Abstract How people experience their own ageing may impact how likely they are to remain engaged with life. This study examined (1) biologically based risk factors in the form of self-reported health and cognition, and (2) age-related stereotypes and frequency of perceived ageism as predictors of engagement with life and number of ‘close’ social connections in older adulthood. We aimed to move beyond studies focusing on direct links between ageism and psychosocial functioning by examining the extent to which ageism could act as a moderating factor, amplifying negative associations between established risk factors and engagement with life. Data were obtained from a community-based sample of 287 South Australians aged 65–103 years ( M = 76.41, SD = 7.13; 54.4 per cent female) who participated in a telephone survey. Hierarchical multiple linear regressions were run using Stata v15.1. Overall, frequency of perceived ageism in this community sample was low. More positive age-related stereotypes were related to more ‘close’ social connections, but not greater engagement with life. Counter to expectations, an interaction of frequency of perceived ageism with health indicated that higher engagement with life was associated with more frequent perceived ageism, but only among those in poorer health. No other moderating effects were observed. The findings are discussed in terms of possible underlying mechanisms linking ageism, stereotypes and engagement, including the likelihood that our results in part reflect reverse causality, with those with both greater physical limitations and who remain broadly engaged being at greater risk of experiencing ageism.

Abstract Informal care-giving studies have largely ignored how gender and labour force participation intersect to shape filial support across diverse national contexts over time. In particular, comparative longitudinal research that explores care-giving intensity in relation to adult children’s employment status and gender remains scarce. This study addresses this gap by developing a typology of filial support and examining how care-giving patterns vary by gender and labour force participation across different country clusters in Europe and Israel. Drawing on longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we apply latent Markov models and multi-level latent class analysis to identify seven distinct filial support states, ranging from no support to very intense support. We also classify 28 countries into three clusters based on levels of involvement in filial support: low, moderate and high. Our findings indicate significant disparities based on gender and employment status, with daughters tending to provide more intensive support than sons, even when employed. Unemployed sons in countries with moderate involvement in filial support were three times more likely to provide intensive care compared to their counterparts in countries characterized by low or higher involvement. These variations suggest that support to ageing parents is deeply shaped by gendered employment opportunities and cultural care-giving norms. This complexity underscores the necessity for nuanced policy approaches to support care-givers effectively, considering both gender inequalities and employment contexts. Recognizing these intricate patterns of informal care can inform targeted interventions, ultimately addressing the care-giving burden within ageing societies more effectively.

Abstract To what extent should workers in physically demanding jobs be given the possibility of earlier retirement? This is one of the many pressing pension reform issues that ageing societies face. This article examines the extent to which such special treatment is supported by the general public. We uniquely combine a representative survey (2,136 respondents) with a vignette study to explore what respondents in the Netherlands consider a fair public pension age for 29 jobs that differ by level of physical demand. We also examine whether these pension ages are associated with other attributes that are important in an ageing society, such as the presence of chronic health conditions and informal care-giving responsibilities – such attributes may affect support for the special provisions for workers in physically demanding jobs – and control for stereotypical views about older workers. The findings reveal notable differences in public pension ages, indicating that workers in highly physically demanding jobs should be given the opportunity to retire earlier and those working in physically ‘light’ jobs should work slightly beyond the standard public pension age. We compare these differences to existing special retirement programmes for physically demanding or arduous jobs. Interestingly, non-work factors – namely, chronic health conditions and care-giving responsibilities – weigh more heavily in deciding a fair or reasonable public pension age. This suggests that organizations and policy makers facing an ageing society will have to deal with a broader set of problems than can be solved by offering early retirement programmes for specific jobs.

Abstract This article explores the experiences of social participation among Indigenous, migrant and older people with disabilities in Chile. While substantial evidence shows the importance of social participation in ageing policy, research on how diverse groups of older people in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) perceive and engage in it is limited. The article examines the participatory practices of these populations and the challenges they face in accessing and being included in their chosen spaces of engagement. Six focus groups were held with key informants from government offices and community-based organizations, and individual in-depth interviews were conducted with older people. The collected data were then analysed using an inductive content analysis approach. Findings show that several historical and structural factors influence social participation among the three studied groups, particularly their vulnerability to precarity and discrimination in the Chilean context. The dominant perspective of key informants on social participation – as a means of staying healthy, keeping busy and finding contentment – should be contrasted with the actual social, cultural and economic circumstances. Indeed, most of the older participants in this study stated that they use social participation as a means of exercising agency, as it allows them to develop significant and supportive relationships that facilitate their daily lives and provide opportunities for individual and collective empowerment. This article contributes to the development of social gerontology in the Global South by integrating diversity into research design and enhancing understanding of the conditions under which people in Chile age and participate in society.

Abstract Population ageing, increased immigration and strained public resources will challenge the future provision of formal older-age care. Despite growing diversity in older populations across Western countries, evidence on health-care utilization among older immigrants remains limited. Using full-population registry data from Norway (2011–2016) for individuals aged 60+, we examined transitions into home health care (HHC) and intensity of use (hours/day) by immigrant background. Across all country-of-origin groups, immigrants had lower odds of transitioning into HHC than natives, with differences narrowing as duration of residence increased. A broad socio-demographic patterning to HHC transitions generally held across the country background groupings. Higher transition likelihoods were observed for individuals with lower education, lower income, living alone, and residing in less urban areas. Childlessness was linked to higher relative transition propensities among natives and Nordic immigrants, but lower relative propensities among Western-origin and Eastern European immigrants. Among non-Western immigrants, childlessness appeared to have little influence on transition propensities. For HHC intensity, only non-Western immigrants received significantly fewer hours of care than natives. Subsequent analysis indicated that this difference was entirely contingent on living alone: Only non-Western immigrants living alone had significantly fewer hours of care than natives (living alone or otherwise). These findings highlight clear variation in HHC utilization by immigrant background and socio-demographic characteristics. Future research should investigate whether lower HHC use among older immigrants reflects reduced need or barriers to access. It will also be important to assess how compositional changes in the immigrant population may influence future patterns of HHC utilization.

Abstract Demographic changes in rates of living alone, migration, and having no living partner, spouse, or children are leaving more older adults without the typical uncompensated familial and non-familial care partners that are the backbone of long-term care provision. We aimed to understand the precarities and outcomes specifically experienced by older adults without care partners to inform future intervention development. Using the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and PRISMA-ScR protocol, we conducted a scoping review of nine databases to map the current peer-reviewed evidence regarding these indivdiduals’ precarities, outcomes, and interventions using the Health Equity Promotion Model (HEPM) as our guiding framework. Our comprehensive search strategy resulted in 5,100 unique articles, 33 of which met our inclusion criteria. Three independent reviewers screened and extracted data, and the first author used deductive content analysis with the pre-specified HEPM framework. Fifteen studies reported precarities related to environmental/structural forces, and psychological, social, behavioral, and biological processes. Twenty-four studies reported adverse health and well-being outcomes with more focus on health than well-being outcomes (19 versus 8). Four studies tested interventions, and reported environmental/structural, social, and behavioral processes and health and well-being outcomes. Only 13 of the 33 reviewed studies set out to explicitly study older adults without care partners, and no studies focused on marginalized sub-groups. This scoping review highlights our lack of understanding of older adults without care partners’ distinctive precarities and outcomes, and the vital research needed to develop and test interventions that effectively address their unique needs.

Abstract While ageing in place emphasises autonomy and the preference of older adults to remain in familiar environments, and ageing and place shifts attention to their movement across multiple locations, both frameworks have paid insufficient attention to the role of social networks in shaping the spatial practices of ageing. In this article, we propose ageing in networks as a complementary approach that foregrounds relationality. Rather than supplanting place-based models, ageing in networks highlights how older adults navigate spaces—both near and far—through their social ties, and how these ties mediate access to emotional and practical support. Drawing on original survey data from 1,199 residents aged 60–92 in two Singaporean public housing areas (Hougang and Taman Jurong), we examine how older adults mobilise both strong and weak ties—including friends, co-workers, and digitally mediated contacts—across everyday sites such as hawker centres, markets, malls, and churches. These connections often span neighbourhoods, suggesting that older adults are not merely attached to their residential areas but are actively sustaining dispersed, networked geographies of care and companionship. Crucially, we find that expansive social ties can buffer the challenges of living alone. We argue that social isolation, more than spatial isolation, poses the greater risk to older adults’ well-being.

Abstract Social determinants of health (SDH) impact older adults’ ability to age in place, including their access to primary and community care services. Yet, older service users are infrequently consulted on the design and delivery of health services; when they are consulted, there is scant recruitment of those who are Indigenous, racialized and/or rural. This study aimed to identify SDH for socially and culturally diverse community-dwelling older adults and to understand their views on how primary and community care restructuring might address these SDH. We recruited a diverse group of 83 older adults (mean = 75 years) in Western Canada and compared quantitative and qualitive data. The majority resided rurally, identified as women, lived with complex chronic disease (CCD), had low income and/or lived alone; nearly a quarter were Indigenous or Sikh. Indigenous status correlated with income; gender correlated with income and living situation. Thematic analysis determined that income, living situation, living rurally, Indigenous ancestry, ethno-racial minority status, gender and transportation were the main SDH for our sample. Income was the most predominant SDH and intersected with more SDH than others. Indigenous ancestry and ethno-racial minority status – as SDH – manifested differently, underscoring the importance of disaggregating data and/or considering the uniqueness of ‘BIPOC’ groups. Our study suggests that SDH models should better reflect ageing and living rurally, that policy/decision makers should prioritize low-income and ethno-racial minority populations and that service providers should work with service users to ensure that primary and community care (restructuring) addresses their priorities and mitigates SDH.

The global population is ageing rapidly, emphasising the need to understand the decision-making processes of older adults regarding potential care transitions. Gerontological research has focused on healthcare decisions, with less information on living situation choices of older adults. This review explored older adults' experiences with their involvement in decision-making processes related to transitioning into care facilities in the United Kingdom. From a systematic search of articles, nine were reviewed using thematic narrative synthesis. Four themes with nine subthemes were identified: Involvement in decision-making (Exclusion of older adults, Usefulness of involvement), The necessity of moving (Triggers for moves, The role of family), Timely planning (Helpfulness of planning, Planning avoidance), and Factors for choosing a care home (Non-quality factors, Quality factors, Continuity of life). These themes highlighted the issue of inadequate involvement of older adults in decision-making, often resulting in negative consequences like regret and difficulty settling into new care settings. The necessity of moving arose from sudden events or increased support needs. Some older adults acknowledged the necessity due to declining health or to spare family burden, while relatives grappled emotionally, postponing the choice. Timely planning was found to be beneficial practically and emotionally, facilitating smoother transitions. However, participants would rarely plan and discuss such matters early. Older adults focused on personal experiences and trusted sources rather than publicly available information when considering Factors for choosing a care home. The findings show the need for greater inclusion of older adults in decisions related to their care and the importance of early planning and providing preferred types and formats of information to aid decisions. Future research should focus on a better understanding of older adults' preferences for successful involvement in care decisions, with support and guidance for others involved in the decisions.