Journal of Aging & Social Policy最新文献

Despite growing investment in age-friendly models and social prescribing, many older adults remain disconnected from services, even when those services align with identified needs. Findings from the Age-Friendly Integrative Mobile Services (AIMS) pilot indicate that this engagement gap (motivational barriers, relational mistrust, and value misalignment) is as limiting as access or infrastructure. Motivational engagement - defined as aligning care with a person's values, readiness, and trust - emerged as a critical yet overlooked driver of uptake. Centering trust, values alignment, and relational support within implementation strategies may enhance service uptake, sustain engagement, and improve equity in aging-in-place outcomes by ensuring care is both accessible and meaningful.

A dementia-friendly community (DFC) is a place where people living with dementia (PLWD) and family carers' rights are supported and communities value their input. Many developed countries have social policies to address the discrimination and stigma faced by PLWD and to support their interest in continuing to live in their homes and communities. This exploratory, micro-ethnographic case study research examined micro-processes in two committees established to build DFCs in Australia. Data were derived from participant observation, field notes, and 16 interviews with DFC committee members. Findings highlight two key learnings. First, active engagement requires meeting the rights of PLWD to have a voice, be heard, and hold power in committees. Second, recognizing how positioning PLWD as consumers or leaders affects participation and inclusion. From our analyses and insights gained, we propose how a dialogical community development approach could improve local initiatives through interpersonal relationships and actions as well as explicit reflection and discussion of how professionals can facilitate or constrain inclusive and participatory practices among PLWD.

Barrier-free communities aim to let older adults and people with disabilities participate equally in city life by removing physical, informational, and service barriers. This study examines how older people in Zhuhai, China, learn about and act on barrier-free initiatives. A qualitative design grounded in diffusion of innovations was used. Fieldwork ran from January 2022 to January 2024 and included semi structured interviews with 11 participants aged 65 to 70, averaging 95 minutes, plus sustained nonparticipant observation at community sites. Grounded theory guided analysis through open, axial, and selective coding to link media channels with stages of conceptual recognition. Findings show a layered channel mix. Mass media provides authority, digital platforms expand reach, and interpersonal ties supply reassurance and practical steps. Understanding and participation rise where visible upgrades are present and procedures are simple, but stall where resources are thin or publicity outpaces delivery. The study recommends pairing physical retrofits with clear communication, digital helpdesks, and simple ways for residents to review and test changes, so recognition turns into routine use.

Home care can be costly and time consuming to provide, and there is often limited public financing available to those with care needs. As a result, many adults experience unmet need and/or gaps in home-care support. This is particularly acute during times of austerity when budget constraints further limit public spending. This study examines determinants of unmet need for home-care support among adults over 50 in England and Ireland during the Great Recession. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging and the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging, we examine factors associated with unmet need, including the role of public financing. Findings reveal notable differences in the proportion reporting unmet need in England (38.0%) versus Ireland (66.1%). Wealth offered no clear protection against unmet need in either nation. Results regarding physical and cognitive vulnerabilities were mixed: In Ireland, activity limitations were linked to greater probability of unmet need. In England, poorer cognitive function was associated with lower probability of unmet need. Understanding the impact of public financing on unmet need during times of economic uncertainty is critical for evidence-based policymaking. Improved harmonization of international aging data is essential to support comparative analyses and facilitate international learning opportunities.

Residential care facilities in China often prioritize material needs over emotional well-being, leaving gaps in understanding psychological adaptation processes. This study aimed to explore the dynamic process by which older adults adapt emotionally to residential care facilities, focusing on how their needs and stressors evolve over time. Using a grounded theory methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 residents from a large residential care facility in China, with data analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding. Findings revealed a three-stage adaptation process: (1) The adaptation stage, driven by security needs and familial burden reduction, where older adults primarily seek a comfortable environment; (2) The integration stage, addressing loneliness and fostering collective belonging, where older adults primarily seek to establish connections with others properly; and (3) The sublimation stage, focusing on self-identity, autonomy, and social value, where older adults primarily seek to find value and meaning in the remaining life. Emotional needs and stressors evolved dynamically across stages, reflecting shifts from external pressures to internal self-actualization. The study underscores the need for residential care facilities to adopt stage-specific interventions - ensuring safety, promoting group cohesion, and enabling self-directed engagement - to support holistic well-being and positive aging in China's rapidly aging society.

The prevalence of dementia is rising rapidly across the European Union, necessitating comprehensive national and international responses. National Dementia Strategies serve as key policy instruments, outlining priorities for dementia care across European countries. While numerous organizations have proposed ethical principles to guide dementia policy, limited knowledge exists on ethical priorities in EU dementia policies. This study examines the ethical principles embedded in European national dementia strategies, analyzing their definitions, contexts of application, and relative emphasis. Using framework analysis, this study systematically analyzed 17 European national dementia atrategies, identifying commonalities and variations in ethical priorities. Findings reveal a broad spectrum of ethical principles present across national dementia strategies throughout the EU. However, findings also suggest significant variations in how principles are interpreted.

China's September 2024 proposal to raise the statutory retirement age prompted online debate over its implications. This study examines how the policy proposal was discussed and framed on Zhihu, a Chinese question-and-answer online community primarily composed of young users (a relevant but underexamined group whose contributions to the pension system and perspectives may shape policy legitimacy and feasibility). 1298 posts were collected over the six days following the proposal announcement and analyzed using thematic and framing analysis. Five key themes emerged from the posts: barriers to extending working life (e.g. ageism), reduced autonomy in everyday life (e.g. unmet family caregiving duties), structural disparities in pension schemes (e.g. occupation- and gender-based differences), rationales for the policy proposal, and intergenerational tensions. Five frames were identified: risk, inequality, compromised well-being, conflict, and opportunity. The findings suggest that the online discourse is predominantly critical and grievance-laden and is intertwined with broader societal and institutional issues. Multiple coexisting frames articulate the diverse experiences and structural conditions of different social groups across age, gender, occupation, and other intersecting identities. The findings suggest that policymakers in labor, health, and social welfare should engage more cautiously with issues raised within the online community, particularly concerns about structural inequalities and disadvantages affecting different social groups.

Following the judicial overhaul enacted by the Israeli government in early 2023, a wave of unprecedented protests surged in the streets. This study aims to understand the experiences of older activists who participated in the initial protests against the judicial overhaul. It explores why some continued protesting, while others disengaged after the October 7 massacre and the subsequent war, using a life course perspective with an emphasis on the concept of linked lives. Between February and May 2025, 22 older activists who had been involved in the initial protests in 2023 were interviewed. Thematic analysis was employed. Results show diverging viewpoints: some activists believe protests remain vital, while others have ceased due to fears of societal division, perceived ineffectiveness, and prioritizing national unity during wartime. Ambivalence was a common thread, especially regarding the legitimacy of protests amid ongoing war. The findings highlight how historical events, personal experiences, and social contexts influence activism. The socioemotional selectivity theory and the concept of linked lives illuminate the reasons behind continued or discontinued protest engagement.

In aging societies, contributory pension systems play a critical role in ensuring income security for older adults. While many countries have reformed these systems to enhance sustainability - by tightening the link between employment histories and benefit eligibility - such changes can unintentionally exacerbate existing inequalities. This study examines the case of Spain's 2011 pension reform, which increased the required contribution period and introduced a dual statutory retirement age. Drawing on administrative microdata from the Continuous Sample of Working Lives (MCVL), this work analyzes over 100,000 newly retired individuals between 2010 and 2020. Results show that women, whose careers are more often shaped by caregiving and part-time work, were disproportionately affected: many postponed retirement to avoid benefit penalties. The reform also halted the prior trend toward narrowing the gender pension gap. These findings underscore how formally neutral institutional rules can reinforce structural disadvantage. Addressing such inequities requires pension designs that incorporate compensatory measures - such as care credits and flexible contribution pathways - to ensure fair and sustainable retirement outcomes for all.

The growing prevalence of dementia is a significant public health concern in the context of dramatic population aging worldwide. Nutrition is related to cognitive outcomes over the life course and dementia risk. This study examines the cognitive consequences of perceived food deprivation in the United States and India. A novel harmonized data set was developed to evaluate differences in the cognitive consequences of perceived food deprivation using data drawn from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI). OLS regression was used to evaluate the association between three domains of cognitive function and perceived food deprivation and to examine whether these effects are dependent on country context. Results show significant cognitive consequences across all three cognitive domains in association with perceived food deprivation, but based on moderation analyses, these effects are significant only among food-deprived individuals in the United States who have approximately one-third of a standard deviation lower cognitive function than their non-food-deprived counterparts (p < .001). Future research is needed to identify mechanisms of these effects and identify specific food policies that could reduce cognitive risks related to perceived food deprivation in the United States.