A Historical Perspective on Ageing and Capability

This chapter discusses the value of a capability approach in historical research on older people. Historians are generally focused on studying continuity and change over time. Their research often aims at explaining how and why certain phenomena appear and take different shapes. Capability is a way of capturing an individual’s ability to live a meaningful life, or a life that they perceive as good. A modern analytical tool such as the capability approach can be used for visualising historical patterns, even though individuals’ values of well-being change over time. In that sense, historical studies of individuals’ capabilities, or functions, can add another perspective to this theoretical framework.Old newspapers, biographies, diaries, letters, novels and government reports make it possible to understand which capabilities individuals and societies have valued for older citizens at different times. The meaning of functions differs over time and is dependent on several factors, such as gender and economic conditions, as well as social and civil status. This also means that conditions for a phenomenon such as retirement change over time, but they also differ depending on people’s previous life conditions. In this article, we explore these things using two different examples. Firstly, we discuss how Selma Lagerlöf, a woman with high social status, arranged for her retirement. The second example shows how women with low economic status struggled to retire at the time when universal pension reform was being implemented in Sweden.

Too old to vote? A democratic analysis of age-weighted voting

Are there any prima facie reasons that democracies might have for disenfranchising older citizens? This question reflects increasingly salient, but often incompletely theorized complaints that members of democratic publics advance about older citizens’ electoral influence. Rather than rejecting these complaints out of hand, we explore whether, suitably reconstructed, they withstand democratic scrutiny. More specifically, we examine whether the account of political equality that seems to most fittingly capture the logic of these complaints – namely, equal opportunity of political influence over electoral outcomes – can justify disenfranchising older citizens. We conclude that equal opportunity of influence cannot ground a blanket disenfranchisement of older people and that, taken in conjunction with other general considerations that apply to all sound electoral policies, partial disenfranchisement proposals (i.e. proposals for reducing the electoral influence of older citizens via age-weighted voting) are both quasi-inapplicable and practically unrobust across a relevant range of political contexts.

Policy Implications of the Active Aging Framework in Poland

Poland's relatively young population in the past, is aging rapidly, which provokes a growing interest in the realisation of the older population's potential within the framework of the concept of active ageing. From 2012, when the first Governmental Program on Social Participation (ASOS 2012-2013) was introduced, the active aging framework remains one of the dominant strategies in developing and implementing social policies for the older generation. In the current paper, the focus is made on the employment and social participation of older citizens policies, showing the considerable gap in the prioritisation and hence in the outcomes, highlighted both by Active Ageing Index (AAI) indicators and more in-depth analysis. We will discuss the perceived risks and pitfalls of the current long-term ageing policy approach in Poland and provide recommendations for improvement.

The European Silver Economy

The European Union is going through a period of profound transformation due to socio-economic and demographic changes. Europe's population is aging as a result of declining fertility and increasing life expectancy, and its share of the world's population continues to decline. The top 10 countries on the planet with the oldest populations include nine EU countries. Older citizens are increasingly shaping the economy, constituting a growing segment in many areas of consumption. The expansion of this age group is expected to lead to an increased demand in many sectors, and in the not-too-distant future will provide significant economic opportunities for European businesses. The so-called “silver economy” (or longevity economy) is a concept of responding to and adapting to the challenges determined by demographic shifts at the global, regional and country levels by inclusively supporting job growth and productivity in traditional and new sectors of the modern digital economy, acceptable to government, business and the entire population, and supposedly capable of becoming the engine of the future economy. Population aging, its density, and household size, in turn, have also had an impact on the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, whose outbreak tested health and welfare systems as well as economic and social sustainability. This is why demographic processes need to be taken into account in the post-pandemic economic cycle, managing their long-term effects has many different aspects concerning health care, including care for the elderly, as well as government budgets. The integration of digital solutions, robotic technologies in these areas can significantly empower the elderly, promote independent and active lifestyles, and integrate into the labor market. Thus, it can be argued that the potential risks of the modern demographic transition are not inevitable, and the challenge is to find tools, opportunities and means to adapt the economy and society to it.

Helping Older Adults to Move Around in Their Community Where, When, and How They Wish: Protocol for Developing a One-Stop Platform Transportation Planning Service Co-Designed by and for Older Adults (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Multiple mobility-related challenges frequently appear with aging. As a result, many older adults have difficulty getting around, to go, for example, to doctors’ appointments or leisure activities. Although various means of transportation are currently available, older adults do not necessarily use them, partly because they do not know which ones are adapted to their needs and preferences. To foster older adults’ autonomy and freedom in their decision-making about transportation, it is crucial to help them make informed decisions about the means that suit them best. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to develop MOBILAINÉS, a one-stop platform transportation planning service to help older adults move around in their community where, when, and how they wish. More specifically, the study aims (1) to define older adults’ mobility needs and preferences in order to conceptualize the one-stop platform; (2) to co-create the prototype of the one-stop platform; and (3) to test the prototype with users in a real-life context. METHODS A Living Lab co-design approach is used for this ongoing study. This approach differs from traditional research on aging by facilitating intersectoral knowledge sharing and innovative solutions by and with older adults themselves. A steering committee composed of 8 stakeholders from the public, scientific, and private sectors as well as older citizens meets quarterly throughout the study. The design comprises three phases, each with several iterative subphases. (1) Exploration: through co-design workshops and literature reviews, members of the intersectoral committee define older adults’ mobility needs and preferences to support the conceptualization of the one-stop platform. (2) Experimentation: four personas are produced that reflect the different needs and preferences of typical older adult end-users of the platform. To develop a prototype, scenarios, and mockups (static designs of the web application) are created through co-design sessions with older adults (n=12) embodying these personas. (3) Evaluation: to test the usability of the prototype, changes in mobility, such as the ability to move around and get to activities on time, will be documented by and with older adults (n=30) after using the prototype. The steering committee will identify ways to support the adoption, implementation and scaling up of MOBILAINÉS to ensure that the project is sustainable. Qualitative and quantitative data will be triangulated according to each subphase objective. RESULTS The first phase began in September 2019. The study is scheduled for completion by mid-2023. CONCLUSIONS This innovative one-stop platform transportation planning service will merge existing transportation options in one place. By meeting a wide variety of older adults’ needs and preferences, MOBILAINÉS will help them feel comfortable and safe when moving around, which should increase their participation in meaningful activities and reduce the risk of social isolation.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Working Lives and Retirement Timing of Older Nurses in Ireland

COVID-19 profoundly affected Irish citizens. The effects have been especially pronounced for nurses in front-line, clinical and management roles. This article discusses the national and employer policy context relevant to nurses in Ireland. There have been staff and bed shortages in public hospitals since austerity policies were introduced following the global financial crisis. Government measures responding to the pandemic include initial ‘cocooning’ of older citizens, travel restrictions, changed working conditions and restricted availability of childcare. This article draws on interviews with 25 older nurses in 2021, sixteen women and nine men, aged 49 or over in Ireland. It explores older nurses’ experiences of COVID-19 and asks what are the implications for their working conditions and retirement timing intentions. A gendered political economy of ageing approach and thematic analysis reveals that while some nurses responded positively to the pandemic, some experienced adverse health impacts, stress and exhaustion; some reported a fear of contracting COVID-19 and of infecting their families; several women nurses decided to retire earlier due to COVID-19. The implications of the findings for employer and government policy and for research are discussed.

INTEGRAL ASSESSMENT OF THE BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL STATUS OF OLDER CITIZENS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SYSTEMIC SUPPORT COMPONENTS

В статье рассмотрены проблемы определения нуждаемости граждан старших возрастных групп в комплексной медико-социально-психологической помощи в рамках реализации персонифицированного подхода к предоставлению услуг. Вводится понятие интегральной оценки биопсихосоциального статуса пожилых граждан и предлагается алгоритм ее проведения, основанный на ранжировании обследуемых по степени снижения функций организма вследствие старения и развития ассоциированных с возрастом заболеваний. Обоснована возможность и показаны особенности использования этого алгоритма на примере Санкт-Петербурга как модельного региона с учетом его технического, кадрового и организационного потенциала. Сформулированы требования по реализации составляющих системной поддержки оказания комплексной медико-социально-психологической помощи пожилым гражданам в процессе организационно-технического обеспечения интегральной оценки их биопсихосоциального статуса. The article discusses the problems of determining the need of citizens of older age groups in complex medical, social and psychological assistance in the framework of the implementation of a personalized approach to the service provision. The concept of an integral assessment of the biopsychosocial status of older citizens has been introduced. Based on the ranking of subjects according to the degree of decrease in body functions due to ageing and the development of age-associated diseases, an algorithm for the implementation of the assessment has been proposed. The possibility of using this algorithm has been substantiated, and its features have been shown on the example of St. Petersburg as a model region, taking into account its technical, personnel and organizational potential. The requirements for the implementation of the systemic support components for the provision of comprehensive medical, social and psychological assistance to senior citizens in the process of organizational and technical support for an integrated assessment of their biopsychosocial status have been defined.

Subverting the prison: the incarceration of stigmatised older Japanese

This paper examines the presence of lonely, isolated and impoverished older citizens in Japan's prison population, many of whom have turned to petty crime only recently and arguably lack a genuine need for corrective services. The paper offers empirical evidence drawn from a mixed-methods study that appears to confirm their compliant, ‘law-abiding’ attributes. It argues that their influx into prisons can be seen, at least in part, as citizens who are already socially excluded and stigmatised leveraging law to assert an additional risk-laden and stigmatised identity, which provides protection. The outcome is the subversion of prisons as de facto aged-care communities. This analysis resonates with an emerging body of literature that Chua and Engel (2018; 2019) have described as the ‘Identity’ school of legal-consciousness scholarship. This literature centres on empirical studies of marginalised cohorts who leverage legal structures to embrace an identity that complicates their stigma while providing desired protections.

More than a meeting: identifying the needs of the community-based seniors’ services sector as providers of health promotion services

Objective Many economically developed countries have seen a decline in publicly funded community programming. Within this context, community-based seniors’ service (CBSS) organizations have been increasingly tasked to deliver programs to support the health and wellbeing of older citizens (e.g., home support, physical activity programs, and chronic disease management education). The primary objective of this study was to capture of the current needs of CBSS leaders in British Columbia, Canada, who attended a seminal event in the CBSS sector’s development—the inaugural Summit on Aging. Results Our evaluation of the Summit included: pre/post Summit surveys (N = 79/76), ethnographic observations, and follow-up interviews (n = 22). Our detailed evaluation plan may inform others undertaking similar data collection; the most informative results were derived from the follow-up interviews and our findings suggest that interviews may be sufficient for similar evaluations. Summit delegates identified key opportunities to strengthen the CBSS as a sector, including enhanced collaboration; improved mechanisms that foster connecting and collaborating; and more resources, including training and qualified staff, to increase their capacity to deliver community-based health services. These findings echo work already completed in the community-based health promotion sector.