Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
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Carers and physical activity: briefing for professionals
- Author:
- CARERS UK
- Publisher:
- Carers UK
- Publication year:
- 2020
- Pagination:
- 6
- Place of publication:
- London
A policy briefing for professionals which looks at the experiences of carers when it comes to taking part in physical activity, including the motivations and barriers. It reports the initial findings of a project being carried out by Carers UK, in partnership with Sport England, which is looking at ways to support carers in England over the age of 55 to take part in more physical activity as a way to reduce loneliness and improve their well-being. (Edited publisher abstract)
Food activities and identity maintenance in old age: a systematic review and meta-synthesis
- Authors:
- PLASTOW Nicola Ann, ATWAL Anita, GILHOOLY Mary
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 19(8), 2015, pp.667-678.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Objectives: Services provided to older people should be developed based on active ageing policies. Nutrition is one aspect of active ageing, but little is known about how food activities contribute to psychological well-being in later life. This is a systematic review of qualitative and quantitative research that answers the question ‘What is known about the relationship between food activities and the maintenance of identities in old age?’. Methods: The authors followed the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines and used quality assessment parameters to complete a systematic review and narrative synthesis. Academic Search Premier, MEDLINE, CINAHL Plus, and PsycINFO databases were searched. Results: 8016 articles were initially identified, of which 167 full-text articles were screened for inclusion. Twenty-two articles were included in the review. There was moderate evidence from nine qualitative and two quantitative studies, of variable quality, that food activities contribute to the maintenance of women's gendered identities, the ethnic identities of men and women, and community identities. There was moderate evidence from 10 qualitative studies, of variable quality, that a change in food choice and deteriorating health changed food activity participation. These changes threatened identities. Most studies included both younger adults and older adults. Conclusion: In later life, there are many life experiences leading to change. Further research is needed to develop understanding of how identity and mental well-being are maintained, despite changes in everyday activities like cooking and eating. This may enable health care professionals to meet psychological needs alongside biological needs during nutritional interventions. (Edited publisher abstract)
Socioeconomic inequalities in self-rated health among middle-aged and older adults
- Author:
- KIM Jinhyun
- Journal article citation:
- Social Work in Health Care, 50(2), February 2011, pp.124-142.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
A key factor which contributes to health disparities is socioeconomic background. The accumulation of socioeconomic inequalities over time places some individuals at greater risk of poor health during their later years. Despite this, few studies to date have investigated the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on self-rated health over time. This study, using data from 6,519 individuals from the Health and Retirement Study examined socioeconomic inequalities specifically in self-rated health among middle-aged and older adults in the United States. Analysis revealed that higher level of income, assets, education, and having private health insurance predicted better self-rated health. In particular, increases in income or assets predicted slower decline in self-rated health. Economic status had greater impact on females' decline in self-rated health than men, and blacks were less likely to suffer rapid decline in self-rated health than whites. In conclusion, the authors suggest that health disparities should be understood as the interplay of socioeconomic status, gender, and race.
Ageing and health status in adults with intellectual disabilities: results of the European Pomona II study
- Authors:
- HAVEMAN Meindert, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 36(1), March 2011, pp.49-60.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
POMONA II was a European Commission funded public health project collecting information from 14 countries using a set of key health indicators specifically relevant for people with intellectual disabilities. This research focused on age-specific differences relating to environmental and lifestyle factors and the 17 medical conditions measured by the POMONA Checklist of Health Indicators. The article describes how information was collected using the POMONA Health Interview Survey and Evaluation Form from a sample of 1,253 participants in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and the United Kingdom. It then presents the results of the analysis, with tables showing characteristics of people with intellectual disabilities in the study, frequency of social contacts with relatives or friends according to age, lifestyle risk factors in people with intellectual disabilities according to age, and general and age-specific prevalence rates of health problems. The authors discuss how healthy older adults with intellectual disabilities are with regard to lifestyle factors, and whether there are health disparities between older adults with and without intellectual disabilities. They note that some evidence of health disparities was found for older people with intellectual disabilities, particularly in terms of under diagnosed or inadequately managed preventable health conditions.
Elderly volunteering and well-being: a cross-European comparison based on SHARE data
- Author:
- HASKI-LEVENTHAL Debbie
- Journal article citation:
- Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 20(4), December 2009, pp.388-404.
- Publisher:
- Springer
- Place of publication:
- New York
This paper, based on Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) data, analyzes the relation between volunteering and well-being among 30,023 Europeans aged 50 and above in 12 countries. There is an overall positive correlation between volunteering and perceived health, life satisfaction, and self-life expectancy and a negative correlation to depression. However, in some countries the correlation is much stronger than in others.
Perceived social position and health in older adults in Taiwan
- Authors:
- COLLIMNS Amy Love, GOLDMAN Noreen
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 66(3), February 2008, pp.536-544.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The authors examined whether perceived social position predicted mental and physical health outcomes (depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, mobility restrictions, and self-assessed health) in a prospective study based on a nationally representative sample of older persons in Taiwan. Cross-sectional and longitudinal models were used to demonstrate the relationship between perceived social position and health, as reported by participants in the Social Environment and Biomarkers of Aging Study in Taiwan (SEBAS). Lower perceived social position predicted declining health beyond what was accounted for by objective indicators of socioeconomic position. As predicted, the effect was substantially reduced for all health outcomes in the presence of controls for baseline health. After including these controls, perceived social position was significantly related only to depressive symptoms. The findings suggest that the strength of the association between perceived social position and health may have been overstated in cross-sectional studies.
Arts engagement and wellbeing. Policy briefing
- Authors:
- WHAT WORKS CENTRE FOR WELLBEING, ALL-PARTY PARLIAMENTARY GROUP ON ARTS, HEALTH AND WELLBEING
- Publisher:
- All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing
- Publication year:
- 2017
- Pagination:
- 2
Drawing on some of the findings from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing Inquiry into the role of the arts on health and wellbeing, this briefing highlights evidence of ways in which arts engagement can improve wellbeing across the life course. This takes account of childhood development, the wellbeing of working-age adults, older adults, people at the end of life and the ways in which built and natural environments enhance wellbeing. (Edited publisher abstract)
Impact of mid-life symptoms of alcoholism on the health and wellbeing of aging parents of adults with disabilities
- Authors:
- GHOSHA Subharati, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 59(1), 2016, pp.56-72.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
The study examined the effect of adult children’s disability on parents’ physical health in later life and the extent to which parents’ symptoms of alcoholism in mid-life moderates the link between children’s disability and later life parental health. Analyses are based on data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. The analytic sample included parents of children with developmental disabilities (n = 145) or mental health problems (n = 200) and 2,432 parents of unaffected children. The results showed that the negative health consequences in later life of having a child with a developmental disability were greater for those who showed more symptoms of alcoholism in mid-life. However, symptoms of alcoholism in mid-life did not significantly moderate the impact of an adult child’s mental health problems on parents’ later life physical health. The findings suggest a potential area where gerontological social workers could intervene, given the negative impact of symptoms of alcoholism on the health of ageing parents of children with a disability who may be significantly more susceptible to the negative health impacts of alcohol compared to their younger counterparts. (Edited publisher abstract)
Serious illness in the over 50s
- Author:
- BEACH Brian
- Publisher:
- International Longevity Centre UK
- Publication year:
- 2015
- Pagination:
- 10
- Place of publication:
- London
Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), this briefing examines the prevalence of serious illness among people aged 50+ in the UK, focusing on Alzheimer's disease and other dementia, Parkinson's disease, cancer, heart attack, and stroke. The research suggests that whilst the number of older people with a serious illness will increase, improvements in health may actually result in a fall in the proportion of older people suffering one of the five conditions explored. ELSA data suggests that the prevalence of serious illness among those aged 50+ has been slightly decreasing over time, from 15.8 per cent in 2002 to 13.6 per cent in 2012. However, it also indicates that the overall prevalence of older people living with cancer shows a notable upward trend from 2002 to 2012 and that the prevalence of serious illness increased among those aged 80+, while declining dramatically for those in their 60s and 70s. (Edited publisher abstract)
Aspirations for later life
- Authors:
- HUMPHREY Alun, LEE Lucy, GREEN Rosie
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Work and Pensions
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 145p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
This research report presents survey findings on people’s aspirations for later life (aged 60 onwards) in Great Britain. The survey sought to determine whether people hold aspirations for their later life and, if so, what these might be. In addition, it sought to provide an insight into what are the enablers and barriers to achieving these aspirations. The survey was carried out as part of the National Centre for Social Research Omnibus Survey. Face-to-face interviews were carried out in 2010 with a total of 1,867 adults aged 16 years and over. It was assumed that respondents aged 45 to 65 years would be most likely to have aspirations for later life, and so the number of respondents in this category was boosted. The survey examined: the respondent’s interpretation of life stages; their expectations and planning for later life; their interest in 3 activities (volunteering, education or training, and leisure and cultural pursuits) in later life; their expectation of health and independence; and their feelings of isolation and the suitability of the community for older people. The findings show that the majority of respondents had either not thought at all about what they might do when aged 60 onwards or had some ideas but had not really given it much thought. However, it is evident that later life is primarily seen as an opportunity to pursue leisure and cultural activities.