Socioeconomic Disparities in Health Among Older Adults and the Implications for the Retirement Age Debate: A Brief Report

Abstract Longevity is increasing in what is called the centenarian society. However, the average retirement age of Korea is the lowest among OECD countries. Because of increasing longevity, older adults need activities after retirement. Volunteering can be a substitute that allows Korean older adults to find a social identity. This study examined older adults’ volunteering and how many kinds of volunteering affected relational satisfaction differently. This study used the 6th additional wave of the Korean Retirement and Income Study (2016). The target population of this study was ages over 60 and the sample size was 280. For data analysis, multiple regressions were used. Demographic variables were controlled. As for independent variables, reasons for volunteering whether they were motivated for self or for others were used. For dependent variables, relational satisfaction, such as family, human relation and overall life satisfaction was used. Volunteers’ health is an important factor for relational satisfaction. If volunteering was self-motivated, satisfaction of both family and human relations were negatively affected. Reason for others also affected satisfaction of family and human relations negatively. Volunteering initiated by others increased satisfaction of family and human relations. Doing more than one kind of volunteering affected both satisfaction of family and human relations. For overall life satisfaction, the effect of volunteering for oneself was lower than other reasons. These findings implied that reasons for volunteering affected relational satisfaction differently. In addition, the activities of volunteering, such as taking part in one or more had different effects.

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Home-making of older Antillean migrants in the Netherlands

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x12001377 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 34 (5) ◽

pp. 859-875 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

LOUISE MEIJERING ◽

DEBBIE LAGER

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Life History ◽

The Netherlands ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Home Country ◽

Living Environment ◽

Retirement Age ◽

Netherlands Antilles ◽

Attachment To Place ◽

Sense Of Home

ABSTRACTA group of 141,345 immigrants from the Netherlands Antilles, a former colony, live in the Netherlands. An increasing number of these migrants are at or above retirement age, and for them, the question of where they want to grow old becomes relevant. It is important for people to age in a place where they feel at home, as attachment to place increases wellbeing in old age. In this article we discuss how older Antillean migrants in the Netherlands make their house and immediate living environment into a home. We focus on home-making practices in a broader cultural context, and in relation to wellbeing. These topics are addressed by drawing on qualitative life-history interviews with Antillean older people, who live in a co-housing community for older adults. It turns out that objects which remind the participants of their home country play an important role in making a home. Also, the community, with people from similar backgrounds, contributes to a sense of home. Finally, the presence of children and other family members is a key motivation for the participants' decision to age in the Netherlands.

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Socioeconomic disparities in six-year incident dementia in a nationally representative cohort of U.S. older adults: an examination of financial resources

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-020-01553-4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Laura J. Samuel ◽

Sarah L. Szanton ◽

Jennifer L. Wolff ◽

Katherine A. Ornstein ◽

Lauren J. Parker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Socioeconomic Disparities ◽

Financial Resources ◽

Incident Dementia ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Representative Cohort

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Older adults’ accounts of the relationships between retirement timing and health: a descriptive qualitative analysis in Chile

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x20001282 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-25 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Robin Shura ◽

Sebastian Opazo ◽

Esteban Calvo

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Lower Class ◽

Population Based ◽

Retirement Age ◽

Occupational Class ◽

Framework Analysis ◽

Retirement Timing ◽

Important Health ◽

Gendered Patterns ◽

And Gender

Abstract Retirement timing can have important health implications. Little is known, however, about older adults’ views on this issue and whether they consider it better to retire later, earlier, on time or anytime. This knowledge gap about older adults’ views is particularly true outside North America and Europe. This qualitative study aims to examine older Chileans’ ideas about the relationship between retirement timing and health and to explore gender and class patterns in qualitative themes identified, knowledge which may strengthen quantitative population-based approaches. Framework analysis was conducted on qualitative accounts from a purposive, non-random sample of 40 older Chileans in six focus groups, stratified by gender and class as marked by lifetime occupation. Transcriptions were coded by two independent reviewers (inter-coder reliability = 81%) according to four deductive categories of retirement timing as well as inductive coding of emergent themes. The content and sequence of codes were visually represented in MAXQDA's document portraits and illustrated with descriptive quotes. Results indicate that participants’ views about when to retire in order to maximise health did not highlight retirement age or timing (later, earlier, on time, anytime). Instead, these older Chileans emphasised that the optimal retirement age depends on other conditions, such as employment quality, retirement income and gender. These views were patterned: lower occupational-class participants emphasised income and job hazards, higher-class males emphasised job satisfaction and higher-class females emphasised gendered patterns. Women and lower-class participants were relatively more favourable to earlier retirements than men and higher-class participants. Overall, qualitative analyses of lay perspectives from understudied country contexts complement and extend population-based models focused on timing or retirement age, suggest specific characteristics of retirement transitions that may moderate health consequences, and highlight class and gender differences in views of retirement timing. More research is needed using mixed-methods approaches and leveraging both purposive and random samples.

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Effect of socioeconomic disparities on incidence of dementia among biracial older adults: prospective study

BMJ ◽

10.1136/bmj.f7051 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 347 (dec19 5) ◽

pp. f7051-f7051 ◽

Cited By ~ 109

Author(s):

K. Yaffe ◽

C. Falvey ◽

T. B. Harris ◽

A. Newman ◽

S. Satterfield ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Prospective Study ◽

Socioeconomic Disparities ◽

Incidence Of Dementia

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Predicting healthy lifestyle patterns among retirement age older adults in the WELL study: A latent class analysis of sex differences

Maturitas ◽

10.1016/j.maturitas.2013.09.010 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 77 (1) ◽

pp. 41-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Marita Södergren ◽

Wei Chun Wang ◽

Jo Salmon ◽

Kylie Ball ◽

David Crawford ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Sex Differences ◽

Latent Class Analysis ◽

Latent Class ◽

Healthy Lifestyle ◽

Retirement Age ◽

Class Analysis ◽

Lifestyle Patterns

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Older Adults Place Greater Importance on a Purposeful Retirement

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.3414 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 954-954

Author(s):

Rachel Best ◽

Gabrielle Pfund ◽

M Teresa Cardador ◽

Victor Strecher ◽

Patrick Hill

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Big Five ◽

Well Being ◽

Retirement Age ◽

Big Five Personality ◽

Sense Of Purpose ◽

Before And After ◽

Working Status ◽

Status Data ◽

Health And Well Being

Abstract Sense of purpose is associated with desirable health and well-being measures in older adults. Unfortunately, existing research points to complexity in the connection between purpose and retirement: some but not all people decline in sense of purpose following retirement, and some view it as nonessential to maintain a purpose specifically during retirement. These findings suggest there may be individual differences both in the importance placed on being purposeful specifically during retirement, and that there may be a discrepancy in purpose importance before retirement and during retirement. In this study, we examined whether perceived purpose importance correlates with age and personality, as well as working status. Data were collected from a U.S sample (N = 2,009), aged18-93 (M =48.51). Participants completed a survey assessing the Big Five personality traits and were asked to rate the importance of purpose before and after retirement. Findings suggest that, overall, people believe it wasrbe important to have a purpose and direction during retirement (M = 3.86). Perceived purpose importance during retirement was greater among older, conscientious, and less neurotic adults, but working status did not appear to play a role. Moreover, when comparing perceptions of purpose importance before and during retirement, age was the distinguishing factor differentiating who perceives during-retirement purpose as more important than before-retirement purpose, such that older adults placed greater importance on sense of purpose during retirement. Results indicate that older adults do value having a purpose during retirement, suggesting that purpose-focused interventions may be well-received by this population.

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Socioeconomic Disparities in the demand for and use of virtual visits among senior adults during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.35221 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ellie Yu

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Health Care ◽

Health Care Services ◽

Socioeconomic Disparities ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Secure Messaging ◽

Negatively Associated ◽

Care Services ◽

Virtual Care ◽

Virtual Visits

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has limited the provision of in-person care and accelerated the need for virtual care. Older adults (65+) were one of the highest user groups of in-person health care services prior to the pandemic. Social-distancing guidelines and high rates of mortality from coronavirus infections among older adults made receiving in-person health care services challenging for older adults. The provision of virtual care technologies can help to ensure continuity of care and provide essential health care services during the pandemic to those in high-risk groups at contracting the COVID-19 coronavirus including older adults. It is also essential to understand and address potential socioeconomic, demographic, and health disparities in the demand for use of virtual care technologies among older adults. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to investigate socioeconomic disparities in the demand for and use of virtual visit during the COVID-19 pandemic among older adults in Canada. METHODS A cross-sectional web survey was conducted with 12,052 Canadians over the age of 16, selected from Leger’s LEO panel between July 14th to August 6th, 2021. Associations between socioeconomic factors and the demand for and use of virtual visits were tested using the χ2 tests and logistic regression models. Weighting was applied using the 2016 census reference variables to render a representative sample of the Canadian population. RESULTS Approximately 20% (n=2,303) of the survey sample were older adults above the age of 65. The proportion of older adults who expressed demand for telephone visit, video visits, and secure messaging were 69.6%, 49.2%, and 47.2%, respectively. The proportion of older adults in our sample who have used telephone visit in the past 12 months was 47.3%, 9.2%, and 8.4%, respectively. eHealth literacy was positively associated with use of telephone visits (OR 1.03, p=0.01), use of video visits (OR 1.04, p=0.00), and the use of secure messaging (OR 1.03, p=0.00). Income was negatively associated with the use of video visits (OR 0.65, p=0.03). Having no private insurance coverage was negatively associated with use of secure messaging (OR 0.73, p=0.04) but living in a rural community (OR 1.72, p=0.01) and being born outside of Canada (OR 1.50, p=0.03) were positively associated with the use of secure messaging. Education (OR 0.78, p=0.02) and being non-White (OR=0.54, p=0.02) were negatively associated with the use of telephone visits. CONCLUSIONS This study found that demand for and use of telephone visit services were more prevalent among older adults during the pandemic. Although demand for secure messaging and video visit is high, usage for these modalities remains low. The results highlight several socioeconomic factors that are associated with demand for virtual visits including language, community size, and health coverage.

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