Beginning Of Old Age Research Articles

MODERN APPROACHES TO UNDERSTANDING OLDER PEOPLE AS A PECULIAR SOCIAL GROUP

Global aging trends, which are characteristic of Ukraine as well, lead to an understanding of the specific characteristics of older people. Based on the analysis of modern Ukrainian and international literature, this paper systematizes modern scientific views on the elderly as a special social group.Demographic, psycho-physiological, and sociological concepts related to ideas about old age, aging, and age limits of older people are characterized. In demography, older people are persons aged 60 years and older. At the same time, current documents of EU and other international organization stress that it is impossible to determine the fixed beginning of old age, because it depends on the individual characteristics of a person and many external factors that can slow down this process.From the point of view of physiology, older persons are characterized by involutive aging processes, which lead to a reduction in the functioning of the body and a higher need for external assistance (dependency on assistance). Psychological representations are based on the fact that elderly people are at the last stage of life, which is characterized by the search for the meaning of their life and reevaluation of achievements, who need self-affirmation and who self-identify with old age. Sociological ideas about the elderly are focused on singling out these people as a separate social group, which are characterized by a reduced social status, certain sociocultural roles and which require adjustments for communication with other groups in society.It was determined that an integrative definition of old age derived from socio-age status and identity is essential for social work. Social workers have to appreciate that individuals who usually experience a change in their own social environment have the same rights as other people and at the same time need respect for their choices, quality care and support

Comparison of the Effects of Music and Rose Water Aromatherapy on the Happiness level among the Elderly Living in Nursing Homes in Kermanshah in 2018

Background and Objective: People's psychological and social activities gradually decrease with an increase in age and the beginning of old age. In this regard, proper planning can make life enjoyable at an older age. Therefore, the current research aimed to compare the effect of music and rose water aromatherapy on the level of happiness among the elderly living in nursing homes. Materials and Methods: This research was a three-group randomized clinical trial of pre-test and post-test type with a control group. It was conducted on 93 elderly residents in nursing homes in Kermanshah who were selected via convenience sampling and randomly assigned to three groups. Before the intervention, the demographic information questionnaire and Oxford happiness questionnaire were completed. In the music group, an instrumental relaxing local Kurdish music was used for 12 45-50-min sessions three days a week for one month. For the rose water aromatherapy group, three drops of rose were poured on a cotton ball with a dropper and held at a distance of 25 cm from the nose of the elderly. The control group continued their daily activities without receiving any intervention. The data were analyzed using paired t-test and analysis of covariance. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in the happiness mean score in the three groups. The effect of the pre-test scores of happiness and its different dimensions on the post-test scores was significant (P>0.001). In addition, by controlling the effect of the pre-test, a significant difference was observed among the elderly in the three groups of aromatherapy, music therapy, and the control group. Conclusion: As evidenced by the results of this study, the two methods of music and rose water aromatherapy increase the happiness of the elderly. Nonetheless, music exerted a more significant effect on increasing the happiness of the elderly compared to aromatherapy. Therefore, it is suggested that music and aromatherapy be used as cost-effective non-pharmacological methods and complementary medicine in nursing homes and hospitals, along with other treatments, to promote happiness.

Experience of Menopause for Women in the Niamey Region, Republic of Niger

Introduction: Menopause is poorly documented in Africa. For most of the women living there, the experience of this period does not seem to be very problematic. For women living in rural areas, other concerns are more prominent. Methods: The study was prospective, quantitative and qualitative about 500 cases collected over a period of 6 months. The study involved postmenopausal women in the Niamey region of public services, in certain residential areas, or accompanying people in health structures. Parameters taken into account were sociocultural, antecedents, experience, knowledge, and management of menopause. The data was entered and analyzed using Microsoft Office Word 2010 and Microsoft Office Excel 2010 software. Results: The average age was 56.4 years with extremes of 40 and 80 years; 57% were still living with their husbands and 39% widows; 60.2% housewives; 53% uneducated, 17% have higher education; 60.2% had had at least 6 children and 39.6% had used contraception. The comorbidities observed were arterial hypertension (24.4%) and diabetes (7%). As for the representation that women made of menopause, for all of them, this stage is the beginning of old age. The most frequent signs were asthenia (86.2%) and mood disorders (70.6%). Almost all of the patients (99.8%) had not used hormonal treatment for the menopause and among them 27% the management of the menopause was with traditional means. Conclusion: Menopausal disorders are certainly a reality in our socio-cultural context. They are not a primary concern either through ignorance or resignation of the women concerned.

Being Old in the Age of Aging: Macro-Level Determinants of Change in Perception of Old Age Threshold in EU Countries

Purpose: The question about the determinants of perception of old age still has not found an unequivocal answer in the literature. Most of the studies so far have concentrated on the analysis of micro factors in selected years. This study attempts to fill this gap by evaluating macro-level variables associated with changes in individual perception of the beginning of old age. Our analysis, which is based on the 2008 and 2018 editions of the European Social Survey, attempts to capture changes in the perception of old age. Design/Methodology/Approach: We have analysed four macro factors, health, socioeconomic, institutional, and the labor market. Among these groups, the socio-economic and labor market factors have the most considerable significance. The change of the real GDP per capita factor explains 13% of the variability of the perception of the old age threshold. Almost all labor market indicators, 55-64 employment rate, 65-69 and 75+ labor force participation rates, have proven to be statistically significant. Findings: The most notable result of this study is the significant role of factors related to the labor market, both concerning the old age perception threshold and the change of this threshold. Practical Implications: The study results provide a strong indication that the situation of the elderly in the labor market is the primary macro determinant of the perception of old age. Originality/Value: The results of our study indicate that the most effective tools of influencing the perception of the onset of old age are provided by labour market policy directed at employment support for people aged 55+, mainly 75+. This is a conclusion important from the point of view of the results of the COVID-19 pandemics, where the people most at risk are the eldest, both for health reasons (highest mortality in this age group), and for an increased risk of job loss, as such people, by having the right to a pension or drawing a pension, will be relatively least impacted financially by the loss of employment.

Assessment of psychophysical capacities for professional work in late middle age and at the beginning of old age

In Poland average life expectancy extends, while the number of the elderly who are active in the labor market decreases The study population consisted of 429 people aged 50–70 years old living in the community of south-eastern Poland. The respondents were divided into 2 study groups: group I – late middle age (50–60 years old) and group II – early old age (61–70 years old). With the use of questionnaires they were given, we obtained their socio-demographic data, assessed their cognitive and emotional state, as their physical activity levels. We used the Tinetti test to assess their gait and balance. We did not find statistically significant difference in cognitive functioning between the studied groups (p = 0.109). Moreover, there was no significant relationship between belonging to an age group and suffering from depression (p = 0.06) as well as no major differences were observed in the general level of physical activity in relation to age (p = 0.112). Our study found that most of our subjects, regardless of gender, declared their willingness to continue professional work after reaching retirement age. The results of own research did not show significant differences in psychophysical state between people in late middle age and at the beginning of old age. Most of the researched participants declared their willingness to continue professional work. Due to changing demographic conditions, it is becoming an important issue to maintain the highest possible level of professional activity of older people in the labor market in Poland. Med Pr 2018;69(4):375–381

Own attitude toward aging among nursing home residents: results of the SENIOR cohort

Stereotypes associated with aging are of great concern as extensive literature emphasizes its deleterious effects on physical and mental health of the elderly. To assess the relationship between the attitude toward aging and the frailty status of nursing homes residents. A cross-sectional analysis of the data collected at baseline in the SENIOR cohort was conducted. All subjects received a diagnosis of frailty based on the Fried's criteria. They also responded to the Attitude to Aging Questionnaire (AAQ) and other questions assessing their subjective age, the age at which someone stops being considered young or is considered old and the open-ended Image-of-Aging question to evaluate the relationship between their perception of aging and their frailty status. 272 nursing home residents (83.9 ± 8.19years; 75% women) participated in this study. Out of them, 54 (19.9%) were frail, 182 (66.9%) were pre-frail, and 36 (13.2%) were robust. According to the AAQ questionnaire, frail subjects have a more negative perception of aging (score of 80.3 ± 10.2 points) than pre-frail subjects (83.6 ± 10.8) and robust subjects (86.5 ± 10.5) (p = 0.02). However, the three groups did not differ in the age that would mark, to their opinion, the end of youth (p = 0.93) or the beginning of old age (p = 0.98). The subjective age, rapported by nursing home residents, was not significantly different according to their frailty status. At least, based on the Open-Ended Image of Aging question, the residents' vision of aging was not different according to the frailty status (p = 0.52). Based on the AAQ, frail subjects have more negative attitude to ageing compared to non-frail ones.

УЯВЛЕННЯ ПРО СТАРІСТЬ У МІСТАХ РІЧПОСПОЛИТСЬКОГО ПРОСТОРУ НА МЕЖІ СЕРЕДНЬОВІЧЧЯ ТА РАННЬОМОДЕРНОЇ ДОБИ

From ancient times, philosophical treatises divided human life into separate periods. The most extreme of them were childhood and old age. If the first of these stages is relatively well represented both in legal literature and documentary sources, the second one is paid much less attention. There was no clear dating of the beginning of old age. The attitude towards older people was ambivalent, which was dictated by both Christian views and the practice of life. These views were widespread in the towns of the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th and 17th centuries. The town law to some extent protected older people, but in most cases, they did not act as subjects of law. The important groups of sources for the history of old age are the codes of law and burghers’ testaments.

Age discrimination in healthcare institutions perceived by seniors and students.

Old age-based discrimination is observed as the most tolerated prejudice in society and has also been witnessed in healthcare institutions. The aim of this study is to explore age-based discrimination in healthcare institutions as perceived by seniors and students of Medicine and Nursing. A multi-method study design, by involving a triangulation design. A purposeful sample of individuals aged 65+ (n = 80) and medical and nursing students (n = 100) in the eastern region of Poland. Ethical approval of the research protocol was received from the Ethics Committee at the Medical University of Lublin. 'Old age' was perceived by groups of participants based on three themes: (a) positive, (b) negative and (c) neutral connotations. The negative connotations predominated. The beginning of old age was defined by the metric of age and described by showing the complexity of the ageing process involving subjective, objective and societal aspects. Experience of age discrimination in healthcare institutions was reported by 24 (30%) seniors and witnessed by 47 (47%) students surveyed and for both groups occurred mainly at the hospital level and by physicians. Only 48 students (48%) declared a willingness to work with the older people in the future, and barriers were reported at the personal and professional levels, and also in some visions of older people. The conceptualization of old age as reported by seniors and students mainly carried negative connotations, reflecting the profoundly based stereotypes within society regarding the older people. Seniors have reported being exposed to ageism and have witnessed ageism episodes in HCIs; also, students have faced ageism episodes during their clinical education. There is a need for ethical education within medical and nursing courses to shape positive attitudes towards the older people. A positive vision of ageing should be promoted not only among young people but also among adults and older people to avoid self-stereotyping of older people and seeing old age from negative perspective.

Trajectories of social participation in old age: a systematic literature review

Abstract Objective: the present study aimed to identify patterns of social participation in old age and the theories used to explain them. Method: A systematic review was performed using the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE / PUBMED), Scientific Electronic Library Online (Scielo) and Web of Science (ISI Web of Knowledge) databases. The keywords used were: social participation, social engagement, social involvement and social activities; combined with seniors, the elderly, older adults, older people and aging. Research was performed between January and February. Results: thirty-one longitudinal studies on social participation among old and healthy middle-aged adults were included for analysis. In three studies social engagement levels increased, especially at the beginning of old age (up to 75 years). Twenty-one studies presented results that described the reduction of social engagement levels in old age, and five studies found that there was no change in levels of social involvement. The most used theories were: the activity theory, the social disengagement theory, the continuity theory and the theory of socioemotional selectivity. Conclusion: the results point to the need for reflection on what is envisioned and what is practiced in terms of policies and practices aimed at achieving successful aging. Future attempts should include not only incentives to remain active, but a description of factors that influence the social disengagement associated with poor adaptation in old age.

Menopause, the beginning of aging for Chilean women: A qualitative study.

To develop the meaning of menopause of a group of post-menopausal women and their relationship with aging. Qualitative descriptive study on 15 Chilean women that completed a taped face-to-face in depth interview that were interpreted according to Krippendorff. A qualitative content analysis revealed the presence of two themes: (a) Cessation of women´s reproductive stage and (b) a life transition to aging. Women perceived their menopause as the beginning of aging focusing on the end of fertility and the social connotation that this new role implies. Feeling old 10 years before the customary beginning of old age is an important starting point to be incorporated in women's health education.

Self-Perception of When Old Age Begins for Cambodian Elders Living in the United States

To deepen the understanding of the life course of refugees this study explores the question: when do Cambodian elders perceive the beginning of old age? In-depth interviews were conducted with 32 Cambodians, age range 53-82, who attended an elder day center in an urban setting in Massachusetts. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using the modified grounded theory approach. The analysis revealed that the participants primarily reported two determinants to defining when old age begins: 1) the body "has too many illnesses" due to harsh working conditions; and 2) social role transition into grandparent. This study extends research on cultural differences in aging, specifically identifying the cultural difference in the definition of when "old age" begins. Age is culturally derived and creates expectations for social roles, health, self-identity, and behavior. Understanding how refugees experience the cultural discrepancies in their expectations of aging can inform providers who serve this population.

Macro- and micro-level predictors of age categorization: results from the European Social Survey.

This study evaluated macro- and micro-level variables associated with individuals' perception of the ending of youth, the beginning of old age, and the length of the middle age period. The European Social Survey is a biennial multi-country, cross-sectional survey. Our analysis is based on the fourth wave, which included a rotating module on ageism. The source sample consisted of 28 countries and a total of 54,988 respondents. Whereas macro-level variability accounted for 14% of the variance associated with the perception of the ending of youth, only 5.7% of the variance associated with the perception of the beginning of old age was accounted for by macro-level variability. Almost 10% of the variance associated with the perception of the middle age period was associated with macro-level variability. Different patterns of macro- and micro-level correlates emerged for the ending of youth, beginning of old age, and the period of middle age. Overall, results demonstrate that individual differences in the perception of the ending of youth, the beginning of old age, and the length of the middle age period are more pronounced than contextual differences. Results also suggest that individuals' mental maps regarding the timing of these events are not necessarily concordant.

Job stress and mortality in older age

This paper aims to assess the relationship between the determinants of the psychosocial work environment, as expressed in terms of JDC or ERI models, and all-cause mortality in older individuals. The baseline study was conducted on a cohort comprising a random sample of 65-year-old community-dwelling citizens of Kraków, Poland. All of the 727 participants (410 women, 317 men) were interviewed in their households in the period between 2001 and 2003; a structured questionnaire was used regarding their occupational activity history, which included indexes measuring particular dimensions of their psychosocial work environment based on Karasek's Job Demand-Control model and Siegrist's Effort-Reward Imbalance model, as well as health-related quality of life and demographic data. Mortality was ascertained by monitoring City Vital Records for 7 years. Analyses were conducted separately for men and women, with the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model. During a 7-year follow-up period, 59 participants (8.1%) died, including 21 women (5.1% of total women) and 38 men (12%) (p < 0.05). Significant differences in the number of deaths occurred regarding disproportion between physical demands and control in men: those with low physical demands and low control died three times more often than those with high control, regardless of the level of demands. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard model showed that significantly higher risk of death was observed only in men with low physical demands and low control, compared to those with low physical demands and high control (Exp(B) = 4.65, 95% CI: 1.64-13.2). Observed differences in mortality patterns are similar to the patterns of relationships observed in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) level at the beginning of old age; however, the relationship between efforts and rewards or demands and control and mortality was not fully confirmed.

Kiedy w starożytności rozpoczynała się starość?

When does man begin to be old: when he is sixty, sixty-five and perhaps seventy? Nothing is more uncertain than the beginning of the old age. Is man`s age the matter of his heart, brain, mood, or chronological time? In the ancient world, there was no clear understanding regarding the beginning of the old age. We have different classifications of the stages of human life, but there was no specified year, which would mark the old age. It was a year between 46 and 60 years of age. Today the age of 46 is not the beginning of the old age. In the ancient world, life was much shorter, so it is not surprising that 46 years old was regarded as the beginning of old age. There were two trends in ancient Greece and Rome. One represented by Plato and Cicero: older people are wise, experienced, worthy of reverence and respect. The second trend represented by Aristotle: older people are quarrelsome, greedy, cowardly. The life of old people was different. The rich lived very well, but in general the old age in ancient times was a difficult time.

Preparación para la Jubilación en los Servicios Públicos de Chile

Retirement is a break in the lives of individuals, the transition from one way of living centred on work, which has been dominant throughout his/her life, to a new stage that announces the beginning of old age and requires the individual's adaptation, both in life and in their own expectations. The aim of this study was to determine the perceptions and actions taken by employees in early retirement from the Social Security Agency, former INP (IPS public social security agency) and the Service of Civil Registry and Identification, in relation to retirement, in the communes of Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué, San Felipe, Los Andes; and the meaning attributed to work, also whether these perceptions are influenced by gender or scaffold to which they belong. It is an exploratory-descriptive study, using quantitative and qualitative techniques in data collection. It exists at all levels (professional, administrative) and either male or female, a high valuation to work. Only half of the respondents planned their time once they retire ... Respondents have not taken steps to their retirement in the economic and social fiel. There is a shortage of social relationships outside work, which will negatively affect the future in the process of adaptation of the older person to their subjective well-being and quality of life.

Science and the practice of cardiovascular medicine in the geriatric population.

The classification of aging is variable. Often, age 65 years is used as a cutpoint, as that is the beginning age for Medicare health insurance coverage in the U.S. Others often use age 75 as the beginning of old age, and 85 years as characteristic of very old age. Perhaps a reasonable approach to old age is the comment by Pascal that “old age is just a time that is farther from the beginning and nearer to the end.” Nonetheless, contemporary aging is a social phenomenon without historical precedent. Physicians and scientists have an inadequate information base to guide the care of the oldest old. Government and social institutions lack the knowledge as to how to respond to the burgeoning health needs of the oldest old; and information is lacking about the health care values of our oldest old citizens to guide their cardiovascular care. The contemporary U.S. population older than age 65 accounts for more than 85% of all cardiovascular disease deaths, 65% of cardiovascular disease hospitalizations, 62% of myocardial infarction hospitalizations, and 77% of heart failure hospitalizations. [2,3]

Making the transition to retirement: appraisals, post‐transition lifestyle, and changes in consumption patterns

PurposeThis research proposes to examine how the retirement experience in the USA is cultivated via the appraisal process and reflected in post‐retirement lifestyle postures and consumption changes.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 298 recent retirees were surveyed to test hypotheses suggested by a proposed model of the retirement experience. The model proposes that the appraisal process is integral in determining how a retiree interprets impact of the event for self‐identity and reflects self‐realignment strategies in post‐retirement consumption patterns.FindingsFindings show that perceptions of resource availability are important predictors of retiree appraisals. Furthermore, appraisals directly impact retirees' adoption of a post‐transition lifestyle posture, whether “new start”, “continuation of life”, “disruption to life”, or “beginning of old age”. Also explored are differences between lifestyle postures and post‐retirement consumption expenditures across a number of product categories. Generally, retirees who adopt the perspective of retirement as a “new start” or as a “disruption” tend to increase expenditures in “experiential” and “outward‐oriented” product categories. Retirees who adopt the perspective of retirement as the beginning of “old age” or as a “continuation” of past selves tend to increase expenditures in “non‐experiential” and “inward‐oriented” product categories.Practical implicationsRetirees are an increasingly important cohort for marketing in many industries. The findings demonstrate that individuals appraise the retirement event very differently and in turn respond to marketing activities very differently, which has implications for marketing segmentation strategies.Originality/valueThis research extends prior research of life transitional events by highlighting the importance of considering individuals' attitudes toward major life transitional events as an important factor in predicting their responses to these events.

The effects of pre-retirement factors and retirement route on circumstances in retirement: findings from the Whitehall II study

Retirement has traditionally been seen as the beginning of old age. It has been depicted as mandatory expulsion from the workforce and seen to mark the transition to a period of ill health and poverty. Such ideas and associations are however being challenged in the developed world by socio-demographic changes in retirement and old age. People in the United Kingdom as elsewhere are living longer and healthier lives, and many older people have access to non-state incomes that afford them a reasonable standard of living in retirement. There is however still concern that inequalities persist into old age. Data from two waves of the British Whitehall II study have been used to assess the relative effects of occupational grade, psychological and general health during working life, and retirement patterns or pathways on activities, attitudes to health and income in retirement. The results show that the majority of the sample reported good health, financial security and overall satisfaction with life, but with observable inequalities. Regression analyses demonstrate that pre-retirement circumstances generally had a greater effect on later life than the retirement route or pathway. Retirement no longer represents a drastic break between working and post-work life but rather, the results suggest, there are continuities between the two periods. It is concluded that the main causes of inequalities in retirement are work-based rather than in retirement itself.

Behavioral Determinants of Healthy Aging: Good News for the Baby Boomer Generation

The first of the Baby Boomer generation will officially enter the beginning of old age in 2011 by turning 65. Recent research findings suggest that if the members of this cohort group engage in certain healthy behaviors and thought patterns in their middle years, they will experience a vital, satisfying life in their 70s and beyond. This article reviews the existing literature, including the results of longitudinal studies showing variables that predicted successful aging. Focusing on a lifespan psychology perspective of aging, the authors provide behavioral recommendations for middle age individuals that are likely to prevent disease-related disability, cognitive impairment, and late life depression. These include regular physical exercise, engaging in cognitively stimulating activities, maintaining an optimistic mental outlook, and finding meaning in life. The good news for the Baby Boomers is that there is increasing evidence that their behavior at age 50 will impact how they feel at age 80.

Dominant perceptions on the age

Contemporary developed society, despite the fact that it is constantly and intensively ageing, is characterized by deeply rooted numerous negative stereotypes on old people and old age as a life period. The study of dominant perceptions on the age of Belgrade population takes not only the universal character of negative connotation of old age into consideration, but also the concrete unfavorable social context. The delicate problematic of stereotypes on old age and old people has been analyzed mostly indirectly, through questions on the beginning of old age, advantages and difficulties which we experience during ageing, the first subjective conscious encounter with one?s own ageing, the concept of ideal old age, changes in the persons traits and directly through questions on dominant negative perceptions which prevail on old people in our surrounding. Ageing in the Belgrade milieu is most commonly identified with illness and with the decline of physical potentials, and at the same time a number of other negative qualifications of old age as well. Research results indicate to a pronounced ambivalent standpoint towards ageing, to different observation of one?s own to old age of other people, to different consideration of old age among the sexes and to obvious aversion towards old people. This is expected, taking into consideration that living and ageing are developing nowadays under aggressive influence of contemporary mass culture which affirms youth, beauty, physical strength, health as dominant values, namely everything that is contrary to ageing and old age. On the other hand, our society is today confronted with, as well as in the near past, exceptional political, economic and cultural difficulties which cause specific problems with various age groups, as well as the lowering of the level of mutual endurance and tolerance. The atmosphere of straining the old people and emergence of new antagonisms causes the intensification of misunderstandings and distancing among generations as well and creates a favorable climate for maintaining different prejudices, even those towards ageing. While prejudices are by themselves a universal social-psychological category, prejudices on old age differ from the rest by one special and very significant characteristic - some primal fears are subconsciously hidden and some basic questions on the meaning of human existence are held back, so negative connotation of old age is precisely collective running away from these problems.