Ageing International最新文献

A person’s health status is one of the strongest determinants of well-being. The negative impact of poor health on subjective well-being may be moderated by providing care to individuals in need. In this paper, we investigate the relationships between receiving informal care and the amount of care received and subjective well-being among people aged 65 or older in selected European countries. Our analysis of data from the 6th wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) showed that receiving regular informal care was associated with higher subjective well-being among older people in Northern European countries, and with lower subjective well-being among older males in Southern European countries. Moreover, we found that the perception of the amount of help received affected the subjective well-being of older people, as those who reported that the support they received was either insufficient or met their needs had lower subjective well-being than those who were not in need of care. Our results also showed that receiving formal care was negatively related with subjective well-being among older adults in Northern Europe and Central and Eastern Europe. In the context of population ageing and the growing need for care, social policies that support both sides of the caregiving relationship could enhance subjective quality of life.

This study investigates the gender disparities and cohort differences in the health trajectories of older Chinese adults. Drawn on a nationally representative dataset from the 2008–2018 Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, this paper uses a growth-curve model to identify the health trajectories of older adults in functional limitations, chronic diseases, depressive symptoms and cognitive skills. Older women are found to have slightly fewer functional limitations than older men at an earlier age; however, this gap is reversed later because of women’s higher deterioration rate in physical function. Compared to men, older women have more chronic diseases at younger ages, but this trend is changed after age 90 years due to a faster decline rate in chronic diseases for women. The gender gap in the depressive symptom trajectories narrows with age, whereas the gap in the trajectories of cognitive skills widens. The cohort differences favouring later-born cohorts decrease with age in the trajectory of functional limitations. The latest cohort born in 1940 or after has the fastest increase in chronic diseases and depressive symptoms among all the cohorts. These results are further verified using the random-effect model and pooled ordinary least squares. Policymakers should promote gender equality and reduce cohort differences to achieve the national goal of “Healthy China”.

India’s traditional kinship behavior have undergone certain fundamental changes due to recent development and functioning of Indian society. Of all, the most dominant change is in the form of co-residence of children with their parents in old age. Without familial support, falling or no income and poor health, today, older adults are the most vulnerable population sub-group in the total population. Therefore, by using the India Human Development Survey-II, 2011-12 data we study the relevant association of living arrangement on health status of the older adults. Our results indicate that older adults living alone have significant and strong association with adverse health conditions such as Cataract, Hypertension, and Heart Disease. On the backdrop of health variations of older adults, it is understood that among other socio-economic conditions, living arrangement have serious implications on the health status of the older adults. Thus, we strongly support the notion that older adults with proper family care and support are more likely to be in a better health position as compared to those deprived of it.

In this paper, we contend that urban middle-class older Indians engaged in “serious leisure” as a way to reimagine and reconfigure the structure of everyday life during the pandemic-led epochal downtime. In particular, we heuristically show that leisure activity patterns and constraint negotiation strategies among older Indians followed conceptual semblances with the dominant leisure-based typology of Serious Leisure Perspective. By thematically analysing household surveys (n = 71), time-use diaries and in-depth interviews (n = 15) of middle to upper middle-class individuals (55–80 years), we show how both men and women distinguished between serious leisure that is marked by motivation, agency and perseverance with that of unstructured, routinized free-time (or causal leisure). Time-use diaries suggested that despite the changed realities of heightened domestic time available to both genders due to the pandemic, women recorded higher proportion of their daily hours in household management and caregiving. Although women were governed by moral-cultural self-descriptions in their engagement with leisure, it was often associated with an enhanced sense of self-actualisation, self-management and identity. Overall, we show how the social codes of age and gender were inextricably linked with the practice of leisure during the pandemic.

The number of developed and developing countries globally is steadily increasing due to the advanced development in various fields. Nevertheless, the development of a country can cause the nation to face an ageing population with a sizeable older adult population due to demographic changes. The changes in the overall demographics have resulted in shifting the role of providing support and care for older adults to the local community. The significant population of older adults and higher demand for older adults’ support and care have caused the shift in caring for them. Hence, this study aimed to investigate community support for senior citizens in this country through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of previous research papers. This study utilised the SLR method according to the publication standard of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) by reviewing various research and survey designs. The findings from 14 articles highlighted the forms of community support and the role of the community towards older adults. This literature analysis is critical and valuable for future research to understand the relationship between support for older adults and the well-being of older adults.

Despite increasing awareness of mental health problems among older adults, limited mental health services are available to meet their needs. The proposed study aimed to evaluate the need for mental health services among older adults in Shanghai, China, and identify gaps in the existing service system to inform policy making. Based on 80 face-to-face interviews amongst several groups of older adults and community officers, doctors and government stakeholders, the study found that (a) the mental health needs of older adults living with family members mainly present as needs for social interaction, sense of belonging, and self-realization; (b) special groups, such as older adults living alone, mainly desire support to address loneliness, older adults with physical disabilities desire social respect, and those with mental disabilities seek social acceptance; and (c) community cadres and other stakeholders have paid little attention to demands related to mental well-being among older people. It is necessary to deliver mental health education to community stakeholders and the public, popularize mental health knowledge, and publicize professional psychological counseling and treatment services. Meanwhile, policy makers should allocate resources to train professional mental health services personnel to meet these growing mental health needs and increase financial support for mental health services for older adults.

As in the whole world, the older population is increasing in Turkey as well. They get older, people need more healthcare. Therefore, it communicates more with health professionals. This study examines the relationship between attitudes of health professionals toward older people and personality traits of health professionals affecting these attitudes. Quantitative cross-sectional and correlational design was used in this study. Between February 2019–2020, a total of 235 health professionals working in 2 research hospitals completed a questionnaire of Kogan’s Attitudes Toward Old People Scale and The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised/Abbreviated Form. The study group was consisted of health professionals with 27.38 ± 5.6 years mean age. It was found that health professionals showed extraversion personality traits, and their attitudes towards the older people were positive (98.19 ± 14.18). It was determined that female health professionals displayed extraversion personality traits compared to men, and their attitudes towards the older people was within the edge of positive. It was found that those with 1–4 years of working duration and poor income had neuroticism personality trait, and those with poor income had negative attitudes towards older people. In general, health professionals’ attitudes and behaviors towards older people are positive. Personality traits and some socio-demographic characteristics may be effective in attitudes and behaviors towards older people. During the training of health professionals, the issues of attitude to older patient should be emphasized. The education they receive can affect their attitude towards the patient.

Children are considered as social and economic safety nets for their elderly parents in many developing countries, including Nigeria. This perception is driven by the fact that state-sponsored welfare systems are almost non-existent thereby placing parents as the sole care providers for their young children, and grown children as the sole care providers for their older parents. What this may mean for older people without children is that they are left with inadequate material support which could affect their well-being and life satisfaction. This study examines the adequacy of material support systems for childless older adults in southeast Nigeria with the aim to inform policy and social work interventions to ensure adequate support for the older adults. Twelve childless older adults aged 75 and older partook in the in-depth interview. The collected data was analyzed thematically. Except for the government support system, childless older adults receive material support from the networks of family, community, and churches. However, the support available from these networks seems to be inadequate and irregular. The study recommends for the political will by government to ensure that the newly approved national policy on ageing benefits older adults. Social workers are highly needed to ensure that other necessary programmes are established, and also strengthen the systems that support older adults.

Dementia is caused by neurological problems resulting in a deterioration in cognitive functions; it negatively affects all aspects of life in older adults. However, there are few research studies examining the health outcomes of people with dementia (PWD). To analyze previous research on environmental and caregiver-related factors influencing the psychological and behavioral well-being of PWD residing in community or nursing home settings. A systematic review method was used. An electronic search was conducted in June 2021 using several electronic research databases, limited to the years between 2016 and 2021, and restricted by abstract and full text, English language, and the combination of keywords. Two researchers independently selected and screened the articles based on the eligibility criteria. The articles were summarized according to aim, design, sample size, setting, instruments, and main findings. An analysis of previous research on the impact of physical and social environment and caregiver-related factors on the psychosocial and behavioral outcomes of PWD was performed. The reviewed studies indicated a significant correlation between environmental factors, mental health, quality of life (QoL), positive and negative affectivity, and agitation in PWD; those who lived in their own homes or in a similar setting had higher levels of social interactions with relatives and caregivers and higher QoL. The communication between PWD and their caregivers was also highlighted, as it helped reduce aggressiveness, anxiety, depression, and isolation among PWD. Moreover, many caregiver-related factors, including financial and social burdens, correlated negatively with their quality of care.