A paper examined the barriers presented by ageism and discrimination to the goal of active ageing in European countries. Equality bodies could play particular roles in addressing these issues, given their mandate and their experience in working to promote equality and combat discrimination.
Source: Tackling Ageism and Discrimination, Equinet (European Network of Equality Bodies)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Dec
A study found that older people, and those who worked non-standard hours (such as shift workers), were less likely to feel integrated into society than others. Working uncommon hours could have the same implications as worklessness for people's opportunities to engage and feel integrated in society.
Source: Matt Barnes, Making Time Use Explicit in an Investigation of Social Exclusion in the UK, Economic and Social Research Council
Links: Report | ESRC press release
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined the perpetrators of abuse among older women living in the community in Europe. 28.1 per cent of older women across all countries had experienced some kind of violence and abuse, in the previous 12 months, by someone who was close to them.
Source: Liesbeth De Donder, Gert Lang, Minna-Liisa Luoma, Bridget Penhale, Jose Ferreira Alves, Ilona Tamutiene, Ana Santos, Mira Koivusilta, Edith Enzenhofer, Sirkka Perttu, Tiina Savola, and Dominique Verte, 'Perpetrators of abuse against older women: a multi-national study in Europe', Journal of Adult Protection, Volume 13 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A new book examined how both young and old could be penalized by prejudice against their age group. It reviewed the consequences of new laws against age discrimination and their implications for businesses and service providers, public or private.
Source: Malcolm Sargeant, Age Discrimination: Ageism in employment and service provision, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Dec
A report examined practical aspects of implementing the prohibition on age discrimination by EU states. It looked at how the different ways in which various exceptions to the principle of equal treatment were phrased in the relevant Directive had influenced national legislation.
Source: Declan O'Dempsey and Anna Beale, Age and Employment, European Network of Legal Experts in the Non-Discrimination Field (European Commission)
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Dec
An article examined the impact of domestic abuse on the health and lives of older women. The consequences of domestic abuse for older women were far-reaching, significantly affecting the long-term health and emotional well-being of those affected. There was little data available regarding older women and domestic abuse within the particular context of health.
Source: Julie McGarry and Christine Simpson, 'Domestic abuse and older women: exploring the opportunities for service development and care delivery', Journal of Adult Protection, Volume 13 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Dec
A new book provided a life course perspective on adult lives in modern society.
Source: Jeanne Katz, Sheila Peace, and Sue Spurr (eds.), Adult Lives: A life course perspective, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Nov
An article examined the relationship between age and loneliness in European countries. The prevalence of loneliness did (as expected) increase with age: but the nation in which people lived showed a greater impact than age.
Source: Keming Yang and Christina Victor, 'Age and loneliness in 25 European nations', Ageing and Society, Volume 31 Issue 8
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Nov
A report set out a 'road map' for ageing research, designed to enable Europe to respond successfully to unprecedented demographic challenges.
Source: A Road Map for European Ageing Research, FUTURAGE
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Nov
A think-tank report examined how the engagement of older people in the coalition government's 'Big Society' project could be maintained and increased.
Source: Antonia Cox, Age of Opportunity: Older people, volunteering and the Big Society, ResPublica
Links: Report | Summary | ResPublica press release
Date: 2011-Oct
A new book examined the role of religious and other beliefs in the lives of older people.
Source: Peter Coleman, Belief and Ageing: Spiritual pathways in later life, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2011-Jul
A manifesto said that internet access should play a key role in successful ageing and in helping to build links 'across generations and geographies' for older people.
Source: Getting On: A manifesto for older people in a networked nation, Race Online 2012
Links: Manifesto
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper examined options for policy reforms to support active and healthy ageing in developed countries. It outlined two philosophically different ways of approaching the challenge of demographic change. The first (called the 'zero sum approach') was to see it as a problem that required today's working people to pay more, and those drawing on social security systems to receive reduced benefits. The second way of looking at the problem was to take a life-course approach: different generations did not compete for resources and all could play constructive, albeit different, roles in society.
Source: Rebecca Taylor, Ageing, Health and Innovation: Policy reforms to facilitate healthy and active ageing in OECD countries, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Links: Paper | ILCUK press release
Date: 2011-Jun
An article examined the relationship between aspects of the neighbourhood social environment and subsequent depressive symptoms among older people. Greater personal sense of control, higher-quality friendships, and fewer depressive symptoms were found in neighbourhoods that were perceived to be characterized by higher social cohesion.
Source: Mai Stafford , Anne McMunn, and Roberto De Vogli, 'Neighbourhood social environment and depressive symptoms in mid-life and beyond', Ageing and Society, Volume 31 Issue 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jun
A paper said that 8 per cent of people in Europe (and 10 per cent of those who were middle-aged) took antidepressants each year. The probability of antidepressant use was greatest among those who were middle-aged, female, unemployed, poorly educated, and divorced or separated. The adjusted probability of using antidepressants reached a peak – approximately doubling – in people's late 40s: this was consistent with, and provided a new and independent form of corroboration of, recent claims in the research literature that human well-being followed a 'U-shape' through life.
Source: David Blanchflower and Andrew Oswald, Antidepressants and Age, Discussion Paper 5785, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Links: Paper
Date: 2011-Jun
An article sought to identify health and well-being typologies among a sample of older European adults, and examined various demographic, social, and health behaviour characteristics that were used to discriminate between such groups.
Source: Cecilie Thogersen-Ntoumani, Vassilis Barkoukis, Caterina Grano, Fabio Lucidi, Magnus Lindwall, Jarmo Liukkonen, Lennart Raudsepp, and William Young, 'Health and well-being profiles of older European adults', European Journal of Ageing, Volume 8 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jun
A new book examined how society should respond to the increasing proportion of elderly people in the population.
Source: Lewis Wolpert, You're Looking Very Well: The surprising nature of getting old, Faber and Faber
Links: Summary | Guardian report | Telegraph report
Date: 2011-May
Researchers examined what aspirations people of all ages held for their later life, what they were doing to prepare for old age, and what 'enablers' and barriers there were to achieving their aspirations. Around 35 per cent of people said they had not thought about the issue at all.
Source: Alun Humphrey, Lucy Lee, and Rosie Green, Aspirations for Later Life, Research Report 737, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Report | Summary | DWP press release
Date: 2011-May
Researchers examined people s attitudes towards old age, and their experiences of ageism, in 28 European countries. Regardless of their own age, respondents in countries with a higher proportion of older people were more positive, suggesting that societal attitudes shifted as a population aged. Older people's status was perceived to be higher in countries that had later state pension ages. Age discrimination was personally experienced by about one-third of all respondents, with the United Kingdom placed just below the average for all European countries.
Source: Dominic Abrams, Christin-Melanie Vauclair, and Hannah Swift, Predictors of Attitudes to Age Across Europe, Research Report 735, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Report | Summary | DWP press release
Date: 2011-May
A think-tank report said that the experience of ageing was changing, so that most people reaching retirement did not identify themselves as old. 'One-size-fits-all' policy approaches that treated older people as if they were all alike were alienating and inappropriate: instead, older people needed inclusive policy approaches. Policy-makers should stop emphasizing the costs posed by an ageing population and start building on the many positive contributions that older people already made to society.
Source: Louise Bazalgette, John Holden, Philip Tew, Nick Hubble, and Jago Morrison, Coming of Age, Demos
Date: 2011-Apr
An article examined whether older and younger people (aged 16 or over) differed in their reported well-being. People aged 65 or over were more likely than younger people to define well-being as being able to continue to do the things that they had always done. Most men and women, in all age groups, rated their well-being and mental well-being positively. Self-rated health, mental health symptoms, long-standing illness, and social support were the main drivers of overall well-being in all age groups.
Source: Ann Bowling, 'Do older and younger people differ in their reported well-being? A national survey of adults in Britain', Family Practice, Volume 28 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
An article reported a comprehensive literature review of empirical research on the end of life in old age. It explored the social and cultural contexts of death, and critically analyzed the methods and ethical approaches adopted by researchers.
Source: Liz Lloyd, Kate White, and Eileen Sutton, 'Researching the end-of-life in old age: cultural, ethical and methodological issues', Ageing and Society, Volume 31 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Apr
A report examined the economic and social contribution made by older people. People aged over 65 made a net contribution to the economy of £40 billion in 2010, even allowing for the costs of pensions, social security payments, and health services.
Source: SQW, Gold Age Pensioners: Valuing the socio-economic contribution of older people in the UK , WRVS
Links: Report | WRVS press release | Age UK press release | Guardian report
Date: 2011-Mar
A report said that provisions in the Localism Bill designed to reduce planning 'bureaucracy' could allow more rapid development of age-friendly neighbourhoods. But in the past older people's needs had been marginalized in community development, and any benefits of the Bill might not materialize without specific provision for services, homes, and communities for an ageing population. Communities might actually became less age-friendly without specific protection.
Source: Dylan Kneale and David Sinclair, Localism and Neighbourhoods for All Ages: Is localism sounding a death knell or a wake-up call for creating neighbourhoods for all ages?, International Longevity Centre – UK
Links: Report | ILC press release
Date: 2011-Mar
An annual review examined the way in which government and public policy had affected life for older people.
Source: Andrew Harrop, Agenda for Later Life 2011: Public policy and an ageing society, Age UK
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Mar
A paper presented 'generational accounts' for the United Kingdom, showing the net discounted life-time contribution that people, as a function of their age, could fairly be expected to make to the Exchequer. Taxes needed to rise by 15.4 per cent, or £82 billion per year, to deliver intergenerational budget balance. The main driver of generational imbalance was pay-as-you-go finance of age-related expenditures such as health and welfare benefits for old people.
Source: David McCarthy, James Sefton, and Martin Weale, Generational Accounts for the United Kingdom, Discussion Paper 377, National Institute for Economic and Social Research
Links: Discussion paper | Guardian report | Public Finance report
Date: 2011-Mar
A study examined violence against women aged 60 and over at the hands of existing and/or former intimate partners in 6 European countries – Austria, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.
Source: Barbara Nagele, Urte Bohm, Thomas Gorgen, and Olga Toth, Intimate Partner Violence Against Older Women, European Commission
Date: 2011-Mar
The government began consultation on the range of exceptions to a proposed ban on age discrimination in the provision of services and public functions. There would be an exception in relation to eligibility for concessions or benefits (provided that the purpose of the concession was to benefit the age group to which it applied), and in relation to the use of age in the assessment of risk by providers of financial services. There would be no specific exceptions in relation to health or social care services.
Source: Equality Act 2010: Banning Age Discrimination in Services, Public Functions and Associations – A Consultation on Proposed Exceptions to the Ban, Government Equalities Office
Links: Consultation document | Hansard | GEO press release | DH press release | Age UK press release
Date: 2011-Mar
A study examined quality of life for older people. Quality of life in old age was driven by psychological and social factors, rather than 'objective' indicators such as home ownership, income, or education. People needed to be encouraged to take part in social activities, and build up their support networks from a young age onwards – so that they had a stock of social resources in later life. Society needed to work harder to promote local communities with good facilities for social activities and networking, in safe environments.
Source: Jessica Watson and David Sinclair (eds.), Good Neighbours: Measuring quality of life in older age, International Longevity Centre – UK
Date: 2011-Feb
A report called for the creation of a new umbrella organization for older people in Europe, designed to foster greater co-ordination and collaboration between organizations, policy-makers, and senior citizens themselves.
Source: Rachel Finn and David Wright, Report on Mechanisms for Stakeholder Co-ordination, Bridging Research in Ageing and ICT Development
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Feb
An article examined the impact of community-based services and activities on the lives of people aged 70 or over in rural England. 'Village services' promoted social inclusion by enhancing older rural residents' access to the resources, rights, goods, and services that encouraged social interaction and meaningful participation in community life.
Source: Peter Dwyer and Irene Hardill, 'Promoting social inclusion? The impact of village services on the lives of older people living in rural England', Ageing and Society, Volume 31 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Feb
A report brought together findings from a survey of grandparents looking after disabled children, and studies of grandparent carers. More than one-half of respondents had given up work or reduced their hours to provide care, and four-fifths said that they needed more financial help.
Source: 'I Wish I Could Just Be Grandma': Parenting again when you have a grandchild with a disability, Family Fund
Links: Report | Family Fund press release | Children & Young People Now report
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined the existing state of knowledge regarding older people and crime. There were a number of gaps: in particular, the fear of crime paradox, in which older people were seen as disproportionately concerned about the possibility of becoming a victim, had drawn attention away from much more important issues.
Source: Stephen Moore, 'Older people, fear and crime: problems and new directions', Working with Older People, Volume 14 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
A report presented the findings from the evaluation of the 'Generations Together' demonstrator programme (designed to generate wider interest in and thinking about intergenerational work, and to increase the number of volunteers working on intergenerational activity).
Source: Kathryn Crowther and Kerry Merrill, Evaluation of the Generations Together Programme: Learning So Far, Research Report RR082, Department for Education
Links: Report
Date: 2011-Jan
A paper examined social connectedness (defined as being active in social organizations) and retirement. There was evidence that levels of social connectedness increased at retirement, by 25 per cent compared with pre-retirement levels. However, there was not a consistently strong and positive association between social connectedness and health and well-being in retirement for everyone.
Source: Sarah Smith, Social Connectedness and Retirement, Working Paper 10/255, Centre for Market and Public Organisation (University of Bristol)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2011-Jan
An article examined key developments in the promotion of multi-disciplinary science on ageing.
Source: Catherine Hagan Hennessy and Alan Walker, 'Promoting multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary ageing research in the United Kingdom', Ageing and Society, Volume 31 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2011-Jan
