scholarly journals Fourth Ageism: Real and Imaginary Old Age

Societies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Paul Higgs ◽  
Chris Gilleard

This paper is concerned with the issue of ageism and its salience in current debates about the COVID-19 pandemic. In it, we address the question of how best to interpret the impact that the pandemic has had on the older population. While many feel angry at what they see as discriminatory lock-down practices confining older people to their homes, others are equally concerned by the failure of state responses to protect and preserve the health of older people, especially those receiving long-term care. This contrast in framing ageist responses to the pandemic, we suggest, arises from differing social representations of later life, reflecting the selective foregrounding of third versus fourth age imaginaries. Recognising the tension between social and biological parameters of ageing and its social categorisations, we suggest, may offer a more measured, as well as a less discriminatory, approach to addressing the selective use of chronological age as a line of demarcation within society.

1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Norris-Baker ◽  
Rick J. Scheidt

Robert Kastenbaum posits that functional aging results in the overadaptation to our own routines and expectations, producing “hyperhabituation,” mental stagnation, and novaphobic response orientations. This article examines the promise and implications of this notion for two areas of environment-aging research: psychological control and environmental comprehension. Possible causal and mediating links between control and habituation are considered, as well as the impact of habituation on environmental perception, cognition, and appraisal. Personal and situational characteristics of older people likely to be at risk for habituated responses are suggested. The article also speculates about individually- and environmentally-targeted interventions which might prevent and/or ameliorate tendencies toward hyperhabituated responses among older people who reside in highly ritualized and constant environments such as long-term care institutions. Interventions subject to future evaluations include modifications for the social, physical, and policy milieux and desensitization of novaphobic responses.


Author(s):  
Feliciano Villar ◽  
Rodrigo Serrat ◽  
Annette Bilfeldt ◽  
Joe Larragy

AbstractLiving in a long-term care (LTC) institution provides older people experiencing health and social problems with a comprehensive range of support services that address their quality of life. Despite access to such services, challenges arise in relation to their participation in key activities both within and outside the institution. This chapter examines such challenges, reviewing and describing ways to prevent exclusion along various domains, specifically social relationships, civic participation and socio-cultural life. Firstly, we discuss ways in which bio-medical models of care and the quality control systems, which are dominant in LTC services, standardise care, tending to put decisions exclusively in hands of staff, taking away residents’ autonomy, and ultimately curtailing rights and citizenship status. Secondly, we examine how LTC services might prevent such exclusion and promote older people’s participation in at least four respects: (1) prompting and supporting residents’ ability to take decisions on their own care, (2) favouring the maintenance and creation of social relationships, (3) enabling residents’ participation in the activities and management of the institution, and (4) guaranteeing residents’ rights and full access to citizenship. We discuss the impact and limitations of recent initiatives put into practice in these areas of practice.


Author(s):  
Olivier Giraud ◽  
Anne Petiau ◽  
Abdia Touahria-Gaillard ◽  
Barbara Rist ◽  
Arnaud Trenta

This article analyses the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on ‘monetised’ family carers’ understanding of their own autonomy in a long-term care relation at home. The reduction or suspension of medico-social service deteriorated the situation of family carers of frail older people or people with disability. We develop and apply an analytical grid of 15 interviews of monetised family carers about the reorganisation of care systems and their situation as carers. We identify three types of understandings of autonomy among family carers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: preventive autonomy; health protection autonomy; and supported autonomy.


Author(s):  
Michael Murphy ◽  
Ruth Hancock ◽  
Raphael Wittenberg ◽  
Bo Hu ◽  
Marcello Morciano ◽  
...  

This chapter presents some findings from the research project ‘Modelling Needs and Resources of Older People to 2030’ (MAP2030). The project developed a set of projection models to estimate future family circumstances, incomes, pensions, savings, disability and care needs of older people in England. These projections included public and private expenditure on pensions, disability benefits and care services under different scenarios for reform of pensions and long-term care funding under a range of alternative population futures. The chapter focuses on the projected future costs and impacts for the different income quintiles of the older population of proposed reforms to the system of funding adult social care, in particular the impact of a cap on individual liability to meet care costs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 136-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Mendes ◽  
Ana Luísa Papoila ◽  
Pedro Carreiro-Martins ◽  
Stefano Bonassi ◽  
Iolanda Caires ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Kate Frazer ◽  
Lachlan Mitchell ◽  
Diarmuid Stokes ◽  
Ella Lacey ◽  
Eibhlin Crowley ◽  
...  

AbstractThe global COVID-19 pandemic produced large-scale health and economic complications. Older people and those with comorbidities are particularly vulnerable to this virus, with nursing homes and long term care facilities experiencing significant morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19 outbreaks. The aim of this rapid systematic review was to investigate measures implemented in long term care facilities to reduce transmission of COVID-19 and their effect on morbidity and mortality of residents, staff, and visitors. Databases (including MedRXiv pre-published repository) were systematically searched to identify studies reporting assessment of interventions to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in nursing homes among residents, staff, or visitors. Outcome measures include facility characteristics, morbidity data, case fatalities, and transmission rates. Due to study quality and heterogeneity, no meta-analysis was conducted. The search yielded 1414 articles, with 38 studies included. Reported interventions include mass testing, use of personal protective equipment, symptom screening, visitor restrictions, hand hygiene and droplet/contact precautions, and resident cohorting. Prevalence rates ranged from 1.2-85.4% in residents and 0.6-62.6% in staff. Mortality rates ranged from 5.3-55.3% in residents. Novel evidence in this review details the impact of facility size, availability of staff and practices of operating between multiple facilities, and for-profit status of facilities as factors contributing to the size and number of COVID-19 outbreaks. No causative relationships can be determined; however, this review provides evidence of interventions that reduce transmission of COVID-19 in long term care facilities.


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