Active Ageing Policies Research Articles

Organized Learning as a Factor of Stimulation and Satisfaction in the Life of Older Adults

The aim of this article is to point to other than the cognitive effects of older adults’ learning that is organized in courses. The number of older people in the Czech Republic grows, and this is accommodated by universities as well as by other institutions. Nonetheless, only few representative surveys are devoted to the education of older adults, and the literature places little emphasis on satisfactory and stimulating effects of participation in organized learning. In fact, education of older adults, in general, does not only expand their knowledge and skills; it also influences their mental health (supporting mental hygiene), social status and quality of life. Among those effects, the satisfaction of important psychogenic and sociogenic needs has a special position and value. The analysis of the educational provision of 22 Czech universities of the third age indicates that courses primarily focus on helping older people how to “spend their time”, realize their hobbies and satisfy their curiosity. Themes of public interest, like media literacy or first aid, are missing. On the contrary, courses organized by other institutions (like academies of the third age, older people’s clubs, community centres etc.) are more centred upon the practical needs of older people. The motivations of older adults for organized learning are dominated by needs and related interests. The most important needs are those from the categories of belonging, esteem and self-esteem, and self-actualization and understanding (in terms of A. H. Maslow’s theory). Learning and self-learning of older adults is a part of the active ageing policy proposed by the World Health Organisation in 2002. It is based on the theory of active ageing which builds on the assumption that an adult person’s needs continue to exist till old age though they partly change. These include, among others, the inclinations to activity, self-fulfilment, self-esteem (to reach a sense of competence and usefulness). Educational activities contribute to feelings of dignity, self-esteem and well-being and help consolidate mental and physical health by mobilizing intellectual, cognitive and motoric capacities and functions. Therefore, organized learning is not only a matter of growth of knowledge and skills but also a matter of social ties and their cultivation. Simultaneously, organized learning both satisfies individual needs and interests of older people and stimulates the attainment of their life values.

Active ageing in Denmark; shifting institutional landscapes and the intersection of national and local priorities

Studies of governance rarely examine how specific institutional configurations are designed to target specific ‘problem’ groups, including older adults via ‘active ageing’ policies. In Denmark, active ageing policy has been contoured by the Structural Reform of 2007, which drove changes in institutional landscapes at both national and local levels. Rather than representing a ‘hollowing out’ of control from the centre, the Danish Structural Reform comprised a decentralised re-territorialisation of welfare provision, giving the state additional fiscal powers whilst placing additional responsibility for welfare delivery at the municipal level. The introduction of ‘Activity Centres’ for older citizens in Copenhagen is an exemplar of this change. Here, the provision of sport and exercise to older citizens was driven by neoliberal consumer logic and demand for self-determination. Yet local services are delivered with communitarian goals and methods which directly incorporate service end-users in governance and decision-making processes. Older citizens are thus empowered to define meaningfulness in activities, but only as an active member of a community. Participants are conceptualised simultaneously as both consumer and voluntary promoter/supporter of active lifestyles within that community. ‘Open access’ to activity programmes is sought, but participation requires membership. Free choice is emphasized, yet activity programmes are designed according to group consensus and available resources. Claims to cater for the entire older population sit alongside a lower age limit of 65 years and the stated aim of ensuring citizens remain free of reliance upon municipal services. Activity Centres therefore represent an autonomization of responsibility for health maintenance among older citizens, whilst concurrently reflecting new techniques of arms-length state governance of their behaviour.

Seniors and Volunteering: An Italian Study into Gender Differences

Various studies on active ageing have focused on social participation as an element in the promotion of related policies. Literature on the subject reveals that the participation in voluntary activities is a factor which contributes positively to the process of active ageing. This article explores gender disparities related to active volunteerism among Italian seniors. Of the 900 active subjects aged between 65 and 74 who participated, 146 were engaged in voluntary activities. Constrained cluster analysis techniques based on a series of variables including age, income type, relationship networks, value attributions, and sector of volunteering association were applied to identify the statistical differences between elderly male and female volunteers. The results show a difference in volunteer profile between the genders. Male volunteers are younger, often married and more active, while women are older, often widows and possessing a strong religious vocation. Furthermore, while men are more likely to be involved in activities related to sports, women tend to donate time to solidarity and educational initiatives aimed at individuals. The promotion of active ageing policies should consider as crucial not only the differences in national welfare regimes, but also how gender disparities determine different forms and opportunities for social participation.

The Creation of a Reliable and Valid Age-friendly Checklist and Guidebook ( breakout presentation )

Background The communities in which we live can have a profound impact on our health and well-being. This may be especially true for older adults. The World Health Organization (WHO) ascribed a central role to features of the physical and social environment in determining the health and wellbeing of older adults in its active aging policy framework. Experts also developed a WHO Guide, which described key aspects of age-friendliness across eight domains. Many Canadian Cities and towns have been designated Age-Friendly, However, up until now, there has been little measurement or evaluation of Age-Friendliness. Aim In order to address these gaps in measurement and evaluation, we developed the Age-Friendly Neighbourhood Checklist (AFNC), based on WHO Guidelines for Age-Friendliness. The AFNC is an observational checklist which focuses specifically on the built features of a neighbourhood including outdoor spaces, buildings, transportation and winter walkability. In this presentation, we will provide information on its development and validation, highlighting ways in which evidence from this checklist might be used to help communities and neighbourhoods as they move towards becoming Age-Friendly. Methods Development of the AFNC proceeded in three phases. Phase One comprised initial development, content validation with seven experts, and pilot testing. Inter-rater reliability from the first pilot test was unacceptably low (Cohen’s Kappa – 0.61), therefore, Phase Two included scale refinement and development of a guidebook followed by further pilot testing. Phase Three involved content validation and reliability testing in all urban and suburban neighbourhoods. Results The Phase Two pilot test revealed that Inter-reliability using Cohen’s Kappa rose to .76 with use of the Guidebook; the overall ICC was 0.87. Ten experts participated in the latest content validation. The average expert ratings ranged from 2.6 to 4.8 out of 5; the experts also made suggestions on the wording of 4 items. Based on this, we deleted 6 items with scores below 3; we also rewrote 4 items. Conclusions Providing communities with a reliable and valid means to assess age-friendliness is useful and enables them to plan and adapt to their population’s needs, develop interventions, and monitor progressive change within their community.

A BIRD’S EYE VIEW: ANALYSING GENDER AND SOCIAL class INEQUALITIES IN ACTIVE AGEING IN EUROPE

The distribution of resources for older people to actively participate in society has received limited attention in ageing research despite growing relevance. We provide a compendium of indicators based on the analysis of large-scale surveys (including ESS, SHARE, SHARELIFE, SILC) with the aim to investigate gender and socio-economic inequalities in the employment, health and social participation of older people in Europe. We start from standard outcome active ageing indicators, which often mask core differences between gender and socio-economic groups. We then propose a three-tier analytical framework using indicators better reflecting existing inequalities and life course processes. Our results reveal that patterns of inequalities in old-age cannot be easily classified along traditional lines of welfare regime differences. We conclude that active ageing policies should look more closely at the underlying reasons for these patterns and develop tailored approaches to address them, both in later life and over the life cycle. (Accepted for the World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics, IAAG (2017),23-27 July 2017, San Francisco)

Planning for population ageing: the rhetoric of ‘active ageing’ – theoretical shortfalls, policy limits, practical constraints and the crucial requirement for societal interventions

ABSTRACTInternational policy discourse on planning for population ageing has developed around the notion of ‘active ageing’. However, the extent to which active ageing policy prescriptions are responding to social and individual needs at the local level is yet to be investigated. This paper examines the theoretical shortfalls, policy limits and practical constraints to active ageing, with a focus on social exclusion, locational disadvantage, spatial exclusion and the impediments local councils encounter in supporting this policy. Findings from a study on local government and ageing in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, a complementary investigation of projected changes in older populations in NSW local government areas and related issues in the literature are reported. The analysis demonstrates the implications differing local (resource, opportunity, capability and spatial) contexts have for active ageing and the vital requirement for societal interventions.

Gender, aging, and the economics of “active aging”: Setting a new research agenda

ABSTRACTThe world is aging, and the percentages of older people are on a dramatic ascent. This dramatic demographic aging of human society is not gender neutral; it is mostly about older women. One of the key policy approaches to address the aging revolution is known as “active aging,” crystalized by the WHO in 2002 by three pillars: participation, health, and security. The active aging policy has financial and economic aspects and affects both men and women. However, as argued in this article, a gender-based approach has not been adopted within the existing active aging framework. Therefore, a new gender-specific research agenda is needed, one that focuses on an interrelation between gender and different economic aspects of “active aging” from international, comparative, cultural, and longitudinal perspectives.

Active Ageing, Pensions and Retirement in the UK

The ageing population has led to increasing concerns about pensions and their future sustainability. Much of the dominant policy discourse around ageing and pension provision over the last decade has focussed on postponing retirement and prolonging employment. These measures are central to productive notions of ‘active ageing’. Initially the paper briefly sets out the pension developments in the UK. Then it introduces active ageing and active ageing policy, exploring its implications for UK pension provision. It demonstrates that a more comprehensive active ageing framework, which incorporates a life-course perspective, has the potential to assist the UK to respond to the challenges of an ageing population. In doing so it needs to highlight older people as an economic and social resource, and reduce barriers to older people’s participation in society.

The association of mobility limitation and social networks in relation to late-life activity

ABSTRACTThe current study examines the interaction between mobility limitations and social networks in relation to activity in later life. Although the importance of activity participation to successful ageing has been well established, it is still unclear what contributes to higher levels of activity. This research addresses this issue, using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. The analysis focuses on a sub-sample of respondents aged 60 and older, from 13 countries, who participated in two specific waves, in 2011 and 2013. Multivariate analysis of the longitudinal data was conducted using hierarchical generalised Poisson regression and incorporating a new comprehensive social network scale. The inquiry found that having multiple mobility limitations is associated with less activity and that having a resourceful social network contributes to more activity. The research further revealed that social network is particularly beneficial to those with multiple mobility limitations because it mitigates the negative association with activity. This conclusion furthers the understanding of the relationship between different key dimensions in the successful ageing paradigm. Specifically, the findings imply the significance of having a social network among those who are functionally challenged. This finding has important implications for active ageing policies.

‘Since I retired, I can take things as they come. For example, the laundry’: gender, class and freedom in retirement in Switzerland

ABSTRACTPopulation ageing has led many countries to be concerned about the ‘economic burden’ of elders, and several have adopted the active ageing paradigm to reform policy. However, gender differences that moderate the effect of active ageing have been little considered. As in other nations in the European Union, Swiss federal authorities use the active ageing paradigm to reshape ageing policies, including the provision of incentives to seniors to remain in the labour market. At the same time, many recent and proposed changes draw on the assumption of gender equality, even though actual parity has not yet been demonstrated. We know little about how gender shapes retirement in Switzerland, other than in relation to financial inequality between women and men. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with Swiss retirees (N = 15) shows how men and women describe this time of life differently. All respondents characterised retirement as a time of freedom; but the meaning of such freedom diverged for men and women, reflecting the gender division of labour, which is further shaped by class. We discuss the implications of this difference for the gendered consequences of active ageing policies.

The Risks of Ageism Model: How Ageism and Negative Attitudes toward Age Can Be a Barrier to Active Aging

The World Health Organization's (WHO) active aging framework recognizes that age barriers and ageism need to be removed in order to increase potential for active aging. However, there has been little empirical analysis of ways in which ageism and attitudes toward age impact on active aging. This article sets out the Risks of Ageism Model (RAM) to show how ageism and attitudes toward age can impact the six proposed determinants of active aging via three pathways; (1) stereotype embodiment, the process through which stereotypes are internalized and become self‐relevant, (2) stereotype threat, the perceived risk of conforming to negative stereotypes about one's group, and (3) age discrimination, unfair treatment based on age. Active aging policies are likely to be more successful if they attend to these three pathways when challenging ageism and negative attitudes toward age.

Active Aging through Employment: A Critical Feminist Perspective on Polish Policy

Age has become a crucial factor in labour market regulation measures adopted in Poland in recent years. Inspired by the Europe 2020 strategy of ‘smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’, Poland’s own long-term development plans, especially those adopted by the former Civic Platform-led administration, place a significant emphasis on extended working lives as essential to economic sustainability. Due to low employment rates among Poland’s senior age cohorts, and the shortfall between the actual and statutory age of retirement, many of the country’s Active Aging measures have focused primarily on employment activation of workers over the age 50. The supply-side activation techniques and demand-side incentives, combined with pension system reforms, have been the key measures designed to encourage longer working lives. However, there is a need to consider the extent to which these measures are achievable and adequate. From a feminist, socio-legal perspective, this article critically evaluates Poland’s Active Aging policy and reforms by locating them at the intersection of the transformation and restructuring of the Polish welfare state and the re-regulation of the country’s labour market according to neoliberal values. Two key points of interest, or sources of tension, are identified: the extent to which efforts to bolster older people’s employment participation take adequate account of labour market conditions, and the roles that older people play in the provision of care and other activities involved in the maintenance of living standards. As the article shows, the potentially negative consequences of this policy trajectory for the well-being of older people in and out of the labour market, and for the organization of care and the broader processes of social reproduction, though potentially exacerbated by current policies, have tended to be downplayed in policy and legal reform.

Population Ageing, the Intergenerational Conflict, and Active Ageing Policies – a Multilevel Study of 27 European Countries

In the scientific and the public debate demographic ageing is sometimes perceived as an unstoppable “grey tide” which will inevitably lead to a conflict between the old and young generation. In this paper we empirically evaluate whether we find any evidence for an intergenerational conflict in Europe and which factors might influence its severity. In particular, we answer the following questions. (1) Is there a conflict between the interests of the younger and the older generation? (2) Does the strength of the conflict increase with population ageing? And finally, (3) can a policy of Active Ageing, i.e. better integrating older generations into society, moderate the conflict? We answer these questions in a comparative study of 27 European countries using data from the Eurobarometer 2009. Our results show a moderate conflict between generations. Compared to spending preferences of the younger generation, older people are more likely to support increased spending for old age at the expense of educational spending. Contrary to expectation, generational conflict does not increase with population ageing. Linking country differences in the strength of the generational conflict to the degree of population ageing with multilevel regression techniques we do not find any evidence that the conflict is increasing In a final step of our analysis we evaluate the potential of generational policies - measured with the Active Aging Index - to mitigate the generational conflict. Intergenerational conflict is weaker when older people actively participate in the political life and are visible in society, suggesting Active Aging policies as a means to mitigate intergenerational conflict.

I wonder if robots will take care of me when I am old: Positive aging representations of professionals working in health promotion services.

How the social and institutional context is structured and represented by its actors has an impact on positive aging representations. This qualitative study explores professionals' views on positive aging, how they promote positive aging in their practice and what disparities occur between their discourses and the actual practice of promoting positive aging. Interviews were conducted with professionals from different active aging promotion services and analyzed with thematic coding. Findings show professionals hold negative views on aging while trying to promote positive views in their work, illustrating an existing theory-practice gap. Strategies used in practice can be integrated in existing agency models and inform interventions and active aging policies.

Hanging on to wisdom of the “old”

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to shed light on developments in Norwegian companies’ active ageing policies, and hence offer insight into what characterizes those Norwegian companies offering measures to retain their older workers. Design/methodology/approach The research questions are investigated using data from two surveys carried out among a representative sample of Norwegian companies in 2005 and 2010. The two data sets are analyzed both separately and jointly, being merged to obtain a pooled cross-section data set. Both multivariate logistic and linear regression are applied. Findings The proportion of companies in Norway offering retention measures, as well as the extensiveness of their retention efforts (the number of different measures offered), has increased considerably from 2005 to 2010. What characterizes these companies however are surprisingly similar in 2005 and 2010. Their retention efforts seem to be part of a holistic approach to active ageing. Offering a number of different retention measures is more common among companies having initiated “measures to facilitate lifelong learning” and “measures to prevent health problems or reduced work capacity”. Originality/value The employers’ perspective has received little attention in previous research and the authors are the first to report on developments in Norwegian companies’ retention efforts over time. Knowledge about what characterizes employers offering such measures will be important for future efforts to increase employments rates among older workers, which is an aim for most European countries.

Measuring active ageing: A Data Envelopment Analysis approach

The ‘Active Ageing Index’ was created with the purpose of helping policy makers implement and monitor active ageing policies both at European and national levels. However, this index has not fully achieved this purpose. In this article we propose a methodological approach based on Data Envelopment Analysis to enhance the measurement of active ageing in the European Union countries. We use a model with 22 indicators grouped into four domains. By introducing different types of virtual weight restrictions, we combine normative judgements with an optimisation procedure, showing each country in the best possible light. Furthermore, we undertake a sensitivity analysis regarding the effect of varying the limits of the relative contribution of each domain.The results show that the proposed approach has great potential in this context, allowing the comparison of countries and the identification of relevant targets and benchmarks, even when there is uncertainty regarding the relative importance of the indicators and domains considered. For most countries, the results are robust regarding different levels of flexibility for the relative contribution of each domain. We identify six countries that represent relevant benchmarks for the underperforming countries. The underperforming countries have some potential for improvement in terms of active ageing, whilst respecting their preferences and specificities for the processes that can be used to actively age. Based on a flexible evaluation of the countries, we contribute to develop a better tool to guide the European Union countries towards the formulation and monitoring of more effective policy measures to promote active ageing.

New Evidence on Active Ageing in Europe

Ensuring active ageing, i.e. the optimisation of opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age, is an important growth strategy for the EU. Achieving a successful active ageing policy will require a sea change in thinking about what ageing means in both economic and social terms.

Surfing through the life-course: silver surfers’ negotiation of ageing

ABSTRACTImages of surfing have tended to reflect consumer culture’s fascination with youthfulness, simultaneously perpetuating a myth that participants are reckless, male risk-seeking hedonists. This image, however, is being challenged with increasing numbers of older male and female surfers taking to the water. Drawing on empirical research conducted in the UK, I explore the meanings that recreational surfing plays in participants’ lives and identities as they grow older. The research involved interviews with male and female British recreational surfers from ‘middle-age’ through to what the media have dubbed ‘silver surfers’. I examine both life-long surfers and those who have taken to surfing in mid-life. While ageing is often conceptualized as a phase of cognitive and physical decline, recreational surfing is being used as an identity resource in the extension of ‘mid-life’ and in the process of negotiating anxieties about ageing [Tulle 2008. Ageing, the Body and Social Change: Running in Later Life. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan]. The paper highlights ways in which older surfers reproduce, and challenge dominant discourses about ageing, physical activity and embodiment, and how they envisage their sporting futures, negotiating ageing though surfing. Lastly, it draws out some of the implications for active ageing policy agendas.

Older employees’ desired retirement age: a JD-R perspective

Purpose– Using the job demands-resources (JD-R) model as a theoretical framework, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how job demands and job resources affect older employees’ desired retirement age, through an energy-depletion and a motivational process. Furthermore, the importance of gain and loss cycles (i.e. recursive effects) for the desired retirement age was investigated.Design/methodology/approach– A two wave full panel design with 2,897 older employees ( > 50) served to test the hypotheses. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test the measurement and research model. Cross-lagged analyses tested the presence of gain and loss cycles.Findings– Results from cross-lagged analyses based on two waves over a one-year period indicated the presence of both a gain and a loss cycle that affected the desired retirement age.Research limitations/implications– This is the first longitudinal study applying the JD-R model to a retirement context. Limitations relate to employing only two waves for establishing mediation, and using self-reports.Practical implications– Because work conditions can create a cycle of motivation as well as a cycle of depletion, organizations should pay special attention to the job resources and demands of older workers. The findings can inspire organizations when developing active aging policies, and contribute to interventions aimed at maintaining older employees within the workforce until – or even beyond – their official retirement age in a motivated and healthy way.Originality/value– This is the first longitudinal study applying the JD-R model to a retirement context and finding evidence for gain and loss cycles.

“They Do Not Know How To Use Their Health Insurance Card”: Implementation of Active Aging Policy and Aging Perceptions in Romanian General Practitioners

Implementing positive aging ideas developed in Western Europe may be difficult to achieve in Eastern European contexts such as the Romanian health system. This might result in inequalities between EU countries in what positive aging is concerned. How health professionals construct old age reflects in the health communication with their aging patients. To analyze how old age and older patients as well as active aging promotion happens, we conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with Romanian general practitioners, the gatekeepers of Romanian health care system. Thematic coding revealed that constructions of the irresponsible old patient prevail. Doctors perceive themselves either as helpless helpers, or as a kind of social worker, performing duties that are outside the range of medical services. Implications of the findings for practice and active aging policy implementation are discussed.