When the Elderly Turn to Petty Crime

2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naomi F. Sugie
Keyword(s):  
Social Integration ◽  
Economic Integration ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Arrest Rates ◽  
Fixed Effects Models ◽  
Aging Societies

Declines in offending in older age have been consistently observed in nearly every criminological study to date. Because of this, theories that address offending in older life focus exclusively on explaining decreases in crime or “desistance.” However, recent increases in elderly arrest rates in some aging societies provide a unique opportunity to forward theories of older age offending with an empirical touchstone. Using Japan as a case study, this article draws from a social integration perspective to examine whether changes in family and economic integration are associated with increasing arrest rates. Using prefectural fixed-effects models with elderly arrests from 1995 to 2004, the findings suggest that weakened family integration is associated with elderly arrest rates, particularly for petty crimes. This article situates these results within the context of Japan and discusses how social integration and later life offending may be related in aging societies like Japan.

scholarly journals Loneliness and social integration as mediators between physical pain and suicidal ideation among elderly men

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Mira Lutzman ◽  
Eliane Sommerfeld ◽  
Sarah Ben-David
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Physical Pain ◽  
Elderly Men ◽  
Pain Subscale

Abstract Objectives: Suicide in the elderly is a complex and significant public health problem. The purpose of our study was to examine the role of loneliness and social integration as potential mediators in the relationship between physical pain and suicidal ideation in the elderly. Design: Descriptive, bivariate correlations, and moderated mediation analyses were performed. Setting: Personal meetings were held with participants in their homes. Participants: A total of 198 elderly men aged 65 and over. Measurements: Self-report measures: Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation, Physical pain subscale, Multidimensional Social Integration in Later Life Scale, and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale (Version 3). Results: Our findings showed that the association between physical pain and suicidal ideation was mediated by loneliness and social integration. Further analyses revealed that this mediation model was significant among single, but not married, men. Conclusions: Physical pain and social factors are both important in understanding suicidality in late life. Elderly single men who experience physical pain may be lonelier and less socially integrated, and these factors may contribute to higher risk of suicidal ideation.

scholarly journals The Influence of Covid-19 Vaccine on Daily Cases, Hospitalization, and Death Rate in Tennessee: A Case Study in the United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Roghani
Keyword(s):  
Death Rate ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Vaccination Strategy ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hospitalization Rate ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Lower Death Rate

The COVID-19 outbreak highlights the vulnerability to novel infections, and vaccination remains a foreseeable method to return to normal life. However, infrastructure is inadequate for the whole population to be vaccinated immediately. Therefore, policies have adopted a strategy to vaccinate the elderly and vulnerable population while delaying others. This study uses the Tennessee official statistic from the onset of COVID vaccination (17th of December 2021) to understand how age-specific vaccination strategies reduce daily cases, hospitalization, and death rate. The result shows that vaccination strategy can significantly influence the numbers of patients with COVID-19 in all age groups and lower hospitalization and death rates just in older age groups. The Elderly had a 95% lower death rate from December to March; however, and no change in the death rate in other age groups. The Hospitalization rate was reduced by 80% in this study cohort for people aged 80 or older, while people who were between 50 to 70 had almost the same hospitalization rate. The study indicates that vaccination targeting older age groups is the optimal way to avoid higher transmissions and reduce hospitalization and death rate for older groups.

scholarly journals A Creative Writing Workshop on Sexuality and Ageing: A Spanish Pilot Case Study

Societies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 57
Author(s):  
Ieva Stončikaitė ◽  
Núria Mina-Riera
Keyword(s):  
Creative Writing ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Active Ageing ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Initial Hypothesis ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Negative stereotypes about old age abound in our present-day society, which often considers older people as sexually incapable or even asexual. On the other hand, active ageing ideologies foster the practice of sex in later life as a sign of healthy and active ageing. The aim of this pilot case study was to examine the impact that poetry on sexuality, ageing and creativity had on older individuals. In total eight participants, aged 49–76, participated in a workshop offered by the University of Lleida (Spain). The initial hypothesis was that the participants, following the example set by the poems, would produce pieces of creative writing in which they voiced their own concerns and experiences about sexuality in later life from the distance that metaphor grants. While some of the participants’ writings engaged with the poems that deal with sexuality in older age, none of the participants’ creative pieces contained explicit instances of sexual experiences. The analysis of the participants’ creative pieces suggests that: first, they regard intimacy in older age as essential; and second, their unwillingness to write about sexuality in older age is partly rooted in their upbringing during Franco’s dictatorial regime, in which sexuality for non-reproductive aims was constructed as immoral.

scholarly journals Partnership and Cognitive Aging in Europe: Mediating Factors and Social Stratification

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariane Bertogg ◽  
Anja K Leist
Keyword(s):  
Social Integration ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Cognitive Stimulation ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Cognitive Changes ◽  
Delayed Recall ◽  
Individual Level

Abstract Objectives Living in a partnership has been shown to benefit later life health in general and decrease the risk of cognitive impairment. Few studies have, however, examined whether different types of partnership transitions also differ with respect to their impact on cognitive trajectories, and whether financial resources, health behaviors, cognitive stimulation and social integration can explain these differences. Methods Data came from six waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, which is a representative panel for the population aged 50 years or older, and was collected between 2004 and 2017 in 20 European countries. Our sample includes 215,989 valid person-year observations from 78,984 persons. Mean age at baseline is 64 years, and individuals were observed on average 2.7 times. Cognitive functioning was assessed with measures of immediate and delayed recall on a memory test, and verbal fluency. Fixed-effects regression models were employed to exploit individual-level variation in partnership and simultaneous cognitive changes. Results Partnership status was stable in most respondents (around 90%). Compared to remaining partnered and after controlling for socio-demographic factors, transition to divorce was associated with a steeper decline in immediate and delayed recall. Exploring possible mechanisms, both financial resources and social integration explained these differences. Additional analyses suggested that effects were mostly driven by individuals with lower education. Discussion Partnership transitions remain infrequent events in later life, but our findings indicate that they can induce less favorable cognitive trajectories compared to partnered individuals, particularly for those with lower cognitive reserve.

scholarly journals Grandparenthood, grandchild care and depression among older people in 18 countries

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2-2019) ◽  
pp. 216-239
Author(s):  
Valeria Bordone ◽  
Bruno Arpino
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Older People ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Clear Pattern ◽  
Longitudinal Structure ◽  
Fixed Effects Models ◽  
Grandchild Care ◽  
The Impact

Due to the increasing central role of grandparenthood in later life, sound knowledge about its effects on older people’s health is more and more important. This paper examines the impact of becoming a grandparent, having more grandchildren, and engaging in grandchild care on depressive symptoms. Moreover, based on the structural ambivalence theory, we expect that such effects differ across contexts as (grand)childcare is differently organised across Europe. Taking advantage of the longitudinal structure of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we estimate fixed-effects models. Our results show that women face a decline in depressive symptoms when becoming grandmothers, but neither an increase in the number of grandchildren nor changes in grandchild care are associated with changes in depressive symptoms. The analyses by country highlight differences across Europe, without, however, drawing a clear pattern. Our results show that depression consequences of grandparenthood also vary between countries characterised by similar roles of grandparents. This suggests the need to make available more refined questions about grandparenthood in surveys on older people.

scholarly journals Health and Housework in Later Life: A Longitudinal Study of Retired Couples

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 184-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Leopold ◽  
Florian Schulz
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Health Status ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Fixed Effects Models ◽  
Housework Time ◽  
Domestic Outsourcing

Abstract Objectives To examine how changes in wives’ and husbands’ health influenced housework time and domestic outsourcing in retired couples. Method We estimated fixed-effects models to test hypotheses about the gendered influence of health declines on absolute and relative measures of time spent on routine and nonroutine housework as well as the probability of outsourcing housework. The data were obtained from 23 waves of the German Socio-Economic Panel Study, comprising N = 25,119 annual observations of N = 3,889 retired couples aged 60–85 years. Results Wives’ and husbands’ housework time declined with health status, but these effects were large only for serious health problems. We found evidence for within-couple compensation of spouses’ health declines, a mechanism that was limited to indispensable tasks of routine housework. The probability of getting paid help from outside the household increased with declining health, and this increase was more strongly tied to wives’ health declines than to husbands’ health declines. Discussion The results demonstrate the relevance of health status for the performance of housework in retired couples. The evidence attests to the resilience of couples during later-life stages in which health issues may severely inhibit domestic productivity.

scholarly journals Reading, the library, and the elderly: A Singapore case study

2011 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 204-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendan Luyt ◽  
Ho Swee Ann
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Public Library ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Gender Disparities ◽  
Entire Population ◽  
Class Differences ◽  
The World ◽  
Aging Societies ◽  
Instrumental View

Singapore is now one of the fastest aging societies in the world. By 2030 those over 65 years old are expected to number 1.41m strong, 26.8 percent of the country’s entire population. Given these numbers, it is not surprising that aging is a key concern in Singapore. This article reports on a qualitative study of 32 individuals over the age of 55 who frequented one branch of Singapore’s public library system. It sheds light on the current views of the elderly on their reading and some of the facilities that the library currently offers them. In particular it argues that attention needs to be paid to four issues: gender disparities, class differences, the effects of ageism, and an instrumental view of reading.

The Biological Clock and Sleep in the Elderly

2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myriam Juda ◽  
Mirjam Münch ◽  
Anna Wirz-Justice ◽  
Martha Merrow ◽  
Till Roenneberg
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythms ◽  
Biological Clock ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Early Morning ◽  
Behavioral Changes ◽  
Older Age ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Theoretical Considerations ◽  
Sleep Difficulties ◽  
Circadian Biology

Abstract: Among many other changes, older age is characterized by advanced sleep-wake cycles, changes in the amplitude of various circadian rhythms, as well as reduced entrainment to zeitgebers. These features reveal themselves through early morning awakenings, sleep difficulties at night, and a re-emergence of daytime napping. This review summarizes the observations concerning the biological clock and sleep in the elderly and discusses the documented and theoretical considerations behind these age-related behavioral changes, especially with respect to circadian biology.

Can a Theory of Suicide Predict All “Suicides” in the Elderly?

Crisis ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoon A. Leenaars
Keyword(s):  
Sigmund Freud ◽  
Terminally Ill ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Comprehensive Model ◽  
Suicide Notes ◽  
Psychiatric Study

Summary: Older adults consistently have the highest rates of suicide in most societies. Despite the paucity of studies until recently, research has shown that suicides in later life are best understood as a multidimensional event. An especially neglected area of research is the psychological/psychiatric study of personality factors in the event. This paper outlines one comprehensive model of suicide and then raises the question: Is such a psychiatric/psychological theory applicable to all suicides in the elderly? To address the question, I discuss the case of Sigmund Freud; raise the topic of suicide and/or dignified death in the terminally ill; and examine suicide notes of the both terminally ill and nonterminally ill elderly. I conclude that, indeed, greater study and theory building are needed into the “suicides” of the elderly, including those who are terminally ill.

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