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Inequalities in later life: the issue and implications for policy and practice
- Author:
- CENTRE FOR AGEING BETTER
- Publisher:
- Centre for Ageing Better
- Publication year:
- 2017
- Pagination:
- 16
- Place of publication:
- London
Highlights key insights from a scoping review on the inequalities in experienced by older people England. It focuses on three main areas and identifies what needs to be done to address inequalities for each. The areas cover inequalities in health and mental health; financial security and improving social connections. It also stresses that multiple, interrelated factors shape people’s experience of inequalities in later life and that a focus on inequalities caused by poverty and disadvantage should be at the root of any policy and practice solutions. The report aims to stimulate debate and action to tackle inequalities in later life. (Edited publisher abstract)
Good neighbours: measuring quality of life in older age
- Author:
- INTERNATIONAL LONGEVITY CENTRE UK
- Publisher:
- International Longevity Centre UK
- Publication year:
- 2011
- Pagination:
- 13p.
- Place of publication:
- London
Increasing numbers of older people, higher expectations for a good life, and demands on health and social care services, have led to international interest in improving and measuring quality of life (QoL) in older age. Yet whilst QoL is a subjective concept, most attempts to measure it have been largely based on expert opinions. Research since 1999 has attempted to create a new measure of QoL, based on the priorities of older people. The statistical results of the research were supported by survey responses and qualitative interviews. This resulted in the addition of the subjective perception of having an adequate income, and of retaining independence and control over one’s life: having good social relationships with family, friends and neighbours; having social roles and participating in social, voluntary, other leisure activities; having good health and functional ability; living in a good home and neighbourhood; having a positive outlook and psychological well-being; having adequate income; and maintaining independence and control over one’s life. The report recommends that people need to engage in social activities, and build up their support networks from young age so that they have a stock of such social resources in later life.
The social situation of older people (Chapter 8)
- Author:
- LARSSON Kristina
- Journal article citation:
- International Journal of Social Welfare, 16(Supplement 1), July 2007, pp.S203-S218.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The proportion of older people in the population in Sweden has increased in a relatively short space of time. This paper discusses the implications of this demographic change and its impact on social networks and health, medical and social care needs. The paper ends with an examination of the financial and social circumstances of older people.
Engagement in a cohesive group and higher-level functional capacity in older adults in Japan: a case of the Mujin
- Authors:
- KODO Naoki, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Social Science and Medicine, 64(11), June 2007, pp.2311-2323.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
The Mujin is a traditional Japanese rotating saving and credit association (RoSCA) that provided financial aid for the lower-middle class in Japan until the postwar reconstruction period. The traditional Mujin has disappeared from most regions, and the surviving Mujin provides more of a social networking than a financial function for its members. We investigated the association between level of participation in the Mujin and the capacity for independent living in older adults. Baseline data of an ongoing cohort study of 581 self-sufficient older adults were analyzed. The Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence was used to measure higher-level functional capacity, and the level of engagement in the Mujin was determined by a score derived by factor analysis. We found that a higher level of engagement in the Mujin was associated with greater functional capacity, especially social role performance, the highest-level function. We conclude that the Mujin provides a venue for community interaction that serves to increase the social capital of the community and may have psychosocial benefits for its members due to strong membership ties and mutual trust. Further investigation of the causal relationship between participation in the Mujin and functional capacity, and the psychosocial effects of similar financial mutual-aid systems in other social contexts is warranted.
Mapping your future - a proactive approach to aging
- Author:
- SPIRA Marcia
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 47(1/2), 2006, pp.71-87.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
As the number of older adults who live healthy and extended lives increases, people will need to envision the ways in which they choose to live. More emphasis will be given to the potential and strengths that older adults maintain in to later years rather than anticipating the consequences of decline. This paper describes the development of a tool to be used by older adults in planning their futures. It provides an individualized portfolio that encourages older adults to contemplate their future needs and resources. It includes the domains of health, work/leisure, finances, housing, and relationship/support systems. It is a means of encouraging conversations about life choices and maintaining a sense of empowerment and well-being. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
Quality of life from the perspectives of older people
- Authors:
- GABRIEL Zahava, BOWLING Ann
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 24(5), September 2004, pp.675-691.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This paper report results from a national survey of quality of life (QoL), based on 999 people aged 65 or more years living in private households in Britain. The study produced both qualitative and quantitative interview data. The 999 survey respondents were interviewed in their own homes with a semi-structured survey instrument, and 80 were followed-up in greater depth at one and two years after the baseline interview. The material from the in-depth interviews is presented here. The main QoL themes that emerged were: having good social relationships, help and support; living in a home and neighbourhood that is perceived to give pleasure, feels safe, is neighbourly and has access to local facilities and services including transport; engaging in hobbies and leisure activities (solo) as well as maintaining social activities and retaining a role in society; having a positive psychological outlook and acceptance of circumstances which cannot be changed; having good health and mobility; and having enough money to meet basic needs, to participate in society, to enjoy life and to retain one's independence and control over life. The results have implications for public policy, and supplement the growing body of knowledge on the composition and measurement of quality of life in older age.
Social comparison in Chinese older adults
- Authors:
- CHOU K.-L, CHI I.
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 5(3), August 2001, pp.242-252.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Depression is quite common among the elderly members of Hong Kong Chinese society. This study examines the role of social comparison in the relationship between depressive symptoms and four key life domains including: physical health, financial situation, relationships with adult children, and social support from friends. The respondents are people aged 60 years or older from a survey of a representative community sample of the elderly population in Hong Kong. Using multiple regression models, the authors find that social comparison mediated the effect of support from friends on depressive symptoms and social comparison was the partial mediator in the linkage between financial strain and depressive symptoms. Moreover, social comparison also moderated the effect of physical health and support from friends on depressive symptoms. Finds that self-efficacy and self-esteem were moderators in the relationship between depressive symptoms and all four key life domains including physical health, financial situation, relationship with adult children, and social support from friends, whereas sense of control over physical health and sense of control over support from friends moderated the effect of social comparison on physical health and support from friends, respectively, on depressive symptoms.
Older people and social quality – what difference does income make?
- Authors:
- FOSTER Liam, TOMLINSON Mark, WALKER Alan
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 39(11), 2019, pp.2351-2376.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
This article explores the relationship between Social Quality and income in later life and represents the first application of the concept to a United Kingdom data-set with an explicit focus on older people. In order to undertake this analysis, confirmatory factor analysis models are employed in conjunction with the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS). This enables various dimensions or domains of Social Quality to be measured and then subjected to further scrutiny via regression analysis. Initially, the paper explores links between low income, poverty and older people, prior to outlining the concept of Social Quality and its four conditional factors. Following the methodology, the impact of income on Social Quality domains is explored. The research identifies that differences in income in older age provide a partial explanation of differences in individual Social Quality. While there is a statistically significant relationship between income and certain aspects of Social Quality such as economic security, altruism, social networks and culture/participation, other factors such as health, identity and time did not have a statistically significant relationship with income. This indicates that improvements in the income of older people are likely to positively impact on aspects of their Social Quality. Finally, some policy implications of the finding are outlined with particular reference to the potential role for pensions in enhancing aspects of Social Quality in retirement. (Edited publisher abstract)
Predicting unmet social care needs and links with well-being: findings from the secondary analysis
- Authors:
- DUNATCHIK Allison, et al
- Publishers:
- NatCen Social Research, Ipsos MORI
- Publication year:
- 2016
- Pagination:
- 114
- Place of publication:
- London
An ageing population, budget cuts to local authorities and pressures on unpaid carers have led to concerns about whether the care and support needs of older people are being met. This research focuses on the unmet social care needs of older people living in their own homes. Using evidence from the literature and analysis of Health Survey for England (HSE) and English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) data, it explores different conceptualisations and thresholds for unmet need, including changing nature of unmet need and links with life transitions. It also estimates current unmet need, factors predicting an individual developing unmet social care needs over a ten year period, and the links between unmet need for social care and well-being. The research is based on two definitions of unmet need. The first looks at people with needs which would be considered as qualifying for local authority support under the Care Act 2014. The second looks at a wider definition in order to understand how less severe needs may go unmet. The key findings are that unmet need is an issue affecting older people across all groups, including those eligible for local authority financial support and self-funders. Those in their 50s and 60s, living alone or experiencing widowhood were most likely to have future care needs unmet. There were no clear links between unmet need and well-being, perhaps because receiving care has both positive and negative impacts on well-being. (Edited publisher abstract)
Measuring resources in later life: a review of the data
- Authors:
- MIDDLETON Sue, et al
- Publisher:
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation
- Publication year:
- 2007
- Pagination:
- 33p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- York
This report explores the needs of people in later life, including expenditure, health, social networks, services, housing and neighbourhood, as well as income.