Introduction

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Anna Goulding
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
Cultural Engagement ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
Response Policy ◽  
The Relationship

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the relationship between taking part in different forms of creative and cultural practice and the development of resilience in older people. There are significant challenges associated with old age and, as a response, policy initiatives have been developed which focus on reducing social isolation, improving well-being, and creating dementia-friendly communities. The chapters in this book provide crucial support for such initiatives by reporting findings that enhance understanding of how cultural engagement can develop both individual and community resilience. Indeed, through critically examining the meaning and value of creative engagement in later life, this book brings vital new understandings to the field of cultural gerontology.

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.

Preventing social isolation in later life: findings and insights from a pilot Queensland intervention study

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1167-1189 ◽  
Author(s):  
HELEN BARTLETT ◽  
JENI WARBURTON ◽  
CHI-WAI LUI ◽  
LINDA PEACH ◽  
MATTHEW CARROLL
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Western Society ◽  
Community Based Interventions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Rigorous Evaluation ◽  
Psychological Measures ◽  
Social Settings ◽  
Government Project

ABSTRACTThe isolation of older people is recognised as a major social problem in contemporary Western society. While the risk factors and social or health outcomes of isolation and loneliness in later life are well documented, evidence regarding the effectiveness of programmes aimed at reducing social isolation in older people remains inconclusive. This paper reports on the challenges of attempting to undertake a rigorous evaluation of three demonstration pilot projects targeting older people at risk of social isolation, conducted within different social settings in Queensland, Australia. The demonstration projects were part of the Queensland Cross-Government Project to Reduce Social Isolation in Older People (CGPRSIOP) led by the Office for Seniors within the Queensland Department of Communities. In the absence of good evaluation of programmes aimed at social isolation, this government-run programme incorporated validated psychological measures to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. While use of these measures suggested some promising results, the focus of this paper is on the methodological and practical challenges associated with utilising evaluation measures in community-based interventions. The detailed consideration of the methodological issues involved in this programme highlights some key lessons and offers new insights into evaluating interventions for reducing social isolation.

scholarly journals Loneliness as a Biographical Disruption—Theoretical Implications for Understanding Changes in Loneliness

2020 ◽  
Vol 75 (9) ◽  
pp. 2029-2039
Author(s):  
Deborah J Morgan ◽  
Vanessa Burholt
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Older People ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Narrative Interviews ◽  
Biographical Disruption ◽  
Stability And Change ◽  
Life Study ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Objectives While a great deal is known about the risk factors that increase vulnerability to loneliness in later life, little research has explored stability and change in levels of loneliness. Methods Narrative interviews were conducted with 11 participants who were identified as being lonely during Wave 1 of the Maintaining Function and Well-being in Later Life Study Wales (CFAS Wales). The interviews were used to explore stability and change in levels of loneliness from the perspective of older people themselves. The interviews focused on participant’s perspectives of the events that triggered loneliness, stability, and change in levels of loneliness over time as well as participant’s responses to loneliness. Results The findings show that participants experienced losses and loneliness as biographical disruption. How participants and their wider social network responded to these losses had implications for the individual’s trajectory through loneliness. Discussion Drawing on a biographical lens, the study reframed the events that triggered loneliness as disruptive events. This article discusses the utility of biographical disruption in understanding stability and change in loneliness. The findings suggest how drawing on valued identities may help lonely adults transition out of loneliness.

The Silver Line Helpline: a “ChildLine” for older people

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Emily Wilcox
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Computer Literacy ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Telephone Helpline ◽  
Specialist Services ◽  
Silver Line

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the work of the new, free telephone helpline The Silver Line in empowering older people to overcome social isolation and loneliness, and where appropriate refer cases of abuse and neglect to specialist services. Design/methodology/approach – Beginning with a family member's description of how the helpline made a difference to her relative this paper then outlines the rationale, methods and outcomes of The Silver Line, including a role it may play in reducing demand for NHS services. Findings – The paper highlights that social isolation and loneliness can be tackled through a helpline which leaves control firmly in the hands of callers while offering them a gateway to activities and services. Practical implications – It seems that telephone contact is a particularly helpful way for isolated people to begin to build social contact given that there is evidence of a stigma associated with admitting to loneliness. Social implications – Given a straightforward way to connect to others, people are empowered to overcome their own loneliness, improve their well-being and sometimes to rejoin their community. The charity reports that callers to the helpline may themselves become volunteer befrienders (“Silver Line Friends”) providing support to others and gaining evidence of their own value to society. In addition, a friendly chat over the phone can be an enabling link to gaining new skills, such as computer literacy, which may otherwise seem out of reach or irrelevant. Originality/value – The paper emphasises the importance of this helpline specifically and the wider need for hard to reach, isolated older people to have an accessible stepping stone to greater social contact and a higher quality of life.

The Relationship Between Social Support and Morale: Comparisons of the Widowed and Never Married in Later Life

1991 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Martin Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Never Married ◽  
The Relationship

Through an analysis of data from 152 widowed and 62 never-married elderly residents of southern Ontario, this paper examines the relationship between social support and well-being, measured in terms of morale. The data indicate that while perceived social support is related to morale, particularly among the widowed, measures of available support are not directly associated with well-being among the widowed and never-married elderly. Indeed, reliance upon others for support is, in some circumstances, associated with decreased well-being among the elderly.

The gendered impact of the National Pension Scheme on late-life economic well-being: evidence from the Korean retirement and income study

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung-Min Park
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Option ◽  
Pension Scheme ◽  
Third Wave ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Economic Well Being

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of the National Pension Scheme (NPS) on the economic well-being of older people in South Korea. Design/methodology/approach It analyses older people aged 60 and over sampled from the third wave of the Korean retirement and income study. Findings The analysis shows a gendered effect. The NPS is positively associated with the economic well-being of only older men. This gendered impact is probably attributable to the inherent patriarchal structure of the NPS that is based on the strong male bread-winner model. Originality/value The results suggest that promoting the female labour market participation, and also reforming the gender structure of the NPS and South Korean labour market, can be a potential policy option to amend gendered economic well-being in later life.

scholarly journals To be or not to be: Relationship between grandparent status and health and wellbeing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel W.L. Lai ◽  
Jia Li ◽  
Xue Bai
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Older People ◽  
Physical Health ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Chinese Society ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Health And Well Being

Abstract BackgroundIt is common for older people to become grandparents in later life. However, the impacts of grandparenting on their health and well-being remain ambiguous, especially in Chinese society, where the family is in the core of culture. The current study explored the relationship between grandparenthood and Chinese older people’s health and psychological well-being in Hong Kong. MethodsCross-sectional data were collected from a sample of 1,208 Hong Kong Chinese older people aged 55 and above through a telephone survey conducted in 2019. Participants were grouped into three categories: current grandparents (n = 507), grandparents-to-be (n = 275), and grandparents-not-to-be (n = 426). Multivariate linear regressions were performed to examine the relationship between grandparenting status and health and well-being outcomes, including self-rated physical health, mental health, resilience, and happiness. The potential moderating roles of older adults’ demographic characteristics, including age, sex, education, marital status, financial status, were also examined. ResultsBivariate analyses suggested statistically significant differences between health and well-being across the three groups of participants. Regression models showed that, compared with grandparents-not-to-be, being a current grandparent was associated with a significantly higher happiness level. Being a future grandparent was associated with significantly higher levels of happiness, resilience, and self-rated physical health. Moderating analyses showed that age, marital status, and educational level could moderate the relationship between grandparent status and resilience and self-rated mental health. ConclusionsThe current study offers preliminary insights into the significant relationship between grandparenthood and older adults’ health and well-being. It calls for future studies to further explore the mechanisms between grandparenthood and the healthy ageing of different subgroups of older adults.

scholarly journals The effect of Information and Communication Technologies and Social Networking Sites (SNSs) use on older people’s well-being related to loneliness: Results from a review of experimental studies. (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Casanova ◽  
Daniele Zaccaria ◽  
Elena Rolandi ◽  
Antonio Guaita
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Design ◽  
Older People ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Causal Effect ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Recruitment Strategy ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
The Relationship

UNSTRUCTURED Background: In the last decades, the relationship between SNSs and older people’s loneliness is gaining specific relevance. Studies in this field are often based on qualitative methods because they allow studying in-depth self-perceived issues, including loneliness and well-being, or quantitative survey to report the links between ICTs and older people’s well-being or loneliness. The causal relationship does not in-depth analysed by these methods. Moreover, the research on older people’s SNSs use is still scant, especially regarding their impact on health and well-being. In recent years, the existing review studies have separately focused their attention on loneliness and social isolation of older people or on the elderly's use of ICTs and SNSs, without tackling the relationship between the former issue and the latter. This thorough qualitative review provides an analysis of research carried out using experimental and quasi-experimental design that investigates the causal effect of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and social network sites (SNSs) use on older adults’ well-being related to loneliness. Objective: The aims of this review are to contrast and compare research designs (sampling and recruitment, evaluation tools, interventions) and findings of these studies and to highlight their limitations.Methods: Using an approach that integrates the methodological framework for scoping studies and the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews, we have identified only 11 articles that have met our inclusion criteria. A thematic and contents analysis based on the ex-post categorisation of data has been provided on the selected studies, and sequentially the data have been summarised tables. Results: The analysis of the selected articles has shown that i) ICTs use is positively, but weakly, related to the different measures of older people’s well-being and loneliness; ii) overall, the studies under review lack a sound experimental design; iii) the main limitations of these studies lie in the lack of rigor in sampling method and recruitment strategy. Conclusions: The analysis of the reviewed studies confirms the existence of a beneficial effect of ICTs use on the well-being of older people, in terms of reduced loneliness. however, the causal relationship is often declared as weakly. This review highlighting the need for studying these issues with adequate methodological rigour.

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