pension-watch-briefings-on-social-protection-in-older-age-no-12-redistribution-of-wealth-and-old-age-social-protection-in-bolivia-the-impact-of-the-renta-dignidad-on-the-wellbeing-of-households-with-older-persons;hr

This article explores domains of challenges in guaranteeing enhanced social functioning for Southern African countries of Zimbabwe and Eswatini in the context of COVID-19. Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) and Government of Ewatini (GoE) social protection interventions targeting COVID-impact mitigation for older persons are analysed within the context of resource constraint challenges. Social security programmes initiated by the GoE and GoZ are analysed while noting emerging milestones and gaps. Finally, pathways for the roles of social workers are proposed.

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Coverage of non-receipt of cash transfer (Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty) and associated factors among older persons in the Mampong Municipality, Ghana – a quantitative analysis

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-020-01786-3 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Doris Ottie-Boakye

Keyword(s):

Associated Factors ◽

Older Persons ◽

Formal Education ◽

Social Protection ◽

Well Being ◽

Cash Transfer ◽

Persons With Disabilities ◽

Adjusted Model ◽

The Impact ◽

Cash Grant

Abstract Background Social assistance in the form of cash transfer or in-kind has been recognised as a social protection strategy in many developing countries to tackle poverty and provide protection for individuals and households. Ghana’s cash grant programme, Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), was introduced in 2008 to support selected households with vulnerable persons including older people 65 years and above, and persons with disabilities. This paper examined the coverage of non-receipt of LEAP, and the associated factors among older persons (65+ years) in the Mampong Municipality, Ghana. Methods Data were extracted from the Ageing, Social Protection and Health Systems (ASPHS) survey carried out between September 2017 and October 2017 among older persons residing in LEAP-targeted communities. Data were analysed using descriptive and sequential logistic regression model techniques. Results The mean age of respondents was 77.0 years and 62.3% were females. Rural residents constituted 59.0%. About 42.0% had no formal education and only 20.5% had no form of caregiving. Non-receipt of LEAP was 82.7% among study respondents. The fully adjusted model showed that being married (AOR = 3.406, CI 1.127–10.290), residing in an urban location (AOR = 3.855, CI 1.752–8.484), having attained primary level of education (AOR = 0.246, CI 0.094–0.642), and not residing in the same household with a primary caregiver (AOR = 6.088, CI 1.814–20.428) were significantly associated with non-receipt of cash grant among older persons. Conclusion These results provide the first quantitative estimates of non-receipt coverage and its associated factors with the LEAP programme, which can inform the design of government policies related to cash transfers for older persons. The need for further research using different approaches to understand and explain the impact of cash grants on older persons’ well-being is crucial in strengthening old age social support care mechanisms in Ghana.

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Does Late-Life Depression Counteract the Beneficial Effect of Physical Activity on Cognitive Decline? Results From the NESDO Study

Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology ◽

10.1177/08919887211002658 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 089198872110026

Author(s):

Marieke Henstra ◽

Erik Giltay ◽

Roos van der Mast ◽

Nathalie van der Velde ◽

Didi Rhebergen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Working Memory ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Older Persons ◽

Older Age ◽

Late Life Depression ◽

Age Related ◽

The Impact

Objectives: Depression both affects physical activity (PA) and cognition in older persons, yet its impact on the association between PA and cognitive decline is to be determined. We aimed to investigate the association between baseline PA and cognitive functioning over time, stratified for depression. Methods: We used data of the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older persons (NESDO), a multi-site cohort study with 6-years follow-up. Patients with complete data on PA and cognitive functioning at baseline were included, yielding 394 participants for the analyses of whom 297 were depressed and 97 non-depressed. PA (continuous) was measured with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Linear mixed models were used to determine differential effects of baseline PA on the rate of decline of 5 standardized outcomes of cognitive functioning over 6-year follow-up. For this purpose, we examined the significance of the interaction-term (PA*time) in both basic and adjusted models. We also assessed the association between time and cognitive functioning. All analyses were stratified for depression. Results: In both groups, no robust significant interactions of PA with time were found. Furthermore, only decline in working memory was significantly worse in the depressed compared to the non-depressed. Conclusion: At older age, the impact of a more inactive lifestyle on cognitive decline was shown to be limited, irrespective of depression that appeared to worsen age-related decline of working memory only. As a higher PA-level at older age has a positive effect on a multitude of other health outcomes, PA should still be encouraged in this population.

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O impacto da crise económica e financeira nas principais medidas de proteção social en Portugal

RIPS Revista de Investigaciones Políticas y Sociológicas ◽

10.15304/rips.15.2.3490 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Preciosa Maria Taveira Lousada

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Old Age ◽

Social Protection ◽

Static Information ◽

The Social ◽

Social Contributions ◽

The Impact ◽

Family Allowance ◽

Social Security Institute ◽

The Welfare State

Através da análise comparativa dos diplomas legais publicados e informação estatística disponibilizada pelo Instituto de Segurança Social, IP, propomos avaliar o impacto da crise económica e financeira de 2007/2008 nas principais medidas de proteção social vigentes em Portugal, nomeadamente o complemento solidário para idosos, subsídio de desemprego e de doença, abono de família para crianças e jovens, pensão de invalidez e velhice e, por último, o rendimento social de inserção. Na generalidade, todas as prestações sociais avaliadas foram perpassadas por alterações legislativas onerosas, expressas na redução dos montantes atribuídos, na supressão de benefícios, no período de concessão das mesmas e, naturalmente, no decréscimo de beneficiários, constituindo exceção a este último indicador (diminuição do número de beneficiários) o subsídio de desemprego e a pensão de velhice, circunstâncias suportadas nas consequências da crise e evolução desfavorável da demografia, respetivamente. Perante as evidencias encontradas, facilmente se pode concluir que a tendência para a implementação de políticas neoliberais de austeridade abalou os pilares do Estado de Bem-estar, ainda em construção, com repercussões diretas na vida de muitos cidadãos, sobretudo os mais vulneráveis. Through the comparative analysis of the published legal diplomas and static information available by the social security Institute IP, we aim to evaluate the impact of the financial and economic crisis of 2007/2008 in the main measures of social protection valid in Portugal, namely the solidarity complement for aged persons, unemployed and illness subsidy, family allowance for children and young, pension of invalidity and old age pension, and at last the social insertion income. In the generality, every available, social contributions have been passed by onerous legislative alterations, expressed in the reduction of the amounts attributed in the suppression of benefits, in the period of the concession of the same and of course in the decrease of benefits, in the period of concession of the same and obviously in the decrease of beneficiaries, being an exception to the last indicator (diminution of the number of beneficiaries) the unemployment subsidy and the old age pension, supported circumstances in the consequences of the crisis, and the adverse evolution of demography, respectively. Towards the found evidences, we can easily conclude that the tendency for the implementation of neoliberal politics of austerity, affected the pillars of the welfare State, still in construction, with direct consequences in the life of many citizens, above all, the more vulnerable.

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pension-watch-briefings-on-social-protection-in-older-age-no-7-pensions-poverty-and-wellbeing-the-impact-of-pensions-in-south-africa-and-brazila-comparative-study;hr

Human Rights Documents online ◽

10.1163/2210-7975_hrd-9997-3037 ◽

2016 ◽

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Comparative Study ◽

Social Protection ◽

Older Age ◽

The Impact

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Obesity, sarcopenia and their functional consequences in old age

Proceedings of The Nutrition Society ◽

10.1017/s0029665110003939 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 114-118 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Marjolein Visser

Keyword(s):

Muscle Strength ◽

Functional Status ◽

Old Age ◽

Muscle Mass ◽

Older Persons ◽

Functional Decline ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Age Related ◽

The Impact

The prevalence of obesity is high in older persons and recent trends show a rapid increase in this prevalence. Results from observational and intervention studies (i.e. weight loss studies) show the strong negative impact of obesity on functional status in old age. There are different potential pathways through which obesity may lead to functional decline in older persons. Furthermore, the presence of overweight and obesity during the life course and trends in medical care are likely to influence the impact of obesity on disability. The concepts sarcopenia (age-related loss of muscle mass) and dynapenia (age-related loss of muscle strength) receive a lot of research attention as potential determinants of functional decline in old age. There is no consensus on the definitions of these concepts. Recent studies conducted in large cohort studies of mainly community-dwelling older persons show that poor muscle strength is strongly associated with functional decline compared to low muscle mass. In several studies, no association between muscle mass and functional status was observed. Current research on the combination of obesity with poor muscle strength (dynapenic-obesity) suggests a potential additive effect of both components on poor functional status in old age which seems independent of the level of physical activity.

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‘This is where we buried our sons’: people of advanced old age coping with the impact of the AIDS epidemic in a resource-poor setting in rural Uganda

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x08007605 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 29 (1) ◽

pp. 115-134 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

JANET SEELEY ◽

BRENT WOLFF ◽

ELIZABETH KABUNGA ◽

GRACE TUMWEKWASE ◽

HEINER GROSSKURTH

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Old Age ◽

Social Protection ◽

Oldest Old ◽

Age Groups ◽

Ethnographic Study ◽

Hiv And Aids ◽

Resource Poor Setting ◽

Aids Epidemic ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACTMuch research on the impact of HIV and AIDS on older people fails to differentiate between age groups, and treats those aged from 50 years to the highest ages as homogeneous. The ‘oldest old’ or those aged over 75 years may be particularly vulnerable through declining health and independence as a result of the AIDS epidemic, which has forced some to take on roles that younger relatives would have performed had they lived. In this paper we describe the past and current experience of eight people in advanced old age living in rural Uganda who were informants for an ethnographic study of the impact of HIV and AIDS on households during 1991–92 and again in 2006–07. The aim of the study was to understand how they had coped with the impacts of the epidemic. From the eight case studies, it is concluded that family size, socio-economic status and some measure of good fortune in sustained good health enabled these people to live to an advanced age. While we recommend that targeted social protection is important in helping the poorest among the oldest, we suggest that sustaining respect for age and experience, and ensuring that older people do not feel discarded by family and society are as important as meeting their practical needs.

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THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF FINANCING SOCIAL PROTECTION IN LATVIA

SOCIETY. TECHNOLOGY. SOLUTIONS. Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference ◽

10.35363/via.sts.2019.25 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 ◽

pp. 4

Author(s):

Feliciana Rajevska

Keyword(s):

Social Security ◽

Old Age ◽

Social Insurance ◽

Social Protection ◽

The State ◽

Financial Flows ◽

The Social ◽

General Government ◽

Insurance Agency ◽

The Impact

INTRODUCTION Public social protection spending in Latvia amounted to 15.2% of GDP in 2016. Financing social protection in terms of PPS per inhabitant was only 35% of the average amount in the EU-28 in 2016. The explanation for such a permanently low level of social protection funding is not only a modest level of economic development, but traditionally a low priority of social spending in Latvian politics. The analysis of changes in the financing level of social protection, the changes in the main sources of social protection, the impact of past reforms is in focus. The wide variety in financing structures of social protection systems across Europe and the different levels of financing provides an opportunity to better understand the specifics in Latvia and its mixture of sources of financing social protection system. METHODS The author uses data from ESSPROS, the State Social Insurance Agency, the Ministry of Welfare for 2005-2017 for Latvia and the EU28 and is doing analysis of secondary statistical data, public policy documents, analysis of legislative acts and Cabinet Regulations from 2005-2018. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS The social insurance schemes are based on the pay-as-you-go principle and the distribution is achieved between the present contributors and the present recipients, at the same time the benefit amount is closely linked to the contributions paid by a certain individual. Such a system creates proper work incentives, albeit requires significant resources for its administration. The State Social Insurance Agency showed an excellent performance in dealing with this task. Latvia’s experience with the micro-enterprise tax regime demonstrated the pitfalls of an over-simplified approach to taxation, when the measure, aimed at combating unemployment, became a tax evasion trick at the cost of the workers’ social security. The strong side of the existing model of financing social protection is its ability to maintain a positive balance even in the background of a very turbulent environment. The sustainability of the social insurance budget has always been and remains a top priority for policy-makers. Social contributions play the leading role in the existing mix of financing social protection. The share of old-age function benefits is higher than the EU28 average. The expenditures on some functions grew faster: spending on disability benefits increased by 99%, on unemployment by 75%, on old-age and family benefits by 64%. The last decade demonstrated a trend to an increasing role of the general government contributions. The social contribution rates are already quite high (35.09% in 2018) and can hardly be increased, otherwise labour costs might become uncompetitive. Therefore, a further increase of general government contributions seems unavoidable. CONCLUSIONS Trends in reforms and policy changes were diverse and even contradictory: cost saving, support of specific target groups, reallocating funds in financial flows, an increase of the pension age. A number of policy adjustments were based on the lessons learned during the crisis. Means-tested benefits are thinly represented in the Latvian social security system, and the thresholds used for their calculation are inadequately low. The Latvian healthcare system is chronically underfinanced. It also has a high ratio of out-of-pocket co-financing by patients. Austerity measures had a strong influence on social protection expenditures from 2009–2014. Among the weaknesses of the social insurance schemes, one should mention the inadequately low minimum levels of benefits, especially as concerns old-age pensions. Low wage earners might have a disincentive to diligently pay the contributions, seeing that even the average old-age pension is lower than the at-risk-of-poverty threshold.

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