Suchergebnisse

Mapping the territory : ageing, independence and the life course -- Forgotten but not gone : the experience of ageing with a disability -- Money and independence in old age -- Food consumption, social roles and personal identity -- Ageing, gender and the organisation of physical activities -- Lifestyles and perceptions of elderly people and old age in Bosnia and Hercegovina -- Emotional and sexual adjustment in later life -- The meaning of home in later life -- Housing, the life course and older people -- Class, caring and the life course -- Policies and perceptions of identity service needs of elderly people from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds -- Institutional care and the life course -- Social security and the life course : developing sensitive policy alternatives

'Ageing in Place' is a theoretical-practical concept used to promote those policies that facilitate older people stay at home as alternative to institutionalisation. While the political application of the term seems to presuppose universal benefits for those who age at home, critical gerontology has questioned alluding to the complexity of ageing process and the reductionist view that often underlies the institutional discourse around these policies. The aim of this article is to shed light on the premises assumed by the 'Ageing in Place' implementation, analysing the factors associated to a particular type of older Europeans; those with long-lasting residential trajectories. Using data from SHARE (wave 1, 2004), this work analyses the characteristics of those individuals aged 65 and over who for most of their life have presented a pattern of residential stability. The length of residential trajectory is assessed depending on socio-demographic characteristics, resources and support exchange networks and residential conditions. Special attention is paid to regional variations, comparing eleven countries of continental Europe. The main contribution of this article is to provide empirical findings that enhance the progression in an under-researched topic as residential immobility, discussing the assumptions that underlie to the implementation of 'ageing in place' policies in Europe, especially when it implies a disadvantaged living situation. ; 'Ageing in Place' es un concepto teórico-práctico utilizado para designar aquellas políticas que facilitan a los mayores la permanencia en la vivienda propia como alternativa a la institucionalización. Mientras la aplicación política del término parece presuponer beneficios universales para aquellos que permanecen en sus viviendas durante la vejez, desde la gerontología crítica se ha cuestionado este hecho, aludiendo a la complejidad del proceso de envejecimiento y a la visión reduccionista que muchas veces subyace a la implementación de estas medidas. Mediante datos de la encuesta SHARE (oleada 1, 2004), este trabajo analiza las características de aquellos adultos mayores, 65 y más años, que envejecen en casa y que presentan una trayectoria residencial de larga duración. Los factores asociados a la duración de esa trayectoria comprenden las características socio-demográficas de los individuos, recursos económicos y sociales y condiciones de vida. Se presta especial atención a las variaciones espaciales, comparando once países de la Europa continental. Este estudio permite avanzar en un tema poco tratado como la inmovilidad residencial, proveyendo evidencias empíricas que cuestionan las premisas sobre las que se implementan las medidas 'Ageing in Place', especialmente cuando esto implica una situación de escasez de recursos.

This article explores how the timing of parental divorce within a child's lifecourse can influence the obligations they feel to care for their parents later in life. The majority of studies have suggested that parental divorce that occurs earlier in a child's life will have the most detrimental effect on their filial obligations. Drawing on life-history interviews with 23 midlife participants in Southampton (UK) we challenge this contention by demonstrating how midlife experiences of parental divorce have weakened adult children's relationships with their parents, and we explore how this may impact on their future willingness to provide care. We also demonstrate how deteriorating marital relations have resulted in some older parents 'living together apart' and becoming socially withdrawn, which has weakened relationships with their midlife adult children who, as a result, expect to feel less willing to care for their parents in the future. These findings are presented within the context of rising divorce rates in older age groups and an informal care gap in the UK.

AbstractMeeting individuals' social care needs is a core element of UK social policy. However, the conceptualisation and operationalisation of 'unmet need' remain a challenge. This paper advances our understanding by incorporating a temporal dimension into the conceptual framework on unmet need to investigate the dynamics of met and unmet need for social care over time. Using data from Waves 8 and 9 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, this paper examines five possible trajectories among individuals with a social care need for bathing or dressing at baseline: (a) no longer having such a need; (b) having continued needs met; (c) delayed needs met; (d) newly arisen unmet needs; and (e) repeated unmet needs. The results indicate that amongst those with need at baseline, unmet need has decreased over time – indicating that some needs for social care may be fulfilled with a delay. However, a significant proportion of older people experienced repeated unmet needs, particularly those who were younger, with no spouse or civil partner, and those whose activities of daily living index scores worsened over time. Understanding the dynamics of unmet need can support policy makers in better ensuring that those facing an elevated risk of repeated unmet need over time do not fall through the social care safety net.

On 23 March 2020 the UK went into lockdown in an unprecedented step to attempt to limit the spread of coronavirus. Government advice at that time was that all older people aged 70 and over should stay at home and avoid any contact with non-household members. This study uses new data from the Understanding Society COVID 19 survey collected in April 2020, linked to Understanding Society Wave 9 data collected in 2018/19, in order to examine the extent of support received by individuals aged 70 and over in the first four weeks of lockdown from family, neighbours or friends not living in the same household, and how that support had changed prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The research distinguishes between different types of households as, given with guidance not to leave home and not to let others into the household, those older people living alone or living only with a partner also aged 70 and above are more likely to be particularly vulnerable. The results highlight both positive news alongside causes for concern. The receipt of assistance with Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), especially shopping, has increased particularly among those living alone or with an older partner, reflecting the rise of volunteering and community action during this period. However, not all older people reported a rise, and the majority reported 'no change', in the support received. Moreover, amongst those older people reporting that they required support with at least one Activity of Daily Living (ADL) task prior to the pandemic, around one-quarter reported receiving no care from outside the household and one-in-ten of those with two or more ADL care needs reported receiving less help than previously. Although formal home care visits have continued during the pandemic to those who have been assessed by the local government to be in need, it is important to acknowledge that some older people risk not having the support they need.

Objectives: This study examines the association between elder abuse and psychological distress among older adults in India, and explores whether this association varies by the level of psychosocial and material resources. Design: The study uses a cross-sectional survey design. Setting The data are drawn from a representative sample of 9,589 adults aged 60 and above in seven Indian states - Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu – in 2011. Statistical analyses: Secondary analysis, using bi-variate and multivariate logistic regression models, is conducted using the UNFPA project Building Knowledge Base on Ageing in India (BKPAI) survey. Elder abuse (physical and/or emotional) emanating from family members in the previous month before the survey is examined. Multivariate models are run on the total analytical sample, and for men and women separately. Results: The overall prevalence of psychological distress amongst persons aged 60 and over living in the seven Indian States is 40.6 percent. Among those older persons who experienced some form of physical or emotional abuse or violence in the last month, the prevalence of psychological distress is much higher than that in the general older population, at 61.6 percent (P<0.001). The results show that the experience of abuse is negatively associated with the mental health of older adults, and this relationship persists even after controlling for demographic and socio-economic factors (OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.22-2.09). The findings also suggest that household wealth has an inverse relationship with mental health, with the association between experiencing elder abuse and reporting poor mental health being strongest amongst older people in wealthy households. Conclusions: Elder abuse in India is currently a neglected phenomenon, and greater recognition of the link between abuse and mental health is critical in order to improve the well-being of vulnerable older adults, some of whom may be 'hidden' within well-off households.

It is well established that there are differentials in health among individuals of different Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) heritage. BME communities are unevenly concentrated across England and Wales. This paper examines the effect of residential density of one's own ethnic group on physical health outcomes in England and Wales. In addition, it explores whether the effects of ethnic density on physical health outcomes are concealed by area deprivation, and whether individual economic deprivation and area deprivation play a role in this relationship. Data on BME and White British individuals from the first wave of the UK Household Longitudinal Study (Understanding Society) are linked with ethnic density characteristics from the 2011 UK Census and with the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) from the 2010 English and Welsh Governments. Multilevel logistic regression is then employed in the analysis. The results show that individuals from BME groups who live in areas with a high density of their own ethnic group are more likely to report poor health, but these effects are mediated by both individual economic deprivation and area deprivation. The results highlight that facilitating the improvement of economic and social conditions for individuals in deprived areas could help to reduce the negative differentials in health outcomes experienced by individuals from BME communities.

AbstractReflecting a relatively low‐value Basic State Pension, occupational pensions have historically been a key aspect of pension protection within Britain. Existing research shows that minority ethnic groups are less likely to benefit from such pensions and are more likely to face poverty in later life, as a result of the interaction of their labour market participation and pension membership patterns. However, the lack of adequate data on ethnic minorities has so far prevented the direct comparison of different ethnic groups, as well as their comparison to the White British group. Using data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, this article explores patterns of employment and the odds ratios of membership in an employer's pension scheme among working‐age individuals from minority ethnic groups and the White British population, taking into account factors not used by previous research, such as one's migration history and sector of employment (public/private). The analysis provides new empirical evidence confirming that ethnicity remains a strong determinant of one's pension protection prospects through being in paid work, being an employee and working for an employer who offers a pension scheme. However, once an individual is working for an employer offering a pension scheme, the effect of ethnicity on that person's odds of being a member of that scheme reduces, except among Pakistani and Bangladeshi individuals for whom the differentials remain. The article also provides evidence on the pension protection of Polish individuals, a relatively 'new' minority group in the UK.