scholarly journals Understanding diversity in later life through images of old age

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friederike Enßle ◽  
Ilse Helbrecht
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Conceptual Debate ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Images Of Old Age

Abstract This article aims to enhance the conceptual debate on diversity in old age by exploring the interplay of diversity in later life and images of old age. We argue that the analysis of images of old age on the micro-level is a fruitful methodology in order to unravel the meaning of diversity in later life. Drawing on findings from qualitative research in Berlin, we explore how new and diverse imaginations, experiences and lifestyles of old age emerge. The conceptual focus on images of old age enables us to investigate further what diversity in later life comprises and how it simultaneously fosters the genesis of new images of old age. The manifold new images we found in our research suggest that prevalent societal discourses about old age on the macro-level are rather deceptive and represent mostly stereotypes such as ‘active agers’ or ‘frail and dependent elders’. We offer three explanations why alternative images of old age are currently barely present in public discourse: (a) the actors transmitting images of age; (b) the institutionalisation of the images; and (c) the challenge to communicate complexity. We conclude by suggesting that images of old age are a promising starting point to explore and make visible both the diversity of social groups within the older generation as well as the heterogeneity of older individuals.

Connecting Ethnicity, Agency and Ageing

2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon Wray
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Ethnic Diversity ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Successful Ageing ◽  
Culturally Specific ◽  
Personal Power ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Sociological Approaches

The experience of growing older in Britain is ethnically and culturally differentiated. Yet, mainstream gerontological and sociological approaches to ageing have failed to examine, in any detail, the interconnections between agency, ageing and ethnic diversity. This means that theories of ageing often exclude experiences outside the ‘traditional’ domain. Here, traditional includes those theories of ageing that have relied on western (British/American) concepts to measure personal power and fulfillment in later life. Yet, the meanings attached to agency, empowerment, autonomy and independence vary in relation to the specificities of time, space and culture. Despite this, western culturally specific concepts tend to underpin the notion of ‘successful ageing’. This paper questions both the effect this has on how agency and empowerment are theorised and the extent to which some experiences are excluded by definition. It presents findings from an ESRC qualitative research project on womenís experiences of agency and dis/empowerment in later life across ethnic diversity. There were differences, for instance, in the timing of old age, what constituted control and agency and womenís relationship with their bodies, as they grew older. The paper considers the extent to which current gerontological and sociological theories and concepts of ageing adequately represent ethnic and cultural differences in what it means to grow older.

scholarly journals Education on Old Age and Ageing in School: An Analysis of Students’ Conceptions of Old Age and Ageing and Implications for Teaching

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 307
Author(s):  
Franziska Ginschel ◽  
Kirsten Schlüter
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Ninth Graders ◽  
Teaching Approaches ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Negative Images ◽  
Perceptions Of Students ◽  
Age Cohort ◽  
Images Of Old Age

Issues related to old age and ageing are an imperative topic in a society of long life, concerning everyone. Wherever possible, the age-related issues should also be adequately addressed and integrated into school education. This article gives an overview of perceptions of students in regard to external and self-images of old age, as conceptions from students are an important starting point for the development of teaching approaches. So far, there is an insufficient research situation in Germany regrading images of old age of children and adolescents. Guideline-supported individual interviews with 10 ninth graders (Mage = 15.2 years) were conducted and analyzed in order to get an insight into prevalent conceptions of old age and ageing in this age cohort. The students’ ideas result in a comprehensive category system. In summary, our investigation has shown that students do not hold one-sided positive or negative images of old age in general, although some aspects like the physical condition and exercise capacity are seen more negatively than for example the characteristics of older persons. Teaching approaches for biology lessons and other subjects, deducted from the students’ perceptions, are given in the discussion.

scholarly journals REPRESENTATIONS OF OLD AGE IN THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS WORLD

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S23-S23
Author(s):  
Mireia Fernández Ardèvol
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Consumer Electronics ◽  
Age Dependency ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Technological Design ◽  
Older Populations

Abstract This paper examines representations of old age at the Consumer Electronics Show 2019, identifying how explicit product discourses identify later life with Fourth Age dependency, fragility, decline, and care, as is the case with the home and companion-robot industry. While designers take a Fourth Age approach to the ‘senior market’, they liken their products with those for children, as both old and young are stereotyped as requiring surveillance based on their assumed weaknesses. Thus the technological depictions of old age neglect the diversities of older populations and reinforce dominant ageist and homogenizing narratives about older life as disempowering, passive, and digitally divided. Conclusions question why technological design aimed at helping older individuals are uninformed and misconceived about the realities of later life and what recommendations may be offered to resolve this resulting ageism.

scholarly journals Introduction: Framing Exclusion from Services

2021 ◽  
pp. 135-140
Author(s):  
Veerle Draulans ◽  
Giovanni Lamura
Keyword(s):  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Social Cohesion ◽  
Working Group ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Demographic Trends ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Huge Variety

AbstractThis part presents three specific examples of how old-age social exclusion can take place in the field of service provision. These contributions refer to the key areas of care, transportation and information communication technology (ICT) based solutions, which represent some of the sub-domains of service-related exclusion in later life that are most frequently cited in the literature (Walsh et al. 2017; ROSEnet Services Working Group 2020). Given the current demographic trends, the availability of suitable services has become crucial to ensure social cohesion and inclusiveness. Governments, be it on national or community levels, social profit organisations and commercial companies offer a huge variety of services aimed at making people’s lives easier and more comfortable. In order to better contextualise the contributions presented in this part, this chapter will provide an overview of old-age service exclusion in general, highlighting in particular macro- and micro-level considerations. It will then briefly introduce each contribution.

scholarly journals Ciało biologiczne w interakcjach społecznych — pomiędzy napiętnowaniem a akceptacją

2008 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-212
Author(s):  
Honorata Jakubowska
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
The Body ◽  
Physical Body ◽  
Starting Point

The starting point for this article is Erving Goffman’s concept of stigma. Referring to her own surveys, the author analyses Tseëlon’s claim that the physical body can be treated as a stigma. She considers which aspects of the body – e.g. the natural odour, old age, illness or the absence of depilation – stigmatises a person most, and in which social groups. The explanation is that it depends on different approaches to the body and treating it as inherited vs. achieved.

Harmonization of European training

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S64-S64
Author(s):  
R. Oude Voshaar
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
High Standard ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Geriatric Psychiatry ◽  
Specific Training ◽  
Minimal Level ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Eu

Mental health disorders, especially dementia, mood- and anxiety disorders, are among the most prevalent diseases in later life. Due to a greying European society, numbers are expected to increase over the next decades. Consequently, there is a pressing need for well-trained specialists in geriatric psychiatry across Europe in order to meet the mental health needs and to deliver a high standard of care to the aging population. In the past decades, some countries have set up specific training programs for specializing in geriatric psychiatry, whereas others did not. In order to stimulate the development of high-quality services, harmonizing specialty training across Europe will be a first step forward.The EU stresses the need for standardizing qualifications of medical professionals to enable them to work across the EU. This workshop aims to work towards a consensus on the minimum training level required for geriatric psychiatry. We state that being able to work as an old age psychiatrist requires specific training in geriatric psychiatry and old age over and above general training in psychiatry. Therefore, discussion of opportunities to develop minimal criteria for training and practice across Europe is crucial. Taken the differences between countries into account (many countries do not provide specific training in old age psychiatry), we should finally agree on the minimal level of education and supervision, the minimum level of work experience and finally the minimal level of supervision in peer groups as a starting point.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his declaration of competing interest.

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.

Entrepreneurship Management at the Local Government Level: The Experience of the Cities for Entrepreneurs Program

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 388-407
Author(s):  
Patricio Gigli ◽  
◽  
Donatela Orsi ◽  
Marisel Martín Aramburú ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
National Level ◽  
Development Issue ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Local Government Level ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Government Level

This paper aims at describing the experience of the Cities for Entrepreneurs Program (Ciudades para Emprender or CPE) of the National Directorate of Community and Human Capital (which belongs to the SEPYME), National Ministry of Production. This paper starts from the premise that entrepreneurship takes place at the most micro level of the offer and, therefore, is a concept associated with the characteristics of the environment closest to that offer: the local territory. However, there is little history in the country of public policies relating the issue of entrepreneurship with the local management. That is why we take as a starting point the conceptualization of the chosen framework: local governments and the development issue, seen from the perspective of entrepreneurships. Moreover, an overview is given on the structural characteristics of municipalities in Argentina. In addition, some international experiences and attempts to promote entrepreneurship at a national level are analyzed. Finally, the Cities for Entrepreneurs Program (CPE) is outlined, based on a summary of the diagnoses of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystems of the selected cities and the tools used and their execution status at the time of publication of this paper.

Aging Without Children: The Link between Parental Status and Tangible Support

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2199320
Author(s):  
Agnete Aslaug Kjær ◽  
Anu Siren
Keyword(s):  
Later Life ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Living Alone ◽  
Parental Status ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Care And Support ◽  
Major Disadvantage ◽  
Potential Resource ◽  
Tangible Support ◽  
Negative Link

Having children is a potential resource for care and support in later life. However, whether and, if so, under what conditions, childless older individuals risk insufficient support remains unclear. Using the Danish Longitudinal Study of Ageing (2017), restricted to respondents aged 67 years to 97 years ( n = 5,006), our study analyzes the link between availability of tangible support and parental status in a Nordic welfare state. Our results confirm a negative link between childlessness and support mainly among unpartnered individuals. This combined disadvantage is stronger among men than among women, and the support gap intensifies with increased health needs. Taken together, although childlessness in itself is no major disadvantage for support in late life, childless men living alone risk insufficient support, particularly when in poor health. Our findings have important policy implications for future cohorts of older individuals, who will have less access to support from either a spouse or children.

scholarly journals Delivering and implementing child and adolescent mental health training for mental health and allied professionals: a systematic review and qualitative meta-aggregation

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Banwell ◽  
Neil Humphrey ◽  
Pamela Qualter
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Synthesis Method ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Youth Workers ◽  
Mental Health Training ◽  
Health Training ◽  
Starting Point

Abstract Background The increasing prevalence of mental health difficulties among children and young people (CYP) suggests that early intervention is vital. A comprehensive system of care and support requires the involvement of mental health professionals, including psychologists and psychiatrists, and allied professionals, including teachers, police, and youth workers. A critical starting point is the provision of effective training, in order that these professionals can better support the mental health needs of the CYP that they encounter. Objectives Given the primacy of training in the CYP mental health support system, understanding the factors that maximise potential gains and facilitate uptake is pertinent. The current review therefore located and explored qualitative research evidence, to identify the barriers and facilitators underpinning successful delivery and implementation of training focussed on the mental health of CYP, for both mental health and allied professionals. Methods A systematic review and qualitative meta-aggregation were conducted. Systematic searches were carried out using ASSIA, EMBASE, MEDLINE, NICE Evidence, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases, for papers published between 2000 and 2020. Twelve thousand four hundred forty-eight records were identified, of which 39 were eligible for review. The records were appraised for quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research, and synthesised using the qualitative meta-aggregation method. Results One hundred eighty-two raw findings were extracted from the 39 papers, which were condensed into 47 sub-categories, 19 categories, and finally 5 synthesis statements. These synthesis statements reflected the barriers and facilitators influencing the training delivery process (“support”; “content, design, and planning”), and the implementation of training into the workplace (“context”; “perceived value”; “organisational factors”). Conclusions The synthesis statements and underlying categories provide practical recommendations for those designing, delivering, or implementing CYP mental health training. Recommendations ranged from facilitating peer support during training, to the idea that training will be better implemented when perceived need is high. The review provides a robust evidence-based foundation to “common-sense” principles, drawing them into a coherent and organised framework using a synthesis method grounded in pragmatism. Protocol registration number PROSPERO reference ID: CRD42020162876.

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