The concept of épreuve, literally translated as ‘challenge’, was developed by the French sociologist Danilo Martuccelli, who was inspired by Sartre's existential philosophy, phenomenological sociology and its concern for analysing modern experiences, and Charles Wright Mills’ conviction that it is necessary to relate personal problems to the social structures that generate or amplify them. The concept has been used in the sociology of ageing in France to characterise the épreuve of ageing and four domains of épreuve have been identified: activities, identity, autonomy and relationship to the world. This paper applies this template to a corpus of 27 interviews with people at mild to moderate stages of Alzheimer's disease, in order to characterise the épreuve of ageing with the disease. The épreuve of ageing during the earlier stages of the disease is similar to the experience of people who age without a cognitive disorder. However, as the disease progresses the analysis reveals that it tends to exacerbate issues: identity seems especially threatened, simultaneously raising the question of self-presentation and self-definition; although most interviewees strive to retain autonomy, a few delegate it to a close confidante with whom they build a relationship of strong dependence; and weakened communication accentuates the feeling that the world is foreign and strange.

In this study, four models used for assessing the influence of lifecourse financial strains on later-life health (the latent period effects, pathway, social mobility and accumulative effects models) were tested in the context of Japan by using different types of health indicators: comorbidity, disabled activities of daily living, disabled cognitive function, self-rated health and depressive symptoms. We hypothesised that suitable models for describing the influence of financial strain would differ according to the type of health indicator used. Participants aged 60–92 years (N = 2,500) were obtained in 2012 by using a two-stage stratified random sampling method. The final number of participants in the sample was 1,324. The results indicate that three models – pathway, accumulative effects and social mobility – describe the influence of a person's lifecourse financial strain on comorbidity, cognitive function, self-rated health and depressive symptoms. In turn, the latent period effects model explains the influence of lifecourse financial strain on comorbidity. However, only the pathway model described the influence of lifecourse financial strain on activities of daily living. These results suggest that disadvantages in lifecourse socio-economic status influence the decline of health in elderly Japanese people, similar to people in Western countries. However, the finding that suitable models for describing the influence of socio-economic status on health will differ according to the type of health indicator is an original contribution of this study.

Due to the growing elderly population, adult children care-givers (ACCs) are increasingly providing complex care for one or both elderly parents. Social support from similar peers can mitigate care-giving-related health declines. To date, ‘peer similarity’ amongst care-givers has been predominantly investigated in the context of peer-matching interventions. However, because peer similarity is especially influential in ‘naturally occurring’ support networks, care-givers' everyday peer support engagement warrants further attention. Our goal was to explore care-givers' everyday peer support engagement and the influence of peer similarity on support perceptions. We employed a mixed-method design using Web-based surveys and in-depth qualitative interviews. The quantitative data were analysed using a hierarchical multiple while qualitative data were thematically analysed. Seventy-one ACCs completed the online questionnaire and 15 participated in a telephone interview. Peer similarity was positively and significantly associated with perceived support (β = 0.469, p < 0.0005) and explained 18.5 per cent of the additional variance. ACCs' narratives suggested the most important aspect of similarity was ‘shared care-giving experience’ as it optimised the support received from peers, and also enhanced the quality of the relationship. In conclusion, both data-sets underscored that peer similarity importantly influences support perceptions. The importance of ‘shared care-giving experience’ suggests that a more comprehensive understanding of this concept is needed to optimise peer-matching endeavours. Peer similarity's influence on relationship quality should also be explored.

Age-related changes shape social connectedness, isolation and loneliness among older adults. Ageing often accompanies decisions about ageing in place or moving (i.e. senior living facility). Scant research compares these two living arrangements and even sparser research focuses on older women. This study, thus, poses the following questions: How do older women (aged 75+ years) experience social connectedness and perceived isolation? How does this experience vary between older women living alone in private homes and those living in assisted living facilities? Data include semi-structured interviews with women aged 75+ years who live alone in a private home or in an assisted living facility (N = 16). Findings revealed differences in three aspects of social connectedness: interactions, relationships and belonging. Private home participants' interactions underscored intentionality, with minimal investment in forging new or deeper relationships and an emphasis on belonging to the world through awareness, contribution and cognitive ability. The experiences of participants living in assisted living were characterised by availability of interactions and casual relationships. They emphasised belonging to the facility community, while positioning themselves between the status of resident and staff. Surprisingly, most participants in both groups did not express feelings of perceived isolation. Both had adapted their social connectedness expectations to reflect their current situation.

This paper explores how dignity is articulated and pursued by care workers in two currently prominent policy initiatives seeking to reform Danish care services for older people. Based on ethnographic case studies of ‘reablement’ practices and the use of ‘welfare technologies’, the paper shows how these attempts to create dignified care services transform interactions between care recipients and care workers. The analysis is inspired by a socio-material perspective on dignity as ‘crafted’ and ‘co-laboured’ in daily practices, in an interplay between multiple human and non-human actors. In the cases studied, dignity is articulated as closely related to older people's increasing autonomy and independence of formal care, and is pursued through enhancing care recipients’ self-care ability, and through technological automation of care tasks. However, these articulations and pursuits of dignity do not stand alone. When everyday care practices are closely examined, dignity is also pursued by care workers as increased co-operation and equality between care workers and care recipients, as de-objectification, and as promotion of enjoyment and quality of life. In these practices, care is ambivalently positioned as both a potential threat to dignity, and as a prerequisite to achieving it. The paper concludes by discussing the risks of policy agendas pursuing a narrow understanding of dignity as simply independence of care.

We explored identity formation among nine gay men who were born between 1946 and 1964. This group of nine was the largest homogeneous sub-group within a larger sample (N = 18). Although participants share similar demographic characteristics, their individual social, personal and narrative identities diverge to represent distinctive embodied selves. Guided by queer and feminist theories, the qualitative analysis identified dominant and counter-narratives that demonstrate the complexity of sexual identity as it evolves over time. All nine men recall being aware of their gay identity as children; however, like many socially constructed labels, their outward identity was more complex and difficult to understand. The findings demonstrate how participants negotiated their sexual identities through decades of social change. As illustrated within each subset of identity (i.e. social, personal and narrative), some participants found themselves breaking ground for a broader gay rights social movement, while others described their experience of being relegated to silence and invisibility for most of their lives. This research contributes to an ongoing discussion concerning the individuality found among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in later life. As the LGBT population becomes more visible, there will be a growing need to understand the individualism that exists within this coalition and affirm their diversifying sexual and gender identities.

This article is principally concerned with the measurement and evaluation of the cost of the time which families devote to the care of handicapped elderly relatives living with them. One way of measuring the contribution is by means of time diaries which document the amount of time given to caring activities throughout the 24 hours of the day. How this was done in a small pilot study, carried out in Oxfordshire, England, is described. It is preceded by a brief general discussion of some of the factors which determine time use and by a description of the empirical findings from a few of the existing surveys. Some broad estimates of the indirect financial costs involved are offered, including an estimate using a different approach based on the loss of opportunity suffered by women who are prevented from undertaking paid work.

An exploratory study examines the knowledge of old people, their past and present teaching-learning experiences with children, and their readiness to teach children in the future. The respondents to structured-interviews are 76 old people from three cultural groups in Israel: Europeans, Yemenite-Tunisians and Christian-Arabs. Old people have many kinds of knowledge: occupational skills; formal, general and religious knowledge; personal experience and traditions of the ethnic group. Old people who perceive of themselves as knowledgeable and competent, who have frequent contacts with school-age children (particularly their own grandchildren), who reside in communities that support the social norm of communication between the generations, have had positive experiences teaching children and are prepared to teach children in the future. Old people who teach children, integrate then- past experiences, enhance their self-esteem and provide alternative behavioural models to children.

Although the proportion of older people using home care services has significantly increased in East Asian countries, the issue of the relationships between older people and home care workers in the East Asian context has received scant attention from scholars. This exploratory qualitative study aims to explore these relationships under the new Korean long-term care insurance system. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 22 family carers and private-sector home care service providers (home care workers and provider managers). The findings show that while the majority of family carers interviewed reported that their relationships were good, the majority of service providers' responses were more negative. Service providers stated that they experienced a number of difficulties that affected their relationships with older clients, including excessive demands or sexual harassment by the older people in their care, exposure to unsafe working environments, and poor treatment in terms of pay and conditions. The findings suggest that stable and good relationships between home care workers and their clients have not been secured in Korea's long-term care system.

This paper describes a preliminary investigation of differences in family caregiving in Australia. Forty-eight Italian-born family caregivers of dependent elderly persons were compared with 461 caregivers of Anglo-Celtic origin on measures reflecting psychological health and well-being, and on a range of socio-demographic variables. The latter had participated in the national Caring for Family Caregivers (CFC) group programme; the former are residents of the Melbourne metropolitan area. Statistical tests were conducted on measures which included the Affect Balance Scale (Bradburn and Noll 1969) and the Spielberger State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger et al. 1983) and its translation (Pedrabassi and Santinello 1989). Findings indicated that Italians reported experiencing significantly less trait anxiety than Anglo-Celtic caregivers. Furthermore, significantly more Italians used community supports, were employed full-time, had lower levels of education, and reported better levels of general health than Anglo-Celtics. Implications for research and practice are drawn.

Centenarians worldwide are growing rapidly and thriving as they age. This growth reflects their desire to thrive beyond personal and societal obstacles, a hallmark sign of resilience. However, little research exists on centenarians’ perspectives about their lived experiences that reflect resilience. Therefore, the purpose of this secondary analysis was to capture the perspectives of Appalachian centenarians about (a) living through their childhood and early adulthood in an area known for poverty and isolation, and (b) exploring the resilient nature that emerged from their narratives. With a qualitative descriptive design, 21 community-dwelling Appalachian centenarians participated in face-to-face interviews. They resided in either their homes or assisted-living facilities. Transcripts were analysed with Neuendorf's method of content analysis. Within three themes, 11 sub-themes were identified: (a) working hard for the family, (b) loss of a loved one, (c) gender and race discrimination, (d) impact of isolation on health, (e) living a simple life, (f) using family/community support, (g) consuming and appreciating food from their farms, (h) spirituality, (i) generosity of spirit, (j) living a clean life, and (k) happy, good and loving life. Collectively, these themes and sub-themes reflected how the centenarians overcame and grew from challenges and adversities to become resilient. Consequently, these findings show that understanding resilience from centenarians’ perspectives can significantly contribute to the potential for longevity.

Recent research has shown that divorce reduces the likelihood of home-ownership. Even in later life, ever-divorced men and women display lower home-ownership rates than their married counterparts. There is, however, a lack of knowledge about the consequences of divorce for a majority of divorcees: those who remain in home-ownership or move back into home-ownership after an episode in rental housing. This paper investigates the economic costs of divorce by focusing on the housing wealth of ever-divorced home-owners in later life (age 50 and over), against the background of changing welfare and housing regimes. The empirical analysis is based on data from ten European countries that participated in the third and fourth waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE 2007/8 and 2011/2). Our analyses support an association between divorce experience and lower housing wealth holdings for men and women who remain in home-ownership after a divorce, or re-enter home-ownership after a spell in rental housing. This means that a divorce has negative housing consequences for a broader range of individuals than thus far assumed. In countries with a dynamic housing market and a deregulated housing finance system, ever-divorced home-owners are worse off than their married counterparts. In these countries, more elderly individuals with a weaker financial situation are able to remain in or regain access to (mortgaged) home-ownership, but at the cost of lower housing equity. Further research should focus on the implications (e.g. for wellbeing, economic position) of such cross-country variations.

In May 2010 a Conservative and Liberal Democrat Coalition Government was elected in the United Kingdom, which immediately started to plan a programme of wide-ranging cuts in public spending. However, in the face of severe economic problems the new government retained the outgoing government's emphasis on active ageing. This paper examines capacity-building partnerships between local authorities and third-sector organisations in LinkAge Plus (LAP) pilot areas in England, which were set up to find better ways to meet the needs of older people and empower them to become active citizens. The study on which this paper reports used theory on partnerships and collaboration to interrogate LAP pilot evaluation reports, along with current thinking on capacity building and work designed to improve services and outcomes for older people. The main findings are that capacity building in partnerships stimulated joined up working, which resulted in improved knowledge and skills in providing existing services. At the same time, new services emerged that meant older people were more involved in networking activities and social capital was created through their engagement in policy making, identifying needs, service design and finding solutions to problems. However, there were few instances of ideological activity that challenged established values and ways of working to go beyond traditional health and social care approaches in the delivery of services for older people. The potential impact of ongoing cuts in public spending are also considered.

For evidence about the extent and experience of old age in classical antiquity, one must rely excessively on literature and mythology, with their heavy bias towards the leisured classes and their lack of quantitative data. Nevertheless, there are bases for some plausible inferences: both life expectancy and for most people the standard of living were low, with a consequence of an early commencement of ‘adult’ employment and the absence of any notion (or possibility) of retirement; those hardy and lucky enough to survive of ten appear to have retained a vigorous creativity into very old age; emotional relations (e.g. between parents and children) were coloured by such factors as high infant mortality and the relative early death of parents and grandparents. The absence of really large cities, other than Rome and one or two others, and of rural isolation (the homestead farm, for example) reduced the dangers of the kind of loneliness associated with the modern bed-sitter, though problems of old age fell solely on the family (rather than the community). Medical literature showed a surprising lack of interest in mental illness associated with old age or even in medical problems other than the obvious ones of debility, and there is no way for us to penetrate the silence.

This qualitative study explores the experiences of 23 professional baby-boomers in Australia who are challenging the traditional employment and retirement pathway through non-standard employment (NSE). We focus on professional part-time, casual and self-employed work within the kaleidoscope of various working arrangements that form NSE. Using a phenomenographic approach, we identified variations in how these older baby-boomers experience engagement in NSE. Our findings revealed five interrelated hierarchical categories of description, which posit a generally positive view of NSE and highlight financial stability, flexibility, continued activity, social ties and maintaining self-identity as key conceptions for work engagement. Our study suggests that NSE is an important and under-researched part of the labour market for baby-boomer professionals, that it can offer greater opportunities for engagement and that the traditional hard-boundary view of retirement as a defined lifestage is softening. It extends our understanding of baby-boomer engagement with NSE in the labour market and offers findings that may inform future policy and practice.

The aim of this paper is to review the social constructionist view of age and ageing that emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It begins with a general consideration of social constructionism as an epistemological framing of the world, before turning to its use in social gerontology. It considers two distinct social constructionist approaches treating later life as a social reality: (a) as a structural consequence of the rise of the modern state and its organisation of the labour market and (b) as a consequence of shifting cultural and social representations. Arguing that the earlier more structuralist accounts have gradually become overshadowed by concerns over age as identity, socially constructivist approaches now place as much emphasis upon the social representation of age as on its social-structural organisation. The paper then reviews the costs and benefits of social constructionism in general and its becoming a key part in the study of ageing. Its benefits arise from drawing attention to the salience of the cultural and the social in fashioning age and ageing and thereby advancing the sociology of later life. At the same time, social constructionist approaches to old age risk neglecting an other personal and social reality arising from corporeal decline and fear of the body-to-come. The paper concludes by noting how, whether approaching ageing and old age as natural kinds or as human kinds, adopting biological or sociological methodologies, all such methods privilege the externality of age – whether as a social or a biological fact. What is not captured by either is the problematic internality of age. What might be called the subjectivity of age will remain a topic for cultural representation, beyond the methods of both biological and social science.

The association between everyday activities, health and subjective wellbeing in older adults has mostly been examined using different activities as separate variables. Which activities are likely to come together in individuals’ daily time-use patterns, or in what context, has not yet been analysed. This study looks at a broad range of spontaneously reported activities, their location and social context to identify latent behavioural classes. The data used in the study came from a sample of 200 non-institutionalised adults aged 65 and above. Activity data were collected using the Experience Sampling Method. Generalised structural equation modelling was used to identify the classes. Three distinctive behavioural classes, representing different lifestyles, emerged: passive domiciliary, active functional and social recreational. They constituted 30, 53 and 17 per cent of the sample, respectively. Class membership was related to individuals’ age, education and selected dimensions of health measured using the Nottingham Health Profile: energy levels and emotional response. There was consistency between the objectively measured class and an individual's subjective assessment of their physical and emotional health. While both class membership and subjective wellbeing were associated with health, the relationship between class and wellbeing was weak and fully explained by socio-demographic and health-related variables.