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The Canadian population is aging and becoming more ethnically diverse. This paper focuses on South Asian immigrant seniors and examines differences in housing and living arrangements among seniors who immigrated at different life stages. We interviewed a convenience sample of 161 immigrant seniors of South Asian descent in Edmonton, Alberta, to assess type of living arrangement, type of housing and "dwelling density" (measured in persons per room), activity in the neighbourhood, and means of transportation. Overall, those seniors who came to Canada before the end of mid-life were more likely than those who came at an older age to drive a car and, if married, to live in a one- or two-generation family. Women were more likely than men to be widowed, have poorer English-language skills, or live with a three-generation family if unmarried, and less likely to drive a car. Most respondents were satisfied with their living arrangements, housing, and perceived safety at home and in their neighbourhood. Theoretical implications are discussed.

In this article, we examine how seniors are portrayed in the "Globe and Mail." Thirty articles published in 2004 were selected and thematically analysed. Seniors were discussed in six different contexts, including family, work/retirement, community networks, scientific studies of population, social and health care policy, and social attitudes to aging. Issues pertaining to seniors were captured in three themes. The theme "diversity of seniors" made visible seniors of different genders, ages, health statuses, abilities, and needs. The "successful aging" theme provided positive examples of aging well but marginalized seniors who did not meet these expectations, thereby fostering intra-generational ageism. The "apocalyptic demography/inter-generational conflict" theme underscored the importance of society's support system for the elderly but raised the issue of inter-generational inequality, of presenting the elderly as a burden on younger persons in families and on society at large. Critical analyses suggested that both negative and positive newspaper portrayals of seniors might be ageist.

Abstract The Canadian population is aging and also becoming more ethnically diverse. This study examined differences in identities among South Asian seniors who immigrated at different life stages with different [...]

The Alberta health care system experienced dramatic changes after provincial funding cuts to health care from 1993 to 1996. As a result, stressors for nurses increased. The question of whether job uncertainty, working conditions, cognitive appraisal, and coping strategies influence the health of registered nurses in a context of health care restructuring was examined. Lazarus and Folkman's Transactional Model of Stress was used as the conceptual framework. A total of 271 registered nurses employed in a large, urban, acute-care teaching hospital responded to a self-administered survey questionnaire. Using multiple regression analysis, depression and self-reported physical health were analyzed. The data suggest that the threat of being placed on recall, having a coworker bumped or laid off, and perceived job security were adversely related to physical health. High primary appraisal of threat was associated with high levels of depression and poor physical health. In addition, the findings suggest that various coping strategies had both buffering and exacerbating effects on physical health and depression.

Allan Kellehear, ed., The Study of Dying: From Autonomy to Transformation. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009, 298 pp. $US 29.99 paper (978-0-521-73905-4), $US 75.00 hardcover (978-0-521-51767-6) This collection of [...]

This study examines the use of chiropractic, prescription medicines, nonprescription medicines and alternative health care for two independent samples representative of the population of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1979 (n = 439) and again in 1988 (n = 464). While the usage of prescription medicines was unchanged from 1979 to 1988, utilization of nonprescription medicines, chiropractic and alternative health care increased. Users of chiropractic tended to be concurrent users of the conventional health care system, although they were also more likely to utilize alternative health care. This study shows that Edmontonians tend to select their health care concurrently from various health care modalities including both prescription and nonprescription medicines and conventional and alternative health care.

Responses to a survey of 992 unionized postal workers in Canada revealed the effects of working conditions, nonwork roles, and personal characteristics on self-reports of depression, irritability, and psychophysiological symptoms. Males and females respond similarly to stressful jobs, although they report slightly higher levels of distress. (Author/JOW)