-Affected Community in the Philippines
    (2018-08-01) Kwan, Crystal; Walsh, Christine Ann; Drolet, Julie; Hirst, Sandra P.; Lenters, Kimberly Ann; Dominelli, Lena
    While disasters are not a new phenomenon, the intensity and frequency of them have increased and are projected to continue to escalate due to climate change, globalization, rapid urbanization, and environmental degradation. Older people living in poverty represent a vulnerable group who require special attention because often their limited access to social, economic, political, and environmental resources increase their risk to the impacts of disasters. The purpose of my study was to identify the key factors and processes (specifically during the mitigation phase of the disaster management cycle or non-disaster times) that shape and influence older people’s resilience within the context of disasters, with a focus on older women living in poverty. My research design was primarily informed by case study methodology, and it included participatory action research (PAR) elements. Purposive sampling was conducted in Apitong, a community in Tacloban City, Philippines that was deeply affected by the 2013 typhoon Haiyan. Four participants were recruited as key informants of the case: a group of older women living in poverty, who are widowed, head of household, and living in a disaster-affected community in the Philippines. The following data collection methods were used: Photovoice (PV)/Videovoice (VV), semi-structured interviews (including one-to-one, focus group, and peer interviews), observation, and document review. The participants were involved in data collection, as they were trained in basic camera use, the PV/VV process, and how to conduct peer interviews. A translator was used in all the interviews, training workshops, and transcriptions. I conducted analysis (using thematic analysis) continuously and recursively, alongside data collection. Utilizing a socio-ecological conceptual framework of resilience, I identified seven environmental and one individual factor and processes that shape and influence the participants’ resilience. My study findings contribute to the paucity of literature regarding older people’s resilience within the context of disasters, specifically the need for more case-specific and context-based knowledge. Additionally, within the discipline of social work, my study informs education, research, and practice in two overlooked but critical areas: green and gerontological social work.
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    Social Workers’ Perspectives on the Connection Between Later Life Trauma and Older Adults’ Mental Health and Overall Well-being
    (2024-09-13) Shrestha, Laxman Prasad; Lee, Yeonjung; Gulbrandsen, Carolyne (Cari); Archer-Kuhn, Beth Elizabeth; Shankar, Janki; Kwan, Crystal
    This research explores gerontological social workers’ perspectives and experiences responding to later-life trauma (LLT) and its impacts on older adults’ mental health and overall well-being, as well as their experiences with support, services, and resources available to older adults in their communities. A critical ethnography approach was utilized to investigate the experiences of social workers, recruited from agencies in Calgary, who have two or more years of working experience with older adults with histories of traumas. The findings of this qualitative study demonstrate that LLT significantly impacts older adults’ mental health and overall well-being. Capitalism-oriented societies and policymakers continue to marginalize this critical social issue. The study's results recognize the prevalence of ageism, discrimination, stereotypes, prejudices, and negative social assumptions and attitudes and describe how they exacerbate LLT. This study elaborates on specific factors contributing to intersecting multilayered barriers, such as social/self-stigma (shame, guilt, fear, and negative beliefs), systemic barriers, and limited programs, services, and resources for older adults. Although the number of older adults is growing locally and globally at the fastest rate in history, limited attention has been devoted to older adults and their issues related to LLT, compared to their younger counterparts. Older adults’ trauma is assumed to be normal and natural, even though the impacts of trauma are unique to each person. The results of this research reinforce how ageism and capitalistic social norms play pivotal roles in the stereotypes of and discrimination against older adults and their issues related to LLT. This study provided essential policy and practice recommendations to support older adults with LLT to ensure trauma-informed and age-friendly programs, services, and resources. The implications for policy, practice, and further research are discussed and presented.