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Intergenerational mentoring in Germany: older people support young people's transitions from school to work
- Author:
- SCHLIMBACH Tabea
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 14(4), December 2010, pp.4-15.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The author provides an overview of intergenerational mentoring for young people during the transition from school to work in Germany. The changing employment environment is first discussed with reference to the experiences of grandparents and parents compared with current young people. The benefits of intergenerational mentoring are then discussed followed by an outline of the development of youth mentoring in Germany. Examples of youth mentoring projects and initiatives are then given. An overview is also given of the literature evaluating the benefits of mentoring for society, young people and the mentors. In summary the author comments that vocational mentoring is a field that holds much potential not only for young people, but also for their mentors and the society. Despite the fast development of vocational mentoring in Germany in recent years, only a fraction of the demand of school leavers is covered. Current challenges are: to increase the coverage of projects; establish mentoring as a stable, nationwide service to young people; raise awareness of mentoring as an opportunity to help younger people into employment or training; further facilitate professional networking and exchanges; improve evaluation and analysis in the field.
How do middle-aged employees combine work with caring for elderly parents?
- Authors:
- GAUTUN Heidi, HAGEN Kare
- Journal article citation:
- Community Work and Family, 13(4), November 2010, pp.393-409.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This study focused on which labour policies can support employees who both work and care for older parents. It investigated how common it was for elderly employees to experience a squeeze between work and care obligations for their parents, and to what extent did this affect their behaviour in working life? The study presents findings from a representative survey conducted in Norway in 2007. Participants included 944 Norwegians, aged 45 to 65 years, with one or both parents still living. Findings revealed that 70% of respondents were both employed and caring for their elderly parents. Fifty-seven percent had experienced difficult situations in coping with both. The most preferable arrangement was flexible working hours. In conclusion, the study suggested that the best policies, which employees preferred, would enable the possibility to reduce or stagger working hours, or the option to work from home if necessary.
Making the most of opportunities for older workers
- Author:
- WILSON Nick
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 14(3), September 2010, pp.29-39.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Future economic success will depend on developing and drawing effectively on the talents, experience and skills of older workers. This report is based on eight projects that together made up the South East’s 40-70 Tomorrow’s Workforce Programme. The projects are: Care to Share; Skills for Security; ReGROW; Routeway 40; Shape Your Future; Thames Valley Executive Job Club; Recruiting Older Workers; and Open Door. Together they helped over 3,500 older workers (together with 500 employees) in the region with staying in or moving back into work in a range of different, innovative and cost-effective ways. They gave rise to some important lessons for commissioners and providers of skills and employment support services. A number of implications for practice are drawn from these eight projects. These have already influenced the development of the new national careers advice service for adults and good practice guidance for employment support organisations commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions, including a section on ‘employer engagement’.
Working age to pension age: service improvements for DWP customers moving onto state pension: government response to consultation on draft regulations
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department for Work and Pensions
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Work and Pensions
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 9p.
- Place of publication:
- London
This Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) document details 6 positive responses to public consultation (DWP website, 01/02/2010-12/03/2010) of the draft Social Security (Exemption from Claiming Retirement Pension) Regulations 2010, due to become active on 01/11/2010. The draft allows DWP to contact certain customers prior to retirement age, for example, to continue payments without them needing to formally claim and to put off their pension claim and continue on Working Age benefit. DWP received responses from the, Scottish Council on Deafness (SCOD), Citizens Advice Bureau (Wales), Unite Federation, Durham County Council in England, Age Concern and Help the Aged, and Low Incomes Tax Reform Group. Government responses to the main points made by these respondents are detailed, but are not an authoritative interpretation of the law (only possible by the Court) and cannot be used for legal advice. For example, SCOD asked about provisions for deaf people regarding the proposed, pre-retirement communications, and confirmation that proactive contact and informed choice conversations, using British Sign Language, and Braille for the deaf-blind, with trained DWP staff have been trialled successfully, is given. Responses to discussions on the draft at the DWP Policy and Strategy Forum are also reflected upon in this document.
Education, occupation and retirement age effects on the age of onset of Alzheimer's disease
- Authors:
- LUPTON Michelle K., et al
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 25(1), January 2010, pp.30-36.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The objective of this study was to determine the effects of early life education, mid life employment, and later life retirement age on the age of onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Data were collected as part of the Medical Research Council genetic resource for late onset AD, with volunteers identified through a variety of sources, and multiple regression analyses were carried out using data for 1,320 probable AD cases. The results showed no relation between years of education, best qualification obtained, or employment variables in males and the age of onset of AD, but a significant effect of later retirement age in delaying the age of onset of AD was seen in males. The authors note that the significant effect of retirement age may have several explanations, one of which is the suggestion that active employment later in life allows an individual to prolong their cognitive assets above the threshold for dementia.
Ageing, health and pensions in Europe: an economic and social policy perspective
- Editors:
- BOVENBERG Hans, VAN SOEST Arthur H.O., ZAIDI Ashgar, (eds.)
- Publisher:
- Palgrave Macmillan
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 408p.
- Place of publication:
- Basingstoke
This book presents an overview of the future research challenges facing economists and social scientists concerning population ageing, pensions, health and social care in Europe. Experts discuss how scientific research can provide evidence on three themes that are dominating the current European economic and social policy debate: income security of the elderly; well-being of the elderly; and labour markets and older workers. The writers discuss the remaining knowledge gaps and research opportunities, review data needs and other infrastructure requirements and explore the implications for research policy.
Visions of Britain 2020: ageing and retirement
- Authors:
- FRIENDS PROVIDENT, FUTURE FOUNDATION
- Publisher:
- Friends Provident
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 35p.
- Place of publication:
- Dorking
Much has been written on the ‘pensions crisis’ with many warnings of extremely difficult times ahead, not just for retirees, but for everyone. This report looks at ageing and retirement in the UK and what this could be like at the end of the decade. It evaluates the ‘pension crisis’ and the potential for inter-generational conflict. Based on the findings of a national consumer survey, it recognises that challenges lie ahead but at the same time there is room for optimism. The survey participants were a nationally representative sample of 1,000 people, plus an additional 100 people aged 55 to 57 (i.e. those at retirement age in 2020), and another 100 people aged 65 and above. The research also included interviews with a number of experts. The findings include: the age in which the participants plan to retire; how they are planning to fund their retirement; how they feel about their homes; their knowledge of pension products; the contribution of older people to communities; and the financial commitments of family. The findings show that the option of retiring at 65 is declining in popularity while the option of working for longer is more appealing. There is a clear need for clearer and better advice on pensions. The report concludes that by 2020 there will be some significant upsides to growing older, and that older people and their manifold contributions to society will be valued more.
Choice: what, when and why? Exploring the importance of choice to disabled people
- Authors:
- RABIEE Parvaneh, GLENDINNING Caroline
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 25(7), December 2010, pp.827-839.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This paper reports evidence from an ongoing qualitative longitudinal study into the realities of exercising choice about support and related services as experienced by disabled and older people and their families. Findings are reported from the first round of interviews, conducted in 2007-08, with 27 young people (aged 13-21) with degenerative/progressive conditions and 34 of their parents, 30 adults and older people with fluctuating support needs, and 20 adults and older people who had recently experienced the sudden onset of a disabling condition. There was considerable diversity among each of these groups in terms of gender, ethnicity and household composition. Key findings are discussed under the headings of healthcare, equipment, housing and adaptations, education/training, social care, employment, and leisure and transport. Almost all respondents felt that having choice was important, however, this is only meaningful if the choices are ‘real’. The choices considered to be important and the way choice was prioritised was shaped by the respondents age and the nature and severity of their condition and also by previous experience of services, future expectations, the availability of information, individual preferences, family responsibilities and the role of others providing support. The importance of learning over time and how this can shape experiences of choice making was also highlighted. Implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.
The absence of conflict between paid-work hours and the provision of instrumental support to elderly parents among middle-aged women and men
- Authors:
- VAN PUTTEN Anne E., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 30(6), August 2010, pp.923-948.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This study assesses the relationship between the number of work hours and the provision of instrumental support to parents among middle-aged women and men in dual-worker couples in The Netherlands. The analysis used data from the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study, a national survey on family relationships carried out during 2002–04. The analysis sample comprised 779 respondents aged 40-64 who lived with a working partner, had at least one living non-co-resident parent, were in paid work, and had valid observations on the partner’s provision of support to his or her parents. The procedure was a two-stage probit least-squares model estimation for a continuous and a dichotomous dependent variable that simultaneously estimated work hours and parent-support while controlling for household context factors. Contrary to expectations, the results did not reveal a conflict between paid work and giving support to parents. Several possible explanations are discussed. The results emphasise the importance of the household context, in that the work hours of both women and men depend on other household members' activities and finances, as does men's provision of parent-support. The lack of relationships between women's provision of parental support and any individual and contextual characteristic demonstrates the persistence of gendered roles in family members giving support.
Is business ready for an ageing nation?: economic opportunities and challenges: discussion paper
- Author:
- GREAT BRITAIN. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
- Publication year:
- 2010
- Pagination:
- 29p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Ageing is a global demographic trend, of great interest to policy makers and experts. As well as economic and social challenges it is necessary to understand to what extent an ageing population will also present economic opportunities for businesses and society as a whole. This paper presents a discussion on the challenges and opportunities of the ageing population for business and the public sector in the United Kingdom. It explains the rationale for the paper and describes the work the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has been doing to promote economic opportunities for older people. The paper explores the economic factors relevant to the ageing population, including public expenditure, labour market participation and opportunities for business. It considers the implications of the ageing population for: the labour market; the needs of older consumers, and outlines private savings and public finance. Several case studies of good practice are included in helping employers meet the needs of older workers, helping older people start their own businesses, and tailoring products and services for older people. In conclusion, it discusses the possible impacts of the ageing population on local authorities.