Browsing by Author "McLennan, Kate"

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    Leashes, Litterboxes, and Lifelines: Exploring Volunteer-Based Pet Care Assistance Programs for Older Adults
    (Frontiers Media, 2022-04-26) McLennan, Kate; Rock, Melanie J.; Mattos, Emma; Toohey, Ann M.
    At the convergence of population aging and pet-ownership, community stakeholders are well-positioned to support older adults’ relationships with companion animals through age-related transitions in health and living arrangements. In this study’s setting, a volunteer-based pet care assistance program launched in 2017 to provide practical assistance with pet care for socially disadvantaged, community-dwelling older adults. This case study explored the impacts and feasibility of this and similar programs via (i) an Internet-based environmental scan to compare similar programs and (ii) qualitative interviews with a sampling of diverse community stakeholders (n = 9). A small number of comparable international programs (n = 16) were found. Among these, programs were delivered using a range of funding models; fewer than half involved collaborations across human social services and animal welfare sectors; and none addressed all dimensions of support offered by our local program. Analysis of qualitative interviews highlighted five major themes confirming the value of the volunteer-based approach and the importance of cross-sectoral collaborations in addressing older adults’ under-recognized pet care-related needs. Taken together, the findings confirmed the effectiveness of our local program model. Collaborative, cross-sectoral programs that target both human and companion animal well-being hold promise to reduce barriers to pet ownership that many disadvantaged older adults face. This unique approach leverages the health-promoting potential of human-animal relationships in ways that enhance quality of life for individuals, animal welfare, and age-friendliness of communities.
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    Victims, villains, and cheats: A thematic analysis of disability representation in Albertan newspapers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    (2022-03) McLennan, Kate
    Media coverage of disability is dominated by stereotypes and disempowering narratives. These narratives negatively impact disabled people’s self-perception, and how others treat them. Disability representations in news media influence how the public defines issues disabled people face. In turn, these beliefs influence proposed policy solutions, healthcare interventions, and funding decisions. Health-related risks, and risks to funding and quality of life that disabled people faced during COVID-19 made the impact of these beliefs even more oppressive. This study explored representations of disability in Albertan newspaper during the COVID-19 pandemic. This aim was met through four objectives: to identify disability terminology used, to identify representation of disabled people in interviews, to identify themes, and to identify frames used to present information. This study used a qualitative design. The Factiva database was systematically searched for news articles that contained two disability search terms and were published in Alberta during the first 18 months of the pandemic. A sample of 56 articles met the inclusion criteria and content, thematic, and framing analyses were conducted. Person-first terminology was used in most articles followed by identity-first language, severely handicapped, and special needs. Less than a third of interviewees were disabled and only one was labelled as being developmentally disabled. Thematic analysis resulted in five themes: (1) Dehumanization, (2) Erasure, (3) Unworthy Diseases, (4) Empowerment- A Contradictory Promise, and (5) Dis/armed. Framing analysis found nine dominant frames, including disability is medical and disability is a burden, and two counter frames, including disability rights are human rights. The findings of this study indicate that disabled people in Alberta face numerous human rights issues, and the medical and social pathology models of disability are dominant in news media. Future research should explore disability language in Alberta’s policies and explore disability representation on social media.