scholarly journals Reasoning About Life Transitions in Relation to Perceived Housing: In-Depth Data From Germany

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 444-445
Author(s):  
Karla Wazinski ◽  
Frank Oswald ◽  
Anna Wanka
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Retirement Age ◽  
Life Course Transitions ◽  
Depth Data ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Partially different to the Swedish contribution, this paper analyses the relationships between perceived housing, life course transitions and wellbeing among community-dwelling older adults in Germany. Based on 15 qualitative interviews with persons aged 60-75 years, the contribution focuses on the experience of interrelationships between different life course transitions and perceived housing, and how they contribute to wellbeing in later life. First findings indicate a concourse of different transitions around the retirement age (e.g. illnesses, changes in partnerships) and a temporal as well as causal relationship between the two transitions relocation and retirement (for example, relocation becomes possible only after retiring or people relocate with the retirement phase in mind). The entanglement of life course transitions, in turn, shapes the person-place-relationships and perceived housing in different ways, which will be exemplified and interpreted in the presentation. However, further research is needed to consider the effects of social inequalities in these processes.

scholarly journals Housing and Life Course Transitions in Later Life: The Role of Housing, Place, and Sense of Home in Periods of Uncertainty

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 595-596
Author(s):  
Anna Wanka ◽  
Steven Schmidt ◽  
Richard Settersten
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Life Course Transitions ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
Health Dynamics ◽  
Sense Of Home

Abstract Housing is central factor for health and well-being in later life. Many countries have implemented ageing in place policies, but they tend to neglect the dynamic nature and heterogeneity of the ageing process. Housing needs change as people grow older, and experience different transitions across their life courses. Studies have demonstrated relationships between housing and health and wellbeing in later life on the one hand and life transitions and health and wellbeing in later life on the other hand. However, research on life transitions in combination with objective and perceived housing in relation to indicators of good ageing is scarce. Hence, the symposium aims to explore the dynamic relationship between housing and life transitions and how this relationship impacts health, well-being, functioning, and social/neighborhood participation along the process of ageing. First, Anna Wanka and Frank Oswald investigate how older adults’ relationship to their home is interlinked with life-course transitions and social exclusion, presenting case studies from three countries. Maya Kylén explores the meaning of home and health dynamics throughout the retirement transition among the ‘younger old’ in Sweden. Kieran Walsh asks how ‘sense of home’ interrelates with risks entailed in the transitions of bereavement, dementia on-set and forced migration. Finally, Helen Barrie discusses the transition to homelessness based on the HILDA survey to identify the profile(s) of older people at risk of homelessness in Australia. Finally, Richard A. Settersten will discuss the four contributions.

scholarly journals Using Everyday Technology Independently When Living with Forgetfulness: Experiences of Older Adults in Barcelona

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 233372142199375
Author(s):  
Samuel Briones ◽  
Louise Meijering
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽  
The Capability Approach

Older adults living with forgetfulness encounter difficulties when engaging with changing and dynamic everyday technology (ET). The capability to use ET is important for independence in later life and is affected by the contextual and individual characteristics of older adults. Using the capability approach as a theoretical lens, this phenomenological study aims to explore the experiences of older adults living with forgetfulness, in order to identify contextual and individual factors that facilitate the use of ET in everyday life. A qualitative methodology was used to interview 16 community-dwelling older adults participating in memory and technology workshops at local community centres in Barcelona. Findings show that motivation and openness to learning played a facilitating role in our participants’ use of ET. The presence of social support in the form of “technology experts” and community centres offering learning opportunities were also enhancing factors that encourage independence when engaging with ET. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the importance of expanding intergenerational ET learning opportunities, through the creation of age-friendly spaces.

Reclaiming Social Space: Adapting Neighbourhoods to Support an Ageing Population

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Lisa McClintock
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Structure ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Age In Place ◽  
Creative Solutions ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽  
Unique Potential

<p>The age structure of New Zealand’s population is expected to undergo a dramatic change in the next few decades. By 2050, it is thought that approximately one quarter of the population will be aged 65+.  Research indicates that the overwhelming preference of older adults is to age in their own homes and communities if possible. However, loneliness among community-dwelling older adults is widespread.   Architecture as a discipline has unique potential to critique existing neighbourhood design and generate creative solutions to provide a more socially fulfilling environment for residents to age in place. Architecture for ageing must combat loneliness and enable continued contact in later life.   This research explores the sensitive adaptation of inner suburban Wellington neighbourhoods with the aim of empowering inhabitants to age positively in the community.</p>

scholarly journals THE DIFFERENTIAL INFLUENCE OF REGIONAL CONTEXT ON LATER-LIFE HEALTH AND MORTALITY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S806-S806
Author(s):  
Alicia Riley
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Health Effect ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Life Course Perspective ◽  
The South ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Health And Mortality ◽  
The U.S

Abstract This study examines regional disparities in later life health from a life course perspective. To sort out when and how region influences health over the life course, I focus on the sharp contrast between the South and the rest of the U.S. in health and mortality. I draw on data from the National Life Health and Aging Project (NSHAP), a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older adults in the U.S., to estimate the differential risk of multiple health outcomes and mortality by regional trajectory. I find that older adults who leave the South are worse off in multiple outcomes than those who stay. I also find evidence of a protective health effect of community cohesion and dense social networks for the Southerners who stay in the South. My results suggest that regional trajectory influences health in later life through its associations with socioeconomic status, access to healthcare, and social rootedness.

Gender Differences in Spousal Care Across the Later Life Course

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 934-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Glauber
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Life Course ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Moderating Effects ◽  
Time Work ◽  
More Care ◽  
Full Time Employment

Spouses often serve as the primary caregivers to their ill or disabled partners. Studies have shown that men receive more care from their wives than vice versa, but few studies have focused on how the gender gap in care varies across the later life course. Drawing on data from the Health and Retirement Study, this study examined the moderating effects of age, gender, and full-time employment on married women’s and men’s receipt of spousal care. This study found that among community-dwelling married adults, the gender gap in care was larger among those in middle age (50–65) than it was among those in older age. As women and men aged, the gender gap decreased primarily because men left full-time work and increased the amount of time that they spent caring for their wives. As gender differences in full-time employment narrowed, the gender gap in spousal care narrowed.

scholarly journals Impact of Personality Features and Interpersonal Problems on Anxiety Among Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 897-898
Author(s):  
Olivia Noel ◽  
Katie Granier ◽  
Daniel Segal ◽  
Marissa Pifer ◽  
Lisa Stone
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Psychosocial Functioning ◽  
Interpersonal Problems ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Clinical Syndromes ◽  
Personality Features ◽  
Development Of Anxiety ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Introduction Anxiety is a significant mental health problem among older adults and is associated with multiple other mental disorders, poor psychosocial functioning, and reduced quality of life. Personality traits and disorders, along with interpersonal problems, may play a significant role in anxiety, but these relationships are not well understood among older adults. This study examined relationships between anxiety with normative personality traits, personality disorder (PD) features, and interpersonal problems. Method: Community-dwelling older adults (N = 130) completed the Geriatric Anxiety Scale (GAS), Coolidge Axis Two Inventory (CATI), Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2), and Circumplex Scales of Interpersonal Problems (CSIP). Results Anxiety was positively correlated with 13 of 14 CATI PD scales, ranging from .23 (Narcissistic) to .61 (Depressive). Regarding normative personality, anxiety was associated with Agreeableness (-.23), Conscientiousness (-.30), Extraversion (-.31), and Negative Emotionality (.56). Regarding interpersonal problems, anxiety was positively related to all eight CSIP scales: Self-Sacrificing (.30), Domineering (.31), Exploitable (.40), Intrusive (.41), Self-centered (.47), Nonassertive (.50), Socially Inhibited (.60), and Distant/Cold (.62). Regression analyses indicated that PD features accounted for the most variance in anxiety (53%), followed by interpersonal problems, (46%) and normative personality traits (33%). Discussion Anxiety appears to be meaningfully associated with PD features, several aspects of normative personality, and interpersonal problems, suggesting that these variables may play a role in the development of anxiety, or vice versa. Our findings especially speak to the growing awareness of the deleterious impact of PD features on clinical syndromes in later life, as evidenced by strong comorbidities with anxiety.

Turning Points and Transitions: Perceptions of the Life Course

1988 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara K. Hareven ◽  
Kanji Masaoka
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
Turning Points ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Life Course Transitions ◽  
Socially Constructed ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Life Course

This study uses American (Manchester, New Hampshire) and Japanese (Shizuoka) cohorts in 1910–1950 to explore the similarities and differences between “life-course transitions,” defined as the movements of individuals and families within socially constructed time-tables; and “life-course turning points,” which represent individuals' subjective assessment of continuities and discontinuities over their lives. Considerable differences are found among cohorts in each society, but there are also similarities that cut across both societies. Whereas cultural differences in the timing of life transitions and the subjective construction of the life course are significant, the common experience of cohorts in response to shared historical events may transcend cultural differences.

scholarly journals Dynamic Relationships Between Perceived Housing and Life Transitions: A Better Understanding of Good Aging in Place

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 444-444
Author(s):  
Frank Oswald ◽  
Steven Schmidt ◽  
Malcolm Cutchin
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Life Transition ◽  
Dynamic Relationship ◽  
Dynamic Relationships ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract Housing has gained increased relevance as a central factor for health and well-being. Many countries have implemented ageing in place policies, which provide services focused on improving the physical environment. Housing needs change as people grow older and experience different transitions across their life courses. Studies have demonstrated relationships between housing and health and well-being in later life on the one hand and life transitions and health and well-being in later life on the other hand. However, research on life transitions in combination with perceived housing in relation to indicators of good ageing is virtually nonexistent. This symposiums aims to address the dynamic relationship between perceived housing and life transitions and how they impact health, well-being, functioning, and social/neighborhood participation as people age by data from a mixed-method approach in Sweden and Germany. The first contribution by Slaug and colleagues introduces changes in how older adults perceive their housing following the life transition of a fall at home. Second, Eriksson and colleagues present qualitative results on the experience of relationships between perceived housing, several life transitions and well-being among community-dwelling Swedish older adults. Third, Wanka and colleagues present partially different results from a comparable study in German on the same topic but emphasizing the experience of interrelationships between different life course transitions. Fourth, Granbom and colleagues explore how low-income older adults in Sweden reason about their current housing situation and a future life transition of relocation. Finally, Malcolm P. Cutchin will serve as the session’s discussant.

scholarly journals Dying to Belong: The Importance of Familiarity in Later Life

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 233372142094197
Author(s):  
Lucia Carragher ◽  
Catherine Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Population Aging ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Community Services ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Services And Supports ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Despite the large amount of research into loneliness, the evidence base around effective ways of tackling loneliness among older adults is limited. Up to one-half of all older adults regularly feel lonely, negatively impacting physical and mental health. In light of population aging, family dispersal, and in the aftermath of COVID-19, it is vital that we grow the evidence base around the lived experience of older people, knowing what they want and why, and ensuring community services and supports are meaningful to them. Method: Three focus groups were held with community-dwelling older adults in Ireland. Results: Loneliness is associated with the loss of familiarity and connection to community. Conclusions: Understanding loneliness in later life is increasingly important with population aging. As plans for ending confinement linked to COVID-19 are devised, a mechanism is urgently needed to sustain the positive changes to communities which have meaningfully connected with older adults.

scholarly journals Dishing on dinner: a life course approach to understanding the family meal context among families with preschoolers

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Kathryn Walton ◽  
Andrea Breen ◽  
Julia Gruson-Wood ◽  
Kira Jewell ◽  
Emma Haycraft ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life Course ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Life Transitions ◽  
Family Meals ◽  
Family Meal ◽  
The Family ◽  
Significant Life ◽  
Past Experiences

Abstract Objective: Family meals promote healthful dietary intake and well-being among children. Despite these benefits, family meal participation typically declines as children age. This study utilises life course theory to explore parents’ perceptions of family meals in order to understand how parents’ past experiences with family meals (in childhood and earlier in adulthood) influence their current beliefs and practices regarding mealtimes with their own children. Design: Semi-structured qualitative interviews. Setting: In-person interviews were conducted in participants’ homes. Participants: Twenty families (twenty-one mothers and fifteen fathers) with a child aged between 18 months and 5 years. Results: Thematic analysis revealed that families seemed to primarily approach mealtimes from one of three overarching orientations: meals for (1) Togetherness, (2) Nutrition Messaging or (3) Necessity. These orientations were informed by parents’ own mealtime experiences and significant life transitions (e.g. parenthood). The current family meal context, including the messages parents shared with their children during mealtimes and the challenges experienced with mealtimes, characterised the orientations and families’ approaches to mealtimes. Conclusions: Parents’ own early life experiences and significant life transitions influence why families eat meals together and have important implications for the intergenerational transmission of mealtime practices. Results may help to inform the content and timing of intervention strategies to support the continuation of frequent family meals beyond the preschool years.

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