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The aim of this article is to gain an understanding of the relations between the design of bathrooms and the use of the toilet with privacy when residents are unsteady, visually impaired and/or have dementia. The background is that earlier studies and own experiences in Norway indicate that the way bathrooms are designed is crucial for users to be as independent as possible when using the toilet. This article does not include studies on the access to toilets and washbasins for residents who are able to stand on their own. Neither have we studied the use of diapers. The scientific approach includes historical analyses of the rise of privacy when toileting and analyses of bathroom design practices in 20 Norwegian nursing homes. Our investigations show that the expectation that individuals should rid themselves of urine and faces in locked, private rooms arose in connection with the industrialization, democratization and hygienic modernization of Western countries. Analyses of contemporary nursing homes show that many institutions do not have design to facilitate privacy: there are no adjustable toilets, no crutch or walking stick holders, no flushing mechanisms within reach from a sitting position, no toilets that are visible from the residents' bed, poor contrasts; the toilet paper, soap dispensers and paper towels are out of reach from a sitting position; there are few handles, few adjustable sinks and more than 70 cm between the toilet and the sink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of life stresses, religiosity and family coping resources on depression in a regional probability sample of older Chinese ( n = 105) and older Korean ( n = 100) immigrants. A major focus is placed on assessing the ethnic differences found in the relationship between religiosity and depressive symptoms, as experienced by the two Asian ethnic groups. The data for this secondary analysis was derived from a landmark study, Asian American Elders in New York City Survey. Findings suggest that about 46 % of the Chinese sample and 24 % of the Korean sample were depressed, indicating higher depression rates than those found among older Americans of other ethnicities in the literature. Data also show that Korean immigrant elders reported higher levels of religiosity (attended religious services at least once a week and felt that religion was very important in their lives) than their Chinese counterparts. Multivariate analyses confirm ethnic differences in depressive symptoms. Other things being equal, factors of religiosity have an overall significant positive impact on depression among the Korean group, but appear to have no effect on the Chinese group. This data shows that the impact of religiosity on psychological well-being is crucial for mental health professionals in maintaining cultural competency when working with clients from different Asian immigrant subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the gender disparities and cohort differences in the health trajectories of older Chinese adults. Drawn on a nationally representative dataset from the 2008–2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, this paper uses a growth-curve model to identify the health trajectories of older adults in functional limitations, chronic diseases, depressive symptoms and cognitive skills. Older women are found to have slightly fewer functional limitations than older men at an earlier age; however, this gap is reversed later because of women's higher deterioration rate in physical function. Compared to men, older women have more chronic diseases at younger ages, but this trend is changed after age 90 years due to a faster decline rate in chronic diseases for women. The gender gap in the depressive symptom trajectories narrows with age, whereas the gap in the trajectories of cognitive skills widens. The cohort differences favouring later-born cohorts decrease with age in the trajectory of functional limitations. The latest cohort born in 1940 or after has the fastest increase in chronic diseases and depressive symptoms among all the cohorts. These results are further verified using the random-effect model and pooled ordinary least squares. Policymakers should promote gender equality and reduce cohort differences to achieve the national goal of "Healthy China". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we contend that urban middle-class older Indians engaged in "serious leisure" as a way to reimagine and reconfigure the structure of everyday life during the pandemic-led epochal downtime. In particular, we heuristically show that leisure activity patterns and constraint negotiation strategies among older Indians followed conceptual semblances with the dominant leisure-based typology of Serious Leisure Perspective. By thematically analysing household surveys (n = 71), time-use diaries and in-depth interviews (n = 15) of middle to upper middle-class individuals (55–80 years), we show how both men and women distinguished between serious leisure that is marked by motivation, agency and perseverance with that of unstructured, routinized free-time (or causal leisure). Time-use diaries suggested that despite the changed realities of heightened domestic time available to both genders due to the pandemic, women recorded higher proportion of their daily hours in household management and caregiving. Although women were governed by moral-cultural self-descriptions in their engagement with leisure, it was often associated with an enhanced sense of self-actualisation, self-management and identity. Overall, we show how the social codes of age and gender were inextricably linked with the practice of leisure during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of developed and developing countries globally is steadily increasing due to the advanced development in various fields. Nevertheless, the development of a country can cause the nation to face an ageing population with a sizeable older adult population due to demographic changes. The changes in the overall demographics have resulted in shifting the role of providing support and care for older adults to the local community. The significant population of older adults and higher demand for older adults' support and care have caused the shift in caring for them. Hence, this study aimed to investigate community support for senior citizens in this country through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of previous research papers. This study utilised the SLR method according to the publication standard of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) by reviewing various research and survey designs. The findings from 14 articles highlighted the forms of community support and the role of the community towards older adults. This literature analysis is critical and valuable for future research to understand the relationship between support for older adults and the well-being of older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the world's population rapidly ages, older people are increasingly placed in long-term care institutions. Although this global trend is supposed to protect older people, it is unclear whether they have any voice in decisions about such placements. The aim of this paper is to report a qualitative study into whether and to what degree social workers involve older people in these decisions. The study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews, focused group discussion, sociograms, and the daily and weekly schedules of 17 respondents (7 social workers and 10 older people in long-term care) in Warsaw, Poland. The findings show that social workers did involve older people, but only in minor decisions after their placement to help them adapt to the new situation. This practice seems to be attributable to neoliberal and managerial tendencies in the policy guidelines that social workers must follow in performing inherently relational tasks. The paper concludes by outlining the implications of these findings for social work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this paper are two-fold: first, to assess the healthcare utilization pattern among rural elderly and second, to examine the various covariates of Out of Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) in Odisha, India. Multiple Generalised Linear Regression Model (GLRM) was employed to explore the relative effect of various socio-economic and demographic covariates on the OOPE. Major source of financing for elderly population was their son for both inpatient and outpatient healthcare in the last episode of illness. Multivariate analysis, shows that age, saving or bank balance, risk behaviour (smoking), non-functionality, hearing defect and multi-morbidity are significantly influencing the spending pattern of the elderly on healthcare. Results suggest that there is an immediate need to relook at the existing pension schemes especially in the rural areas to manage the healthcare needs of elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been found that people with disabilities remain at the margin as far as the different aspects of their lives are concerned. This paper tests the hypothesis that disability leads to lower quality of life among older adults in low and middle-income countries. The data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) was used in this study which was conducted in Ghana, China, India, Russia, South Africa and Mexico. The disability scores have been made utilising Item Response Theory, Partial Credit Model and are centered on eight functioning and health areas. Bivariate analysis, binary logistic regression and pooled regression analysis have been used to fulfil the objectives of the paper. The findings reveal that disability acts as a hindrance in attaining a high quality of life (HQOL) amongst the older adults in the above mentioned low and middle-income countries. The older adults with disability are as much as 60% less likely to enjoy an HQOL with respect to the older adults without disability. Better socio-economic development like improved health care for disabled older adults with disability enhanced living standards for both abled and disabled, efficient pension schemes for older adults with disability and effective social service schemes would be very much essential to improve overall QOL among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to social protection in old age is crucial and yet contingent upon negotiations between the social structures of the welfare states and the personal networks within which individuals are embedded. International migration, changing family dynamics, and the transformation of care and other welfare policies in the global North make it challenging for older migrants to negotiate social protection. Drawing on 45 semi-structured interviews with first-generation older Turkish migrants in London and 13 semi-structured interviews with professional service providers for the community, the paper aims to investigate the assemblages of formal and informal social protection in the lives of older migrants. Findings indicate the complexity in accessing informal social protection and the navigation of formal care support in the UK for first generation older Turkish migrants and the contingency of access to formal care services on informal support networks for participants. It has been demonstrated that built infrastructure and policies aimed at older adults have great influence on assemblages of care, highlighting the need for more age-friendly and integrated policies to facilitate access to social protection for diverse groups of older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the association between work trajectories and frailty in later life in four ageing contexts (AAI index): Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy and Poland. Data of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) is used to create the frailty index and linear regression models are applied to assess the association between frailty condition and work trajectories of 6187 women and men, aged between 50 and 74 years old. The findings underline that women experience worse frailty than men in all countries. Having precarious work trajectories is detrimental to individuals' health everywhere, but it becomes even worse for Danish men and Polish men and women. The ageing context (AAI index) is not associated with health inequalities in older people. We suggest that further research should explore more in detail the mechanisms linking job insecurity to psycho-social risks as possible determinants of frailty, taking into account differences at the national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural areas are becoming more and more concerned about their aging population and perceived loss of youth. Analysts see the older members of communities as a burden, and focus their development strategies on attracting and retaining the young. In doing so, they may be missing the value that elders' civic engagement can provide to rural community development. This qualitative study, based on interviews with 40 elders in mostly rural areas of Wisconsin, in the United States, shows the benefits that their civic engagement brings to rural areas. They have biographical availability, political and economic freedom, and life-long experience to offer. They do face some challenges, including occasional health issues, lack of technological agility, and change-resistant peers. The paper concludes by considering how communities can better access and honour elder civic engagement, including understanding elders' motivations and skills for civic engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) has considerable impacts on the health and life of different groups of people. Older people are one of the most vulnerable groups to climate-related diseases. Heat-related deaths are likely to increase due to an increasing proportion of adults aged 65 and over in the total population. Reviewing literature shows that very few studies have investigated OTC for older people compared to indoor environments. This paper aims to present a comprehensive literature review of the recent literature that discusses differences in OTC sensations and preferences between older people and other age groups. Also, this research reviews effective parameters that should be considered during the planning of outdoor places. These parameters are mainly categorized into two groups of environment-and human-based parameters. Existing comfort models are not fully developed to consider the effects of both environment and human-based parameters for OTC assessment for older people. It is important that the ageing aspects of the OTC being taken into account to shed light on the complex factors of OTC studies. Therefore, holistic agendas and comprehensive masterplans can facilitate communication between policy-making entities, scientific institutions, and urban planners to present healthier urban development for the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elder abuse is evil in human society. The present paper unveils this social issue from two major factors psychological and physical abuse. The study sensitizes the subject matter of study by examining the effects of demographic variables like gender and age on elders. For achieving the purpose of the study the research is a design by exploring and validating the factors of measuring elder abuse through the mix method approach, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). To test the established hypotheses of the effects of the demographic variable on elders the two-way ANOVA was applied. The present study verdicts the development of a sound measurement scale with two influence factors. The separate and composite effect of aging and gender type on elder abuse was evidenced. These findings are crucial especially when the prevalence of elder abuse is higher during COVID-19. The limited novel understudied variable opens an avenue for further research in behavioral and demographic variables like marital status. The present study has practical insinuation for caring the elders in any human society like physical and psychological treatment of elders to avoid abusive situations. In addition, the study attempts to validate the novel issues like psychological and physical abuse of elders in the dimensions of demographic variables. Some rare studies in the Indian continent established the motivation of conducting the research on this dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retirement is a psycho social process. It refers to the phase of life when a person leaves his job and withdraws from active working life. Proper optimization of retirement is only possible when a person has pre planned his life with proper finances and saving or the government is providing him with a lot of social security benefits. However, such conditions rarely occur as a person is preoccupied in his pre retirement phases. But proper optimization of retirement can also take place when a person has high social intelligence which affects physical and mental health. Hence, this paper is an endeavor to look into the relevance of social intelligence which helps the people in their retirement process in the people. Thus, a survey was done to find the level of Social Intelligence in the people who are ageing and are going to be retired soon. Around 252 people between 55 to 70 years were studied from Delhi and NCR. The result indicated that middle aged and just retired people had high social intelligence as compared to older adults and the former were also able to optimize their retirement effectively for successful ageing. The older adults were not able to cope up with the various issues of retirement due to low social intelligence. Hence, further studies can be carried out to design proper training for enhancement of social intelligence in aged people for their effective optimization of retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today's working population is expected to experience a longer and healthier life than previous generations did. This, combined with a currently shrinking workforce, means the participation of older adults in the labor market is expected to positively contribute to national economic and social development. Policymakers have therefore implemented a series of reforms to motivate and encourage both employers and employees to embrace the prospect of an aging workforce and to respond to the associated challenges of such a demographic change in the workplace. This paper aims to provide an overview of recent policy initiatives in this context and to identify the role of technology in major international initiatives in overcoming the key challenges faced by developed countries. We have conducted a scoping review to obtain large volumes of peer-reviewed and gray literature. Our findings suggest that the stakeholders (researchers, government agencies, employers, and communities) are not only aware of the current issues relating to the aging population but also understand the importance of policies in terms of retaining older people in the workforce. In particular, our results indicate that technology, in both the public and private sectors, can be leveraged as a tool to facilitate older adults' participation in the workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carrying out investigations into the relationships between the satisfaction in old-age security and its influence factors is of great significance for safeguarding social fairness and justice. As powerful statistical tools in machine learning, the support vector machine (SVM) and back-propagation neural network (BPNN) algorithms are used to develop nonlinear estimation models for satisfaction in the old-age security in China. Five influence factors (educational background, educational satisfaction, satisfaction with family's financial situation, overall life satisfaction, society overall evaluation) were used as the input features. A SVM model obtained in this paper has prediction accuracies of 78.0% for the training set and 77.5% for the test, and a BPNN model possesses prediction accuracies of 77.8% and 77.0% for the two tests. Obviously, the SVM is superior to the BPNN in predicting satisfaction of old-age security in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes to the literature on challenges and opportunities for social participation experienced by older adults in Ghana and provides useful lessons for theory and practice. The study explored this topic using a descriptive phenomenology approach. A purposive sample of 23 older adults aged 60 years and above participated in semi-structured interviews to provide data for the study. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed for analysis. Data were analyzed following descriptive phenomenology principles, such as paying attention to experiential detail and the personal and relational significance of experience as described, and using existing literature as heuristic to reformulate and gain insight into the general and unique characteristics of experience as described by participants. Two themes emerged from the data. Living at the margins emerged from the descriptions of challenges whose subthemes included health problems, isolation, and poverty. Elevated citizenship emerged from the descriptions of opportunities whose subthemes were acts of reciprocity, recognition, and preferential treatment. The paper discusses how these themes underlie both social exclusion and social participation among participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social security and taxation operate jointly to overcome individual deprivations, reduce income inequality and promote development, bringing ‘taxation into social protection analysis and planning’. There are several ways in which governments can create fiscal space to finance social protection programmes (e.g. social pensions). The idea is to create new sources of revenue -sustainable in the long-run - which can be used to finance social pensions, without building new liabilities and without distorting macroeconomic stability. The literature specifically addressing the potential fiscal space that could be created to finance social pensions is limited. This paper aims to begin filling some of those gaps and identify sources for creating fiscal space for social pensions through the revenue side (i.e. examine the revenue-generating potential of taxation for social pensions). Specifically, examine the potential funding power of three types of taxes (income tax, corporate tax, and trade tax) using cross-country tax revenues and tax rate data in a global perspective. The paper demonstrates that the three taxes have a revenue-generating potential to finance social pensions in several countries. There is not a magic prescription useful for every country, but there are numerous options to design a tailored mix of sources to create fiscal space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to census 2011, India had nearly 104 millions of 60 years and above population. The share is projected to increase from 8 per cent in 2015 to 29 per cent in 2050, which is a matter of concern as rapid population ageing is accompanied by serious social and economic implications which are often linked with different health outcomes in general and lower subjective well-being (SWB) in particular. This paper aims to focus on how socio-economic inequality affects lower SWB among older adults. Bivariate, binary logistic regression and decomposition analysis were used for carving out the results using data from the Building a Knowledge Base on Population Ageing in India (BKPAI). The effective sample size for the analysis was 9181 older adults. The value of the concentration index for lower SWB was -0.28 in India, depicting that lower SWB was concentrated among older adults with poor socio-economic status. Educational status (22%), living arrangement (13%), trust over someone (13%), self-rated health (6%), instrumental activities of daily living (6%) and cognitive ability (5%) explained significant portion of socio-economic inequality for lower SWB among older adults. Our research highlights the urgent need for more empirical exposure to socio-economic inequality and its dynamic impact on lower SWB among older adults. Moreover, the present study recommends strengthening the current government programme to focus especially on older adults from lower socio-economic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older women are more likely to live alone in later life in the UK; however, relatively little is known as to how this has an association with poorer health. This paper attempts to fill this research gap, assessing if living alone is a risk factor for poorer health in later life. The Household Panel Survey data, wave 8 were used which was collected during 2017 in the United Kingdom. Women's household types were divided into three types: living alone, living with a partner and living with others (not a partner). Seven health and wellbeing outcome variables were used. Descriptive analysis and regression analyses examined the role of living alone in predicting health and wellbeing, controlling for demographic and socioeconomic (SES) factors. Results showed significant differences between the household types. However, living alone was not found to be a risk factor for poorer health once SES variables were included in the regression models. While there were differences in the health and wellbeing of the three household composition types, these differences were not found to be significant once demographic and socioeconomic variables were accounted for. Future UK policy should aim to reduce inequalities in SES throughout the life course to improve health and wellbeing in later life. Future research directions include a more detailed examination of the determinants of health of this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has shown that forms of inequality are increasing in Canada. However, one often-overlooked form has been the inequality of retirement time, which is the period between labour market exit and the end of the life course. Divergences that persist in retirement time present opportunities for scrutiny given that they often mirror other forms of inequality across the life course. While racialized immigrants are reported to be less successful in the Canadian labour market, very little is known about their lived experiences navigating retirement time after they exit the labour market. This paper utilizes data from 20 Jamaican Canadian retirees (aged 60 and older) that follows their retirement time experiences after long-term labour market participation in Canada, in order to provide the first qualitative study focused on this significant life transition. Underscoring both precarity and agency as important facets of Jamaican Canadians' retirement time and later life, the paper highlights the interconnections of earlier life course trajectories, livelihood strategies, and their fears of perceived improvidence. It contributes to emergent scholarship on Jamaica's ageing diaspora, who are among growing cohorts of ageing Caribbean immigrants in Canada. Importantly, it foregrounds their strategic responses to the risks and opportunities that contour this lesser-researched phase of the migratory life course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces some key issues in the theoretical and conceptual development of the study of the elder mistreatment. Five papers are summarized which cover differing, yet complementary approaches to this growing social problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Locked doors and secure units are often used as a solution in long-term residential care (LTRC) for residents with moderate to severe dementia who are at risk for wandering and potentially harming themselves or others. This practice creates important quality of life implications for residents as well as for employees. In this paper we explore broader assumptions, connotations and possibilities of LTRC built environments by comparing and contrasting the use of and philosophies regarding the locking of doors and entire units in facilities that maintain this practice to those that have open doors, open units and other accessible physical spaces. This sub-study is part of a larger international, interdisciplinary study that uses rapid site-switching ethnography within a feminist political economy framework to investigate promising practices in LTRC. Field observations and interviews with management, health providers, support staff, informal care providers, union representatives, residents and family members were conducted in 27 sites, 10 of which we elected to include for the purpose of this paper, located in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia (BC), Canada, as well as Norway, Germany and the United Kingdom (UK). Locked doors and units, and inaccessible physical spaces affect the balance between “home” and “institution” in LTRC facilities in numerous ways including privacy, mobility and autonomy of residents, the ability to remain socially connected within the home, possibilities of integration with the larger community and overall quality of life and care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing resident and staff populations, along with political economic reforms, call for new insights into the kinds of skills needed to work in long-term residential care (LTRC). This paper explores the skills of three occupational groups in LTRC: direct care workers, nurses, and doctors. We highlight complexities and ambiguities that exist regarding the training, roles and responsibilities, and integration of these occupational groups, and consider how race and gender relations shape assumptions regarding the skills of different workers. This paper synthesizes presentations and discussions from a workshop titled ‘Skills for Long-term Residential Care,’ held in Toronto, Canada in May 2015. Presentations drew on ethnographic research in LTRC facilities across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, and Germany, as well as the practical experience and knowledge of representatives from Canadian unions and professional organizations. We highlight conditions needed to ensure workers have the appropriate skills to care for an aging population, and raise questions to be addressed to develop a sustainable, highly skilled LTRC workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the paper is to identify the message in letters written by Polish and Czech seniors. The letters were subject to qualitative analysis. The method used was the analysis of the inspired texts—letters written by older people to the younger generation, which may become a didactic tool for the younger generations to learn from the biographies of seniors. The result of the analysis is a list of categories reflecting the main aspects dominating in the letters. These categories are: message addressed to a younger generation, important events and people in individual life story, reflection upon the meaning of life and concerns and challenges in the course of life. All the seniors express their affirmation of family, share ethical reflections on their relationships with other people and on passing. Thus, the main message of the letters is a call to cherish family relationships, nurture relations with other people and show respect to others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though a continued increase in life expectancy is a significant public health achievement, keeping older adults active and maintaining their well-being is challenging. Active aging requires physical health, mental health, functional independence, economic stability, social participation, and spiritual identification. Among all these factors, social cohesion has significant importance, but there is a dearth of studies focusing on older adults' social cohesion. Thus, the present study focuses on the level of social cohesion among older adults and its variation among the different economic classes. This article uses data from the Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE) conducted in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa during 2007–10. Social cohesion scores have been constructed using Item Response Theory Partial Credit Model. Also, bivariate analysis, concentration curves, concentration indices, and multivariate regressions have been used for the analysis presented in this paper. This study confirms the strong predictive power of age, wealth, education, and working status of older adults on their social cohesion across the countries. Higher social non-cohesion is found among the economically poor older adults in Mexico, Russia, India, and China. In contrast, it is just opposite in the case of older adults in South Africa. Governments should develop policies to foster a society with a high level of social inclusion, social capital, and social diversity, to achieve further advancement in social cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including papers about social welfare in Australia, ageing in South Africa, which outlines the legislative and policy framework for public services to old age and a paper about the development of gerontology and clinical practice in Canada.

This paper analyses the evolution of government's attention towards older person in Malaysia by reviewing Malaysia five years plan. Malaysia began to emphasise older person issues in 1995, following the introduction of the National Policy of Older Person. In 1997, the idea of healthy ageing was brought into attention through the first introduction of National Health Policy for Older Person. Subsequently in 20 eras, Malaysia started to grasp the idea of active ageing and productive ageing and this could be seen through the emphasised implementation of National Health Policy for Older Person, life-long learning programs as well as the improved retirement age of 60 years to promote productive ageing. In the Tenth Malaysia Plan, the government highlighted issues namely improvement of facilities, provision of accessible health care, and utilization of ICT on public services for older person. The ongoing plan emphasises the preparation of older person after retirement. This paper concludes that the attention for older person in Malaysia is still far behind compared to other developed countries. This is among the gaps that Malaysia needs to take a heed in order to be ready to take on ageing country status by 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Purpose of this systematic review was to examine patterns of social participation and their benefits on health outcomes of elder people. Published articles written in English from 2006 to 2016 were searched from electronic databases, including PubMed. Science Direct, and CINAHL, as well as hand search for unpublished papers. The results showed that 6 papers met the inclusion criteria. The social participation patterns in elder people could be categorized into 2 patterns, including: (1) collective participation, (2) productive participation. Both social participation patterns could improve psychosocial issues of elder people. Therefore, the authors suggested that to succeed in promoting healthy ageing for these people, health care providers should encourage older people to engage in social activities. However, more rigorous research is also needed to confirm the correlation between social participation types and health benefits among these older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on the association between population ageing and health spending are inconclusive. Though per capita health spending has a strong age gradient, evidence from the developed countries attributes increasing health expenditure to high spending in terminal year of life. In India, though studies have examined the level, trends and determinants of health care spending, no attempt has been made on association of population ageing and per capita health spending across the districts of India. The objective of this paper was to examine the spatial dependencies and heterogeneities of population ageing and per capita health spending across 640 districts of India. Data from the Census of India (2011) and the consumption expenditure rounds of the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) (2009–10 and 2011–2012) were used in the analysis. Univariate and bivariate LISA analysis, ordinary least square regression, and spatial error model were used to decipher the spatial pattern of population ageing and health spending in the districts of India. Results suggest that per capita health expenditure is positively associated with the proportion of the older adults (aged 60 years and above) in the districts of India. Districts with less than 5% older adults have an annual per capita health expenditure of ₹629 compared to ₹2432 in districts with older adults 12% or more. Districts of India also exhibit large spatial heterogeneity in household health spending. Bivariate Moran's I statistic of proportion of older adults and per capita annual health expenditure was 0.48, suggesting spatially association of the share of the older adults and the per capita annual health expenditure in India. Results of the spatial error model confirmed that share of urban population, mean wealth score, and mean household size are significant predictors of per capita annual health expenditure in India. This study is important to monitor the progress of universal health coverage across the disadvantaged districts and to integrate age component in universal health coverage programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changing family structure from joint to nuclear posits a challenge among older people. Increasing prevalence of nuclear family promotes household headship among older adults but leaves them vulnerable as they have to live alone at older ages. Therefore, the study aims to estimate the trends and determine the factors associated with household headship among older adults from 1992-93 to 2015–16. The analysis of this paper is based on four rounds of the National Family Health Survey, which were conducted during the periods between 1992-93, 1998–99, 2005–06, and 2015–16, respectively. The study carried out bivariate and multivariate analysis to observe the association between outcome and independent variables. Results found that household headship among older adults had increased from 59.5% in 1992–93 to 67.8% in 2015–16. Further, the study found a rise in the proportion of nuclear families and household headship among older adults from 1992-93 to 2015–16. In older ages, household headship was more among older women than older men. The likelihood of household headship among older adults in a joint family is low as compared to household headship in a nuclear family. While the rise in household headship among older adults may be attributable to a variety of socio-economic influences, it has been noted that household headship among older adults has varied between men and women and by type of family structure. Moreover, there was a clear relationship between headship and wealth status of a household. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one by Frode F. Jacobsen and Tone Elin Mekki on municipal health care for elderly sick in Norway, Duygu Yilmaz and colleagues on the views of college students on ageism and Patrick Richard and colleagues on racial and ethnic disparities in the quality of diabetes care for the elderly.

Why do we observe higher and higher retirement insecurity over the years? This paper argues that an individual’s retirement insecurity hinges on the interplay between her registered pension scheme and the level of market volatility. A pension scheme reflects the extent to which pension investment risk is individualized, providing the seed for retirement insecurity. The fear for retirement was triggered as capital markets became more volatile over the past decade. Market volatility creates an immediate information shortcut for individuals when forming expectations about post-retirement income that will only be realized in the long run. Due to the “available information bias,” citizens have developed overall downward expectations of retirement income under growing market volatility, forming pessimistic perceptions about retirement. This pessimism is more striking among those with a Defined Contribution pension scheme than those with a Defined Benefit plan because of the risk individualization feature. The argument is tested with data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS). The findings suggest that individuals’ perceptions of insecurity in post-working life are driven by the type of pension plan in which they are enrolled and the degree of market fluctuation facing them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older African Americans are at greater risk of dying from cancer compared to other groups. More research is needed to understand and eliminate these disparities. However, survey data is usually collected using an individual pen / paper approach and surveys are often read to participants individually. This study compared the amount of missing data, time needed to complete the survey, and experiences of using an Audience Response Technology System ( n = 50) and those completing surveys using a pen / paper method ( n = 30) among an African American population. Findings suggest that it is possible to collect data from larger numbers of people in a shorter amount of time using the ARTS, to eliminate data entry errors by direct transfer of electronic data to the data base, and to engage older African Americans to use computer technology. A major problem identified was the increased amount of missing data among participants using the ARTS compared to the traditional pen / paper group. Strategies such as smaller group sizes and more sample questions may decrease the amount of missing data. More research is needed to support the benefits of this innovative use of this technology to collect survey data among older African Americans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]