This work is based upon a research study whose purpose was to collect new information about the special benefits and drawbacks of formal organizations' efforts at social network building for older women. In it, a two-tiered investigation was carried out: a national review of a select group of model self-help support programmes for older women throughout the United States; and an in-depth community case study of a nationally recognized model program of self-help support groups, leadership training, networking and community outreach/education for older women. It provides the research-oriented reader with scientific evidence to assess the relative efficacy of self-help group programming.
Acknowledgments xi(2) Contributors xiii(2) Preface xv 1 Aging and the Older Woman 1(14) A Profile of Aging Women in the United States 1(1) Informal Supports and Living Arrangements 2(3) Physical and Mental Health 5(2) Labor Force Participation and Retirement 7(2) Economics 9(2) Ethnic and Racial Minorities 11(3) Conclusion 14(1) 2 Informal Support Networks and Self-Help 15(12) Informal Support Networks 15(1) Support Systems and Minorities 16(1) Self-Help Groups as Social Support 17(1) Self-Help Groups 17(9) Conclusion 26(1) 3 A Story of Empowerment: The Case of the SOWN Program 27(10) Merle Drake Andrea DAsaro The Power of Group Membership 27(1) What Does SOWN Do? 28(1) SOWNs Self-Help Philosophy 29(1) Aging as a Womens Issue 30(1) Funding and Organization 31(1) Who Comes to SOWN? 31(1) Group Structure and Facilitation 32(1) The Volunteer Connection 33(1) Networking 33(1) The Power of Support Manual 34(1) Conclusion: The National Support Center and the Future 34(3) 4 Characteristics of Older Women and Peer Facilitators in Self-Help Groups 37(12) How the Research Was Performed 37(1) The Approach to Collecting Information in the Philadelphia Area 38(2) Antecedents of the Project 40(1) The Qualitative Interviews 40(1) What Was Learned 41(1) A Demographic Profile of SOWN Group Members 42(5) A Demographic Profile of SOWN Group Facilitators 47(1) Conclusion 48(1) 5 The Organization of Self-Help Group Programs 49(14) Organizational Profile of SOWN 49(3) Starting Up and Maintaining SOWN Groups 52(2) The SOWN Training Function 54(1) Description of a Typical SOWN Meeting 55(6) Conclusion 61(2) 6 Patterns of Participation and the Personal Process of Group Self-Help 63(12) Involvement and Participation Patterns of Group Members 63(4) Quality of the Facilitators Experience 67(1) Facilitator and Member Participation Patterns in Socialization Outside of the SOWN Meetings 68(2) Effects of Diversity on the Group 70(1) Older Womens Perceptions of Self-Help 71(1) Group Facilitators Perceptions of the Leadership Role 72(2) Conclusion: Final Comments about the SOWN Experience 74(1) 7 Impact of Self-Help Groups 75(12) Quality of the Group Experience 75(4) Benefits of the Group Experience for Members 79(4) SOWNs Effectiveness in Dealing with Facilitators and Members Major Life Changes 83(1) SOWN as a Meaningful Experience for the Older Woman 84(1) Conclusion 85(2) 8 Self-Help Support Group Programs in the United States 87(18) The Approach to Collecting the Information 88(2) Findings from the National Survey 90(1) Characteristics of the Women Served 91(1) Group Strategies and Methods 92(3) Functions and Responsibilities of Group Leaders 95(1) Peer Facilitation Programs and Training 96(3) Content of Self-Help Group Sessions 99(1) Establishing Group Procedures 100(3) Conclusion 103(2) 9 Issues and Practice Principles Arising from an Archetypal Self-Help Group 105(12) Instigating Factors in Group Formation 105(1) The Logistics of Group Development 106(1) Outreach and Marketing Strategies 107(1) Group Facilitation 108(1) The Development of Ground Rules 109(6) Conclusion 115(2) 10 Recommendations for Promoting the Effectiveness of Self-Help Support Groups 117(14) Conclusions and Recommendations Drawn from the Philadelphia Analysis 117(5) Conclusions and Recommendations Drawn from the National Survey 122(5) Epilogue 127(4) References 131(18) Appendix A Techniques Used to Analyze Project Information and Determine Representativeness of Project Participants 141(2) Appendix B Where to Turn for Information 143(6) Index 149
Dewey G. Meyers, now assistant professor of biology at Millsaps College in Jackson, Mississippi, was NASA research associate in the Space Biology Program working at the University of Pennsylvania and an honorary post-doctoral fellow at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. His research interests include aquatic ecology, ecology and evolution of zooplankton communities, invertebrate physiology, predatorprey interactions, and carnivorous-plant ecology. J. Rudi Strickler is principal research scientist at the Australian Institute of Marine Science. His specialties are limnology, biological oceanography, and the ecology of planktonic copepods using high-speed cinematography and holography.
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