scholarly journals ‘A lonely old man’: empirical investigations of older men and loneliness, and the ramifications for policy and practice

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Ratcliffe ◽  
Andrea Wigfield ◽  
Sarah Alden
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Implicit Assumption ◽  
Masculine Identity ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Way

Abstract Loneliness has become an issue of significant academic, public and policy focus. There has been much research on experiences of loneliness in later life and many accompanying interventions targeting lonely older people. However, there has been a dearth of research on the impact that loneliness can have on older men and the resulting implications for policy and practice. This paper aims to redress this by developing a theoretical framework to improve understanding of older men's constructions and experiences of loneliness. It draws on two qualitative empirical studies: the first explores older men's perceptions of masculinity and loneliness; and the second looks at the effectiveness of a service for older men which was designed to alleviate loneliness among older people more generally. The paper outlines the way in which older men often construct masculinity as an oppressive (hegemonic) requirement, but which can be reformed into ‘positive’ traits of ‘strength of mind’, ‘responsibility’, ‘caring’, ‘helping out’, ‘doing a favour’ and ‘giving something back’, with a consistent yet implicit assumption that enactment of these denotes a ‘proud’ masculine identity. Loneliness, on the other hand, is represented as a subordinate social role, both non-masculine and related to marginalising stereotypes of age. This results in the identification of two important implications for the way in which services can assist in the alleviation of loneliness in older men: that men are more likely to engage with a service that can facilitate the construction of a ‘proud’ masculine identity; and that services which deconstruct hegemonic masculinities, particularly by providing a space where men feel comfortable being emotionally tactile, are likely to be most effective at both alleviating loneliness and promoting overall wellbeing.

Wartime experiences and their implications for the everyday lives of older people

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1457-1481 ◽  
Author(s):  
JUDITH SIXSMITH ◽  
ANDREW SIXSMITH ◽  
MATTHEW CALLENDER ◽  
SUSAN CORR
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Everyday Lives ◽  
War Experiences ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Way

ABSTRACTPast research has documented the influences that ‘traumatic’ memories of war have on older people's mental health (e.g. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). However, fewer studies have explored the longer-term implications of wartime experiences for older men and women's everyday lives. This article explores the impact of Second World War experiences on older men and women living in the United Kingdom (UK), to provide an insight into how such experiences influence how they construct their daily lives. Forty UK-based participants born between 1914 and 1923 were interviewed as part of the ENABLE-AGE project that was undertaken in five European countries. The key concepts underpinning the interview schedule were: home, independence, participation, health and wellbeing, and societal supports. The data were analysed using a grounded theory approach. Participants emphasised how wartime experiences continue to hold significance within their lives and settings some 60 years later. Seven themes emerged from the analysis. Four of these reflect the way wartime experiences remain important influences on participants' present-day social worlds: comradeship, storytelling about the war, community and alienation, and long-term physical effects. A further three themes reflect how skills and personal characteristics defined by wartime experiences are embedded in the way many older people continue to negotiate and structure their practical lives: managing, resilience and adaptability, and independence.

scholarly journals Fourth Ageism: Real and Imaginary Old Age

Societies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Paul Higgs ◽  
Chris Gilleard
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
Social Representations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Chronological Age ◽  
Biological Parameters ◽  
Term Care ◽  
The Impact ◽  
State Responses

This paper is concerned with the issue of ageism and its salience in current debates about the COVID-19 pandemic. In it, we address the question of how best to interpret the impact that the pandemic has had on the older population. While many feel angry at what they see as discriminatory lock-down practices confining older people to their homes, others are equally concerned by the failure of state responses to protect and preserve the health of older people, especially those receiving long-term care. This contrast in framing ageist responses to the pandemic, we suggest, arises from differing social representations of later life, reflecting the selective foregrounding of third versus fourth age imaginaries. Recognising the tension between social and biological parameters of ageing and its social categorisations, we suggest, may offer a more measured, as well as a less discriminatory, approach to addressing the selective use of chronological age as a line of demarcation within society.

Socio-economic disadvantage and poverty

2020 ◽  
pp. 105-114
Author(s):  
Alisoun Milne
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Economic Disadvantage ◽  
Fundamental Building Block ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Uk ◽  
State Pension ◽  
The Impact

Chapter 5 is the first of three chapters exploring the impact of age related risks affecting particular sub populations of older people. Socioeconomic disadvantage in later life tends to reflect a lifecourse status. It amplifies what is already present. In 2016/17 one million older people were living in poverty; an additional 1.2 million were living just above the poverty line. These numbers are rising. Those aged 85 years or over, frail older people, older women and single older people are particularly at risk. Poor older people are also more likely to live in poor housing and be exposed to fuel poverty. Being poor - and its concomitants - compromises mental health in a number of profound ways. It undermines an older person’s capacity to make choices, retain independence, save for a crisis, maintain social contacts and be digitally included. It is linked with worry, loss of control over life and shame. Poor older people are at heightened risk of isolation and loneliness, stress, anxiety and depression. The UK has a weak policy record, compared with other developed countries, of sustainably and coherently addressing poverty in later life. One of the cornerstones of doing so is a continued commitment to the basic state pension as a fundamental building block of a secure old age. Addressing poor housing is also pivotal.

scholarly journals Experiences of neighbourhood exclusion and inclusion among older people living in deprived inner-city areas in Belgium and England

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
TINE BUFFEL ◽  
CHRIS PHILLIPSON ◽  
THOMAS SCHARF
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Inner City ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Urban Space ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Ethnically Diverse ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Change ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Place And Space

ABSTRACTThis article explores conceptual and empirical aspects of the social exclusion/inclusion debate in later life, with a particular focus on issues of place and space in urban settings. Exploratory findings are reported from two empirical studies in Belgium and England, which sought to examine experiences of social exclusion and inclusion among people aged 60 and over living in deprived inner-city neighbourhoods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with an ethnically diverse sample of 102 older people in Belgium and 124 in England. Thematic analysis of interview data identifies four issues in relation to the neighbourhood dimension of social exclusion/inclusion in later life: experiences of community change; feelings of security and safety; the management of urban space; and strategies of control. The results suggest that neighbourhoods have a significant influence on shaping the experience of exclusion and inclusion in later life, with a number of similarities identified across the different study areas. The article concludes by discussing conceptual and policy issues raised by the research.

scholarly journals SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN MEXICO: IMPLICATIONS OF GENDER AND PHYSICAL HEALTH

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S215-S215
Author(s):  
Maria Monserud
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Studies in developed countries indicate that social activities can make a difference in mental health in later life. Yet, research on potential benefits of social activities for older adults in developing countries, including Mexico, has been scarce. This study uses the two most recent waves (2012, 2015) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study to investigate the impact of social activities on depressive symptoms among older men (n = 4, 749) and women (n = 6,527), aged 50+, in Mexico. The results of Ordinary Least Squares regressions indicate that it is important to differentiate among specific social activities in later life. Particularly, not only group-based but also solitary social activities were predictive of better mental health. Moreover, the findings demonstrate several gender differences and similarities. Participation in clubs, communication with relatives and friends, physical exercise, and watching television were beneficial for mental health among men, whereas volunteering, playing games, and making crafts were associated with fewer depressive symptoms among women. At the same time, reading as well as doing household chores were related to better mental health among older Mexicans, regardless of gender. Furthermore, this study shows that self-reported health, functional limitations, chronic conditions, and frequent pain might shape the implications of social activities for depressive symptoms among older adults in Mexico. The insights from this study can be helpful for intervention programs that are being developed to promote benefits of group-based and solitary social activities for mental health among older men and women with different levels of physical health.

scholarly journals The impact of traditional filial piety between older people and their children in Taiwan

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Filial Piety ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Chinese People ◽  
Traditional Belief ◽  
Social Structural ◽  
The Impact

Filial piety is a significant traditional belief among Chinese people. However, social structural changes have created a limited number of people available to take care of the elderly. Elderly infirm parents may be sent to nursing homes when no family member is available to take care of them, which may effectively reduce older people’s satisfaction in their later life. It also increases the caring stress from children because of this traditional belief.

scholarly journals Retirement Migration and Precarity: Material and Social Aspects

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 443-444
Author(s):  
Marion Repetti ◽  
Toni Calasanti
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Social Aspects ◽  
Active Lifestyle ◽  
Retirement Migration ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Discussions of precarity in later life have tended to focus on the uncertainties of material resources, and the feelings of anxiety that this evokes (e.g., Lain et al. 2019) as some older people thus face the risk of being excluded from the broader society. Although scholars often point to inequalities, such as those based on class and gender, as having an influence on the likelihood of older people experiencing such precarity, ageism is considered only to the extent that it can exacerbate the impact of these statuses through, for instance, labor market experiences. Here, we expand upon the impact of ageism on the social aspects of precarity: the loss of recognition and respect as a person that is at the core of social bonds. Drawing on qualitative interviews we have conducted among Swiss, British, and U.S. older people who migrated to cheaper countries in retirement, we demonstrate that ageism can influence precarity regardless of classes. We find that even among wealthier older migrants, who otherwise might fit the image of the retiree seeking an active lifestyle in a sunny location, the attempt to escape the devaluation heaped upon older people in their original country plays an important role. In their new countries, retired migrants of all classes felt that they were valued and part of a community, and this differed from the ageism in their home countries. We thus argue that ageism be considered in future analyses of precarity in later life.

scholarly journals Cardiovascular risk and association with depression in middle-aged and older autistic adults

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Ann Charlton ◽  
Goldie McQuaid ◽  
Lauren Bishop ◽  
Gregory Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Executive Function ◽  
Cardiovascular Risk ◽  
Older People ◽  
Inhibitory Control ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
The Impact

Cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) increase during later-life and are associated with depression symptoms and difficulties with executive function among non-autistic older people. Few studies have examined CVRF among autistic people. Using data from the Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge research match, this study examined the frequency of CVRF and associations between CVRF, depression symptoms and executive function in 387 middle-aged and older autistic people (aged 40-83 years). Individuals provided demographic and health information to assess the number of CVRF (presence of hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity). Participants also self-reported their depression symptoms and executive functions in the domains of inhibitory control and emotional regulation. CVRF were common among autistic middle-aged and older people, with 28.9% reporting two and 23.2% reporting three or more CVRF. Regression analyses explored the variables associated with depression symptoms. After accounting for the effects of age and sex assigned at birth, CVRF contributed a small but significant amount to the model. A regression model examined the impact of executive function. Emotional regulation (but not inhibitory control), CVRF and age were significantly associated with depression symptoms in middle-aged and older autistic people. In conclusion, CVRF was significantly associated with depression symptoms, and depression symptoms, in turn, were primarily associated with emotional regulation. CVRF occur at high rates in middle-aged and older autistic people but may not be as important a mechanism for depression symptoms as among non-autistic older people.

Housing: the unacknowledged key to our ageing challenge?

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-36
Author(s):  
Clare Tickell ◽  
Gillian Connor
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Strategic Role ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Housing Options

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the strategic role of housing for older people and how it can address some of the key challenges facing politicians. The paper aims to encourage decision-makers and service providers to collaborate in new ways locally. Design/methodology/approach – The paper seeks to highlight the strategic role of housing for older people and how it can address some of the key challenges facing politicians. It aims to encourage decision makers and service providers to collaborate in new ways locally. Findings – The paper argues that: Housing for older people is rising up the political agenda, but as a niche issue rather than one of strategic and economic importance. A multi-agency and outcomes-based approach to the wellbeing of older people, based on place-shaping principles, needs to be mainstreamed locally. Older people have not escaped the impact of austerity measures and this has heightened the need for a range of high quality housing options, in supportive communities, in later life. Good housing options for older people could address the key issues vexing politicians, but there are obstacles to older people accessing such options. Originality/value – The paper suggests a radical, systemic approach is required to ensure better outcomes for older people and, in turn, to generate savings for the public purse.

When Learning Comes of Age? Continuing Education into Later Life

2005 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Older People ◽  
Learning Communities ◽  
Continuing Education ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Formal Learning ◽  
Older Students ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Effective Learning ◽  
Inclusive Learning

It is estimated that in 30 years time nearly half the population of Britain will be over 50. In his introduction to The Learning Age, David Blunkett proclaimed that ‘we must all develop and sustain a regard for learning at whatever age (Blunkett, 1998, my italics). Yet such activity does not extend to higher education, where numbers of students aged over 50 are shamefully low. This paper will begin by outlining a range of issues for older students (aged 50+), whilst recognising differences and diversities between this group of students, not least of which is age, but also including, gender, social class, ethnicity, disability and more. It will move on to raise some key areas for discussion, including ways in which teachers and institutions incorporate, adapt or change pedagogic approaches in order to facilitate and negotiate effective learning for ‘older’ students. Drawing on examples from non-formal learning, it will go on to show how universities can develop effective learning communities for ‘older’ students. It will conclude by emphasising the need for strategies for inclusive learning for older people to be incorporated into both policy and practice, to enable us to move towards a future when learning can come of age.

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