Well-being In Old Age Research Articles

Trajectories of multiple subjective well-being facets across old age: The role of health and personality.

Subjective well-being is often characterized by average stability across old age, but individual differences are substantial and not yet fully understood. This study targets physical and cognitive health and personality as individual difference characteristics and examines their unique and interactive roles for level and change in a number of different facets of subjective well-being. We make use of medical diagnoses, performance-based indicators of physical (grip strength) and cognitive functioning (Digit Symbol), and extraversion and neuroticism and apply parallel sets of multilevel growth models to multiyear well-being data obtained in the Berlin Aging Study 2 (N = 1,216; Mage = 71; SD = 3.84; 51% women) and the German Socio-Economic Panel (N = 3,418; Mage = 70; SD = 6.89; 51% women). Results revealed by and large average stability of life satisfaction, morale, and emotions (anger, fear, sadness, happiness) across old age. Most important for our research questions, higher morbidity, poor performance on grip strength and perceptual speed tests, lower extraversion, and higher neuroticism were each uniquely associated with lower life satisfaction, morale, and positive affect and higher negative affect. Some evidence emerged for facet-specific health-personality interaction effects in predicting affective experiences, but effects observed were not consistent across studies and of small size. We take our findings to indicate that health and personality traits constitute important individual difference characteristics for our understanding of subjective well-being in old age and that these likely do not interact with one another to shape well-being. We discuss theoretical and practical implications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Association of long-term care utilization and functional ability in older adults

Abstract Background Healthy Ageing is the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age as per the World Health Organization (WHO). Establishing foundations necessary for improvements in long-term care (LTC) systems for increasing the world's older adults is one of the public health priorities. LTC provides assisted daily living (ADLs), instrumental assisted daily living (IDALs), healthcare, and social services. This study aims to assess the association of LTC utilization and functional ability in the two industrialized countries with a globalized aging perspective. This study would guide to identify the approaches for establishing fundamentals, developing and sustaining a trained workforce to achieve high-quality, healthy aging. Methods This retrospective longitudinal population-based study, individuals age 65 and above from the national data of the United Kingdom, UK, (English Longitudinal Study of Aging) and the United States, U.S, (Health and Retirement Study). The outcome is LTC: nursing home and home care. Predictors: functional status: scores of ADLs and IADLs, and declining ADLs and IADLs. Covariates are age, gender, marital status, income, chronic diseases. Multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out in SAS software version 9.4, p-vale (p) <0.05. Results LTC utilization (UK) is associated with declining IADLs (OR: 15.01, 95%CI: 1.62,139.23), p- 0.02 with adjustments for covariates. LTC utilization (U.S) is associated with declining ADLs (OR: 2.66, 95%CI:1.82,3.87) and IADLs (OR: 2.42, 95%CI:1.73,3.40), both at p-<0.001. With adjustment for covariates, LTC utilization (U.S) is associated with declining ADLs (OR: 2.20,95%CI:1.51,3.22), p-0.001 and declining IADLs (OR: 2.12, 95%CI:1.49,3.02), p-<0.001. Conclusions Declining functional ability is associated with LTC utilization. This study guide to improve LTC systems to develop personalized social and healthcare foundations, increase the trained workforce. Key messages To demonstrate the long-term care (LTC) utilization by declining functional capacity in the UK and the US older adults to a better understanding of the distribution of LTC utilization between them. To guide developing approaches in the improving long-term care system to achieve high-quality, healthy aging through evidence findings of this national study.

“This Brings you to Life” The Impact of Friendship on Health and Well-being in Old Age: the Case of La Verneda Learning Community

Friendship has been studied along centuries, since ancient times to present-day, as the basis of the social cornerstone, present at all stages of the lifespan and belonging to the world of truthful sentiments. Benefits of friendship on health have been demonstrated. Less is known about the role of friendship on seniors. The aim of this case study has been to show how the end friendship developed in an adults’ school operating for more than 40 years in Barcelona is having a positive impact on the well-being and health of their participants. Through the communicative discussion group, we have deepened in the trajectories of some of the school participants. The results show how participation in the school and the dialogic gatherings have contributed to the emergence of a non-instrumental friendship feeling and to consider an impact on the perceived general wellness and health and an improvement of their life quality. It is discussed how this research provides more elements to the existing literature. More research on how other communitarian environments have similar effects on this population, or on the impact of these dialogical spaces in the development of end friendships in other stages of the life cycle would be of interest.

Calidad de vida y envejecimiento activo, su influencia en el índice de esperanza de vida.

Objetivo: Evidenciar la relación entre la calidad de vida y el envejecimiento activo y su influencia en el índice de esperanza de vida. Materiales y métodos: estudio descriptivo basado en revisión bibliográfica de la literatura científica existente acerca de la relación entre la calidad de vida y el envejecimiento activo y su influencia en el índice de esperanza de vida. Se seleccionaron 24 artículos científicos, los cuales se leyeron en texto completo, además se complementó la información con libros publicados del año 2012 en adelante y 5 artículos publicados en años anteriores al 2008; en idioma español e inglés e indexados en bases como Google Académico, EBSCO, MEdline, PubMed, Redalyc, Research Gate, sCIElo, JAMDA y Dynamed Plus. Los descriptores fueron: envejecimiento, envejecimiento activo, esperanza de vida, calidad de vida. Resultados: Se destaca el envejecimiento activo, y la mejora de la calidad de vida, como referentes que inspiran el diseño de políticas y actuaciones a diversos niveles. Las políticas nacionales e internacionales reconocen tres prioridades: las personas mayores, el fomento de la salud y bienestar en la vejez, y la creación de un entorno favorable. Se determina la Esperanza de Vida como un índice numérico, no identifica individualidades de cada población, no influyendo este directamente con la Calidad de Vida o Envejecimiento Activo. Conclusiones: Si las personas mayores pueden vivir esos años adicionales con buena salud y en un entorno propicio, podrán hacer lo que valoran de forma muy similar a una persona joven. Pero, si esos años adicionales los domina el declive de la capacidad física y mental, las implicaciones para ellos y para la sociedad son más negativas.

The impact of physical activity on healthy ageing trajectories: evidence from eight cohort studies

BackgroundResearch has suggested the positive impact of physical activity on health and wellbeing in older age, yet few studies have investigated the associations between physical activity and heterogeneous trajectories of healthy ageing. We aimed to identify how physical activity can influence healthy ageing trajectories using a harmonised dataset of eight ageing cohorts across the world.MethodsBased on a harmonised dataset of eight ageing cohorts in Australia, USA, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and Europe, comprising 130,521 older adults (Mage = 62.81, SDage = 10.06) followed-up up to 10 years (Mfollow-up = 5.47, SDfollow-up = 3.22), we employed growth mixture modelling to identify latent classes of people with different trajectories of healthy ageing scores, which incorporated 41 items of health and functioning. Multinomial logistic regression modelling was used to investigate the associations between physical activity and different types of trajectories adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics and other lifestyle behaviours.ResultsThree latent classes of healthy ageing trajectories were identified: two with stable trajectories with high (71.4%) or low (25.2%) starting points and one with a high starting point but a fast decline over time (3.4%). Engagement in any level of physical activity was associated with decreased odds of being in the low stable (OR: 0.18; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.19) and fast decline trajectories groups (OR: 0.44; 95% CI: 0.39, 0.50) compared to the high stable trajectory group. These results were replicated with alternative physical activity operationalisations, as well as in sensitivity analyses using reduced samples.ConclusionsOur findings suggest a positive impact of physical activity on healthy ageing, attenuating declines in health and functioning. Physical activity promotion should be a key focus of healthy ageing policies to prevent disability and fast deterioration in health.

Lower executive functioning predicts steeper subsequent decline in well-being only in young-old but not old-old age

Objectives: From a longitudinal perspective, the direction of the relationship between cognitive functioning and well-being in old age, both conceptually and empirically, is still under debate. Therefore, we aimed to disentangle the different longitudinal relationship patterns proposed and whether those differed between young-old and old-old adults. Methods: We used latent change score modeling based on longitudinal data from 1,040 older adults (M = 74.54 years at Time 1 [T1], median = 73 years) to analyze reciprocal lead–lag relationships over 6 years in executive functioning (trail making test [TMT] completion time) and well-being (life satisfaction), taking into account chronological age, sex, education, leisure activities, and chronic diseases. Results: In young-old adults (<73 years), longer TMT completion time at T1 (i.e., lower executive functioning status) significantly predicted steeper subsequent decline in well-being. This was not the case for old-old adults (≥73 years), for whom this relationship was significantly different from that of the young-old (moderation effect). In either group, well-being status at T1 did not predict changes in TMT completion time. Discussion: Lower executive functioning may predict a subsequent decline in well-being in young-old adults only. Wider implications in a context of promotion of healthy aging are discussed.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) among the Elderly of Guwahati City, Assam: A Cross-sectional Study

International Journal of Medicine and Public Health,2020,10,2,77-80.DOI:10.5530/ijmedph.2020.2.16Published:June 2020Type:Original ArticlePrevalence and Risk Factors of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) among the Elderly of Guwahati City, Assam: A Cross-sectional StudyAnku Moni Saikia, and Vinoth Rajendran Anku Moni Saikia, Vinoth Rajendran* Department of Community Medicine, Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). Bhangagarh, Guwahati, Assam, INDIA. Abstract:Background: WHO defines “Healthy Ageing” as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age. The population among the elderly is growing constantly and with increased life expectancy, there is a tremendous increase in morbidity and disability. MCI is an intermediate stage between dementia and cognitive decline in normal individuals. It is important to understand various factors associated with MCI to develop preventive strategies. Objectives: To find out the prevalence and risk factors of mild cognitive impairment among the elderly in Guwahati, Assam. Settings and Design: A communitybased, cross-sectional study was conducted in Guwahati City. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted among the elderly of 60 years or above of both the sexes in Guwahati City. Considering p=14.89%, sample size was calculated as 576 elderly. Fifty percent of the total wards i.e. 16 wards were selected randomly and 36 elderly were selected from each ward. The data were collected using a predesigned and pretested schedule, Hindi Mini-Mental State Examination (HMMSE) scale for mild cognitive impairment, Activities of Daily Living (ADL) of Katz Index and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) of Lawton Index for functional status. Results: The prevalence of MCI was 24.2%. The risk factors like gender, living arrangement, education, alcohol consumption, constipation, sleep disturbance were associated with mild cognitive impairment on binary logistic regression. Conclusion: A very high prevalence of MCI was found among the elderly. Various modifiable risk factors like living arrangement, education, alcohol consumption, sleep disturbance and depression were found to be associated with MCI and it can be targeted to prevent MCI. Keywords:Assam, elderly, HMMSE, Mild cognitive impairment, PrevalenceView:PDF (164.35 KB)

Senior Tourism in Italy: the Role of Disability and Socioeconomic Characteristics

The pursuit of tourism activities represents an important contributor to individuals’ well-being in older age. While current generations of pensioners enjoy on average unprecedented levels of financial resources, a large amount of spare time, and often retire while still in good health, the onset of disability and financial constraints might hinder the pursuit of tourism. The paper uses data drawn from a large Italian population survey, “Perspectives on daily life”, and provides empirical evidence on the probability of undertaking tourism in older age and the role of personal charachteristics acting as triggers and barriers to tourism. Results indicate the existence of a strong socioeconomic gradient in tourism, with worse-off individuals less likely to undertake the activity. Also, disability represents a barrier to tourism, although lower for individuals living in a couple. Finally, sociability and engagement in reading act as triggers to tourism.

The World Health Organization (WHO) approach to healthy ageing

The ageing of the global population is the most important medical and social demographic problem worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined healthy ageing as a process of maintaining functional ability to enable wellbeing in older age. The WHO, Member States and Partners for Sustainable Development Goals have created a Global Strategy and Action Plan for Ageing and Health for 2016–2020 and its continuation with the WHO programme The Decade of Healthy Ageing 2020–2030. The WHO has established main priorities such as supporting country planning and action, collecting better global data and promoting research on healthy ageing, aligning health systems to the needs of older people, laying the foundations and ensuring the human resources necessary for long-term integrated care, undertaking a global campaign to combat ageism, and enhancing the global network for age-friendly cities and communities. There are several reports of coordinated preventive health and social health initiatives in well developed countries. However, there is little evidence on the application of the active ageing frameworks in developing countries. Greater national capacities and closer monitoring of the progress through age-disaggregated data is needed to effectively implement the intended programmes on healthy ageing.

Healthy ageing in a deprived northern UK city: A co-creation study.

With ageing comes an increased risk of poor health and social isolation, particularly in poorer populations. Older people are under-represented in research and as a result interventions may not take account of their context or barriers to participation. In co-creative work, future service users work with professionals on an equal basis to design, develop and produce a service or intervention. Our objectives were to (a) undertake a co-creation study with older people living in a northern city in the United Kingdom, (b) explore maintenance of health and well-being in older age, (c) explore the application of co-creation with an older community population and (d) evaluate the process and inform future work. The study was conducted during 2017 by a project team of 10 lay community dwelling older people and four university researchers. Findings demonstrate that state of mind and of health were key to well-being in older age. Feeling safe, comfortable and pain free were important along with being able to adapt to change, have choice and a sense of personal freedom. Social connectedness was seen as the keystone to support healthy behaviours. Rather than developing new interventions, there was a perceived need to connect people with existing resources and provide a human 'bridge' to address barriers to accessing these. In conclusion, the co-creation process proved productive, even when undertaken on a small scale. The scope of the project needs to be realistic, to use diverse methods of recruitment and skilled facilitators, and to prepare well in terms of accessibility, simple systems and appropriate information provision.

Rethinking social relationships in old age: Digitalization and the social lives of older adults.

Interactions with technology have been shaping human society since its beginning. Recently, digitalization has pervaded all aspects of our lives and provided us with new ways to communicate with our social contacts and develop new social ties. We address how these changes shape the social lives of older adults today. Several factors may give rise to concerns that older adults today are at risk for social isolation, including demographic trends toward smaller families, or reduction of previous activities due to health limitations. At the same time, older adults today have access to new technologies that may enable them to overcome geographical distance and mobility barriers. First, based on models of technology adoption, we review research on digital technology use by older adults. Although older adults use technology at lower rates than other age groups, rates of (social) Internet use are increasing. However, sociodemographic disparities exist in access to technology. Second, we focus on 3 key questions and methodological directions for future research: (a) Does (social) Internet use contribute to more positive social experiences and well-being in old age? (b) What are future methodological directions in the study of social technology use in older adults? (c) Do digital technologies reshape the social experience in old age or do they reinforce existing preferences and behaviors? Addressing these questions will allow us to understand the effects of technology on older adults' daily lives and how this in turn affects multiple domains of functioning (e.g., well-being, cognitive function, physical health) in future generations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Integrated care for the management of ageing-related non-communicable diseases: current gaps and future directions

Due to the increase in the older population in Europe and associated rise in the absolute number of persons with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), it is becoming increasingly important to find ways to promote healthy ageing, which is defined as the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables well-being in older age. Older persons with NCDs can have complex care needs due to the increased risk of frailty, multimorbidity, and polypharmacy. However, current health systems in Europe often provide fragmented care for older people with NCDs; many receive disjointed care from numerous specialists or via different levels of care. In the current article, we discuss barriers and challenges in implementing integrated care models in European settings for older NCD patients. Specifically, we discuss the need for greater use of case managers in the care and treatment persons with complex care needs as well as the lack of training and education in healthcare professionals on topics related to multimorbidity, frailty, and polypharmacy. We discuss the limitations that arise from the current focus on disease-specific guidelines and care models that do not take comorbid conditions into account, and the lack of good quality evidence that evaluates the effectiveness of integrated care interventions, especially in European health settings. We highlight the importance of evaluating and monitoring mental health in conjunction with somatic symptoms in NCD patients and discuss the integral role of information and communication technology in healthcare to streamline integrated care processes and help to achieve better outcomes for patients.

Social Innovation in Long-Term Care: Lessons from the Italian Case.

The debate on policies addressing the challenges posed by population ageing pays increasing attention to sustainable and innovative ways to tackle the multidimensional impact this phenomenon has on society and individuals. Moving from the findings of two European research projects, a qualitative study based on a rapid review of the literature, expert interviews, focus groups and case studies analysis has been carried out in Italy. This study illustrates which social innovations have been recently implemented in this country’s long-term care (LTC) sector, and the areas in which further steps are urgently needed in the future. This takes place by first highlighting the existing links between social innovation and LTC, and then by identifying the key factors that can facilitate or hinder the implementation of these initiatives. Finally, the study suggests how to promote social innovation, by strengthening the “integration” and “coordination” of available services and resources, through a—for this country still relatively—new approach towards ageing, based on pillars such as prevention and education campaigns on how to promote well-being in older age.

A point of connection? Wellbeing, the veteran identity and older adults

AbstractMaintaining good wellbeing in older age is seen to have a positive effect on health, including cognitive and physiological functioning. This paper explores experiences of wellbeing in a particular older adult community: those who have served in the military. It aims to identify the specific challenges that ex-service personnel may have, reporting findings from a qualitative study focused on how older veterans told stories of military service and what these stories revealed about wellbeing. We used a qualitative approach; data are drawn from 30 individual interviews, and from engagement with veterans in workshops. Analysis was conducted using a data-driven constant comparison approach. Three themes are presented: how loneliness affects older adult veterans; how they draw on fictive kinship; and the role of military visual culture. Although participants had diverse experiences of military service, they felt that being a veteran connected them to a community that went beyond association with specific experiences. Using narratives of military experience to connect, both in telling stories and by stories being listened to, was vital. As veterans, older adults were able to access each other as a resource for listening and sharing. However, it was also exclusionary: civilians, because they lacked military service experience, could not empathise and be used as a resource.

Literacy Mediates Racial Differences in Financial and Healthcare Decision Making in Older Adults.

Decision making in financial and healthcare matters is of critical importance for well-being in old age. Preliminary work suggests racial differences in decision making; however, the factors that drive racial differences in decision making remain unclear. We hypothesized literacy, particularly financial and health literacy, mediates racial differences in decision making. Community-based epidemiologic cohort study. Communities in northeastern Illinois. Nondemented Black participants (N = 138) of the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center Minority Aging Research Study and the Rush Memory and Aging Project who completed decision-making and literacy measures were matched to White participants (N = 138) according to age, education, sex, and global cognition using Mahalanobis distance (total N = 276). All participants completed clinical assessments, a decision-making measure that resembles real-world materials relevant to finance and healthcare, and a financial and health literacy measure. Regression models were used to examine racial differences in decision making and test the hypothesis that literacy mediates this association. In secondary analyses, we examined the impact of literacy in specific domains of decision making (financial and healthcare). In models adjusted for age, education, sex, and global cognition, older Black adults performed lower than older White adults on literacy (β = -8.20; SE = 1.34; 95% CI = -10.82 to -5.57; P < .01) and separately on decision making (β = -.80; SE = .23; 95% CI = -1.25 to -.34; P < .01). However, when decision making was regressed on both race and literacy, the association of race was attenuated and became nonsignificant (β = -.45; SE = .24; 95% CI = -.93 to .02; P = .06), but literacy remained significantly associated with decision making (β = .04; SE = .01; 95% CI = .02-.06; P < .01). In secondary models, a similar pattern was observed for both financial and healthcare decision making. Racial differences in decision making are largely mediated by literacy. These findings suggest that efforts to improve literacy may help reduce racial differences in decision making and improve health and well-being for diverse populations. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:1279-1285, 2020.

Initially Negative Affect Predicts Lower Satisfaction With Future Social Contact: A Time-Lagged Analysis Using Ecological Momentary Assessment.

Prior research has linked subjective features of social situations with short-term changes in affect (e.g., across days, hours), but little is known about the directionality of such links. Our study examined the concurrent and lead-lag relationships between social contact satisfaction and affect in the flow of daily life. Using ecological momentary assessment (EMA), wherein 78 late-middle-aged and older adults reported on 2,739 social contacts (average 5.02 per day, SD = 2.95) across seven consecutive days, we examined how the level of social contact satisfaction was concurrently and prospectively associated with affect (high-arousal and low-arousal positive affect [PA], high-arousal and low-arousal negative affect [NA]). Higher contact satisfaction was concurrently associated with more high- and low-arousal PA and less high- and low-arousal NA. The influence of contact satisfaction remains for predicting greater low-arousal PA (quietness, calmness) during the next social contact. NA (either high- or low-arousal) predicted lower satisfaction during the next social contact, but such sustainable influence was not observed for PA. The study reveals a cycle in which elevated NA may trigger unsatisfactory social contact, which subsequently predicted less low-arousal PA such as quietness and calmness. Our study provided a more nuanced and differentiated picture of the temporal sequencing of everyday social contact and momentary affect. Practitioners may gain insights from our study into the development of just-in-time adaptive interventions that aim for the betterment of affective well-being in old age.

The Scales of Psychological Well-Being – a validation, usability and test–retest study among community-dwelling older people in Finland

Objectives: To validate the Finnish version of the 42-item Scales of Psychological Well-Being among community-dwelling older people. The study also examined the test–retest reliability and usability, i.e. user experience, of the scales in this age group.Method: The 42-item version of the SPWB was administered as part of a face-to-face interview among 968 men and women aged 75, 80 or 85 years. The subsample for test–retest analyses comprised 42 participants, who in addition to 11 interviewers also answered questions concerning the usability of the scales. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, Pearson and intra-class correlation coefficients, and Kendal’s Tau B were used in the analyses.Results: The factor analyses did not support the theory-based six-factor structure of the scales. The Cronbach’s alphas showed high internal consistency reliability for the total scale, but modest for the subscales. The intercorrelations between the subscales were moderate. The total score and the subscale scores of the SPWB correlated positively with quality of life and life satisfaction, and negatively with depressive symptoms. The interviewers reported that while most of the participants responded to the scales without marked difficulties, others could only answer after clarifications of some statements.Discussion: The reliability of the 42-item version of the SPWB was modest. The factor structure was inconsistent among the three age groups studied, but the scales were feasible to use. The current results call for further methodological consideration to optimize assessment of eudaimonic well-being in old age.

AB010. Effectiveness of life skills training to enhance mental health status and wellbeing of children and adolescents

Background: Childhood and adolescence are crucial periods for laying the foundations for healthy development and good mental health. An individual’s mental health status and wellbeing crucially affect their path through life, and they are vitally important for the healthy functioning of families and society as a whole, together they affect the social cohesion, and prosperity of the Nation. Children and adolescents are one of the precious resources in every country, if they can be given the necessary life skills need to thrive, that may be able to meet the challenges of everyday life. Hence, World Health Organization has been promoted life skills education since 90s (WHO 1996). Early intervention and life skills training programs would be beneficial for reducing crime in children and young people, improving productivity, increase coping skills and resilience to stress and preserving mental health and well-being in older age (Cooper et al., 2009). To study the effectiveness of life skills training to enhance mental health status and well-being of Children and Adolescents. To study the mental health status and wellbeing, effectiveness of intervention and the status of respondents after intervention.

Особенности социальных представлений о психологическом благополучии в старости

Особенности социальных представлений о психологическом благополучии в старости

Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Devices Among the Oldest-Old: Loneliness, Anomie, and Autonomy

Background and ObjectivesA good person–environment-fit has positive effects on well-being in old age. As digital technologies are an integral part of older adults’ environments, we predicted that the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is associated with subjective well-being among the oldest-old. Specifically, we compared different user groups of ICT devices (nonusers, users of nonweb-connected ICT, users of web-connected ICT) and analyzed the relations among ICT use and three domains of subjective well-being (loneliness, anomie, autonomy).Research Design and MethodsWe performed a quantitative data analysis using data from the first representative state-wide survey study in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany on quality of life and well-being of the oldest-old (n = 1,698; age range: 80–103; 9% long-term care). Multiple regression analyses were applied.ResultsThe findings revealed that 25.9% of all individuals aged 80 years and older reported using web-connected ICT, in contrast to 38.5% who do not use ICT at all. Individuals who used web-connected ICT reported lower levels of loneliness and anomie, and higher levels of autonomy. These differences remain significant when controlling for indicators of social inclusion and individual characteristics.Discussion and ImplicationsThis study investigated an underexplored group in terms of ICT use, shedding light on the relationship between ICT use and subjective well-being. The oldest-old generally use ICT in their everyday life but an age-related digital divide still exists. To avoid negative consequences of nonuse digital infrastructures and technology training for older adults need to be established.