Everyday life in older men living alone – a complex view needing a biopsychosocial perspective

Abstract A growing number of older men are living alone. They are often referred to as an at-risk group in health-care systems. The purpose of this article is to establish an overview of these men's health and health-care utilisation. We do so by drawing on three sources: an online survey with health-care professionals, data from a national self-report health study and register-based data on health-care utilisation. The results show that older men living alone generally have lower health scores than older men co-habiting and that, among older men living alone, lower educational level is associated with lower health scores but also a greater use of free-of-charge health-care services. Health-care professionals conducting preventive home visits consider older men's social needs the most pronounced problem for the men's wellbeing and call for new services to be custom made for them. In this article, we discuss differences between older men living in rural and urban areas and between those who are single, divorced or widowed. We conclude that health and social care systems must differentiate between sub-groups of older men living alone when developing new services and that free-of-charge services, such as general practitioners and home care, should be considered as vehicles for addressing health inequities.

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The Relationship between living alone, sense of belonging, and depressive symptoms among older men: the moderating role of sexual orientation

Aging & Mental Health ◽

10.1080/13607863.2018.1531373 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 103-109 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Suzanne McLaren

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Sexual Orientation ◽

Sense Of Belonging ◽

Older Men ◽

Living Alone ◽

The Relationship ◽

Moderating Role

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Loneliness, social dislocation and invisibility experienced by older men who are single or living alone: accounting for differences across sexual identity and social context

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x20000914 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-23

Author(s):

Paul Willis ◽

Alex Vickery ◽

Tricia Jessiman

Keyword(s):

Sexual Identity ◽

Social Participation ◽

Older Men ◽

Living Alone ◽

Social Connections ◽

Social Environments ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Social Settings ◽

The Social ◽

Social Separation

Abstract Across literature on loneliness and ageing, little attention is given to the intersection of ageing, sexuality and masculinities, and how this shapes the social connections of older men. We report findings from a qualitative study of older men's experiences of loneliness and social participation, focusing on perspectives from two groups who are single and/or living alone: men identifying as (a) heterosexual and (b) gay (not bisexual). We present findings generated from semi-structured interviews with 72 men residing in England (65–95 years). We discuss three prominent themes: (a) loneliness, loss and social dislocation; (b) diverging life-events that trigger loneliness; and (c) variations in visibility and exclusion across social settings. Embedded within men's descriptions of loneliness is a running theme of social dislocation that speaks to a wider sense of social separation and estrangement. Unique to gay men's accounts are the ways in which experiences of loneliness and social isolation are compounded by living in heteronormative social environments and their encounters with ageism in gay social settings. Older men's accounts convey anxieties about visibility and anticipated exclusion across social settings shared with other men that vary according to sexual identity and context. We discuss how sexuality and being single and/or living alone impact on older men's social participation as we seek to move beyond a heterocentric understanding of loneliness.

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Life satisfaction among older people in Italy in a gender approach

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x14000646 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (7) ◽

pp. 1481-1504 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

SILVIA MEGGIOLARO ◽

FAUSTA ONGARO

Keyword(s):

Gender Differences ◽

Life Satisfaction ◽

Older People ◽

Living Arrangements ◽

Older Men ◽

Living Alone ◽

Ageing Population ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Men And Women ◽

Older Men And Women

ABSTRACTOver the last few decades, increasing attention has been paid to the issue of wellbeing among older people, and life satisfaction has been used as an indicator to evaluate older people's life conditions. This paper sheds some light on this topic with reference to Italy, a country characterised by an increasing ageing population. The aim is to examine life satisfaction among people aged 65 and older and its predictors. We adopt a gender approach to examine whether – as suggested by the literature – older men and women have different sources of satisfaction. We test this hypothesis in Italy, a country still characterised by an unbalanced public and private gender system. In doing this, we also control whether living arrangements – specifically living alone – influence the determinants of life satisfaction of older men and women. The data used are from the cross-sectional surveys ‘Aspects of Daily Life’, undertaken in Italy by the National Statistical Institute. The results do not show clear gender differences in the determinants of life satisfaction, with only some slight gender differences among those living alone. This suggests that the social and cultural environment may play a relevant role for older people's life satisfaction.

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The importance of a daily rhythm in a supportive environment – promoting ability in activities in everyday life among older women living alone with chronic pain

Disability and Rehabilitation ◽

10.3109/09638288.2014.887795 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 36 (24) ◽

pp. 2050-2058 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Sara Cederbom ◽

Petra von Heideken Wågert ◽

Anne Söderlund ◽

Maja Söderbäck

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Everyday Life ◽

Older Women ◽

Daily Rhythm ◽

Living Alone ◽

Supportive Environment

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How Prefrail Older People Living Alone Perceive Information and Communications Technology and What They Would Ask a Robot for: Qualitative Study

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/13228 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 21 (8) ◽

pp. e13228

Author(s):

Katia Daniele ◽

Maura Marcucci ◽

Cesarina Cattaneo ◽

Nunzio Alberto Borghese ◽

Lucia Zannini

Keyword(s):

Higher Education ◽

Qualitative Study ◽

Older People ◽

Everyday Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Information And Communications Technology ◽

Advanced Technology ◽

Living Alone ◽

Communications Technology ◽

The Past

Background In the last decade, the family system has changed significantly. Although in the past, older people used to live with their children, nowadays, they cannot always depend on assistance of their relatives. Many older people wish to remain as independent as possible while remaining in their homes, even when living alone. To do so, there are many tasks that they must perform to maintain their independence in everyday life, and above all, their well-being. Information and communications technology (ICT), particularly robotics and domotics, could play a pivotal role in aging, especially in contemporary society, where relatives are not always able to accurately and constantly assist the older person. Objective The aim of this study was to understand the needs, preferences, and views on ICT of some prefrail older people who live alone. In particular, we wanted to explore their attitude toward a hypothetical caregiver robot and the functions they would ask for. Methods We designed a qualitative study based on an interpretative phenomenological approach. A total of 50 potential participants were purposively recruited in a big town in Northern Italy and were administered the Fried scale (to assess the participants’ frailty) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (to evaluate the older person’s capacity to comprehend the interview questions). In total, 25 prefrail older people who lived alone participated in an individual semistructured interview, lasting approximately 45 min each. Overall, 3 researchers independently analyzed the interviews transcripts, identifying meaning units, which were later grouped in clustering of themes, and finally in emergent themes. Constant triangulation among researchers and their reflective attitude assured trustiness. Results From this study, it emerged that a number of interviewees who were currently using ICT (ie, smartphones) did not own a computer in the past, or did not receive higher education, or were not all young older people (aged 65-74 years). Furthermore, we found that among the older people who described their relationship with ICT as negative, many used it in everyday life. Referring to robotics, the interviewees appeared quite open-minded. In particular, robots were considered suitable for housekeeping, for monitoring older people’s health and accidental falls, and for entertainment. Conclusions Older people’s use and attitudes toward ICT does not always seem to be related to previous experiences with technological devices, higher education, or lower age. Furthermore, many participants in this study were able to use ICT, even if they did not always acknowledge it. Moreover, many interviewees appeared to be open-minded toward technological devices, even toward robots. Therefore, proposing new advanced technology to a group of prefrail people, who are self-sufficient and can live alone at home, seems to be feasible.

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