Changing demographics

2019 ◽  
pp. 327-348
Author(s):  
Charles Musselwhite ◽  
Kiron Chatterjee
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Car Use ◽  
Insurance Costs ◽  
Service Jobs ◽  
Changing Demographics ◽  
Access Services

Older people are travelling more than previous generations, especially by private vehicle. By contrast there has been a decline in car use among the younger population. We highlight how many of the reasons for these trends lie outside the transport sector. Younger people are living at home longer, delaying getting married and having children later in life. A decline in young people’s disposable income, a growth in low-end service jobs and the rise of precarious employment are also likely to be key contributors to a reduction in car use, especially with rising learning to drive and insurance costs. Younger people are also more likely to live in urban areas, which means less need for private vehicles. Older people are more likely to live in dispersed communities that require a car to access services and shops. They are less likely to use the internet for shopping, for accessing services and for staying connected to people. They have lived through a time of increased reliance and norms around using the car and continue this into later life. Examining mobility in relation to age suggests a need to look at how transport matters from the viewpoint of individuals and their relationship with society.

scholarly journals Age-Friendly Approaches and Old-Age Exclusion: A Cross-City Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tine Buffel ◽  
Samuèle Rémillard-Boilard ◽  
Kieran Walsh ◽  
Bernard McDonald ◽  
An-Sofie Smetcoren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Research Gap

Developing ‘Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCC)’ has become a key part of policies aimed at improving the quality of life of older people in urban areas. Despite this development, there is evidence of rising inequalities among urban elders, and little known about the potential and limitations of the age-friendly model to reduce old-age exclusion. This article addresses this research gap by comparing how Brussels, Dublin, and Manchester, as three members of the Global Network of AFCC, have responded to social exclusion in later life. The article combines data from document analysis and stakeholder interviews to examine: first, the age-friendly approach and the goal of reducing social exclusion; and second, barriers to developing age-friendly policies as a means of addressing exclusion. The paper suggests that there are reciprocal benefits in linking age-friendly and social exclusion agendas for producing new ways of combatting unequal experiences of ageing in cities.

Digital inclusion in later life: cohort changes in internet use over a ten-year period in England

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 1914-1932 ◽  
Author(s):  
KATEY MATTHEWS ◽  
JAMES NAZROO ◽  
ALAN MARSHALL
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Digital Inclusion ◽  
Age Cohort ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Digital Exclusion ◽  
English Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACTThe ability to use the internet frequently is likely to provide a useful means of engaging with society and using services in later life, yet older people are the most likely to suffer digital exclusion, with those of the oldest ages at the greatest risk. Using six waves (2002–2012) of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, we model cohort-specific patterns of frequent internet use for people aged 50 and over. Multi-level growth models are used to observe trajectories of internet use over the ten-year period. Firstly, analyses are stratified by gender and wealth, and secondly we additionally test for health effects. The study finds cohort-specific differences in patterns of internet use. Rates of internet use increase faster among younger cohorts yet, despite initially increasing, begin to decline among older cohorts. Poor health is shown to be a key factor in shaping the trajectory of internet use over time. Rates of internet use are consistently lower for women than men and for those in poorer financial circumstances, independently of age cohort. The findings demonstrate the importance of ensuring older people can remain digitally included throughout later life, including after the onset of poorer health, especially as some of these individuals might benefit the most from some of the services the internet can provide.

Urban Transport

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
José van
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
Ride Sharing ◽  
The World ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Selection Mechanisms

Platformization affects the entire urban transport sector, effectively blurring the division between private and public transport modalities; existing public–private arrangements have started to shift as a result. This chapter analyzes and discusses the emergence of a platform ecology for urban transport, focusing on two central public values: the quality of urban transport and the organization of labor and workers’ rights. Using the prism of platform mechanisms, it analyzes how the sector of urban transport is changing societal organization in various urban areas across the world. Datafication has allowed numerous new actors to offer their bike-, car-, or ride-sharing services online; selection mechanisms help match old and new complementors with passengers. Similarly, new connective platforms are emerging, most prominently transport network companies such as Uber and Lyft that offer public and private transport options, as well as new platforms offering integrated transport services, often referred to as “mobility as a service.”

scholarly journals Multi-Criteria, Co-Evolutionary Charging Behavior: An Agent-Based Simulation of Urban Electromobility

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 18
Author(s):  
Lennart Adenaw ◽  
Markus Lienkamp
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
City Planning ◽  
User Behavior ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Simulation Framework ◽  
Agent Based Simulation ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Charging Station ◽  
Spatio Temporal

In order to electrify the transport sector, scores of charging stations are needed to incentivize people to buy electric vehicles. In urban areas with a high charging demand and little space, decision-makers are in need of planning tools that enable them to efficiently allocate financial and organizational resources to the promotion of electromobility. As with many other city planning tasks, simulations foster successful decision-making. This article presents a novel agent-based simulation framework for urban electromobility aimed at the analysis of charging station utilization and user behavior. The approach presented here employs a novel co-evolutionary learning model for adaptive charging behavior. The simulation framework is tested and verified by means of a case study conducted in the city of Munich. The case study shows that the presented approach realistically reproduces charging behavior and spatio-temporal charger utilization.

scholarly journals Is the Green Wave Really Green? The Risks of Rebound Effects When Implementing “Green” Policies

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5411
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Bloder ◽  
Georg Jäger
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The Other ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Traffic System ◽  
Rebound Effects ◽  
Car Use ◽  
Reduce Emissions

Traffic and transportation are main contributors to the global CO2 emissions and resulting climate change. Especially in urban areas, traffic flow is not optimal and thus offers possibilities to reduce emissions. The concept of a Green Wave, i.e., the coordinated switching of traffic lights in order to favor a single direction and reduce congestion, is often discussed as a simple mechanism to avoid breaking and accelerating, thereby reducing fuel consumption. On the other hand, making car use more attractive might also increase emissions. In this study, we use an agent-based model to investigate the benefit of a Green Wave in order to find out whether it can outweigh the effects of increased car use. We find that although the Green Wave has the potential to reduce emissions, there is also a high risk of heaving a net increase in emissions, depending on the specifics of the traffic system.

Using crystallization to understand loneliness in later life: integrating social science and creative narratives in sensitive qualitative research

2021 ◽  
pp. 146879412110059
Author(s):  
Barbara Barbosa Neves ◽  
Josephine Wilson ◽  
Alexandra Sanders ◽  
Renata Kokanović
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Creative Writing ◽  
Social Science ◽  
Older People ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
Social Phenomena

This article draws on crystallization, a qualitative framework developed by Laurel Richardson and Laura Ellingson, to show the potential of using sociological narratives and creative writing to better analyze and represent the lived experiences of loneliness among older people living in Australian care homes. Crystallization uses a multi-genre approach to study and present social phenomena. At its core is a concern for the ethics of representation, which is critical when engaging with vulnerable populations. We use two case studies from research on loneliness to illustrate an application of crystallization through different narrative types. To supplement our sociological narratives, we invited author Josephine Wilson to write creative narratives based on the case studies. Josephine was awarded the prestigious Miles Franklin Literary Award in 2017 for Extinctions, a novel exploring themes such as later life and loneliness. By contrasting the two approaches—sociological and creative narratives—we discuss the implications of crystallization for qualitative research.

Understanding diversity in later life and a new culture of aging: Sociology of aging in Japan

2021 ◽  
pp. 026858092110053
Author(s):  
Daisuke Watanabe
Keyword(s):  
Social Science ◽  
Older People ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Social Problems ◽  
Family Care ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Social Disparities ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
Care Problems ◽  
Sociological Studies

This essay introduces sociological studies on aging and related topics in Japan since 2000. It argues the three following points. First, the results of sociological studies on aging, and those from related social science disciplines, have moved away from a uniform understanding of aging to reveal greater diversity in the process. Second, it has become apparent that older people face various social problems, such as social isolation, social disparities, and family care problems. Studies have argued that it is essential to support mutual aid in the community. Finally, the reflexivity of high modernity attempts to push the problem of aging towards autonomy, but a new culture of aging assumes that dependence has the potential to overcome this reflexivity.

scholarly journals Developing a recovery-focused therapy for older people with bipolar disorder: a qualitative focus group study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. e049829
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Tyler ◽  
Fiona Lobban ◽  
Rita Long ◽  
Steven H Jones
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Focus Group ◽  
Older People ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Focus Group Study ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Age Related Changes

ObjectivesAs awareness of bipolar disorder (BD) increases and the world experiences a rapid ageing of the population, the number of people living with BD in later life is expected to rise substantially. There is no current evidence base for the effectiveness of psychological interventions for older adults with BD. This focus group study explored a number of topics to inform the development and delivery of a recovery-focused therapy (RfT) for older adults with BD.DesignA qualitative focus group study.SettingThree focus groups were conducted at a university in the North West of England.ParticipantsEight people took part in the focus groups; six older adults with BD, one carer and one friend.ResultsParticipant’s responses clustered into six themes: (1) health-related and age-related changes in later life, (2) the experience of BD in later life, (3) managing and coping with BD in later life, (4) recovery in later life, (5) seeking helping in the future and (6) adapting RfT for older people.ConclusionsParticipants reported a range of health-related and age-related changes and strategies to manage their BD. Participants held mixed views about using the term ‘recovery’ in later life. Participants were in agreement that certain adaptations were needed for delivering RfT for older adults, based on their experience of living with BD in later life. The data collected as part of the focus groups have led to a number of recommendations for delivering RfT for older adults with BD in a randomised controlled trial (Clinical Trial Registration: ISRCTN13875321).

scholarly journals The Active Aging Agenda, Old Folk Devils and a New Moral Panic

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C.J. Pike
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older People ◽  
Older Persons ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Active Aging ◽  
Moral Panics ◽  
International Policy ◽  
Policy Agendas

The proposal that older people should engage in “active aging” has come to dominate local, national, and international policy agendas. This encompasses a variety of ways that older persons might maintain active citizenship, but invariably promotes physical activity and exercise as having health and social benefits, despite a lack of conclusive evidence to support such claims. In this paper, I further examine the meaning of these claims through an analysis of policy documents, reports, and media articles which promote the perceived benefits of physical activity in later life. I revisit Cohen’s (2002) concepts of folk devils and moral panics to understand how these messages simultaneously problematize older people while creating a market for emergent moral entrepreneurs who claim to have the solution to the problem they have in part created. I conclude with recommendations for improved understanding of the benefits and appropriate provision for active aging.

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