Conclusion

This chapter concludes the book by first extracting the key findings from each of the preceeding chapters. This provides a unique summary of the major policy-orientated implications of one half of the NDA Programme. Then some of the main thematic connections between the chapters are highlighted. These include the insights they provide into the changing dynamics of ageing, the importance of design for better ageing and their demonstration of how to conduct multi-disciplinary research on ageing.

Biomechanical constraints to stair negotiation

This chapter discusses strategies that older and younger people employ to negotiate stairs based on experiments performed on an instrumented staircase in lab environment aiming at identifying ways to reduce stair fall risk for the elderly. Stair negotiation was found to be more demanding for the knee and ankle joint muscles in older than younger adults, with the demand increasing further when the step-rise was higher. During descent of stairs with higher step-rises, older adults shifted the centre of mass (COM) posteriorly, behind the centre of pressure (COP) to prevent forward falling. A decreased step-going resulted in a slower descent of the centre of mass in the older adults and standing on a single leg for longer than younger adults. A greater reliance on the handrails and rotation of the body in the direction of the handrail was also observed when the step-going was decreased during descent, which allowed this task to be performed with better dynamic stability, by maintaining the COM closer to the COP. These findings have important implications for stair design and exercise programs aiming at improving safety on stairs for the elderly.

Working Late: strategies to enhance productive and healthy environments for an older workforce

This chapter discusses the Working Late research project, which investigated the practice and policy issues associated with later life working. This multidisciplinary research project explored later life working across three main themes: employment context, occupational health context and the work environment. The Working Late research was underpinned by active engagement with agencies, employers and older workers to guide the research process and deliver effective and wide ranging dissemination of the findings. The project developed and evaluated new interventions, resources and design solutions to promote health and quality of working life across the life course.

Ageing, poverty and neoliberalism in urban south India

This chapter sets out a four-year, multi-disciplinary and mixed methods study of older people’s paid and unpaid work, their contributions to their households, family networks and the economy. It situates older people’s work and poverty in the cleft between widespread low-paid and insecure work, inadequate public services and India’s ambitions in the global economy, which leaves older people bolstering household and family incomes, releasing women into the labour force and providing low cost services to workers and low cost inputs to businesses. The chapter describes the team’s innovative impact strategy to generate a public discussion of older people’s rights as workers and to a pension and to secure raised social pensions.

Design for ageing well

This chapter discusses the collaborative research project ‘Design for Ageing that brought together stakeholders from academia and industry, to engage with active ageing participants in the co-design of smart functional clothing, with wearable electronics. The prime objective was to develop a functional clothing ‘layering system’ for participation in walking comprising; close-fitting body layer garments, with vital signs and activity monitoring, moisture management base layer styles, mid layer insulating garments, with warming devices, and outer layer protection, providing multi-modal user interfaces to facilitate outdoor healthy exercise, social engagement and enhanced well-being. Co-design methodology, new to clothing design, was adopted to help to explain complex terminologies and practices between both academic and industry stakeholders, including technologists in electronics, clothing/textiles, and gerontology. This collaborative research has contributed to training a new breed of cross-disciplinary academic researchers, in tried and tested co-design process with industry practitioners and end-users.

Engagement in musical activities

This chapter sets out the findings from the Music for Life project. This explored whether participation in community music making enhanced the social, emotional and cognitive well-being of older people. 398 people aged 50+ completed questionnaires that included two measures of well-being, prior to and following nine months of active engagement with music. A control group (N=102) completed the same measures. In- depth interviews were carried out with participants, observations of musical activities, focus groups and interviews with the music facilitators. Higher scores on the measures of well-being were found consistently amongst the music participants, in comparison with the control group. Interviews revealed that music participants attributed significant social, emotional and health benefits to their music making.

Ageing, wellbeing and development: Brazil and South Africa

This chapter discusses the impact of individual ageing on the wellbeing of older people and their households in low-income areas Brazil and South Africa. The research was based on a longitudinal and comparative survey of around 1000 older persons and their households in selected low-income locations in the two countries. A comparison of older people’s wellbeing levels in 2002 and 2008 found improvement over time in a range of wellbeing indicators: per capita household income and expenditure; multidimensional measures; and life satisfaction measures. For low-income households, pension income is essential to their wellbeing, livelihoods, and social inclusion. The research findings suggest that, with appropriate public policies, individual ageing is not necessarily associated with a decline in wellbeing in developing countries.

Transitions in kitchen living: past experiences and present use

This chapter discusses the domestic kitchen in the lives of older people whose ages range across four decades and who were born between 1919 and 1948. They were living in various types of housing from detached to terraced; from maisonette to flat; from mainstream to supportive. By looking at past experiences of the kitchen across the life course gendered and generational differences are seen that contribute to kitchen living in the 21st century. Examining use of the most recent kitchen shows how biopsychosocial factors come together with design and on-going adaptation being both enabling and disabling. The kitchen is seen as a mainstay of the home environment and in later life central to maintaining personal autonomy

Tackling ageing continence

This chapter discusses an interdisciplinary project that takes a multifaceted approach to reducing the impact of continence difficulties for older people. Environmental barriers to participation for people with continence or accessibility needs were addressed by investigating toilet provision outside the home. A variety of methods was used to investigate the concerns of both providers and users of publically accessible toilets and a technological solution was designed. NHS continence services were investigated from patient and professional perspective with the aim of understanding the particular needs of older patients. Two assistive devices that had been requested by continence pad users were developed to clinical prototype stage and tested for efficacy and user satisfaction.

Fit for purpose

Globally, older people have tended to be relatively slow adopters of ICTs. As services and facilities are increasingly delivered online, concerns about the implications for social inclusion and participation have spawned many initiatives aimed at encouraging older peoples' digital engagement. However little attention has been paid to whether and how their usage can be sustained over time. This chapter describes the research undertaken in the Sus-IT project, which sought to address this gap. The aims were to examine older people’s use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), to identify the factors which can prevent or promote sustained use, and to explore solutions to support sustained use. A participatory, mixed methods approach was adopted, and around 1000 older ICT users were involved in the research. The findings show that while many older people are enthusiastic, competent and confident users of ICTs, they also report a range of challenges in reaching and maintaining this position. These include technological complexity and change, age-related capability changes and a lack of appropriate learning and support mechanisms. Intrinsic motivation and social support are important in enabling older people to overcome these challenges. The important implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.