The housing situation and residential strategies of older people in France

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 753-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
CATHERINE BONVALET ◽  
JIM OGG
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Residential Mobility ◽  
Baby Boom ◽  
Current Trend ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Residential Preferences ◽  
Second Home ◽  
Family Connections

ABSTRACTDuring the later 20th century, France experienced a dramatic turn around in the quality of its housing. The current cohort of older people witnessed and lived through the transformation. Most people aged over 50 years in France are homeowners and almost one-in-four own a second home. Although the oldest age groups are much less residentially mobile than younger people, home moves are more likely around the age of retirement or widowhood. In recent years, new forms of residential mobility in later life have been emerging. These include a weakening of the commonly observed pattern of a permanent drift away from cities and towns towards areas of childhood origin or family connections. One current trend suggests a preference for preserving residential links with areas of relatively high population density and good access to amenities, coupled with being able to spend time elsewhere, whether in second homes, in children's and grandchildren's homes, or elsewhere. The arrival of the post-1945 baby-boom cohort at retirement has begun, and this may increase the current level of residential mobility and lead to more diverse types, although the change will depend on the development of the housing market as well as residential preferences in old age.

scholarly journals Video-Based Communication and its Association with Loneliness, Mental Health and Quality of Life among Older People during the COVID-19 Outbreak

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Bonsaksen ◽  
Hilde Thygesen ◽  
Janni Leung ◽  
Mary C. Ruffolo ◽  
Mariyana Schoultz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Psychological Outcomes ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Communication Tools ◽  
Study Results

The aim of the study was to examine the use of video-based communication and its association with loneliness, mental health and quality of life in older adults (60-69 years versus 70+ years) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in Norway, UK, USA and Australia during April/May 2020, and 836 participants in the relevant age groups were included in the analysis. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between use of video-based communication tools and loneliness, mental health and quality of life within age groups, while adjusting by sociodemographic variables. Video-based communication tools were found to be more often used among participants aged 60-69 years (60.1%), compared to participants aged 70 or above (51.8%, p < 0.05). Adjusting for all variables, use of video-based communication was associated with less loneliness (β = -0.12, p < 0.01) and higher quality of life (β = 0.14, p < 0.01) among participants aged 60-69 years, while no associations occurred for participants in the oldest age group. The use of video-based communication tools was therefore associated with favorable psychological outcomes among participants in their sixties, but not among participants in the oldest age group. The study results support the notion that age may influence the association between use of video-based communication tools and psychological outcomes amongst older people.

scholarly journals (Non-)Stereotypical representations of older people in Swedish authority-managed social media

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Wenqian Xu
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Older People ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Media Content ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Negative Stereotypes

Abstract Social media facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts and information about older people and later life through online networks and communities in contemporary society. Social media content about older people has become important for understanding media representations of older people, but it has not been sufficiently studied. Recent studies suggest that older people are predominantly represented as a disempowered, vulnerable and homogeneous group on social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Because local authorities in many countries have begun using Facebook to reach out to and interact with citizens, they are seen as a significant producer of media content about older people and later life. The purpose of this study is to examine the ways in which Swedish local authorities have visually portrayed older people in their use of Facebook compared with other age groups. This research performed a visual content analysis of 1,000 Facebook posts posted by 33 Swedish local authorities, employing ten analytical aspects to describe and interpret the signs, activities and contexts associated with older people and other age groups (infants, children, adolescents and adults). The study found that the representations of older people on the Facebook pages of local authorities appeared to be not very diverse; specifically, older people (including those in residential care homes) were mainly portrayed as remaining socially engaged and moderately physically capable. This media representation destabilised the prevalent negative stereotypes of older people as being out of touch and dependent; however, it collided with the reality of older individuals with care needs. Additionally, this study argues that older people are represented as inferior to the young in terms of physical and technological competence, based on the connotations of the signs. Given that local authorities have progressively incorporated social media into their daily work, it is expected that this study will contribute to a greater understanding of the ways in which local authorities produce (non-)stereotypical representations of older people on social media.

scholarly journals Ageing and vulnerable elderly people: European perspectives

2006 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
EMILY GRUNDY
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Evaluation Studies ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Psychological Help ◽  
Rigorous Evaluation ◽  
Support Policy ◽  
Vulnerable Elderly

This paper considers the processes and circumstances that create vulnerability among older people, specifically to a very poor quality of life or an untimely or degrading death. Models of ageing processes are used to define vulnerable older people as those whose reserve capacity falls below the threshold needed to cope successfully with the challenges they face. Compensatory supports may intervene to mitigate the effects of challenges and to rebuild reserve. The dimensions of reserve, challenges and compensation are discussed, with emphasis on demographic and other influences on the availability of family and social support. Policy initiatives to reduce vulnerability can focus on each part of the dynamic process that creates vulnerability, namely, ensuring that people reach later life with ‘reserve’, reducing the challenges they face in later life, and providing adequate compensatory supports. The promotion through the lifecourse of healthy lifestyles and the acquisition of coping skills, strong family and social ties, active interests, and savings and assets, will develop reserves and ensure that they are strong in later life. Some of the physical and psychological challenges that people may face as they age cannot be modified, but others can. Interventions to develop compensatory supports include access to good acute care and rehabilitation when needed, substitute professional social and psychological help in times of crisis, long-term help and income support. Our knowledge of which interventions are most effective is however limited by the paucity of rigorous evaluation studies.

Socio-economic position and quality of life among older people in 10 European countries: results of the SHARE study

2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
OLAF VON DEM KNESEBECK ◽  
MORTEN WAHRENDORF ◽  
MARTIN HYDE ◽  
JOHANNES SIEGRIST
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older People ◽  
Home Ownership ◽  
Later Life ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Car Ownership ◽  
Short Version ◽  
Net Worth ◽  
Economic Position

This study examines associations between quality of life and multiple indicators of socio-economic position among people aged 50 or more years in 10 European countries, and analyses whether the relative importance of the socio-economic measures vary by age. The data are from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) in 2004. 15,080 cases were analysed. Quality of life was measured by a short version of the CASP-19 questionnaire, which represents quality of life as comprising four conceptual domains of individual needs that are particularly relevant in later life: control (C), autonomy (A), self-realisation (S) and pleasure (P). The short version has 12 items (three for each domain). Five indicators of socio-economic position were used: income, education, home ownership, net worth, and car ownership. A multiple logistic regression showed that quality of life was associated with socio-economic position, but that the associations varied by country. Relatively small socio-economic differences in quality of life were observed for Switzerland, but comparatively large differences in Germany. Education, income, net worth, and car ownership consistently related to quality of life, but the association of home ownership was less consistent. There was no indication that the socio-economic differences in quality of life diminished after retirement (i.e. from 65+ years). Conventional measures of socio-economic position (education and income), as well as alternative indicators (car ownership and household net worth), usefully identified the differential risks of poor quality of life among older people before and after the conventional retirement age.

scholarly journals Age-Friendly Approaches and Old-Age Exclusion: A Cross-City Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tine Buffel ◽  
Samuèle Rémillard-Boilard ◽  
Kieran Walsh ◽  
Bernard McDonald ◽  
An-Sofie Smetcoren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Research Gap

Developing ‘Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCC)’ has become a key part of policies aimed at improving the quality of life of older people in urban areas. Despite this development, there is evidence of rising inequalities among urban elders, and little known about the potential and limitations of the age-friendly model to reduce old-age exclusion. This article addresses this research gap by comparing how Brussels, Dublin, and Manchester, as three members of the Global Network of AFCC, have responded to social exclusion in later life. The article combines data from document analysis and stakeholder interviews to examine: first, the age-friendly approach and the goal of reducing social exclusion; and second, barriers to developing age-friendly policies as a means of addressing exclusion. The paper suggests that there are reciprocal benefits in linking age-friendly and social exclusion agendas for producing new ways of combatting unequal experiences of ageing in cities.

scholarly journals Australian attitudes to intergenerational equity: impacts of social and policy change

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 2671-2698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hal Kendig ◽  
Rafat Hussain ◽  
Kate O'Loughlin ◽  
Lisa Cannon
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Older People ◽  
Policy Change ◽  
Home Ownership ◽  
Baby Boom ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Intergenerational Equity ◽  
Life Chances ◽  
Competing Demands ◽  
Economic Constraints

AbstractAttitudes to ageing can predispose decision-making as governments, interest groups and electorates negotiate competing demands in the context of economic constraints and social change. This paper, based on national survey data, investigates change and stability in Australian attitudes to intergenerational equity from 2009–2010 to 2015–2017, alongside concurrent socio-economic and policy change as well as cohort succession. The emphasis is on the baby-boom cohort who are viewed as significant beneficiaries of social change relative to opportunities of younger and older cohorts. Views of older people as a needy group may be changing slightly as more enter later life with substantial wealth and resources. Our results show that there is little perception of intergenerational conflict with the exception of the Millennial cohort whose life chances are compromised by economic and expenditure constraint over the past decade. Overall, attitudes remain sympathetic to older people, especially among women and people rendered vulnerable by poor health, non-home-ownership and low socio-economic positions. The findings do not align with government portrayals of intergenerational inequalities notwithstanding many having negative views of the future and ongoing expenditure restraint strategies. At what appears to be a critical turning point in the life chances of successive cohorts, the findings indicate the interplay between attitudes and social and policy change, as well as implications for social equity and processes of attitudinal change.

scholarly journals Digital Technology and Older People: Towards a Sociological Approach to Technology Adoption in Later Life

Sociology ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 003803852097558
Author(s):  
Barbara Barbosa Neves ◽  
Geoffrey Mead
Keyword(s):  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Older People ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Digital Technology ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Digital Inequality ◽  
Social Actors ◽  
Sociological Approach ◽  
Design Learning

Despite increasing social pressure to use new digital technologies, older people’s adoption of them remains below other age groups. This article contributes a sociological dimension to exploring what facilitates learning and using digital technology in later life. We focus on the understudied group of older people who are frail, living in care homes and most likely to be digitally excluded or restricted. Drawing on data from a longitudinal mixed methods study of a co-designed communication app for older people, we explore how attempts to bridge the ‘digital divide’ unfold in time. Using the concept of affordances, we show how adoption of a new communication technology is shaped by its design, learning contexts and surrounding social actors. With this work we contribute to novel sociological understandings of technology adoption that are critical for digital inequality research.

Transport resources, mobility and unmet transport needs in old age

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1190-1211 ◽  
Author(s):  
RANDI HJORTHOL
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Small Samples ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Empirical Analysis

ABSTRACTPrevious research has shown that mobility and the ability to leave the home are among the essential aspects of older people's quality of life. However, surveys of older people's access to transport resources and the impact of mobility on welfare and wellbeing are few. Many previous studies are based on small samples or qualitative data. The questions addressed in this paper are how transport resources are distributed among different groups of older people, to which degree the transport needs of these groups are met and how this is related to their wellbeing. The empirical analysis is based on a Norwegian nationwide survey among 4,723 respondents 65 years and older. The respondents were asked about their access to transport resources, both private and public, health problems connected to use of transport modes, their daily activities and mobility, their uncovered transport needs and the importance of different activities for their life quality. The analysis reveals great differences between groups; especially between men and women, but also between different age groups and by different place of living. The special transport offered by the local authorities is seen as insufficient, and with increasing age a great deal of older people have low mobility and an uncovered transport need that reduces their life quality.

The mobilities of care in later life: exploring the relationship between caring and mobility in the lives of older people

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Karen Croucher ◽  
Rose Gilroy ◽  
Mark Bevan ◽  
Katia Attuyer
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Older People ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
The North ◽  
Care And Support ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Per Se ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract There has been a renewed call for a revaluing of informal caring in order to counter the way that caring is undervalued, taken for granted and invisible. Travel is one area where a detailed critique of this issue has emerged with the concept of ‘mobility of care’, however, this concept has only been applied in relation to younger age groups, and our understanding of mobilities of care in later life remains underdeveloped. By ‘mobilities of care’ we mean journeys made for the purpose of giving and receiving informal care and support. This paper draws on the mobility narratives of 99 older people (aged 55 and above) living in three locations in the North of England who participated in a two-year qualitative longitudinal study that explored the inter-play between mobility, wellbeing and life transitions. We focused on the experience of managing life transitions rather than assume that chronology per se determines wellbeing. Narratives of ageing emphasise the importance of getting out and about, and being socially connected active citizens. Our study demonstrates that for many older people getting out and about is not for leisure or utility purposes but to give support and care. As such, these journeys have a particular significance in the lives of older people and in the construction of roles, meaning and identity in later life.

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