Journal of Aging & Social Policy最新文献

There is growing recognition that older persons, both male and female, may experience sexual assault. One clearly identified gap in the body of scientific literature is examination of the criminal justice response for older adults who have been sexually assaulted. This retrospective age-group comparative data analysis examines publicly available population and police statistics for 2018 to describe rates (per 100,000) of reported sexual assault across adult age categories (young adult, n = 748; adult, n = 1,478; middle age, n = 290; older adult, n = 58) and compare (using Chi-square bivariate analysis) the criminal justice response to sexual assault for these adult age categories in New Zealand (NZ). Sexual assault was perpetrated against victims across all age and sex groups examined. The rate of reported sexual assault against older adults was significantly lower after the age of 65 years (7.90 per 100,000) compared to younger adults aged 20-64 years (87.57 per 100,000). Across age categories no difference was found in the proportion of cases proceeded to court action. This study raises awareness of the topic of sexual assault perpetrated against older persons and shows that a substantial number of older adults experience sexual assault in cases that do not result in court action. It points to the need for policy-makers to consider the reporting of sexual assaults against older persons to justice services.

Participation of older workers in the labor market depends, among other things, on older workers employment chances. This study examines age differences regarding risk of unemployment and reemployment outcomes in late working life in Sweden. Using Swedish registry data, we analyzed the probability of unemployment as well as work-related activity following unemployment (wage- or self-employment; exit; downward mobility) of all people born between 1954 and 1968 (aged 49-63) and registered in Sweden between the years 2012 and 2018. Results show that although risk of unemployment does not differ significantly across age groups, younger age groups are more likely to be reemployed as wage-employed while older age groups are more likely to be reemployed as self-employed or exit working life. After an unemployment period, older employees are more likely to have a lower wage than during their previous employment or become part-time unemployed. We conclude that different age groups have unequal chances in late working life in terms of reemployment, risk of exit, and risk of downward mobility following unemployment. Policies for extending working life and promoting inequality should include measures for increasing employability of older workers such as anti-discriminatory laws and dealing with skills mismatch.

Various studies have identified that older adults' assessment of their housing quality differs from that deemed as good-quality housing by housing professionals. This has prompted the need to advance academic discourse beyond simply reporting high levels of satisfaction in older adult's housing surveys. This study attempts to achieve this by using empirical data gathered through a mixed quantitative and qualitative research approach conducted with older adults in Slovenia. While the quantitative survey revealed generally high levels of satisfaction, the qualitative face-to-face interviews revealed numerous deficiencies, irrespective of whether older adults tended to express satisfaction with their dwellings. Therefore, our findings suggest that attributes such as ownership, period of residence, and neighborhood relations are far more important in determining housing satisfaction. Thus, we conclude that policies and programs for modifying housing for older adults must be based on a deeper understanding of their specific needs. During the policy formulation process and the implementation of specific housing improvement programs, emphasis should be placed on the social-historical aspects related to the lifestyle of each specific older adult.

Comparative adult guardianship law and other alternatives, especially in an Asian context, is an under-investigated area. This paper attempts to fill the gap in the literature by comparing the adult guardianship law and other alternatives from the perspectives of Singapore and Japan. The central argument of this paper is that in order for the law of adult guardianship to be widely adopted in Asian societies like Singapore and Japan - where much of adult guardianship related issues are governed by informal familial arrangements; this would require governments to do more than the mere enacting of adult guardianship legislation. To encourage widespread adoption, governments must embark on a robust public awareness campaign to promote the adult guardianship scheme, provide institutional support, and simplify the process for people wishing to sign up to the scheme and enact the appropriate safeguards against abuse. Such conditions are present in Singapore, whereas in Japan, these are lacking which explains the lower take-up rate with Japanese people preferring informal arrangements. Another key difference between Singapore and Japan is that the former relies primarily on family and relatives to act as adult guardians, while the court in the latter jurisdiction insists on the appointment of professionals like lawyers to act as adult guardians. It is surmised that this factor explains the lower take-up rate of formal adult guardianship in Japan as compared to Singapore due to the costs involved in engaging professional guardians. This paper also explores the alternatives to adult guardianship in both systems. Alternatives to formal adult guardianship is important because there will be a substantial portion of the population of older adults who would prefer these alternatives for various reasons.

Hypertension, a prevalent health issue among older adults in India, poses a significant public health challenge in the country. This study examines the impact of the Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme (IGNOAPS) on hypertension among older adults, shedding light on the potential influence of social welfare programs on health in this population. The data were derived from 28,855 participants aged 60 years and older in the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI), Wave 1. Hypertension was evaluated following the JNC-VIII guidelines, and their enrollment in social welfare programs was determined to identify IGNOAPS beneficiaries. The overall prevalence of hypertension was found to be 56.8%. Notably, 25.6% of the participants were beneficiaries of IGNOAPS. Non-beneficiaries were found to be more likely to have hypertension compared to beneficiaries (Adjusted Odds Ratio: 1.31, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.24-1.39), even after adjusting for all confounding variables. These findings emphasize the importance of social security measures and economic empowerment in improving the health and quality of life of older adults. Policymakers and stakeholders should consider implementing interventions that enhance the well-being of older adults by focusing on social welfare programs and economic independence.

Studies have shown how generativity, the concern for establishing and guiding the next generation and safeguarding its wellbeing, functions as an intergenerational conduit, bridging the developmental stages of older individuals with those younger. Yet, applications of generativity, as a means to bridge generational gaps within rapid social change, remain underexplored in the intergenerational field. Using Singapore as a case study, and through focus group discussions with 103 older persons, this paper examines how older Singaporeans express their generative concern and internalize their generative capacities across different social settings and rapid socioeconomic transformation. Mismatch between older Singaporeans' generative concern and capacity contributes to ambivalence - mixed feelings about guiding younger generations - which emerges out of older Singaporeans' struggles with cultural change prompted by economic progress, as well as concerns about their place and value in a technologically advanced global city-state. The concept of generative ambivalence can add value to policy perspectives on intergenerational cohesion, as it considers people's attempts to forge commonalities and mutual reciprocity despite differences (e.g. gender, age, race, skills), as well as highlights intergenerational complexities beyond superficial binaries. Policies aimed at bringing generations together must be intentional in creating opportunity structures that go beyond categorical differences, where multiple generations can thrive interdependently.

With increasing age, it becomes more difficult for unemployed workers to find a new job. Due to age-related negative stereotypes, employers typically prefer younger applicants. This study analyzes a marketing campaign of a local employment agency in Germany that drew attention to the problem of negative age-related stereotypes and highlighted the high value of older workers. The goal of the campaign was to increase the hiring rate of older unemployed. Using comprehensive register data and applying a difference-in-differences approach, we find that the information conveyed through the campaign (via banners, interviews, job fairs, and informational brochures) did indeed change firms' hiring behavior. The intervention increased the employment rate of workers aged 50 to 59 with unemployment experience by approximately 3 percentage points. The positive employment effects of the campaign appear to be somewhat more pronounced for women than for men. We conclude that an information campaign to overcome age-related negative stereotypes might be an appropriate measure to highlight the value of older workers and increase their employment chances. In the context of the demographic change, therefore, an information campaign might help to fight against a shrinking workforce and an impending shortage of skilled labor.

Later-life poverty is a complex issue, particularly in South Korea. This study investigates this puzzling phenomenon, focusing on continuing parental investment and its impact on economic hardship facing older people in the contemporary Korean context. Data were derived from critical document analysis and interviews with 26 participants, including older people experiencing poverty and professional experts. Thematic analysis revealed the impact of older adults' ongoing parenting on their financial security and well-being. The "generational reciprocity gap" is proposed as a framework for understanding the dynamic and temporal nature of intergenerational exchanges and their influence on economic strain in later life.

The global trend of transferring responsibility for dignified aging from the state to individuals is conducive to a variability of alternative attitudes and strategies. Despite having important implications for both the state and individuals, the variability of old age risk management has not been fully appreciated by social policy. Social policy cannot adapt to every individual, but it can reflect various categories of citizens and their patterns of old age risk management. In this article, we navigate the plethora of individual choices by identifying patterns of strategic behavior in old age risk management in society. Based on our data from the original 2018 survey, representative for the Czech population, we identify four distinctive strategies: risk taking, risk avoiding, risk neglecting, and risk preventing. We conclude by discussing how the data gathered and analyzed through our research may help social policy actors better understand sources of variability and design more effective policy interventions.

Previous research has shown that providing intensive informal care can have a negative effect on an individual's mental health. However, few studies have been able to draw a precise comparison between the experiences of in-home and out-of-home caregivers. This study used data from 16 countries collected from 2011-2019 as part of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) to conduct asymmetric panel fixed-effects models that examined within-person variation in depression scores after a respondent started providing daily or almost daily personal care either inside or outside of their home. The results substantiated previous findings that in-home caregivers experience more pronounced increases to their reported depressive symptoms after starting to provide daily personal care than do out-of-home caregivers. In addition, in-home caregivers in countries with greater governmental responsibility for long-term care provision (The Northern and Central Clusters) reported fewer increases to their depressive symptoms after starting to provide care than caregivers in countries where long-term care responsibility predominantly rests on families (The Southern and Eastern Cluster). Further, Northern Cluster countries most successfully shrank the pool of out-of-home care providers. Together, these findings underscore the context-specific nature of caregiver wellbeing.