Search results for ‘Subject term:"older people"’ Sort:
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The end of aging
- Author:
- KIRKWOOD Tom
- Publisher:
- BBC
- Publication year:
- 2001
- Pagination:
- 129p,bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
Dramatic increases in life expectancy are shaking the structure of societies around the world and profoundly altering our perceptions of life and death. Not only are we living longer, but the evidence of recent decades shows that old age is itself being transformed.
Applying a general measure of frailty to assess the aging related needs of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Authors:
- McKENZIE Katherine, OUELLETTE-KUNTZ Helene, MARTIN Lynn
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 14(2), 2017, pp.124-128.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities often experience premature ageing and high levels of frailty. Frailty characterises health complexities and identifies adults with increased risks for adverse outcomes. This paper compared the prevalence of frailty amongst adults (aged 18-99 years) with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. Frailty was measured using the Frailty Marker, based on the Adjusted Clinical Groups-Predicative Model, and was compared between a cohort of 51,138 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and a random sample of 3,272,080 adults without intellectual developmental disabilities. Approximately 9% of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities were frail, compared to only 3% of persons without intellectual and developmental disabilities. Women, older adults, and adults with mental illness or addiction(s), were more likely to be frail. Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are increasingly vulnerable as they age. However, to appropriately characterise frailty in this population, measures should be more inclusive of health characteristics and fluctuations that are related to frailty. Future research should investigate alternative measures of frailty for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including measures derived from standardised health assessments, to meet the needs of the ageing population. (Edited publisher abstract)
Housing and care for older people: life in an English purpose-built retirement village
- Authors:
- BERNARD Miriam, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 27(4), July 2007, pp.533-554.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Retirement communities are a relatively new long-term accommodation and care option in the United Kingdom. Policy makers and providers endorse the proposition that they are suited for the accommodation of both ‘fit’ and ‘frail’ older people, although comparatively little is known about what it is actually like to live in such communities, about whether they cater adequately for older people with a wide spectrum of needs and abilities, or if they provide acceptable solutions to older people's housing or care needs. This paper addresses these questions by reporting the findings of an independently funded three-year study of a new retirement village, Berryhill, in the north Midlands of England. The paper examines the background to this and similar developments, details how the study was carried out, and then examines what it was like to live at Berryhill. It focuses on the housing and care aspects, and explores the residents' motivations for moving to the village; their views about the accommodation; and their use of and satisfaction with the social and leisure amenities. The health and care needs of residents and the formal and informal supports are also featured. The conclusion discusses whether the village can truly be a ‘home for life’ in the face of increasing frailty, and whether or not these new models of accommodation and care can indeed cater for both ‘fit’ and ‘frail’ older people.
People aged 65 and over: results of a study carried out on behalf of the Department of Health as part of the 2001 general household survey
- Authors:
- TRAYNOR Joe, WALKER Alison, GREAT BRITAIN. Office for National Statistics
- Publisher:
- Stationery Office
- Publication year:
- 2003
- Pagination:
- 104p., tables.
- Place of publication:
- London
In 2001, 37 per cent of people aged 65 and over lived alone, according to detailed results from the 2001 General Household Survey (GHS) about people aged 65 and over . Five per cent of elderly people lived in sheltered accommodation with a resident warden and three per cent without a resident warden (elderly people in communal establishments were excluded from the survey). In all, 60 per cent of elderly people said they had a longstanding illness; 41per cent said this limited their activities in some way, while 19 per cent said it did not. Among people aged 65 and over, 14 per cent were unable to walk down the road on their own and 10 per cent were unable to manage stairs and steps. One in twenty elderly people said they were unable to cook a main meal by themselves. Among elderly people who received help with mobility, 58 per cent received help from a spouse or partner, 20 per cent from other household members, eight per cent from a relative who was not living in the household and four per cent from NHS or personal social services. Over half of elderly respondents (52 per cent) reported seeing a doctor or GP at their surgery in the last three months.
Old age
- Author:
- VINCENT John
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Publication year:
- 2003
- Pagination:
- 190p.,bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
The latter decades of the 20th century saw a fundamental change in the age structure of many Western societies. In these societies it is now common for a fifth to a quarter of the population to be retired, for fewer babies to be born than is required to sustain the size of the population and for life expectancy to exceed 80 years old. This volume provides an overview of the key issues arising from this demographic change, asking questions such as: what if any, are the universal characteristics of the ageing experience?; what different ways is it possible to grow old?; and what is unique about old age in the contemporary world? The author also examines issues ranging from the social construction, diversity and identity of old age to areas of social conflict over population, pensions and the medicalisation of old age.
Predictors of life satisfaction in frail elderly
- Authors:
- ABU-BADER Soleman H., ROGERS Anissa, BARUSCH Amanda S.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 38(2), 2002, pp.3-17.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This study examined the relationship between life satisfaction and physical status, emotional health, social support and locus of control in the frail elderly. Analysis identified four significant predictors of life satisfaction: Perceived physical health, social support, emotional balance, and locus of control. Physical health emerged as the most significant predictor of life satisfaction accounting for 14% of the variance. Social support, emotional balance and locus of control each accounted for an additional 6%of the variance in life satisfaction.
Health and well-being in the young old and oldest old
- Authors:
- SMITH Jacqui, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Issues, 58(4), Winter 2002, pp.715-732.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Most individuals experience a decline in health status during old age. Paradoxically, there are proposals that older adults nevertheless maintain a positive sense of well-being, an indicator of successful aging. Data from the Berlin Aging Study suggest that cumulative health-related chronic life strains set a constraint on the potential of oldest old individuals to experience the positive side of life. Chronic illness and functional impairments (e.g., vision, hearing, mobility, strength) limit well-being especially in very old age.
Patterns and health effects of caring for people with dementia: the impact of changing cognitive and residential status
- Author:
- CANADIAN STUDY OF HEALTH AND AGING WORKING GROUP
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 42(5), October 2002, pp.643-652.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The purpose of this article is to link changes over 5 years in the health, vital and residential status of very elderly people to changes in their family caregivers' health. Diagnostic and residential groups of care recipients differed significantly in their level of activity of daily living/instrumental activity of daily living disability, and in the amount of assistance received; caregiver burden scores were higher for people with dementia in the community than for those in institutions. However, these differences did not translate directly into contrasts in caregiver health. Caregivers of healthy elders reported fewer health problems than did caregivers for people with dementia or frailty, but the latter groups did not differ significantly. Death of the care recipient and admission to institutional care did not have a consistent impact on caregiver health.
Growing older programme: project summaries
- Author:
- ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RESEARCH COUNCIL. Growing Older Programme
- Publisher:
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Publication year:
- 2003
- Pagination:
- 37p.
- Place of publication:
- London
The Growing Older Programme had two objectives: to identify and scrutinise aspects of the quality of life of older people and try to contribute to policy and practice aimed at improving the quality of later life. The 24 research projects included: several large scale surveys, one of the biggest contacting more than 8,000 people aged 75 and over in 23 doctors' general practices, which was the source of deep concern about inequality in old age; identifying problems that older people encounter in using public transport, with train and bus operators seen to regard the old and disabled as a 'nuisance'; revealing the extent of social exclusion borne by older people in poor city areas; the particular problems of the growing number of older people from ethnic minorities; the positive side of getting old, including taking part in learning, and the support of church going for many; and coping with bereavement.
Functional capacity and self evaluation of health and life of oldest old in China
- Authors:
- YI Zeng, VAUPEL James W.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Issues, 58(4), Winter 2002, pp.733-748.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
This study is based on survey data from a sample of 8,805 elders aged 80-105 in 22 provinces of China. Rural oldest old are significantly more active in daily living than urban oldest old; adaptation is perhaps the major explanation of this difference. Female oldest old are seriously disadvantaged in functional capacities and self-reported health as compared with their male counterparts. Percentages of being active in daily living, having good physical performance, normal cognitive function and well-being drop dramatically from age 80-84 to 100-105. Proportion reporting satisfaction in current life, however, remains almost constant from age 80-84 to 90-94 and declines slightly afterwards. This may suggest that being more positive in self-feeling of life is one of the secrets of longevity.