AMASE ‒ A multidimensional approach to social exclusion in later life – health consequences for ageing populations. A research project aiming to understand and lessen social exclusion

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana-Alexandra DUMITRESCU
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Multidimensional Approach ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Policy Objectives ◽  
Ageing Populations

Social exclusion of older adults represents a focal problem in Romania. It has a multidimensional character, manifesting in multiple areas: exclusion from social relations, from material resources, from services, from community and society. This paper presents the rationale of the AMASE project, our research and social policy objectives, as well as our work philosophy. Keywords: social exclusion; vulnerability; ageing; Norwegian grants.

scholarly journals Reconceptualising Exclusion from Civic Engagement in Later Life: Towards a New Research Agenda

2021 ◽  
pp. 245-257
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Serrat ◽  
Thomas Scharf ◽  
Feliciano Villar
Keyword(s):  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Material Resources ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
New Research ◽  
The Life Course ◽  
Research And Policy

AbstractSocial exclusion in later life remains a major challenge for ageing societies. Despite widespread acceptance of its multidimensional nature, research and policy debates have tended to focus on exclusion from material resources or social relations, overlooking other recognised dimensions of social exclusion. In this context, exclusion from civic engagement has been the least studied dimension. In this chapter, we argue that future research and policy initiatives should pay attention to four key dimensions of older people’s exclusion from civic engagement. First, we need to embrace the multidimensionality of the concept of civic engagement, which includes a range of qualitatively different activities. Second, it is essential to account for the diversity of the older population, since this shapes who is able to engage civically and in which ways. Third, attention should be paid to the dynamics and experiences of engagement across the life course, in order to understand better civic engagement trajectories. Fourth, we need to consider exclusion from civic engagement as a culturally-embedded process that is largely shaped by the particular socio-political context in which engagement occurs. We provide examples of recent research covering these dimensions of exclusion from civic engagement and conclude by proposing areas of further inquiry.

scholarly journals Temporal aspects of wellbeing in later life: gardening among older African Americans in Detroit

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (12) ◽  
pp. 2614-2634
Author(s):  
Jessica C. Robbins ◽  
Kimberly A. Seibel
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Structural Inequality ◽  
City Life ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Older African Americans ◽  
Nuanced Understanding

AbstractGardening has well-established physical, social and emotional benefits for older adults in varied circumstances. In Detroit, Michigan (United States of America), as in many cities, policy makers, funders, researchers, community organisations and residents regard gardening as a means of transforming bodies, persons, communities, cities and broader polities. We draw on ethnographic research conducted during one gardening season with 27 older African Americans in Detroit to foreground the social dimensions of wellbeing in later life and thus develop a more robust and nuanced understanding of gardening's benefits for older adults. Based on anthropological understandings of personhood and kinship, this article expands concepts of wellbeing to include social relations across multiple scales (individual, interpersonal, community, state) and temporalities (of the activity itself, experiences of ageing, city life). Even when performed alone, gardening fosters connections with the past, as gardeners are reminded of deceased loved ones through practices and the plants themselves, and with the future, through engagement with youth and community. Elucidating intimate connections and everyday activities of older African American long-term city residents counters anti-black discourses of ‘revitalisation’. An expansive concept of wellbeing has implications for understanding the generative potential of meaningful social relations in later life and the vitality contributed by older adults living in contexts of structural inequality.

5. Positive and successful ageing

2016 ◽  
pp. 87-101
Author(s):  
Nancy A. Pachana
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Policy ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
Successful Ageing ◽  
Policy Frameworks ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Health And Well Being

‘Positive and successful ageing’ examines how, as a society, we can promote positive and successful ageing in terms of physical, mental, and social well-being in later life. It addresses current findings and directions in research, interventions, and social policy, which have focused more strongly on health and well-being, rather than disease and disability, in the last few decades. Attention is paid to the contributions of the environment, lifestyle factors, meaning and engagement in life, resilience, and wisdom that support a successful move through the latter stages of life. Successful ageing is now the subject of policy frameworks, lifespan theories of development, and actions—large and small—affecting older adults globally.

scholarly journals Exclusion from Social Relations in Later Life: Micro- and Macro-Level Patterns and Correlations in a European Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (23) ◽  
pp. 12418
Author(s):  
Thomas Hansen ◽  
Marcela Petrová Kafková ◽  
Ruth Katz ◽  
Ariela Lowenstein ◽  
Sigal Naim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Trust ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Household Composition ◽  
Macro Level ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Micro Level

Older adults face particular risks of exclusion from social relationships (ESR) and are especially vulnerable to its consequences. However, research so far has been limited to specific dimensions, countries, and time points. In this paper, we examine the prevalence and micro- and macro-level predictors of ESR among older adults (60+) using two waves of data obtained four years apart across 14 European countries in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). We consider four ESR indicators (household composition, social networks, social opportunities, and loneliness) and link them to micro-level (age, gender, socioeconomic factors, health, and family responsibilities) and national macro-level factors (social expenditures, unmet health needs, individualism, social trust, and institutional trust). Findings reveal a northwest to southeast gradient, with the lowest rates of ESR in the stronger welfare states of Northwest Europe. The high rates of ESR in the southeast are especially pronounced among women. Predictably, higher age and fewer personal resources (socioeconomic factors and health) increase the risk of all ESR dimensions for both genders. Macro-level factors show significant associations with ESR beyond the effect of micro-level factors, suggesting that national policies and cultural and structural characteristics may play a role in fostering sociability and connectivity and, thus, reduce the risk of ESR in later life.

scholarly journals Precarity and the assumption of rising insecurity in later life: a critique

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 1849-1866
Author(s):  
Chris Gilleard ◽  
Paul Higgs
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Health Inequalities ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Population Ageing ◽  
Older Population ◽  
Developed Economies ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Ageing Populations

AbstractIn recent years, several authors have drawn attention to signs of growing inequalities in the ageing populations of the developed economies. Such formulations have employed the concept of precariousness to suggest that a ‘new’ precarity has emerged in old age. Questioning this position and drawing on data reported over the last two decades on income and health inequalities between and within retired and working-age households, the present paper argues that evidence of this ‘precarity’ is speculative at most and relates more to imagined futures than to empirically observed trends in the present. The ageing of ageing societies – that is the growing agedness of the older population – might imply an increase in precarity or vulnerability at older ages, but this is not a result of changes in the underlying economic and social relations of society. Instead, we would contend that it is the corporeal consequences of living longer. By conflating the various meanings of ‘precarity’ there is a corresponding danger that the very real changes brought about by population ageing will be underplayed, which may be to the detriment of the most vulnerable. The idea of a new precarity in later life may thus not serve the ends to which it is intended.

scholarly journals Singing lessons as a path to well-being in later life

2021 ◽  
pp. 030573562110309
Author(s):  
Alexandra M Smith ◽  
Kay Kleinerman ◽  
Annabel J Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Musical Instrument ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Depressive Episodes

Seventy-two persons, who had begun voice lessons after 40 years of age, were invited to complete an online survey that focused on the singers’ experience, motivation, goals, health and well-being, repertoire, practice, and demographic information; 48 respondents (33 females, mean age 60.81 years, range 48.83–82.08, SD = 6.99) completed the questionnaire. Most participants indicated that enjoyment and personal growth motivated their taking lessons. Over 90% commented on benefits of singing to their physical health (e.g., breathing) and mental health (e.g., mood, less depressive episodes). Despite the solitary aspect of singing lessons, 67% reported positive changes in social relations since taking lessons. Benefits to professional relations were also reported (e.g., confidence, listening to others). Repertoire level was generally high, consistent with a high average university educational level. Cost of lessons and time demands may account for the generally high socioeconomic status of respondents. Given that the singing voice is a musical instrument available to almost everyone, results might motivate older adults to consider taking voice lessons, encourage health care professionals to consider voice lessons as interventions to benefit clients, and persuade governments to subsidize voice lessons for older adults in their jurisdictions. The study provides a foundation for future research on the relative impacts on well-being of vocal lessons versus choral singing in the context of relative investments in the two activities.

scholarly journals Re-thinking social exclusion in later life: a case for a new framework for measurement

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
CATHERINE A. MACLEOD ◽  
ANDY ROSS ◽  
AMANDA SACKER ◽  
GOPALAKRISHNAN NETUVELI ◽  
GILL WINDLE
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Complex Interplay ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Complex Relationships ◽  
New Framework

ABSTRACTSocial exclusion is a dynamic multi-dimensional process that is interactive in nature. The complex interplay between domains, whereby each domain can act as a determinant, indicator and/or outcome of social exclusion, hinders understanding of the process and the mechanisms through which social exclusion exists. This article highlights the need to disentangle these pathways and move beyond descriptive accounts of social exclusion, presenting a new working framework that allows direct hypothesis testing of these between-domain relationships. Whilst this working framework can be applied to any population, this article focuses on older adults. Life events that can drive social exclusion such as bereavement and changes in health are more likely to occur in later life, and occur more frequently, increasing the risk of social exclusion for this population. Rooted in the new working framework, this article presents the construction of later life social exclusion measures for use with Understanding Society – the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study. The validity of these measures are considered by examining the characteristics of those aged 65 years and over who score the highest, and therefore experience the greatest level of exclusion. This new working framework and developed social exclusion measures provide a platform from which to explore the complex relationships between domains of social exclusion and ultimately provide a clearer understanding of this intricate multi-dimensional process.

scholarly journals Rural old-age social exclusion: a conceptual framework on mediators of exclusion across the lifecourse

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 2311-2337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kieran Walsh ◽  
Eamon O'Shea ◽  
Thomas Scharf
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Older People ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Mediating Factors ◽  
Study Sites

AbstractSocial exclusion amongst rural-dwelling older adults and the role of the diversity of people and places in mediating the construction of that exclusion has not been adequately investigated or conceptualised in the international literature. Consequently, how ageing in a rural community can function to disadvantage or protect older people remains poorly understood. With the aim of advancing conceptual understanding on rural old-age social exclusion, this article explores how exclusion is manifest in the lifecourse experiences of rural-dwelling older adults and the role of mediating factors in the construction of exclusion in different kinds of rural places. The analysis draws on ten rural case-study sites across Ireland and Northern Ireland, encompassing five kinds of rural communities: dispersed rural; remote rural; island rural; village rural; and near-urban rural. Data come from 106 interviews with older people ranging in age from 59 to 93 years. Rural old-age social exclusion is confirmed as a multi-dimensional construct, involving: social relations; service infrastructure; transport and mobility; safety, security and crime; and financial and material resources. This analysis demonstrates that social exclusion for rural-dwelling older people is multi-layered, and its prevalence and form is shaped by four mediating factors: individual capacities; lifecourse trajectories; place; and macro-economic forces. The findings are used to present a conceptual framework that emphasises the role of mediating forces on rural old-age social exclusion.

scholarly journals Embodied Aging: Everyday body practices and Later Life Identities among the South Asian Indian Gujarati Diaspora in Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-104
Author(s):  
Anusmita Devi ◽  
Laura Hurd ◽  
Tannistha Samanta
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Asian Indian ◽  
South Asian ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Successful Aging ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Major Theme ◽  
South Asian Indian

This study explores how South Asian Indian Gujarati older adults in Canada (Greater Vancouver area) strive to maintain personal continuity, citizenship, and selfhood through everyday body management practices (exercise/yoga, medication/health supplements, skin, and hair care routines) and cultural markers such as food, sartorial choices, and community engagement. This examination, we contend, is noteworthy against the backdrop of contemporary North American academic and popular discourses of a burgeoning consumerist movement around the medicalization of bodies and anti-aging technologies. Drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews of 26 older adults, we discuss how growing old in the diaspora is marked with moral ambivalence between ‘successful aging’ and ‘aging gracefully.’ Based on an inductive thematic analysis, we identify four major themes in how the older diaspora negotiate aging and reorganise their lives through changing social relations and shifting cultural institutions. The first theme is the growing salience of both bodily and social changes in conceptualizing “old age,” and how the experiences of aging vary by gender. Specifically, while most of the female participants visualized old age in terms of a loss of physical functionality, the male participants described agedness in terms of a loss of economic and social worth. The second major theme encapsulates the acceptable coping strategies for dealing with bodily changes and the associated reconfigurations of social roles. While a fit body and functionality were regarded as foundational traits for aging well by all participants, corrective measures or anti-aging products were not espoused as the most culturally appropriate “Indian” way of growing old. The third theme highlights the apprehensions regarding growing old in a foreign country, including a foreboding anxiety of dependence and frailty in the absence of traditional familial care networks. The final theme, explores how for most participants, the notion of home evoked ambivalence in constructing their sense of belonging and identity, often expressed through everyday practices and memory-keeping. Taken together, we ultimately show how age and embodiment are inextricably linked in the experience of growing old in the diaspora.

scholarly journals Cultural Exclusion in Old-Age: A Social Exclusion Perspective on Cultural Practice in Later Life

2021 ◽  
pp. 259-274
Author(s):  
Vera Gallistl
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
Cultural Participation ◽  
Cultural Spaces ◽  
Socially Excluded

AbstractCultural exclusion in older age is conceptually under-developed and empirically under-explored. This results in a lack of knowledge concerning the mechanisms through which cultural exclusion is produced and the policy instruments that support cultural inclusion in later life. This article explores how cultural practice changes in old age and how these changes associate with old-age social exclusion. Cultural participation comprises (a) going-out, (b) home-bound and (c) identity-culture. These domains are explored with survey data (n = 1000) of Austrians aged 60 years and older.Results suggest shifting cultural practice later in life, from public to private spaces, and three clusters of cultural participants (Omnivore, Univore-Television (TV), Univore-Entertainment), which differ in their cultural practice, social status, and taste preferences. Univores-TV are typically involved in home-bound cultural practices, most likely to be socially excluded, and show the highest appreciation of folk art. Disengagement from public cultural spaces is, hence, more prevalent among socially marginalised groups with folk tastes.Gerontology needs to problematize older adults’ exclusion from cultural practice as a matter of spatial and taste marginalisation. In order to build more age-inclusive cultures across Europe, policy should address the diversity of older adults’ cultural participation and provide support in bringing marginalised practices to public spaces.

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