Type of Document Master's Thesis Author Holguin, Julieta Author's Email Address jholguin@vt.edu URN etd-91497-183944 Title The Need for Adult Day Services in La Paz, Bolivia: Perceptions of Professionals Working with Aged Adults Degree Master of Science Department Family and Child Development Advisory Committee
Advisor Name Title Dr. Rosemary Blieszner Committee Chair Dr. Karen Roberto Committee Member Dr. Loretta Buffer Committee Member Keywords
- adult day services
Date of Defense 1997-09-19 Availability unrestricted Abstract The Need For Adult Day Services In La Paz, Bolivia: Perceptions Of ProfessionalsWorking With Aged Adults
Julieta Holguin
(ABSTRACT)
This research project addressed the need for an adult day services (ADS) program in La
Paz, Bolivia. Adult day services are community-based programs that provide a variety of services
to functionally impaired adults through an individual plan of care. Adult day services are
structured, comprehensive programs that offer services during any part of the day but fewer than
24 hours.
I examined professionals’ perceptions and attitudes about the needs of old adults in La Paz
and the importance and viability of implementing an ADS program to meet those needs. The
political economy of aging perspective provided the theoretical framework for this study. This
theory focuses on the way that values and prevalent societal attitudes influence people’s views of
the aged population and the type of programs they believe should be developed for the care of that
population. The review of literature addresses the needs assessment process and the U.S. model
for ADS. An overview of the current situation of the elderly population in La Paz is presented in
order to portray the context in which new programs for seniors would be developed in that city.
Study participants, who provide a variety of services to old adults and their families in La
Paz, completed interviews regarding (a) their perceptions of the needs of the old adults of La Paz,
(b) the significance of developing a new program for their care, and (c) the feasibility of
implementing an ADS program. I used descriptive and associational statistics to assess the
attitudes and perceptions of respondents, the similarities and differences among their responses,
and possible influences on their viewpoints. I extracted common themes in answers to the open-ended
questions by employing qualitative techniques.
The results of the interviews revealed that although professionals perceive that societal
views of old adults are very negative in La Paz, they also believe this segment of the population is
in great need of services that provide better, more adequate physical, emotional, social, and medical
care than the services that exist today. Professionals also believed that it is crucial to develop new
programs that address these issues and they considered ADS to be a viable alternative to
institutionalization. However, their ideas about the structure and activities offered by an ADS
program were quite different than those of the standard U.S. model. In order for the
implementation of an ADS program to be successful in Bolivia it would have to be adapted to the
cultural and economic context of that country.
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