This paper discusses sleep as a social phenomenon, analysing it in the older population within the frame of a growing pharmaceuticalisation of conditions associated with old age. Two analytical dimensions are privileged: one pertains to patterns of sleep in old age, showing these patterns to be socially differentiated; while another has to do with the subjective experience of sleep, particularly in terms of the social meanings attributed to sleep as well as the strategies employed to manage it. These strategies may be therapeutic or non-therapeutic, as an expression of different rationales favouring or resisting the pharmaceuticalisation of sleep. This analysis is empirically based on data from a research project on the consumption of psychopharmaceuticals among the older population, in an urban context in Portugal. The research methodology followed a mixed-methods approach: a survey was deployed to a sample of individuals aged 65 years and over (N = 414); and life history interviews were conducted with a number of respondents (N = 30) from the previous survey. Both techniques included individuals with physical and cognitive autonomy, living at home or in institutional settings. The results reveal a considerable social adherence to the use of pharmaceuticals to manage sleep problems, although consumption practices are socially differentiated in terms of gender, age and living contexts. They also reveal the use of non-therapeutic strategies, stemming from a resistance to the pharmaceuticalisation of sleep.

The concept of quality of urban life (QoUL) can be interpreted quite differently across different cultures. Little evidence has shown that the measure of QoUL, which is based on Western culture, can be applied to populations cross-culturally. In the current study, we use data from the 2006 Assessing Happiness and Competitiveness of World Major Metropolises study to identify underlying factors associated with QoUL as well as assess the consistency of the QoUL measurement among adults, aged 60 and older, in ten world major metropolises (i.e. New York City, Toronto, London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Stockholm, Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul). Exploratory factor analysis and multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) are used to analyse the data. Findings of the study suggest that the measure of QoUL is sensitive to socio-cultural differences. Community factor and intrapersonal factor are two underlying structures that are related to QoUL among older adults in ten metropolises cross-culturally. Results from the CFA indicate that Toronto is comparable with Beijing, New York City, Paris, Milan and Stockholm in QoUL, while other cities are not. The results provide insights into the development of current urban policy and promotion of quality of life among older residents in major metropolitan areas. Future researchers should continue to explore the relationship between QoUL and socio-cultural differences within international urban settings, while remaining cautious when making cross-cultural comparisons.

Ageing of the population is posing new challenges for caretakers. This paper aims to examine: (a) age and gender differences in care provided by a domestic worker versus a family member in the performance of activities of daily living (ADL); (b) socio-demographic correlates of care during illness; and (c) self-reported physical, functional, and psychological health status in relation to care-giver. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted among 2,487 Kuwaiti nationals aged 50 years or older. This paper focuses on persons aged 70 or more. We found that domestic workers provided care to 28 per cent of men and 58 per cent of women who needed assistance with ADL; and to 14 per cent men and 51 per cent women during illness. These respondents ranked poorer on several health indicators and reported higher depressive symptoms score than those looked after by a family member. Logistic regression indicated that care by a domestic worker was approximately seven times more likely for women than men, about 10.8 times more likely for those without co-resident children compared with those who had three or more co-resident children, and 44 per cent less likely for the poorest compared with the richest persons. It appears that reliance on domestic workers is increasing and such reliance will remain necessary in the absence of culturally acceptable alternative institutional arrangements.