Affect and cognition have both been associated with communication across one's social network during ageing. Thus, it is important to consider how communication varies by different aspects of one's social network, and by communication mode, including phone, email and social media. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between technology-mediated communication, depression and an executive function-related fluid-reasoning measure among older adults. Data were drawn from the Health and Retirement dataset's 2016 wave. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the link between communication modes (phone, email and social media) with children, family and friends with a fluid-reasoning cognition measure and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, controlling for demographic covariates, among 3,798 older American adults. Phone and email communication, but not social media, were significantly related to depression and cognition. The model fit was considerably stronger for the analyses with cognition than depression. Curvilinear associations were found for communication via phone and email with cognition, suggesting moderate amounts of communication by phone and email across social groups were most closely linked with higher scores on fluid reasoning. For depression, curvilinear relationships were found for talking on the phone with family and friends, and emailing for children and family, indicating that moderate communication levels revealed the lowest depression levels. Implications for how older adults’ social support may contribute to depression and cognition status are discussed.

Prior research has established a positive association between social support and psychological resilience. In this study, we seek to examine whether and to what extent aspects of individuals’ social network – specifically size (how many relatives and friends one has) and strength (how often did one communicate with close network members and at the time of important decisions) – are related to greater psychological resilience. We use data pertaining to 1,609 respondents from the Panel on Ageing and Transitions in Health Survey (PATHS), 2016–2017, a national study of 1,654 older midlife adults, aged 50–59, in Singapore. We estimate the relationship between social networks and psychological resilience, using inverse probability weighted regression adjustment to account for the possibility of a selection bias whereby individuals with larger or stronger social networks may be more resilient at the outset. We find that strong social networks are associated with greater psychological resilience among older midlife adults, regardless of the size of the network. Having a large social network is associated with greater resilience only if it is also a strong network. Maintaining stronger, even if small, social networks may enable individuals at the cusp of older ages to be better prepared to deal with stressful life events and challenges associated with older midlife.

The overall aim of this grounded theory study was to explore the context of a nursing home as ‘home’ from the perspective of residents and staff. Sixteen focus group interviews were used to collect qualitative data from nursing home residents (N = 48) and staff (N = 44). Five distinct categories captured the views and experiences of participating residents and staff. These were: (a) Starting off on the right foot, ‘First impressions can be the lasting ones; (b) Making new and maintaining existing connections, ‘There is great unity between staff and residents’; (c) The nursing home as home, ‘It's a bit like home from home for me’; (d) Intuitive knowing, ‘I don't even have to speak, she just knows’; and (e) Feeling at home in a regulated environment, ‘It takes the home away from nursing home’. Together these five categories formed the basis of the core category ‘Knowing me, knowing you’, which captures the experiences of participants who repeatedly highlighted the importance of relationships and feelings of mutuality and respect between and among staff and residents as central to feeling at home in a nursing home. The reciprocity and mutuality associated with the core category, ‘Knowing me, knowing you’, was at times challenged by staff shortages, time constraints, and conflicting priorities associated with the co-existence of a regulated and homely environment.

This paper examines the associations between social participation and individual life satisfaction among older adults. It specifically considers the diversity of the practices and social inequalities among this population. For analyses, we used a large survey of individuals of 65 years and older conducted in 2011 in Switzerland (N = 2,727). The first set of linear regression analyses examines Diener's Satisfaction with Life Scale and its association with various indicators of social participation. While the second set of logistic regression addresses the issue of social inequalities by evaluating the impacts of gender, age group, region and education on social participation indicators that are significantly associated with the satisfaction with life score. Our results stressed the importance of combining multiple forms of participation for life satisfaction and shows that some forms are particularly meaningful: in particular, the involvement in associations, visitation of family or visitation of friends/acquaintances and church attendance. When inequalities among older adults are considered, having rich and varied social participation, being involved in associations and maintaining private sociability with non-kin appear more elitist. While institutionalised and/or private sociability types of participation appear particularly significant for older adults’ life satisfaction, the most traditional integration forms – i.e. family and religions – are crucial for the more vulnerable. Implications for active ageing was equally discussed as well.

In the development and deployment of health and ageing innovations, underlying values such as privacy or quality of life are often seen as a relatively stable starting point, if considered at all. However, values are neither stable nor singular. This paper introduces a valuation framework to explore the co-constitution of values and technological innovations. A careful and ongoing reflection on values and valuation, in particular in innovation practices targeted at older people, is crucial when aiming to increase sustainable innovations. Therefore, we include a Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) perspective to technological development and innovation, to understand better the construction and co-constitution of ageing-in-place technologies. This framework is developed following a review of literature on values and valuation in the broad field of SSH. The proposed valuation framework consists of three core elements: (a) value multiplicity, (b) value dynamism, and (c) valuation implications. To demonstrate potential applicability of the framework, we conducted a thought experiment on values and valuation practices related to the development and potential further deployment of a COVID-19 health app in the Netherlands. This experiment pays special attention to multiple values at stake and implications for older adults who age in place. We argue this valuation framework provokes reflection on dynamic and multiple values underlying technology use and non-use, and contributes to responsible health and ageing innovations.

This review updated a previous review [Gaugler JE (2005) Family involvement in residential long-term care: a synthesis and critical review. Aging and Mental Health 9, 105–118] and focused on dementia. Fourteen years of development in family involvement with care homes following placement of a relative was explored. The review aimed to investigate two questions: (1) What types of involvement do families have with care homes following placement of people living with dementia? (2) Which factors influence family involvement with care homes? PsycINFO, MEDLINE and CINAHL Plus were searched for publications between January 2005 and December 2018. Thirty-three papers representing 30 studies were included. Papers were appraised using a quality rating tool designed for use with mixed study designs. Studies were of a reasonable quality though some weaknesses included single-site samples, high attrition rates and poor reporting. Twenty-eight papers highlighted types of involvement including collaboration, family–staff relationship development, decision making and visiting. Twenty-five papers pertained to factors influencing involvement, which included outcome of care quality evaluation, wish for recognition and sense of integration into the care team. Type of family involvement has changed over time with increased emphasis on families’ desire for partnership, to be active rather than passive advocates, and to focus on care monitoring and evaluation. Seven themes of family involvement activities are featured and a non-linear process is proposed. When compared to patient and family-centred care principles, an analysis of family involvement types found good fit overall and potential for framework improvements. Over 30 diverse factors influence inter-family variation in the level and nature of family involvement. Consideration of these factors and resolution of the gaps in evidence, including intergenerational and cultural concerns, can improve care home facilitation of family participation. This dementia-specific review is a comprehensive timely complement to Gaugler's seminal work about older adults in care.

Much research is conducted to evaluate digital-based solutions for health-care services, but little is known about how such evaluations acknowledge diversity in later life. This study helps fill this gap and analyses participation in the evaluation of a web-based mobile phone system for monitoring the post-operative progress of patients after day surgery. Participation is conceptualised as resulting from three processes: pre-screening, recruitment and self-selection. Based on field information and survey data, this study models (a) the (non-)participation in a sample of 498 individuals aged 60 and older that includes non-screened, non-recruited, decliners and participants in the evaluation, and (b) the individual decision to participate in a sample of 210 individuals aged 60 and older who were invited to take part in the evaluation. Increasing age enhances the likelihood of not being screened, not being recruited or declining the invitation. Those not recruited were most often ineligible because of technology-related barriers. Decliners and participants differed by age, gender, job, health status, digital skills, but not by social participation. Results suggest that highly specific groups of older people are more likely to be involved than others. Old-age diversity is not properly represented in digital health research, with implications for the inclusivity of new digital health technologies. This has implications for increased risks of old-age exclusion and exacerbation of social and digital inequalities in ageing societies.

The aim of this study was to explore the experience of family care-givers of people with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Veneto region of Italy to understand how and to what extent the emergency has affected care-givers’ lives and care routines. Twenty adult children of an ill person were interviewed via phone and video call, in adherence with the restrictions against COVID-19. Thematic analysis showed five main themes: the care-giver's experience, the care recipient's experience, relationships with care recipients, changes in the care routine and resources. Results pointed out that the time needed in the care routine and everyday activities increased during the pandemic, together with the need to find alternatives to physical activity at home. Depending on one's personal experience of COVID-19 and approach to preventive rules, the availability of resources, and formal and informal support, three main approaches to care were identified: apprehensive, mindful and fatalistic ones. The pandemic amplified the differences among these already-existing approaches to care as well as the typical challenges and difficulties experienced by family care-givers, and it resulted in an increased burden connected to practical difficulties, emotional stress and difficulties in reaching for help. These results underline the importance of strengthening the external support network for older people to help family care-givers, especially during emergencies.

Developing age-friendly communities is a significant global policy issue. The World Health Organization's (WHO) age-friendly cities and communities initiative significantly influenced the development of Ireland's Age-friendly Programme. This article critically examines the utilisation of the WHO age-friendly planning framework in the context of Ireland. It explores older adults’ experience of living in a county which is currently implementing an age-friendly programme, and uses this analysis to assess how the age-friendly programme addresses older residents’ needs, and to illustrate how the WHO conceptual and planning framework has worked in Ireland. The article reports on a qualitative case study which used constructivist grounded theory to explore the lived experience of older adults. The research identifies salient social and cultural dimensions of the day-to-day lived experience of older people which, although they impact on the age-friendliness of the places in which they live, are downplayed or neglected in the WHO framework. In critically analysing the transfer and relevance of the WHO age-friendly model in light of broader issues such as diversity of place, the dynamic nature of person–place relations, and the interplay between age-friendly policy and other age-related public policy, the article suggests ways in which the use of the WHO framework can be modified to accommodate better the diverse experience of older adults in Ireland, but also in other geographic and cultural contexts.

Since the 2000s, migration within and into the European Economic Area (EEA) has increased significantly. Some migrants will retire in their destination countries. This makes questions about their retirement protection increasingly relevant for social policy. To address this, we examine past experience. Using the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we compared the pensions of post-1945 migrants, who settled in their host country, with non-migrants. We considered migrants who moved into and within the EEA, from poorer and richer countries. Where pensions were lower we sought to explain this in relation to the migration literature. As expected, we found some evidence that migrants’ pensions were lower, although significant variations were observed between EEA migrants and non-EEA migrants. However, surprisingly there were few indications that migrant pensions were lower because migrants as a whole were disadvantaged through late labour market entry or employment discrimination. Instead educational disadvantage mattered most, particularly for the highly educated: all highly educated migrants received lower rewards for their human capital than comparable non-migrants. Migrants who settled in countries with less-protective pension systems were also disadvantaged. Making retirement outcomes for migrants more equal would, thus, mean improving career opportunities for highly educated migrants and steps towards more-inclusive pension systems everywhere.

Increasing longevity has led to a rising number of adult children who are at higher ages when they provide care for their parents. Drawing on the lifecourse approach and exchange theory, the paper addresses similarities and differences in parent care between late middle-aged and older adult children. The study uses the UK Household Longitudinal Study, restricting the analysis sample to individuals aged 50 and older with a living parent or parent-in-law. It presents multivariate models to examine differences between late middle-aged (aged 50–64) and older (aged 65+) children in being a parent carer, providing intensive care, the duration of parent care and providing selected types of help to parents. The involvement in parent care increases among women up to the end of their seventh decade of life and for men up to their eighth decade of life. At higher ages, the proportion of parent carers decreases more strongly for women than men. Older carers have shorter care-giving episodes than younger carers, but there is no significant difference in the type of care provided. Even past retirement age, parent care remains classed and gendered, with women from lower social classes having the highest likelihood of providing intensive parent care in old age. Having dependent children or living in a non-marital union depress the likelihood of caring for a parent even past retirement age.

Ghana's older population is projected to increase in coming decades and as a result will see increasing care needs. Understanding the functional difficulties older adults experience, and the associated factors, will help identify relevant intervention to assist older adults in meeting their care needs. This study aimed to analyse the prevalence of functional difficulties among older adults in Ghana, and examine how the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (WHO-ICF) conceptual framework can relate to toileting difficulty to understand the factors that increase older adults’ care needs. Data were for 5,096 adults aged ⩾50 years from the WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Ghana Wave 1. Difficulties were assessed using self-reported difficulty on 22 functional items, including toileting. Multivariate logistic regression tested associations between toileting and other factors as related to the WHO-ICF conceptual framework. Older adults reported climbing one flight of stairs without resting as a common functional difficulty. Difficulty eating was the item least identified. Toileting difficulty was ranked second among five total activities of daily living difficulties. Age, marital status, self-reported health, memory, bodily pain, short- and far-distance vision, obesity, stroke, chronic lung disease, trust at individual and neighbourhood level, toilet facility type, socialising with co-workers, and public and religious meeting attendance were statistically significantly associated with toileting difficulty in the final parsimonious model. Post-hoc analysis testing interaction revealed that interaction existed between female sex and never married marital status (p = 0.04), and obesity and widowed marital status (p = 0.01), with toileting as the outcome. A significant level of functional difficulty existed among Ghanaian older adults in this sample. Toileting difficulty was associated with factors across different components in the WHO-ICF, emphasising functional, social and environmental factors related to this fundamental human activity.

Family care-giving is associated with social isolation, which can lead to adverse health and wellbeing outcomes among family care-givers. The role of geographic distance in care-giver social isolation (CSI) is unclear and has received mixed research findings. Framed by the Ecological Model of Caregiver Isolation, this study examined the relationship between geographic distance and CSI, including the interaction between geographic distance and care-giving intensity for CSI. Linear regression and analysis of covariance were used to test these hypotheses using a sub-set of family care-givers from the 2012 Canadian General Social Survey (N = 2,881). Care-givers living a short distance from receivers reported lower levels of social isolation than co-resident, moderate-distance and long-distance care-givers. Being involved in higher-intensity care-giving as the primary care-giver, undertaking more care-giving tasks and providing care more frequently resulted in higher CSI scores. Long- and moderate-distance care-givers reported greater CSI than co-resident and short-distance care-givers only when providing higher-intensity care-giving. Employing a granulated measure of geographic distance positioned within an ecological framework facilitates an understanding of the nuanced association between geographic proximity and CSI. Furthermore, the identified interaction effects between geographic distance and care-giving intensity on CSI further explicate the complexity of care-giving experiences. The findings are relevant for programmes supporting care-givers in different contexts, especially distance care-givers.

The low retirement age has imposed a heavy economic burden on the pension system in China, leading to an ongoing debate about raising the retirement age. To understand the potential costs of raising the retirement age, we need to consider the health effects of retirement policies. Using the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) from 2011 to 2015, this study employs the statutory retirement age as the exogenous variable of retirement and applies a fuzzy regression discontinuity design (RDD) to examine the effect of retirement on the health of Chinese elderly people. We find that retirement has a non-significant effect on health with respect to a series of health indicators, different bandwidths of RDD and sub-sample groups. The finding is also robust across different retirement definitions and retirement ages. This result may be attributed to the minimal changes in income and lifestyles before and after retirement. Moreover, the findings of this study provide important evidence for policy makers to increase retirement ages in China.

The three-way intersection of gender, relationship-to-care-recipient and care-giving demands has not, to our knowledge, been examined in relation to the wellbeing of family care-givers. We explore inequalities in depressive symptoms and life satisfaction, comparing wives, husbands, daughters and sons providing very-intensive care (36+ hours/week) with those providing less care and disparities between these groups in the factors related to disadvantage. Data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (N = 5,994) support the existence of differences between the groups. Very-intensive care-giving wives report the most depressive symptoms and lowest life satisfaction; less-intensive care-giving sons report the fewest depressive symptoms, and less-intensive care-giving daughters report the highest life satisfaction. However, group differences in life satisfaction disappear among very-intensive care-givers. Drawing on Intersectionality and Stress Process theories, data from regression analyses reveal a non-significant gender–relationship–demand interaction term, but, health, socio-economic and social support resources play a strong mediating role between care demand and wellbeing. Analyses of the eight groups separately reveal diversity in the care-giving experience. Among less-intensive care-givers, the mediating role of resources remains strong even as differences are evident. Among very-intensive care-givers, the role of resources is less and differences in wellbeing between the groups are magnified. Policy implications emphasise the imperative to personalise services to meet the varied needs of care-givers.

In most rapidly ageing industrialised countries, ageing problems have become an important social issue. In Japan, owing to the rapidly ageing population, the government has been intervening in both the demand side and supply side of labour to increase employment of older adults. This study examines labour supply responses to the increasing pension eligibility age and labour demand responses to company expansion and the abolition of the employee selection mechanism. This study is based on Japanese longitudinal survey data (Keio Household Panel Survey) from 2008 to 2018. Since employment law revisions and social security revisions are inextricably linked, one way to examine the effect of revisions to both simultaneously is to investigate them by cohort. The difference-in-difference model was used to compare revision-affected cohorts born between April 1953 and January 1956 and unaffected cohorts born between April 1949 and March 1953. It was found that the revisions had almost no impact on the employment of older adults and their receipt of pensions. However, they did have significant positive effects on job transfers and resignations. Hence, although the system was modified, it also gave companies the option of placing older adults in associated companies and of retaining some routes for older adults to retire, much as before the revisions.

Seniors are a population of concern due to exposure to both increasing gambling venues and powerful age-specific risk factors. There has been only limited research on this population so far, but studies conducted among younger adults suggest that the illusion of control is a key factor, leading players to develop strategies that increase their risk-taking in gambling. Time perspective (TP) is a good indicator of risky behaviours in a number of different areas, including health and the environment. In the present study, we sought to identify the age-specific cognitive mechanisms underlying gambling behaviour in normal ageing. We asked 115 emerging adults (mean age = 20.86 years), 86 young adults (mean age = 30.59), 82 middle-aged adults (mean age = 44.57) and 108 seniors (mean age = 65.19) to play an online game. We rated their illusion of control, risk-taking and TP. Analysis revealed that seniors took more risks and had less illusion of control than younger adults. The fatalistic-present TP positively influenced the illusion of control, such that perceiving the present as being determined by uncontrollable forces increased the perceived level of control. Finally, we found an influence of age on TP. These results suggest that seniors constitute a specific population in terms of gambling-related cognitions and behaviours. Including TP in risky behaviour assessments would allow the development of tailor-made preventive measures.

Emerging research has outlined the possibility for virtual reality (VR) experiences, which situate users into the perspective of someone living with dementia, to enhance dementia awareness. Currently, there is limited VR research that engages care home practitioners. It is imperative this population has high levels of dementia education given their requirements to provide care and support to residents, many of whom will be living with the condition. This paper reports on an exploratory qualitative study designed to elicit the experiences of care home practitioners who engaged with the VR application: ‘A walk through dementia’. Twenty practitioners, across four care homes in the United Kingdom, watched the VR scenarios and provided their views on the experience and the potential for the VR tool to be developed into a wider training programme to support dementia awareness. Data were collected via focus group discussions. Following an inductive thematic analysis, we constructed three themes. These suggested participants perceived the VR application offered them a convincing and immersive experience that was insightful and evocative, and provided ‘next-level’ dementia-awareness training that enabled them to reflect on care practices. Although the findings highlight important challenges for practitioners and developers wishing to use VR within dementia care, they suggest this application may be an engaging experiential learning tool that can provide care home staff with deeper cognitive and emotional awareness of living with dementia. Further work, drawing on these preliminary insights, is required to ensure the VR tool can be incorporated into a training programme that can positively contribute to the ‘dementia-friendly communities’ agenda.

This study examines the effects of own and spousal health on transitions in loneliness over time among married middle-aged and older adults in China, and explores the possible gender differences in these effects using data from the three waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (2011–2015). The sample includes 6,422 men and 6,391 women who were married and aged 45 and older at the baseline survey. Middle-aged and older adults with poorer physical and emotional health statuses are more likely to transition into and less likely to transition out of loneliness in a two-year period. Spouse's emotional health also affects both types of transition in loneliness and spouse's functional limitation affects transition into loneliness through spouse's emotional health. In addition, for married men, their own functional limitation is significantly associated with their transitions into and out of loneliness. For married women, their spouse's functional limitation is significantly associated with their transition into loneliness and this is mainly through its association with spouse's emotional health. Also, for married women, their spouse's emotional health is significantly associated with their transition out of loneliness. Social interventions to reduce feelings of loneliness need to take a couple approach and consider both spouses’ health problems and how they may affect their daily activities and their interactions with each other and with others.

Volunteering is a popular activity among middle-aged and older adults as means to contribute to the society and to maintain personal health and wellbeing. While the benefits of volunteering have been well-documented in the current literature, it does not tend to distinguish between various types of volunteering activities. This cross-sectional study aims to compare the effects of instrumental (e.g. food preparation, fundraising) and cognitively demanding volunteering activities (e.g. befriending, mentoring) in a sample of 487 middle-aged and older Hong Kong Chinese adults. Participation in instrumental and cognitively demanding volunteering, life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, cognitive functioning and hand-grip strength were measured. The results of two-way between-subject robust analyses of variance demonstrated significant main effects of volunteering type and their interaction effect with age on life satisfaction and depressive symptoms. Comparisons among four volunteering groups (no volunteering, instrumental volunteering, cognitively demanding volunteering and both types) revealed that individuals engaging in instrumental volunteering exhibited lower life satisfaction and more depressive symptoms compared to those who engaged in cognitively demanding volunteering and those who did not volunteer at all. This detrimental pattern of instrumental volunteering was only seen in middle-aged adults, but not in older adults. Findings of this study revealed distinctive effects of two volunteering types, and provide valuable directions for designing future volunteering programmes.