Representation Of Older People Research Articles

Ageism and Sexism in Films with Older People as the Lead

Examination of ageism and sexism in films can reveal aspects of cultural norms and values. Utilizing content analysis, representations of older people who were the lead in a film were analyzed from a 20-year time frame. Forty-six characters from 28 US and UK films were evaluated employing a screening tool based on five ageism scales. Results indicated that positive stereotypes were found more often, particularly for female leads. Portrayals largely represented a model of “successful aging;” that is, active and without significant health issues. Consistent with past research, women were underrepresented, and people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community were nearly absent, substantiating continued marginalization in film. This study also adds to the substantiative literature by demonstrating that while films perpetuate the neoliberal pressure to maintain middle-age health standards, some shifts toward a more balanced portrayal of older adulthood are occurring. As many countries experience an aging of the population, pressure from the “silver economy” may challenge ageist presentations in film, including the double standard of aging.

Capturing Potential Interventions for the Empowerment of Older People and Informal Caregivers in Transitional Care Decision-Making: A Qualitative Study Using Focus Groups.

To capture older people's, informal caregivers' and health professionals' ideas on potential interventions for empowering older people and informal caregivers in transitional care decision-making. A descriptive qualitative design was adopted. The study was conducted between February and May 2022 in the region of Flanders, Belgium, as part of the TRANS-SENIOR consortium's collaborative research. Data were collected using focus groups, including older people, informal caregivers and healthcare professionals involved in any physical relocation of the older person across home, hospital or nursing home settings. Thematic data analysis was performed based on Braun and Clarke's six-step method. A total of 40 people participated in the focus groups. Four main themes were identified, which describe ideas on how to empower older people and informal caregivers in transitional care: Providing clear and timely information, preparing people for what is to come, person-centredness and providing professional and peer support for informal caregivers. Healthcare (professionals) should facilitate older people's and informal caregivers' empowerment in transitional care decision-making by setting them at the core and inception of the decision-making process. While informal caregivers support their loved ones in decision-making processes, they should also be supported and monitored for burdensome issues. Multicomponent, well-planned and personalised interventions are needed to empower older people and informal caregivers in transitional care decision-making. The ideas raised by all stakeholders who participated in this study can inform these interventions. Adhered to consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research checklist. Organisations advocating for the interests of older people and informal caregivers played a pivotal role in shaping the TRANS SENIOR project. Furthermore, the study benefitted from the collaborative input of AGE Platform Europe, which amplified the voices and representation of older people during the project design phase.

Towards Equitable Representations of Ageing: Evaluation of Gender, Territories, Aids and Artificial Intelligence

There are few studies on the representation of older people regarding aids and assistive devices and even fewer that incorporate more inclusive views (gender, emotions, anti-ageist, territorial or land approach) as well as virtual or land ethnography or artificial intelligence. The general objective was to evaluate digital images of aids and assistive aids in the older population, from the perspectives mentioned above. Method. A descriptive and cross-sectional study that searched, observed and analyzed images. An evaluation of intentionally selected images from Freepik, Pixabay, Storyblocks, Splitshire, Gratisography and ArtGPT, included in an original database constructured by several authors of this article, was carried out in the context of the ENCAGEn-CM project (2020–2023, financed by the CAM and FSE). This base was updated and expanded in October and November 2023. In addition, an image generation process was carried out using artificial intelligence, and this was also part of the analysis (ArtGPT). Finally, algorithms were used to solve and retrain with the images. Results. Of the total final images included in the expanded database until November 2023 (n = 427), only a third (28.3%, 121/427) included the aids and assistive aids label. Representations of mixed groups predominated (38.8%) and, to a lesser extent, those of women. A large proportion of the devices were ‘glasses’ (74.6%) and the ‘use of a cane’ (14.9%). To a lesser extent, ‘wheelchairs’ (4.4%) or ‘hearing aids’ (0.9%) and the presence of more than one device (simultaneously) (5.3%) were noted. The main emotions represented were ‘joy’ (45.6%) and ‘emotion not recognized’ (45.6%), with, to a lesser extent, ‘sadness’ (3.5%), ‘surprise’ (4.4%) and ‘anger’ (0.9%). Differences by sex were found in the represented emotions linked to aids and assistive aids. The representation of images of the built environment predominated significantly (70.2%), and it was observed that older women were less represented in natural environments than men. Based on the previous findings, a method is proposed to address stereotypes in images of older individuals. It involves identifying common stereotypical features, like glasses and hospital settings, using deep learning and quantum computing techniques. A convolutional neural network identifies and suppresses these elements, followed by the use of quantum algorithms to manipulate features. This systematic approach aims to mitigate biases and enhance the accuracy in representing older people in digital imagery. Conclusion. A limited proportion of images of assistive devices and older people were observed. Furthermore, among them, the lower representation of images of women in a built environment was confirmed, and the expressions of emotions were limited to only three basic ones (joy, sadness and surprise). In these evaluated digital images, the collective imagination of older people continues to be limited to a few spaces/contexts and emotions and is stereotyped regarding the same variables (sex, age, environment). Technology often overlooks innovative support tools for older adults, and AI struggles in accurately depicting emotions and environments in digital images. There is a pressing need for thorough pretraining analysis and ethical considerations to address these challenges and ensure more accurate and inclusive representations of older persons in digital media.

Representations of Older People in Advertising: A Review

Abstract: Societies around the world are increasingly aging; nevertheless, older people in advertising are still mostly underrepresented. This article gives an overview of the literature on this topic showing that older people (roughly 60 years old and above) are nearly invisible in advertising, particularly older women. In terms of their assigned roles in advertising representation, older people are mostly not shown in major roles in Western countries, while in an East Asian context older people are more often shown in such roles. Finally, globally older people are mostly depicted with other age groups and rarely alone, are generally shown in positive ways, and there are few cultural differences between these representations. Based on my literature review, I identify several suggestions for future research on representations of older people in advertising.

Redefining older Australians: moving beyond stereotypes and consumer narratives in print media representations

This paper investigates how Australian print media shape the identities of older individuals through their use of language and reporting techniques. By examining newspaper articles published between 2011 and 2021 through the lens of critical discourse analysis, the study highlights the societal, economic, and journalistic factors that influence the media's portrayal of older persons. The findings reveal that economic discourses dominate the construction of identities, with the financial reliance of older individuals on the government being a significant factor in their representation. The study demonstrates how newspapers create and disseminate narratives that appear to exonerate the government of accountability for providing aged care. Through the application of Fairclough's three-dimensional approach, this study shows how media constructs older individuals as either consumers or a burden in Australia. This study emphasises the need for print media to reflect critically on their representations of older people, avoiding harmful stereotypes and promoting positive and diverse images of ageing.

Representations of older people in Turkish prime-time TV series and Netflix original Turkish series: A comparative content analysis

In this study, older characters that appeared in all the episodes of the first seasons of eight most popular Turkish TV series on prime-time televisions in Turkey and those appeared in all the episodes of the first seasons of eight "original" Turkish series on Netflix were submitted to a comparative quantitative and qualitative content analysis. In this sense, the aim of this study was to reveal what kind of old age is promised to viewers by such media environments as TV and Netflix. Findings revealed that, when compared to the Turkish population, older people were significantly underrepresented in prime-time series and that, in other words, they were symbolically eliminated and exposed to age discrimination. Another finding is that older people were portrayed more fairly on Netflix than TV. Although older individuals were inadequately represented on Netflix as well, the difference between the two platforms was not statistically significant. On the other hand, while older women are significantly less represented than older men on both platforms, the study found no significant difference in gender representation between Netflix and prime-time TV. The findings also indicated that no older character, when evaluated qualitatively, was represented as the major character on either platforms and that, especially when it comes to having a profession, older people, specifically older women, were portrayed more negatively on both platforms, which means that older women faced a double jeopardy.

Evaluation of Older People Digital Images: Representations from a Land, Gender and Anti-ageist Perspective

There are numerous sociological and psychosocial studies, both classic and current, that have analysed the images and representations of older people and aging. If gender, intersectional and land perspectives are added, the literature consulted is only a few years old, particularly in Spanish. In addition, research based on fieldwork from virtual image banks is still scarce and recent. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the images from some free access image banks (like Freepik, Canva, Pixabay, or Storyblocks) of older people from a gender, intersectional and socio-spatial and land perspective. Methods: 150 images have been analysed following different selected criteria: 22 variables related to gender, activity, socio-spatial environment, natural space and land, among others, briefly describe the main methods or treatments applied. The key results show a stereotyped and barely diverse image of old age and aging around positive representations, with a notable absence of images related to loneliness as opposed to the presence of social relationships. A feminization has also been observed in the representations, with an imbalance in the activities that are carried out (care in the case of women and leisure in the case of men) and in the visible space (indoor among women and outdoor among men). Older people are still identified with a rural, traditional, and more defined territory and not with more diverse and ecological spaces, which are more frequently attributed to younger profiles. This evaluation contributes to linking this necessary connection of current issues and challenges to ageism, sexism and other exclusions derived from territory and socio-spatial aspects. However, more research is still needed, and, in fact, a second phase of the fieldwork is underway to broaden the sample and to expand further evaluations of images.

The vulnerable old-old versus the dynamic young-old: recurring types in the representation of older people on television

AbstractResearch shows that older people tend to not only be underrepresented on television (TV), but also to be represented within a number of fixed types. These correspond to cultural myths about ageing, which emphasise vulnerability and decline but also increasingly stress the individual's responsibility for successful ageing. This paper analyses the representation of older people on Flemish public TV, using qualitative content analysis to identify patterns of representation in a sample of 44 programmes broadcast in 2019 and 2020, including the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. To complement our own analysis, we also interviewed eight experts on ageing. Our research shows that representations of older people on Flemish public TV tend to gravitate towards two types related to different age groups: vulnerable and passive old-old people (over 80 years old), particularly those in nursing homes who feature prominently in reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic; and dynamic and active young-old people (65–80 years old), connected to the ideals of successful ageing. The two predominant types correspond to cultural myths about ageing and are also connected to recurrent themes: sexual intimacy, loneliness and death. Our research highlights the need for a more diverse representation, reflecting the variety of individual life conditions and the functional age of older people.

Old Age and Italian (Film) Comedy: Why Cry When You Can Laugh?

ABSTRACT This article contributes to an understudied topic in Italian film studies: representations of older people in contemporary comedies. After contextualising Italian cinema’s enduring tendency to employ laughter to cope with tragedy, I cast a spotlight on three of the few Italian film comedies that address the topics of old age and ageing in sustained, purposeful, and original ways. Beginning with an analysis of Fantozzi va in pensione (Neri Parenti, 1988) as a kind of precursor to more recent features, I examine the interconnected themes of work, retirement, intergenerational conflict, and death. Close readings of Metti la nonna in freezer (Giancarlo Fontana and Giuseppe Stasi, 2018) and Buoni a nulla (Gianni Di Gregorio, 2014) follow. These comedies recycle tropes addressed in Fantozzi va in pensione. Yet, when interpreted in the context of contemporary Italy, the latter two films are also innovative in their grotesque depiction of older persons as ‘human capital’.

Gender Representations of Older People in the Media: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go from Here?

Gender Representations of Older People in the Media: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go from Here?

Older people and death-thought accessibility: The association between death and older people in memory

This work aimed to conceptually replicate and extend Martens, Greenberg, Schimel, and Landau’s findings about older people as threatening future self. We conducted two studies using a lexical decision task to measure death-thought accessibility. Results showed that older people primes lead to stronger facilitation of death-related compared, with negative words. Such a facilitation is not observed with young people primes (Study 1). Moreover, the automatic association between the representation of older people and death was stronger when participants and older people primes were of the same sex (Study 2). Implications of these findings with respect to ageism are discussed.

Patients' preferences and existential perspective: what to consider and how should patient's expectations be guided?

With an ageing population, surgical procedures in older patients are becoming increasingly more common. This can pose clinical and ethical dilemmas, during which clinicians need to make complex decisions. In this paper we discuss the importance of assessing mental capacity to assess if the older patient can make his or her own decisions relating to surgery. We also discuss the importance of understanding ethical principles, in order that clinicians can better guide patient's decision-making. In addition, we look at ageism, frailty, and co-morbidities, and their influence on clinician's decisions regarding surgery in older patients. Further to this, we look at the influence of evidence-based medicine on treatment options, and the under representation of older people in clinical trials and the importance of this. Finally, we consider the importance of considered decisions regarding resuscitation, when considering surgical intervention in older patients. We conclude that patient-centred individualised care, considering patients expectations, wishes, and priorities is vital, whilst aiming to improve or maintain quality of life, and minimise risks when able.

Images of old age in YouTube: destabilizing stereotypes

This article presents an analysis of the most viewed YouTube videos under the labels ‘old age’, ‘older age’ and ‘senior citizens’. As powerful sources that transmit cultural information which either perpetuates or undermines cultural stereotypes at a worldwide level, channels of information such as YouTube offer a valuable glimpse at those images of ageing and old age which are shared and consumed by nowadays viewers. This study offers an analysis of the representations of older people as well as the contexts in which they appear taking into account previous studies which focused on the representation of older people in media. The results reveal a broadly positive representation of older people, with the majority of the videos portraying a counter-stereotypic image of this age group. This overall trend represents an interesting and destabilizing path that strengthens the efforts pursued against ageism and age discrimination in our societies.

The Representation of Older People in East Asian Television Advertisements.

In this study, 432 television advertisements from Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea were analyzed to determine their representations of older people. Findings demonstrate that in East Asian advertisements, older people are highly underrepresented, appear in major roles, mostly alongside younger people, and older men clearly outnumber older women. The other variables investigated (i.e., setting and product categories) led to no conclusive findings for the three societies. In short, our study, employing ethnolinguistic vitality theory to analyze television advertisements, demonstrates how East Asian societies greatly marginalize older people. Potential effects of such representations are discussed using social cognitive theory and cultivation theory.

The representation of older people in television advertisements and social change: the case of Japan

ABSTRACTThe representation of social groups in advertising has been a major concern in academia. However, research focusing on older people has been scant and mainly conducted in Western countries. In Japan, the country that has been most affected by demographic change, this research area has received little attention. Through a content analysis of a systematic sample of 2,972 television advertisements broadcast on the five major commercial television stations in Japan in 1997 and 2007, this paper tries to fill this research gap, examining changes in the representation of older people in Japanese television advertising. When comparing 2007 to 1997, we found that older people appeared more often, were increasingly alone and in major roles, and were portrayed in more favourable ways, which suggests that their status changed. These changes appear to be related to the fact that older people have become more important within Japanese society. However, some aspects have remained unchanged; older people continue to be under-represented, which does not reflect demographic reality, and are used in advertisements for foods and beverages, confirming findings from previous studies. Our findings indicate that the representation of older people in Japanese television advertising has changed but remains unrealistic.

The role of fiction in (mis)representing later life leisure activities

The study of ageing is becoming increasingly prominent in academic research, the media and policy debates with the rapid growth of the world’s ageing population. In particular is the perception that older people should engage in active leisure pursuits to address the actual and perceived effects of the ageing process. However, there remains limited understanding of the experiences of ageing, longevity and lifestyle choices. This paper addresses this by drawing on fictional accounts of ageing, which are viewed as an important gerontological resource for understanding how ideas about ageing are shaped by culture, and how alternative images of ageing may be constructed and made possible through literary fiction. This paper is framed by a critical interactionist perspective. Fiction, whether written, sung or acted, is itself a form of symbolic interaction, since the audience members use their imagination to interpret the script according to their own sense of self and ideas about social life; in this way, fictional representations of ageing may develop understanding of the personal and social aspects of growing older. I will explore the ways in which fictional representations of older people might perpetuate and/or challenge stereotypes of ageing and influence involvement in leisure activities in later life.

Reflecting on User‐involvement and Participatory Research(Number 10 in the Representation of Older People in Ageing Research Series)20113Sheila Peace and Jonathan Hughes (Eds.). Reflecting on User‐involvement and Participatory Research(Number 10 in the Representation of Older People in Ageing Research Series). Publisher Centre for Policy on Ageing, Paperback £10.00, ISBN: 978‐1‐901097‐26‐9

Reflecting on User‐involvement and Participatory Research(Number 10 in the Representation of Older People in Ageing Research Series)20113Sheila Peace and Jonathan Hughes (Eds.). <i>Reflecting on User‐involvement and Participatory Research(Number 10 in the Representation of Older People in Ageing Research Series)</i>. Publisher Centre for Policy on Ageing, Paperback £10.00, ISBN: 978‐1‐901097‐26‐9

Representations of Old Age in Falls Prevention Websites: Implications for Likely Uptake of Advice by Older People

Introduction: The representations of old age in falls prevention websites were explored and considered for their potential impact on older people's uptake of the advice. Method: Websites were searched for using the strategy of a previous systematic-style review and evaluated using the principles of discourse analysis. Findings: In the analysis of 33 websites, three main subject positions afforded to older readers were identified: (1) Passive recipients: victims of the ageing process, ignorant, ill-informed and vulnerable; (2) Rational learners: responsive to information, rational problem solvers and compliant with prescriptive advice; and (3) Empowered decision makers: actively engaged with and evaluative of information, autonomous and responsible for their course of action. Discussion: Falls prevention websites were rarely designed according to evidence-based recommendations concerning fit with positive self-identity and empowerment of active self-management of health. Although the representation of older people as passive and inert was most evident, the image of empowered decision makers was most likely to engage older people in preventing falls. Conclusion: Occupational therapists should ensure that they represent older people in a positive and respectful manner in falls prevention information, both that available through the internet and in written form.

Self-efficacy and multiple illness representations in older adults: A multilevel approach

Objectives: The Common-Sense Model assumes that individuals form subjective representations about their illnesses, which in turn guide cognitive and behavioural responses. This assumption is complicated in individuals with multimorbidity, and it is an open question to which degree illness-specific and person-level factors determine the representations of specific illnesses. This study examines the structure and interrelations of illness representations in multimorbidity employing a hierarchical framework based on Cognitive Theory. Methods: Multiple illness representations were assessed in 305 people aged 65 and older using two Brief Illness Perception Questionnaires. Multilevel modelling was used to explore the relations between illness representations and to explain how two illness-specific representations – personal control and treatment control – were determined by a person-level factor, self-efficacy. Results: Self-efficacy had significant main (B = 0.29; p < 0.01 for personal control; B = 0.19; p < 0.05 for treatment control) and interaction effects (B = 0.38; p < 0.01 personal control on self-efficacy × timeline; B = −0.31; p < 0.05 treatment control on self-efficacy × coherence). Conclusions: This study suggests that illness-specific representations of older people with multimorbidity are a product of both illness-specific and person-level factors, such as self-efficacy. Strengthening individual self-efficacy may improve illness controllability regardless and on top of illness-specific information.

Ageing Populations and Housing Needs: Comparing Strategic Policy Discourses in France and England

AbstractSet against a broad European policy agenda which promotes ‘ageing in place’ and representations of older people as active, independent citizens, this article compares recent English and French policy discourses on population ageing and its implications for the housing needs of increasingly large numbers of older citizens. Through analysis of six recent strategic policy statements representing each government's official responses to population ageing and its social policy implications for the 21st century, we demonstrate how differences in the social representation of the ageing process and of older peoples themselves permeate policy discourse, influencing the perceptions of the housing needs of older citizens and the role that housing itself may play in promoting independent living. In England, demographic ageing, housing and its role in facilitating independent living and active ageing are explicitly articulated, whilst in France, the housing environment has until recently, been portrayed as one which must accommodate the illness, incapacity and dependency of later life. Our article offers explanations for these differences in terms of cultural variations in the social representations or ‘constructions’ of later life, divergences in political philosophies and welfare principles.