scholarly journals Precarity and the assumption of rising insecurity in later life: a critique

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 1849-1866
Author(s):  
Chris Gilleard ◽  
Paul Higgs
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Population Ageing ◽  
Older Population ◽  
Developed Economies ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Ageing Populations

AbstractIn recent years, several authors have drawn attention to signs of growing inequalities in the ageing populations of the developed economies. Such formulations have employed the concept of precariousness to suggest that a ‘new’ precarity has emerged in old age. Questioning this position and drawing on data reported over the last two decades on income and health inequalities between and within retired and working-age households, the present paper argues that evidence of this ‘precarity’ is speculative at most and relates more to imagined futures than to empirically observed trends in the present. The ageing of ageing societies – that is the growing agedness of the older population – might imply an increase in precarity or vulnerability at older ages, but this is not a result of changes in the underlying economic and social relations of society. Instead, we would contend that it is the corporeal consequences of living longer. By conflating the various meanings of ‘precarity’ there is a corresponding danger that the very real changes brought about by population ageing will be underplayed, which may be to the detriment of the most vulnerable. The idea of a new precarity in later life may thus not serve the ends to which it is intended.

AMASE ‒ A multidimensional approach to social exclusion in later life – health consequences for ageing populations. A research project aiming to understand and lessen social exclusion

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana-Alexandra DUMITRESCU
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Multidimensional Approach ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Policy Objectives ◽  
Ageing Populations

Social exclusion of older adults represents a focal problem in Romania. It has a multidimensional character, manifesting in multiple areas: exclusion from social relations, from material resources, from services, from community and society. This paper presents the rationale of the AMASE project, our research and social policy objectives, as well as our work philosophy. Keywords: social exclusion; vulnerability; ageing; Norwegian grants.

scholarly journals The real inequalities

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Bambra ◽  
A Reeves
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Intergenerational Transfers ◽  
Older Population ◽  
The Real ◽  
Socio Economic Status ◽  
Working Age ◽  
The Many ◽  
Significant Health

Abstract Background The ‘greedy geezer’ and ‘poor elderly’ narratives both assume that the older population are homogeneous and that the experiences of older people are universal. This ignores the fact that there are significant health inequalities (i) amongst the older population and (ii) in terms of who gets to be ‘old’ (and for how long). Further, the focus on intergenerational inequality is a deliberate distraction from the far more significant health inequalities that exist in terms of gender, geography, ethnicity, socio-economic status etc across the whole population - regardless of age. Methods Health inequalities amongst the older population and inequalities in terms of who gets to be ‘old’ will be examined through health inequalities across the population by gender, geography, ethnicity, socio-economic status etc. Results Given, for example, that total intergenerational transfers incorporating private transfers are from the older to the younger, it is quite possible that if we reduce public intergenerational transfers (working age to older) then all we are doing is increasing inherited inequality. Conclusions Policy focused on ‘intergenerational equity’ and ‘intergenerational accounting’ will often exacerbate inequalities within generations, to the benefit of the wealthiest and the detriment of much of the population. Win-win solutions only emerge if there is a focus on addressing the many and more profound health inequalities that cross-cut generations.

Old age as a new class or an outdated social category? Objective and symbolic representations of later life

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Chris Gilleard
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Symbolic Representation ◽  
Symbolic Space ◽  
Symbolic Representations ◽  
New Class ◽  
Generational Identity ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Underlying Basis

Abstract Age has become an increasingly contested form of division within contemporary society, with some writers suggesting age has become ‘the new class’ while others point to increasing ‘ageism’ in society. In exploring such competing claims, this paper examines the basis for considering age as a social class, category or group. Drawing upon Bourdieu's writings on classification and the criteria for what constitutes a social class or category and the ‘objective’ and ‘symbolic’ criteria defining it, the paper argues that the material criteria for distinguishing between ‘retired’ and ‘working-age’ households have almost disappeared. At the same time, the symbolic representation of age is no longer confined to the parameters of poverty. Shorn of its objective distinction, the symbolic representation of old age seems to have bifurcated, between a generational identity where older people are represented as an advantaged group and an aged identity still essentialised as old and weak. The dissolution of an objective material basis for framing age has taken away much of the underlying basis for a coherent symbolic categorisation of age. Later life might better be seen as a contested symbolic space, framed by the dual axes of socio-historical generation and corporeal, chronological agedness.

scholarly journals Embodied Aging: Everyday body practices and Later Life Identities among the South Asian Indian Gujarati Diaspora in Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-104
Author(s):  
Anusmita Devi ◽  
Laura Hurd ◽  
Tannistha Samanta
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Asian Indian ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Major Theme ◽  
South Asian Indian

This study explores how South Asian Indian Gujarati older adults in Canada (Greater Vancouver area) strive to maintain personal continuity, citizenship, and selfhood through everyday body management practices (exercise/yoga, medication/health supplements, skin, and hair care routines) and cultural markers such as food, sartorial choices, and community engagement. This examination, we contend, is noteworthy against the backdrop of contemporary North American academic and popular discourses of a burgeoning consumerist movement around the medicalization of bodies and anti-aging technologies. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews of 26 older adults, we discuss how growing old in the diaspora is marked with moral ambivalence between ‘successful aging’ and ‘aging gracefully.’ Based on an inductive thematic analysis, we identify four major themes in how the older diaspora negotiate aging and reorganise their lives through changing social relations and shifting cultural institutions. The first theme is the growing salience of both bodily and social changes in conceptualizing “old age,” and how the experiences of aging vary by gender. Specifically, while most of the female participants visualized old age in terms of a loss of physical functionality, the male participants described agedness in terms of a loss of economic and social worth. The second major theme encapsulates the acceptable coping strategies for dealing with bodily changes and the associated reconfigurations of social roles. While a fit body and functionality were regarded as foundational traits for aging well by all participants, corrective measures or anti-aging products were not espoused as the most culturally appropriate “Indian” way of growing old. The third theme highlights the apprehensions regarding growing old in a foreign country, including a foreboding anxiety of dependence and frailty in the absence of traditional familial care networks. The final theme, explores how for most participants, the notion of home evoked ambivalence in constructing their sense of belonging and identity, often expressed through everyday practices and memory-keeping. Taken together, we ultimately show how age and embodiment are inextricably linked in the experience of growing old in the diaspora.

scholarly journals Ageing populations in the Nordic countries: Mortality and longevity from 1990 to 2014

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 611-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terese Sara Høj Jørgensen ◽  
Stefan Fors ◽  
Charlotte Juul Nilsson ◽  
Linda Enroth ◽  
Mari Aaltonen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Population Ageing ◽  
The Other ◽  
Birth Cohorts ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Compositional Changes ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
Expected Mortality ◽  
Gender Specific ◽  
Ageing Populations

Aims: Cross-country comparisons of mortality and longevity patterns of Nordic populations could contribute with novel insights into the compositional changes of these populations. We investigated three metrics of population ageing: the proportion of the population aged 75+ and 90+ years, the proportion of birth cohorts reaching 75 and 90 years, and life expectancy (LE) at age 75 and 90 years in Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Finland, in the period 1990–2014. Methods: Demographic information was collected from national statistical databases and the Human Mortality Database. Results: All metrics on population ageing increased during the study period, but there were some cross-country variations. Finland experienced a notably steep increase in the proportion of 75+ and 90+ year olds compared to the other countries. Regarding the proportion reaching old ages, the Finnish lagged behind from the beginning, but females decreased this difference. The Danes were more similar to the other countries at the beginning, but did not experience the same increase over time. Gender-specific LE at age 75 and 90 years was similar overall in the five countries. Conclusions: Developments in cross-country variation suggest that survival until old age has become more similar for Finnish females and more different for Danish males and females compared with the other countries in recent decades. This provides perspectives on the potential to improve longevity in Denmark and Finland. Similarities in LE in old age suggest that expected mortality in old age has been more similar throughout the study period.

Images of Aging in the Psychotherapeutic Context

GeroPsych ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva-Marie Kessler ◽  
Catherine E. Bowen
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Aging Process ◽  
Developmental Psychology ◽  
Mental Representations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychotherapeutic Process ◽  
Images Of Aging ◽  
Client Communication

Both psychotherapists and their clients have mental representations of old age and the aging process. In this conceptual review, we draw on available research from gerontology, social and developmental psychology, and communication science to consider how these “images of aging” may affect the psychotherapeutic process with older clients. On the basis of selected empirical findings we hypothesize that such images may affect the pathways to psychotherapy in later life, therapist-client communication, client performance on diagnostic tests as well as how therapists select and apply a therapeutic method. We posit that interventions to help both older clients and therapists to reflect on their own images of aging may increase the likelihood of successful treatment. We conclude by making suggestions for future research.

Old Age Pensions

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Pestieau ◽  
Mathieu Lefebvre
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Pension System ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Population Ageing ◽  
Pension Systems ◽  
Demographic Challenges ◽  
Old Age Poverty ◽  
Future Outcomes ◽  
Social Security Benefits

This chapter gives an overview of the type of pension system existing in Europe. Contributive and redistributive systems are opposed but the chapter shows that pension systems are more often a mix of both. The chapter shows how these systems have been more or less effective in tackling old age poverty in most countries and it points to the main challenges that these systems are facing, namely population ageing and low labour-force participation. The major reforms that have been implemented to ensure future sustainability of pension systems are presented but a number of additional changes that should be implemented are discussed. The chapter also presents projections for future outcomes and the link between demographic challenges and social security benefits is highlighted.

Do expectations for post-retirement family and government support crowd out pre-retirement savings? Insights from the working-age population in Thailand

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Nopphol Witvorapong ◽  
Yong Yoon ◽  
Wiraporn Pothisiri
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Filial Piety ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Financial Security ◽  
Retirement Savings ◽  
Family Transfers ◽  
Retirement Expectations ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Government

Abstract Based on nationally representative data (N = 8,901), this study investigates the extent to which expectations for intra-family transfers and government assistance in old age impact the probability of saving for retirement among working-age individuals in Thailand. Results show that expectations for financial non-self-reliance and expectations that family support would constitute the most important source of old-age financial security reduce the probability that working-age individuals would save for retirement. Expectations for government support have no impact on average. Given that filial piety is weakening in Thailand, this study suggests that the government encourage pre-retirement savings more strongly.

Perceived Stress Predicts Subsequent Self-Reported Problems With Vision and Hearing: Longitudinal Findings From the German Ageing Survey

2021 ◽  
pp. 016402752110273
Author(s):  
Markus Wettstein ◽  
Hans-Werner Wahl ◽  
Vera Heyl
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Chronological Age ◽  
Middle Adulthood ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Demographic Indicators ◽  
German Ageing Survey

Although stress is a risk factor for various diseases in later life, its role for sensory abilities in the second half of life has rarely been empirically addressed. We examined if perceived stress at baseline predicts self-reported difficulties with vision and hearing 3 years later. We also explored whether chronological age is a moderator of associations between stress and sensory difficulties. Our sample was derived from the German Ageing Survey and consisted of n = 5,085 individuals aged 40–95 years ( M = 64.01 years, SD = 10.84 years). Controlling for baseline self-reported sensory functioning, socio-demographic indicators, self-rated health and chronic diseases, greater perceived stress at baseline predicted greater self-reported difficulties with vision and hearing 3 years later. The effect of stress did not vary by age. Our findings suggest that, from middle adulthood to advanced old age, stress is a risk factor for increases in self-perceived problems with vision and hearing.

Gerontoludic Design

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bob De Schutter
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Game Design ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Digital Games ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Population Ageing ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Design Framework ◽  
Physical Decline

Considering the popularity of digital games among older adults and the challenge of population ageing, this article identified a need for an integrated game design framework aimed at older audiences. An analysis of the literature on play in later life demonstrated how the literature is dominated by two themes, i.e., the benefits of playing digital games and the issue of accessibility. While this underlying model has been demonstrated to contribute to successful designs, it also risks reducing games to its motivational characteristics and ageing to cognitive and physical decline. The author therefore reviewed the literature on game design and later life to develop a design approach that considers the multi-faceted nature of ageing as well as the intrinsic value of digital games. The resulting “Gerontoludic Design Framework” sets meaningful play as the intended outcome of game design for older adults, identifies iterative player-centered design as its preferred design approach, and extends the MDA framework by suggesting age-specific aesthetics and mechanics.

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