Life-Course Transitions to Precarious Housing in Older Age

Abstract Home is central to health and wellbeing; yet the changing nature of work, household dynamics and especially housing markets, with scant policy attention and action around this, means low-middle income households are struggling in many countries. In Australia, while older people are considered to be at less risk because of higher levels of home ownership, there is a growing body of evidence about the living situations of older people who have not attained or retained home ownership over the life course and have limited wealth and savings moving into later life. This paper presents the findings of multivariate regression modelling using HILDA, a national longitudinal panel survey, to identify the profile(s) of older people at risk of homelessness in Australia. The data makes it clear a range of structural and individual factors across the life course are increasingly impacting on the ability to live a good life in older age.

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Sex in an ideology of love

Intimacy and Ageing ◽

10.1332/policypress/9781447326496.003.0010 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Torbjörn Bildtgård ◽

Peter Öberg

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Life Course ◽

Case Studies ◽

Intimate Relationships ◽

Later Life ◽

Sexual Intimacy ◽

Sexual Norms ◽

Gerontological Research ◽

The Life Course ◽

Loving Relationship

Until recently the sex life of older people was more or less invisible in family and gerontological research. This chapter contributes to breaking this silence by focusing on the role and meaning of sex in intimate relationships in later life. Based on biographical case studies, the chapter investigates how sexual norms have changed over the life course of contemporary cohorts of older people and how they have experienced this change. The chapter considers sexual intimacy as part of new intimate relationships established late in life and questions the persistent assumption that older people who date are primarily looking for companionate relationships. It is shown that older people’s ideas about sex are deeply embedded in an ideology of love, where sex tends to be viewed as a natural part of a loving relationship, while sex outside of a loving relationship – also in a loveless marriage – is frowned on.

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Life course approach to understanding inequalities in health in later life

Oxford Textbook of Geriatric Medicine ◽

10.1093/med/9780198701590.003.0010 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 69-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ruth Bell ◽

Michael Marmot

Keyword(s):

Life Course ◽

Social Functioning ◽

Later Life ◽

Older Age ◽

Cognitive Changes ◽

Healthy Life ◽

Inequalities In Health ◽

Biological Ageing ◽

Life Course Approach ◽

The Life Course

A long and healthy life is universally valued. The starkest inequalities in later life are how many years of life remain at an older age such as 65 years, and how many years of life that remain free from disabilities that impede physical, cognitive, and social functioning to the extent that they limit the sense of valuing one’s life. In this chapter we apply the frame of social determinants of health, using the life course approach to understand inequalities in health in later life. Healthy ageing is patterned by degrees of social advantage. Biological ageing, as revealed by physical and cognitive changes, is slower in people in better socioeconomic circumstances. These inequalities in health in later life need to be understood in terms of current social, economic, environmental conditions of living, as well as previous experiences and living conditions across the life course that affect the biological processes of ageing.

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Transitions, generations andinformal learning in later life

Andragoška spoznanja ◽

10.4312/as.18.4.29-36 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. 29

Author(s):

John Field

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Older People ◽

Life Course ◽

Demographic Change ◽

Life Histories ◽

Later Life ◽

Identity Change ◽

Social Scientists ◽

Life Chances ◽

The Life Course

The nature of transitions across the lifecourse is changing, as are the ways in which these transitions are understoodand investigated by social scientists. Much earlier debate on older adults’ transitions has tended to be rooted in acco-unts of relatively fixed social roles and age-based social stages. However, while we can detect some tendencies towardsdestandardization and restandardization of the lifecourse in later life, we can also see significant continuities in theinfluences of socio-economic position, gender, and ethnicity, as well as of generational position, that continue to affectpeople’s life chances, as well as the expectations and experiences of transition of older people. The paper examines theinterplay of these complex and contradictory structural positions and cultural locations on transitions, and considersthe ways in which older people use and understand learning, formally and informally, as a way of exercising agencyand recreating meaning. It will draw on recent research into the life histories of adults in Scotland, a relatively smallcountry with a typically European pattern of demographic change. The study was concerned with agency, identity,change and learning across the life course, and this paper will concentrate on the evidence relating to experiences oftransition in later life. It will particularly focus on the idea of ‘educational generations’ as a key concept that helps usunderstand how adults use and interpret learning in later life.

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PRECARITY AND LATER LIFE: UNDERSTANDING NEW INEQUALITIES AND RISKS IN LATER LIFE

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.2181 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S588-S588

Author(s):

Dale Dannefer ◽

Christopher Phillipson ◽

Dale Dannefer

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Life Course ◽

Social Dynamics ◽

Later Life ◽

Academic Disciplines ◽

Potential Contribution ◽

Term Care ◽

Economic Changes ◽

Individual Level ◽

The Life Course

Abstract This symposium addresses debates around the theme of precarity and its implications for understanding social and economic changes affecting the lives of older people. To date, the concept of precarity has been applied to several subpopulations by various academic disciplines but has yet to be systematically applied to later life. The symposium will give particular attention to the extent to which the lens provided by precarity can illuminate different types of inequalities experienced through the life course and reflected in public policies directed at older people. Chris Phillipson reviews theoretical perspectives relating to precarity, examining their potential contribution for the development of critical gerontology. His paper also considers the extent to which the concept of ‘precarious ageing’ offers a competing or complementary view to theories of ‘active’ and ‘successful ageing’. Larry Polivka examines the growing precarity of life for older Americans emanating from austerity budgets and privatization of public services. The paper suggests that policies such as health care and long term care are in jeopardy, creating a glide path toward the extension of precarious employment into a precarious retirement for millions of older people. Wenxuan Huang examines how the focus on agency and other individual-level foci obscure understanding of social dynamics. Finally, Amanda Grenier draws on a scoping review of precarity to outline conceptual distinctions between frailty, vulnerability, and precarity. She presents reflections on what these concepts offer in terms of understandings of late life the study of disadvantage across the life course.

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Le dinamiche del reddito nella terza etŕ

SOCIOLOGIA E POLITICHE SOCIALI ◽

10.3280/sp2009-003008 ◽

2009 ◽

pp. 139-156

Author(s):

katherine Hill

Keyword(s):

Steady State ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Older People ◽

Life Course ◽

Low Income ◽

Later Life ◽

Personal Resources ◽

Financial Situation ◽

The Life Course ◽

Insight Into

- Later life can be seen as period of income stability compared to other stages of the life course, and a key issue for older people in low income households is that they have limited means of pro-actively improving their financial situation. This article draws on a qualitative longitudinal study which explored how older people experienced changes in their financial circumstances across a two year period. The findings demonstrate that even where people did not feel that their financial circumstances had changed overall, this did not necessarily indicate a steady state. The study explored the interrelationship between changes in income and outgoings, as well as changing needs, and this article provides an insight into how social and personal resources are drawn on to help manage financial change and maintain stability. In doing so, it illustrates the extent of work that can be involved in maintaining a steady state in constrained circumstances.

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Factors associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression in five cohorts of community-based older people: the HALCyon (Healthy Ageing across the Life Course) Programme

Psychological Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0033291711000195 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 41 (10) ◽

pp. 2057-2073 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

C. R. Gale ◽

A. Aihie Sayer ◽

C. Cooper ◽

E. M. Dennison ◽

J. M. Starr ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Life Course ◽

Physical Function ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Later Life ◽

Healthy Ageing ◽

Anxiety And Depression ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Life Course

BackgroundSymptoms of anxiety and depression are common in older people, but the relative importance of factors operating in early and later life in influencing risk is unclear, particularly in the case of anxiety.MethodWe used data from five cohorts in the Healthy Ageing across the Life Course (HALCyon) collaborative research programme: the Aberdeen Birth Cohort 1936, the Caerphilly Prospective Study, the Hertfordshire Ageing Study, the Hertfordshire Cohort Study and the Lothian Birth Cohort 1921. We used logistic regression to examine the relationship between factors from early and later life and risk of anxiety or depression, defined as scores of 8 or more on the subscales of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and meta-analysis to obtain an overall estimate of the effect of each.ResultsGreater neuroticism, poorer cognitive or physical function, greater disability and taking more medications were associated in cross-sectional analyses with an increased overall likelihood of anxiety or depression. Associations between lower social class, either in childhood or currently, history of heart disease, stroke or diabetes and increased risk of anxiety or depression were attenuated and no longer statistically significant after adjustment for potential confounding or mediating variables. There was no association between birth weight and anxiety or depression in later life.ConclusionsAnxiety and depression in later life are both strongly linked to personality, cognitive and physical function, disability and state of health, measured concurrently. Possible mechanisms that might underlie these associations are discussed.

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AGING SEXUAL STEREOTYPES AND SEXUAL EXPRESSION IN MID- AND LATER LIFE: EXAMINING THE STEREOTYPE MATCHING EFFECT

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igz038.3251 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. S888-S888

Author(s):

Maggie Syme ◽

Tracy Cohn

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Life Course ◽

Online Survey ◽

Later Life ◽

Older Age ◽

Sexual Stereotypes ◽

Matching Effect ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

Sexual Stigma ◽

The Life Course

Abstract Ageist sexual stereotypes are culturally embedded and may prohibit midlife and older adults from achieving sexual wellness when internalized over the life course (i.e., stereotype embodiment), which was examined in the current study. A cross sectional, convenience sample of 972 adults aged 50 and older was recruited online via a crowdsourcing platform. Participants completed an online survey assessing aging sexual stigma and their participation in a spectrum of sexual and intimate behaviors. Two hierarchical linear regressions examined study hypotheses predicting a) sexual and b) intimate behaviors among middle age and older adults, while accounting for several known covariates (e.g., education, relationship status, health). Results suggest that older age (β = -.24, p < .001), being a woman (β = -.29, p < .001), and higher levels of aging sexual stigma (β = -.30, p < 0.001) were associated with less sexual activity (F(19, 945) = 32.51, p < .001, R2 = 0.40). For intimate behaviors, older age (β = -0.14, p < .05) and higher levels of aging sexual stigma (β = -0.24, p < .001) were significantly associated with lower levels of intimate activity (F(19, 945) = 39.80, p < .001, R2 = 0.45). Contrary to expectations, neither gender nor age cohort moderated the effect of aging sexual stigma. Ageist sexual stereotypes appear to affect individual sexual health and wellness via internalized beliefs. Future studies should focus on the potential malleability of aging sexual stigma beliefs, and at what point(s) in the life course they are modifiable.

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Transitions in kitchen living: past experiences and present use

The New Dynamics of Ageing Volume 1 ◽

10.1332/policypress/9781447314721.003.0013 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Sheila Peace ◽

Martin Maguire ◽

Colette Nicolle ◽

Russ Marshall ◽

John Percival ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Life Course ◽

Home Environment ◽

Generational Differences ◽

Personal Autonomy ◽

Later Life ◽

Past Experiences ◽

The Life Course

This chapter discusses the domestic kitchen in the lives of older people whose ages range across four decades and who were born between 1919 and 1948. They were living in various types of housing from detached to terraced; from maisonette to flat; from mainstream to supportive. By looking at past experiences of the kitchen across the life course gendered and generational differences are seen that contribute to kitchen living in the 21st century. Examining use of the most recent kitchen shows how biopsychosocial factors come together with design and on-going adaptation being both enabling and disabling. The kitchen is seen as a mainstay of the home environment and in later life central to maintaining personal autonomy

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A life of relationships

Intimacy and Ageing ◽

10.1332/policypress/9781447326496.003.0005 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Torbjörn Bildtgård ◽

Peter Öberg

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Life Course ◽

Late Life ◽

Later Life ◽

Older Individuals ◽

Relationship Experiences ◽

The Life Course ◽

Historical Transition ◽

Experiences Of Women ◽

Prior Relationship

This chapter bridges the macro–micro gap by showing how the historical transformation of intimacy is reflected in older individuals’ relationship careers. The chapter challenges the idea that current generations of older people have normally lived their lives in single lifelong marriages ending in widowhood and shows the complexity of their relationship careers. It discusses the consequences of prior relationship experiences on interest in, and preferences for, late-life intimacy. It discusses the different implications of being widowed versus divorced for interest in repartnering. Finally, it focuses on the different biographical relationship experiences of women and men and how they impact on the interest for repartnering in later life. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the presented findings in relation to the deinstitutionalisation of the life course. Extensive biographical case descriptions are used to give the reader an understanding of what it means to have lived one’s life during the historical transition to divorce culture.

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Adverse events over the life course and later-life wellbeing and depressive symptoms in older people

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610220003373 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Sol Richardson ◽

Ewan Carr ◽

Gopalakrishnan Netuveli ◽

Amanda Sacker

Keyword(s):

Life Satisfaction ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Older People ◽

Life Course ◽

Psychological Health ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Later Life ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Random Effects Models ◽

The Life Course

ABSTRACT Objectives: Exposures to adverse events are associated with impaired later-life psychological health. While these associations depend on the type of event, the manner in which associations for different event types depend on when they occur within the life course has received less attention. We investigated associations between counts of adverse events over the life course, and wellbeing and mental health outcomes in older people, according to their timing (age of occurrence), orientation (self or other) and, both their timing and orientation. Design: Linear and logistic random-effects models for repeated observations. Setting: England, 2002–2015. Participants: A total of 4,208 respondents aged >50 years with 22,146 observations across Waves 1–7 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Measurements: Cumulative adversity was measured by counts of 16 types of events occurring within four age ranges over the life course using retrospective life history data. These were categorized into other- (experienced through harms to others) and self-oriented events. Outcomes included CASP-12 (control, autonomy, self-realization, and pleasure), the eight-item Centre of Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, and self-appraised subjective life satisfaction. Results: Additional adverse events were associated with lower CASP-12 and life satisfaction scores, and higher odds of probable depressive caseness. In childhood, other-oriented events had a larger negative association with later-life wellbeing than self-oriented events; the converse was found for events occurring in adulthood. Conclusions: Events occurring at all life course stages were independently associated with both later-life wellbeing and depression in a cumulative fashion. Certain age ranges may represent sensitive periods for specific event types.

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