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This paper contributes to understanding the power of participating in work-based doctoral research after a fulltime career. It explores ways in which active older people choose to participate in "creative dance" activities and how this may benefit them. It draws upon the first author's experiences in using her leadership, management, presenting and coaching skills creatively, having decided to leave her career as a senior manager and return to dancing and community activities "to see what life will bring". This includes becoming involved with dance performance activities, founding/managing a grassroots dance organisation, advising, networking and participating in projects concerning ageing and creative arts, whilst undertaking a work-based doctorate programme. Adaptable methodological approaches are explored so that uncertain new ad-hoc paid and voluntary work could be incorporated within research processes. The paper outlines findings about active older people dancing and recommends a way forward on issues concerning ageing; creativity and older people's creative dance becoming mainstream. There is an argument for the social, political and health benefits of dancing for all, especially older adults and the need for more choices so that all ages can lead meaningful purposeful lives. This research challenges the stereotypes of retiring and becoming marginalised, showing positive aspects of entering the next stage of life and later stages of work, using skills and experience in new ways to benefit others as well as oneself.

This paper examines the impact of raising the State Pension age on women's health. Exploiting a UK pension reform that increased women's State Pension age for up to 6 years since 2010, we show that raising the State Pension age leads to an increase of up to 12 percentage points in the probability of depressive symptoms, alongside an increase in self-reported medically diagnosed depression among women in a lower occupational grade. Our results suggest that these effects are driven by prolonged exposure to high-strain jobs characterised by high demands and low control. Effects are consistent across multiple subcomponents of the General Health Question and Short-Form-12 (SF-12) scores, and robust to alternative empirical specifications, including "placebo" analyses for women who never worked and for men., (© 2020 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

"What am I without paid work?" Some would say, "A non-person." Others might say, "Free!" The experience of retirement is explored using creative writing for therapeutic purposes. Written from the perspective of fictional British retirees from different workplaces, the paper offers a view of how expressive and reflective writing can be both therapy and research at times of transition. Little in the literature on retirement in the UK uses the "experience near" approaches of writing as inquiry. This paper will point out some of the benefits of research methods that are "up close and personal", culturally embedded and embodied. Encouraging the use of playful, creative writing in individual counselling and in groups is one of the aims of this paper.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to introduce the key themes in the area of the impact of demographic change on young workers and older workers in relation to education, skills and employment, as discussed in the papers included in this section. The authors have also drawn upon data from their project "From Young Workers to Older Workers" as a context for the papers. Design/methodology/approach: This paper draws out the main themes from the papers contained within this section and presents original data from interviews with 97 older workers who were interviewed at two points in time--labour market entry and labour market exit. Findings: The selection of papers in this section is outlined, as well as offering some findings from the authors' research on older workers. Originality/value: The papers in this section, including this paper, offer an overview of some of the key debates in relation to the impact of demographic change on both young workers and older workers. (Contains 1 table.)

In this paper I want to think about some of the issues involved in trying to do inclusive and socially just education research. I draw on two education research projects that I am involved with. The first project is a small-scale exploratory study with twelve Education academics who are 'staying on' post retirement. The second is a major investigation that explores how England's vocational education and training (VET) system could better support the transitions into further education, training and work of those young people aged 16-20 not taking the university route. Drawing on these two studies, the intention is to ask questions about what is meant by socially just research - that is, research that is both socially just in the way it is carried out (for example, doing research "with" participants instead of "to" them and including marginalized voices) and that seeks to contribute to more socially just educational practices in the future. There is some danger in claiming that education research should always have some practical utility; there is also a danger in thinking that more socially just research, without any wider political commitment to social change, will 'make education better'. But trying to do 'research differently' and promoting a more deliberate socially just perspective in our research methods and design may be part of a prefigurative politics where we start to contribute towards more equitable social change.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore learning for and through retirement from the workplace. Design/methodology/approach: First, "retirement" is considered in the light of the existing literature, demonstrating a complex concept. The paper describes the research project from which a theme of retirement as a learning process has emerged. Case studies illustrate individuals' retirement transformations within the communities and cultures where they live and learn. "Learning lives" is a qualitative project in which the life histories and ongoing lives of over 100 UK adults were researched in interviews 2004-2008. The sample included many people approaching retirement or retired. Findings: Analysis showed retirement as being an ongoing process and learning as being integral to those transitions through which older people go before, during and after leaving paid work. It was found that learning is often informal and tacit, in anticipation, preparation and reaction to change. Learning interrelates with people's positions in society, time and place as they "become" retired. Research limitations/implications: Time and funding limited analysis of the large bank of data, which are deserving of further work. There are implications for workplaces and for the wider society in the need to recognise and understand the transition process through which retirees must learn their way. Formal course provision can be beneficial but is only part of, or possibly a trigger for, the life learning that occurs. Originality/value: There is limited work available looking at learning and retirement. What there is tends to focus on formal courses. The study adds to those, looking at learning more broadly and as an integral and reciprocal part of the process.

Northern European international retirement migrants are often viewed as affluent and use migration as a route to a better quality of life. However, as these migrants transition into the 'fourth age', the onset of age-related illnesses, frailty and care needs can lead to increased levels of risk and insecurity. Through 34 qualitative interviews with older British migrants in Spain, the paper explores how these migrants access and experience care as they age. It draws on a lens of precarity that allows an understanding not only of individual care needs, but of the political, economic and social context in which they are situated, including social protections and public safety nets. The findings suggest that distant family relationships and limited access to formal social protection can both create and exacerbate precarity. These older migrants therefore develop different strategies to access care that include drawing on informal relationships and voluntary organisations within the British community in Spain. The paper contributes to understanding how international retirement migrants manage their care needs, and theoretically extends our understanding of how the intersection of old age, migration and care can create new forms of precarity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this review is to understand whether "The Great Resignation" has emerged as a concept within the popular media and academic because it is based on fact or whether it has emerged because it broadly aligns with a dominant neoliberal ideology. Design/methodology/approach: This paper critically reviews United Kingdom (UK) government data to establish evidence for "The Great Resignation". Thus, the purpose is to understand whether there has been an increased propensity for workers to leave or change their jobs due to attitudinal changes emerging from the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic. Findings: Based on this review, there is limited evidence that "The Great Resignation" has been occurring within the UK. Nonetheless, there have been extensive commentries in both the popular press and academic outlets that have been attempting to evidence the phenomenon. Some of academic writing is drirven by narratives emerging from the press which should thus warrent consideration of the extent to which academics are losing control over conceptual and theoretical development. Originality/value: The key contribution that is made by this piece is the questioning of concepts that have entered the common vernacular. Concepts such as "The Great Resignation" and "Quiet Quitting" have, for the most part, gained popularity through social media. This paper looks at "The Great Resignation" and warns of the possibility that social media maybe a significant threat to robust academic theorisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the period of this journal's life the education of adults has been changed and developed in a wide variety of ways: the same phenomenon--adult learning--has been given a variety of meanings and the education of adults has assumed many titles. The aim of this paper is to unravel some of the changes that have occurred in this field during this time.

Policy-makers frequently neglect the ways in which social policies are funded through taxation. This relationship is of critical importance because misalignment can cause social policy failure and tax injustice. This is evident with National Insurance (NI): a tax used primarily to fund the UK's state pension entitlement. This paper explains how NI is failing women and poorer people, prompting questions of why such a poorly designed, unfair and ineffective tax has persisted for so long in the UK. The paper proposes a radical solution: the payment of a universal basic pension and the abolition of NI, with consequential adjustments in income and corporation taxes to compensate for revenue losses. This paper makes a rare contribution to understanding how taxation is used to fund social welfare, and the implications of that relationship. In the UK, National Insurance (NI) is a hypothecated tax used primarily to fund state old age pensions—a contributory welfare benefit. Through historical analysis, and the exemplar of the raising of the state pension age for women, this paper demonstrates that NI fails women and poorer people more than men and the better-off: creating serious problems of social equity. A solution is proposed: the abolition of NI with consequential adjustments to income and corporation taxes, and the introduction of a universal basic pension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Offers a brief overview of preretirement education in the United Kingdom and its meaning in an economy where forced redundancy can bring "retirement" at an early age. Highlights the Coping with Change Model, which focuses on insight into the feelings, issues, choices, and skills relevant to life changes. (DMM)

Purpose: This article aims to link discussions of the role of earnings-related pension measures with time in Hong Kong (HK) and the United Kingdom (UK). It presents a new conceptual "time-based framework" to explore two related types of government response to the way people accumulate pension incomes through participation in paid work. The first is to consider governments' perceptions of appropriate time in work and retirement. The second is to consider how governments use pension measures to influence the connection between the amount of time people spend in paid work and retirement. Design/methodology/approach: This is a conceptual paper. The time-based framework is developed using literature concerning discretionary time and the social construction of time. To explore the empirical significance of this framework, the authors discuss how it can be applied to the analysis of earnings-related pension measures in HK and the UK. Findings: The evidence generated from the discussion of the earnings-related pension measures in HK and the UK shows that pension policies can serve both as a financial and time instrument. At the same time as influencing the connection between the amount of time people spend in paid work and the pensions they can accumulate, pension policies can be used to convey the government's views on important time issues, namely the appropriate length of time in work and retirement, and the relative value of the time spent in paid work and providing informal care. Originality/value: A new framework is developed to explore the connection between the studies of earnings-related pension measures and time, which is an understudied area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work contributes to the political economy literature by elucidating gendered socio-cultural practices germane to everyday financialisation. The financialisation of retirement provision in the UK expects individuals to negotiate risk and reward across diverse investments. Existing quantitative research highlights gender disparities in terms of who saves and how much, often interpreted as inherent behavioural traits which cast female behaviour as irrational. Yet, this ignores the dominance of masculine norms in shaping financial capitalism and the impact of gender-normative roles on everyday behaviours. Building on insights feminist political economy, this paper examines how constructions of gender, meaning socialised gender roles and norms, shape the ways men and women deal with financial risk when accumulating assets for later life. Drawing on 105 semi-structured interviews, we find that men and women understand and respond to risk in different and contradictory ways based on constructions of gender. These distinct approaches lead to divergent investment strategies: men tend to align with the gendered role of the risk-seeking investor, while women tend to feel alienated by models of investment which do not appear to fit feminine norms. This disparity compounds the effect of structural inequalities with implications for long-term welfare under financialisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since European Union (EU) enlargement in 2003, labour migration from East to West and South to North has increased. It is to be expected that a share of these workers will want to retire in their host countries. According to the academic literature, EU legislation protects such mobility well by allowing the transfer of rights accrued in any EU country to another. However, such research has focused on legislation, not outcomes. We know little about how migration will affect the financial status of retired migrants in their host country and their ability to sustain a life there, should they stay after retirement. Using migration, wage and pension policy data (Eurostat, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), this paper projects the post-retirement incomes of a range of hypothetical EU migrants, selected in relation to the most common migratory flows since 2003. After having worked in their home countries (Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Italy) for at least ten years, these people move to richer countries (Italy, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom) and work there for at least 30 years. To determine whether they can remain settled after decades of labour force participation in the host country, the paper adds their pension entitlements from home and host countries and compares this income with the relative poverty line of the host countries. This shows that good portability of entitlements matters little when these are very low because of a large wage gap between home and host country. Thus, after at least 30 years of enjoying all citizenship rights as workers, most of these individuals are projected to receive incomes below the relative poverty line of their host countries and thus experience a sharp drop in this status. Their citizenship is diminished. The paper concludes by considering policies that could avoid such an outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploiting the 2011 abolishment of the mandatory-retirement provision that had allowed employers to force retirement of their 65-or-older employees in the UK, this paper estimates the effect of outlawing mandatory retirement on public-pension benefit claim behaviour of the elderly through changing their employment and retirement rates. Abolishing mandatory retirement raises public-pension claim rate of non-household-head benefit-eligible individuals by making them retire more, while it lowers public-pension claim rate of household-head benefit-eligible individuals by lowering their retirement rate. On the other hand, the abolishment raises full-time employment rate of the elderly, regardless of household-head status or gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a supply-side review of policies and practices that impact on the shortage of supply in the contemporary specialist housing market for older people in the UK.Design/methodology/approach The review is based on a review of academic literature, policy documents, reports and other sources.Findings There is a critical conflict between the key social purpose of specialist housing (i.e. living independent of socially provided care) and the values that underpin and ultimately limit the quantity of units in both the social and private sector. In the social sector, government policies prohibit rather than encourage local authorities and housing associations from increasing specialist housing stock. The nature of leasehold tenures in the private sector tends to commodify not only housing stock but also those who use it and therefore acts to instrumentalise housing supply in favour of the profit motive and the focus on the person and her or his needs is largely ignored.Originality/value While the shortage of specialist housing is well known, this paper is unique in that it provides a comprehensive and critical supply-side review of the factors that have created such conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The 8.3 million babies who were born during the 1960s in the UK are 48-57 years old. With growing concern about population ageing, and the oldest of this large cohort on the brink of later life, it is timely to provide an overview of selected characteristics of this cohort in order to help predict likely needs and choices for services and products in later life. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: A synthesis (non-systematic) of the academic and grey literature plus data from various sources including the Office for National Statistics was used to construct a picture of the 1960s baby boomer. Findings: Characteristics with the potential to signify lifestyle changes among this, compared with previous, cohorts of older people include: a higher probability of living alone in old age due to high rates of childlessness and divorce; a possibly larger proportion of their lives spent with one or more chronic conditions, although the prevalence of disability affecting activities of daily living is lower than for previous cohorts; high levels of home ownership; increased rates of employment at older ages; but reduced wealth compared with previous cohorts. Originality/value: The term baby boomer is generally used to denote people born in the undifferentiated surge of births that occurred in the USA between 1946 and 1964. In the UK, post Second World War spike in births was followed by a separate, broad surge in births across the 1960s but there has been very little analysis specifically of the 1960s cohort in this country. This paper addresses that gap, by bringing together the available evidence and data on this specific cohort in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health and employment are strongly correlated. This paper reviews the existing evidence and brings in new evidence on the following issues: (a) the measurement of health; (b) the impact of health on employment rather than just the association between health and employment; (c) the mechanisms by which health impacts employment; and (d) the likely effect of recent retirement and disability policy changes in the UK. Although the magnitude of the estimated effect of health on employment varies greatly from study to study, some of this variation is driven by the health measure used. Given our preferred measure, the evidence suggests that 5–10 per cent of the employment decline between ages 50 and 70 is due to declining health in England, with the largest effects among low‐educated men. Most of the effect comes through declining preferences for work and lower productivity when in bad health, although some of the effect is from government‐provided incentives to not work when in bad health, such as from disability benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimentalism is a theory of regulation in which change is achieved via a process of 'directly deliberative polyarchy' within an experimentalist architecture. This paper argues that experimentalism offers a normatively desirable model for legal interventions relating to the ageing workforce, and age equality law in particular, and offers new insights into existing UK scholarship on reflexive law. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from UK universities, this article considers the extent to which reforms to retirement ages have promoted a form of experimentalism among UK universities. This paper offers concrete suggestions and reforms for how an experimentalist framework could be adopted in this context to enhance regulatory reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Suicide can be an emotive, and at times, controversial subject. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the social, health, personal, and cultural issues that can arise in later life and the potential reasons for suicide. It will analyse already recognised risk factors of suicide in older adults and focus on improving knowledge about the social meaning and causation of suicide for older people. It will also consider suicide prevention policies, their practice implications, and whether they are successful in protecting this potentially vulnerable cohort.Design/methodology/approach A synopsis of available literature in the form of a general review paper of suicide of older adults.Findings There is evidence that the ageing process often leads to a set of co-morbidities and a complex and diverse set of individual challenges. This in turn equates to an increased risk of suicide. There is no easy answer to why there is evidence of a growing number of older adults deciding that suicide is there only option, and even fewer suggestions on how to manage this risk.Social implications The entry of the “baby boom” generation into retirement will lead to the potential of an increase in both suicide risk factors and older adults completing suicide. This is on the background of a demographic surge which is likely to place additional pressures on already under-resourced, and undervalued, statutory and non-statutory services.Originality/value A literature search found very little information regarding older adults and suicide risk, assessment, treatment or prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author's father left school aged 13 at the start of the Great Depression. When he finally found work the wealth of educational opportunity he encountered inspired him with a lifelong love of learning. He signed up for evening classes and loved anything and everything to do with what he proudly called self-improvement. As a novice to retirement the author relished the thought of signing up for dozens of courses: pottery, philosophy, Pilates or flower arranging. These courses used to be called evening classes and they were run by local authorities. But times have changed. As a direct result of government policy, over the past two years over 1.4 million evening class places have disappeared. Increasingly, classes are run by escapees from formal adult education. Worn down by paperwork, talented tutors are voting with their feet and working privately. The author argues that the current situation is not sustainable--and that's the problem. So what is to be done? The author offers four simple suggestions.

Background: An ageing workforce is a challenge for businesses that are increasingly expected to adapt workplaces to enable employees to remain in work longer. Emerging evidence highlights employer practices to attract or retain older workers. This paper explores employers' motivations for introducing measures to accommodate an older workforce in three European case study countries. Objectives: The objective is to illustrate and understand different approaches to, and stages in, adjusting workplaces to accommodate an ageing workforce. Methods/Approach: The study combines case studies, including site visits and interviews, with expert consultations. Results: The research finds marked betweencountry differences, with United Kingdom case studies highlighting a strong emphasis on age-neutral practices shaped by legislation; age-confident practices in Germany resulting from collaborative arrangement between employers and trades unions (with legislation permissive towards age discrimination); business in Spain remaining relatively inactive, despite evidence of people expecting to work longer in life. Conclusions: Diverging employer motivations and responses to the challenge of an ageing workforce risk a multi-speed Europe in age-confident workplace innovation. A concerted effort that draws on the multiple factors that motivate initiative would be required to achieve good working conditions for older workers across Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The paper aims to highlight the contributions and opportunities offered by an ageing society to their local communities and wider society.Design/methodology/approach - The paper is set out in six sections: an over view of WRVS; challenges of an ageing society; the "grey pound"; provision of social care; volunteering and non-financial and other contributions of older people. This paper draws on research published by WRVS in March 2011 while providing more detail on the contribution of, and opportunities for, older volunteers with supporting case studies.Findings - The paper shows the benefits of an ageing population, the contributions currently made by the UK's pensioners, and the inevitable increase in their provision to society.Social implications - In the UK, over 65s are often seen as a burden on society's resources. In many other cultures older people have an elevated status and respect. Older people make a huge contribution to the UK's society but their potential is not always realised. This paper gives evidence of the contribution of older people, the difference they are making in their communities and how the roles they take on can only become more important in their local communities.Originality/value - This paper refers to research which places an economic value on the contribution of older people to society. Equally important is recognising the value of older people to local communities: organisations and individuals may find this paper a useful insight into older volunteering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the governance of pension schemes, and the risk this poses for pension savers, is a prominent issue in current pension debate in the UK, this paper places that debate in, arguably, the more important context of the governance of individual behaviour. Using the concept of governmentality as a means of interpreting the course of recent UK pension policy and its attempts to influence individual saving behaviour, it critiques that policy. The paper then goes on to consider the effect of the introduction of personal accounts upon the pensions landscape, and in particular its potential to push forward the government's recent approach to pension provision. It argues that these reforms, rather than furthering individual saving for retirement, may alternatively create the very real possibility of undermining it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen a growth in research on retirement/lifestyle migration to Spain, however this has tended to focus on the reasons for moving, as well as the lifestyles adopted as part of a healthy and active retirement. However, ageing in Spain can bring challenges as a person's resources for independent living diminish. This paper draws on narrative interviews with vulnerable older British people in Spain, focusing on those who have encountered a severe decline in health, are frail and in need of care. It looks at the formal and informal networks and agencies that support these individuals, in particular the resources and strategies they employ to access care. Drawing on a framework of care provision developed by Glucksmann and Lyons, four broad modes of provision for old age care used by older British people in Spain are identified: state/public, family/community, voluntary/not-for-profit and market/for-profit. The paper argues that there are language, cultural, spatial and financial barriers when accessing care in Spain as an older British citizen. It is concluded that there are some frail, vulnerable people that may fall through a support gap, whereby they are no longer the responsibility of UK welfare services, yet not fully recognised in their new country of residence, and asks if more should be done to support this population. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper analyses how well the latest in a long line of reforms to the British pension system will serve the low-income population and protect against a means-tested old age. We argue that New Labour's proposals (set out in the Green Paper ‘A New Contract for Welfare: Partnership in Pensions’) will develop a new relationship between public and private pension provision which leads to a much wider role for means testing. We illustrate our argument by looking at faults written into the design of the pension system and by examining the experiences of the new regime that a range of hypothetical, low-income individuals would have. We find that, contrary to the government's message, the proposed State Second Pension will not be a replacement for SERPS but will, in fact, combine with the basic pension to provide a new flat-rate pension aimed at the poorest. Low-income individuals and those with broken work histories will face great difficulty in avoiding a means-tested old age. Furthermore, increased reliance on annuity income in retirement may also propel significant numbers of the middle classes into means testing. Far from simplifying the pension system, the proposals will add complexity, making it difficult for individuals to make an optimal pension choice. In conclusion, the proposed pension partnerships are likely to be unsustainable and therefore likely to lead to a continuance of the cycle of pension reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quantification of the financial implications of the design of a funded, collective defined contribution (CDC) pension scheme is presented and illustrated. It is done through an attribution analysis, which allows the importance of various elements of CDC scheme design to be determined. The model of a CDC scheme analysed is based lightly on the first CDC scheme set to be approved in the UK. In the CDC scheme analysed, contributions are fixed and the initial benefit accrued by each contribution is fixed. Once accrued, benefits are subsequently adjusted annually in response to changes in assumptions and returns. An attribution of the benefit payments shows that this design gives higher benefits to the first generations and lower benefits to the last generations, for a scheme which starts with no members. The contributions paid also affect the balance of benefits paid between generations. Too high a contribution is to the advantage of the first generations. Too low a contribution is in the interests of the later generations. The conclusion, within the simple model considered, is that a constant benefit accrual is an important design choice. Its financial consequences across all generations should be carefully analysed, if it is intended to be implemented. Additionally, contributions should be reviewed regularly in such a CDC scheme, to ensure that cross-subsidies are not borne excessively by particular generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing options for older people in the United Kingdom (UK) have been rather limited to remaining living 'independently' in one's own home and some variant of institutionally provided, pre-established and age-exclusive housing such as retirement communities, extra-care or sheltered housing. However, interest in alternative forms of housing and living which align more closely with the expectations of those currently entering later life is steadily growing. In this paper, we present some findings from original, mixed-methods research on the UK's only established example of senior co-housing, which also happens to be women only. Through thematic analysis, we explore two key questions about this important social experiment: (a) is this a model merely for the dedicated, activist and privileged few, as is often presumed; and (b) what might it tell us about post-traditional ageing. Is it merely a retirement lifestyle choice and identity project, grounded in logics of age denial, activity, choice, individualism and risk management? Our findings cannot be conclusive at this stage, but they do suggest a new model of later-life dwelling for the UK based on more collectivist values of inter-dependence, commitment, learning and, even, love. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the language and cultural assumptions that government uses when proposing policy reforms for the financing of later life, especially in promoting the financial capability of citizens. The author asks what the implications of this political construction are for society. Design/methodology/approach - The author examines UK government policy documents from the foundation of the Financial Services Authority in 1997 until 2013. The author analyses these documents to understand the discourses of government for the financing of later life, how powerful these discourses are, and what influence they have on policy and society. Findings - The paper shows that the government considers the promotion of the financial capability agenda to be a solution to structural problems in the provision of old age welfare. By controlling the discourse, non-market-based discussions of welfare are closed and any need for examination of the structural causes of inequality in old age is made invisible. The discourse prevents critique of the individualisation of risk and market provided welfare and service delivery, and failures of policy become the failures of individuals as both consumers and regulators. Originality/value - The financial capability agenda sounds so sensible and has enrolled so many different organisations in its delivery that it is rare to reflect on the cultural and political assumptions that lie behind these discourses. When these are analysed, the author observes that individualised discourses surrounding money and welfare in later life are so powerful that more collective solutions to issues of financial welfare are closed off from public debate and discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to highlight the strategic role of housing for older people and how it can address some of the key challenges facing politicians. The paper aims to encourage decision-makers and service providers to collaborate in new ways locally. Design/methodology/approach - The paper seeks to highlight the strategic role of housing for older people and how it can address some of the key challenges facing politicians. It aims to encourage decision makers and service providers to collaborate in new ways locally. Findings - The paper argues that: Housing for older people is rising up the political agenda, but as a niche issue rather than one of strategic and economic importance. A multi-agency and outcomes-based approach to the wellbeing of older people, based on place-shaping principles, needs to be mainstreamed locally. Older people have not escaped the impact of austerity measures and this has heightened the need for a range of high quality housing options, in supportive communities, in later life. Good housing options for older people could address the key issues vexing politicians, but there are obstacles to older people accessing such options. Originality/value - The paper suggests a radical, systemic approach is required to ensure better outcomes for older people and, in turn, to generate savings for the public purse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning for future health and social services (HSS) workforces must be informed by an understanding of how workers view their work within the context of their life and the challenges they will face across the course of life. There is a range of policies and provisions that states and organisations can adopt to create sustainable careers, support wellbeing at work, and extend working lives where appropriate, but the potential impact of these policies on the make-up of the workforce remains under investigation. This paper makes the case that service planners need to appreciate complex interplay between wellbeing and career decisions when planning the future workforce. It makes use of a recent survey of United Kingdom (UK) social workers ( n = 1434) to illustrate this interplay in two ways. First, we present the analysis of how social workers' perception of retirement and extended working lives are associated with dimensions of Work-Related Quality of Life (WRQL). We find that social workers who agreed that a flexible working policy would encourage them to delay their retirement scored lower on the Home-Work Interface and Control at Work dimensions of WRQL, while social workers who indicated a perception that their employer would not wish them to work beyond a certain age had lower Job and Career Satisfaction scores. Second, we propose a new typology of retirement outlooks using latent class analysis of these attitudinal measures. An 8-class solution is proposed, and we demonstrate the predictive utility of this scheme. Results are discussed in terms of the challenges for ageing Western populations and the usefulness of analysis such as this in estimating the potential uptake and impact of age-friendly policies and provisions.

This paper reworks the notion of active ageing through analysis of a case which reverses the retirement-migration nexus – people in the post-socialist realm who approach retirement age and then migrate to begin a new working life. They are thereby introducing a new and complex arrangement to the general concept of 'international retirement migration'. In the post-socialist world, new retirement migration frontiers emerge in the context of a severe weakening of welfare systems. I illustrate this case with data from long-term research with ageing Latvian migrant women to the United Kingdom and the Nordic countries. Even those whose old-age pensions are more or less adequate nevertheless seek temporary employment and new cultural experiences abroad. However, the dominant trend has been towards the pauperisation of older parents and those approaching retirement age due to the significant decline in state welfare. This case of many older-age Latvians who de facto cannot retire due to low disposable income reveals 'reverse frontiers of retirement': working as long as they can, pushing their personal geographical frontiers outward by emigrating for work and making national frontiers more porous through transnational practices. Conceptually and geographically, the research holds relevance for a wider discussion of trends and contextual factors in other post-Soviet and post-socialist countries with increasing diversities among retirees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Appropriate housing for the growing population of older adults is becoming an international concern. The purpose of this paper is to report on a review of UK and international literature carried out as part of a project exploring the commissioning and delivery of social care in housing with care settings. The paper also considers housing with care in the context of UK policy and practice. Design/methodology/approach -- The peer literature review process used a range of academic databases as well as government and third sector web sites, drawing on relevant material in English published from 1990 to 2012. Findings -- Findings are presented within three main themes: how care and support is provided; the role of the built environment; and the benefits for resident well-being. The review found a paucity of literature focusing specifically on care and support in housing with care settings, particularly in terms of how social care is delivered, but the evidence base suggests that housing with care is in a strong position to deliver on most if not all UK government aspirations. Practical implications -- Despite a growing literature both in the UK and internationally exploring the characteristics and benefits of housing with care for older people, substantial gaps remain in the research evidence. Originality/value -- This paper presents an up to date review of the housing with care literature in the context of current UK policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current generation of older people who are approaching or recently experiencing retirement form part of a unique generational habitus who have experienced a cultural shift into consumerism. These baby boomers are often portrayed as engaging in excessive levels of consumption which are counter to notions of sustainable living and to intergenerational harmony. This paper focuses on an exploration of the mechanisms underpinning the consumption patterns of baby boomers as they retire. We achieve this through an understanding of the everyday practices of grocery shopping which have the potential to give greater clarity to patterns of consumption than the more unusual or ‘extraordinary’ forms of consumption such as global travel. In-depth interviews with 40 older men and women in four locations across England and Scotland were conducted at three points in time across the period of retirement. We suggest that the grocery shopping practices of these older men and women were influenced by two factors: (a) parental values and upbringing leading to the reification of thrift and frugality as virtues, alongside aspirations for self-actualisation such as undertaking global travel, and (b) the influence of household context, and caring roles, on consumption choices. We conclude with some tentative observations concerning the implications of the ways baby boomers consume in terms of increasing calls for people to live in more sustainable ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The older population is growing but there is too little housing being built and very little suits their needs. The purpose of this paper is to describe what is on offer now and looks at the viability of the chalet bungalow as a desirable, affordable option which could attract older people to downsize from a family house.Design/methodology/approach This is a viewpoint piece.Findings An age-friendly dwelling is one where all types of people can age in place. Traditionally the bungalow fulfilled this niche however as more pressure is put on land and its value the style has gone out of favour. Whereas at the top end of the market developers are offering large cottages with a reception room that can be used as a ground floor bedroom the less well off owner occupier is not catered for until they need care. The dwindling supply of suitable properties has led to older people feeling trapped in homes too big for their needs at a time when there is a chronic shortage of family houses. This leads to poor health and well-being and a later life move into expensive housing with care.Originality/value Mainstream developers have avoided building bungalows because single storey dwellings are “land hungry”. This paper reviews a chalet bungalow solution which can be built to a greater density and is of a size and style that is age friendly, future proof and affordable. This message if more widely disseminated could help solve the housing crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores relationships between retirement and migration into and within remote rural areas. Rural areas in the UK are characterised by net population gain, with pre-retirement age migrants being an identifiable sub-group of rural in-migrants. This paper reports findings from a household survey which sought evidence for retirement transition migration into remote, rural areas. Drawing upon data collected on the Isle of Bute, Scotland, we show that the economic characteristics of migrant households and their motivations for moving vary by age group and by migrant status. Non-local moves were most common when the householder was aged 50–64. Early retirement has facilitated these moves onto Bute, allowing migrants to fulfil their residential preferences and satisfy quality of life aspirations when their place of residence is no longer tied to their place of employment. Local moves associated with retirement were most likely when the householder was aged 65+. Our findings reflect the complexity of retirement, an event individuals and households react to over an extended period of time, and demonstrate the importance of early retirement as a catalyst for bringing ‘young-old’ migrants into a remote rural area, acting as a counterbalance to the ongoing effects of outmigration by young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a major problem with medical recruitment and retention in the UK. The 2018 General Medical Council (GMC) report ' The state of medical education and practice in the UK ' has indicated that a high proportion of doctors are thinking of either giving up medical practice or reducing their hours in the next 3 years. If this trend continues the shortage of doctors in the UK will increase despite a modest increase in the supply of doctors.This paper investigates the evidence that increasing the academic component of medical posts may help retain doctors in practice by providing experience and support in an area of medical practice, which appears to fulfil a significant number of doctors' aspirations. The paper shows that this aspect of medical practice is poorly represented in medical workforce strategic thinking and should be considered as an integral aspect of policy and practice in medical workforce delivery., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2019. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

This paper reports the initial findings from Contemporary Visual Art and Identity Construction—Wellbeing Amongst Older People: a two-year research project that aims to understand how the lives of older people can be improved by examining their use of contemporary visual art in the art gallery and museum. It will focus on data relating to lifelong learning for postretirement people. The paper investigates the impact of engaging with contemporary art on a sample of 43 participants aged 64+. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose - This paper seeks to provide a summary and explanation of the legal aspects of recent changes to the UK retirement law.Design/methodology/approach - The paper provides background to the concept of retirement in the context of the recent abolition of the default retirement age in the UK. The paper looks at key changes to the UK retirement law and the subsequent implications for employers.Findings - The question of how to deal with older members of staff, particularly those who have worked for a business for a long time, is often a difficult one for managers. In the UK, at present, employers must follow a fairly strict retirement process that penalises them for failing to comply, but which does allow them to choose to retire an employee without the employee having any say in the matter. From 1 October 2011, it will be age discrimination to dismiss someone by reason of retirement and this will have implications for businesses that employ staff.Originality/value - The abolition of the default retirement age has the potential to have a large impact on businesses, creating difficulties but also potential opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose this paper is to explore walking with purpose in extra care, retirement and domestic housing settings to better understand and support people living with dementia in these settings, develop recommendations and inform practice. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-methods study was used: scoping literature review; online survey of extra care and retirement housing managers in the UK; case studies involving interviews with staff and family carers (n = 14) of ten individuals who engaged in walking with purpose in the different housing settings. Findings: Although residents who walk with purpose constitute a minority (0–2 residents), managing walking with purpose can be challenging and time consuming. Distraction or redirection was the most common response. Other strategies included identifying the resident's motivations and accommodating their wishes or walking with them. Culture of care, staff training and dementia-friendly design are keys to effective support for safe walking with purpose. Responses to walking with purpose in the domestic housing settings have raised serious deprivation of liberty issues. Research limitations/implications: This study had a number of limitations. The completed survey questionnaires represent a self-selected sample of extra care and retirement housing settings, and responses are based on the perceptions of the staff members completing the survey. There were a relatively small number of case study sites (three extra care housing and three retirement housing), and it was not possible to interview family members for all of the residents who walked with purpose. Originality/value: This study provides unique data on walking with purpose in extra care and retirement housing setting in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social division of welfare literature emphasises the extent to which occupatiorial-pension provision is distributed on the basis of class and gender. As most previous commentators have at least implicitly recognised, however, a significant proportion of less advantaged people are covered. This paper argues that the patterns of access and their distributional consequences must be considered more systematically, and that in this context, the diversity of employers' pension schemes are investigated. When this is done, it emerges that in the United Kingdom, the spread of occupational provision beyond the most privileged workers means that some vulnerable individuals avoid poverty in retirement. At the same time, however, the main determinant of which less advantaged people are covered and which not is chance. While class and gender are important predictors of who receives occupational pensions, access for the disadvantaged arises mainly as an accident of an employment decision made for reasons unrelated to savings or pensions criteria. This paper argues that the implication is that unsustainable justice-based arguments are currently used by policy makers to sanction the current distribution of UK pension incomes. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of the findings for the appropriateness of recent UK policy proposals and for international debates about pension reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most private-sector employees in the United Kingdom (UK) are automatically enrolled into individualised defined contribution (DC) pension accounts. In a DC environment, income adequacy in retirement is highly dependent on the decisions that individuals make earlier in their lives. The ease with which they move into employment, and the pension support that they then receive from their employer, can be critical in determining outcomes. This paper discusses how employees respond to workplace pension schemes and the circumstances under which they assess the suitability of their contributions. The findings are based on an embedded case study comprising qualitative interviews with 25 employees of a large UK utility company. Participants were selected on the basis of socio-economic similarity. The research concluded that fixed-term employment negatively impacted on saving for retirement, both with respect to scheme membership and to the level of saving. Furthermore, it was found that the employment context had an influence upon retirement savings behaviour. The proactive approach of the employer in providing retirement benefits, and the trust that employees had in their employer, positively influenced membership and contribution levels. In addition to employer endorsement effects, both the encouragement of older work colleagues and workplace norms had a role to play in influencing how successfully individuals prepared for retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the relationship between Social Quality and income in later life and represents the first application of the concept to a United Kingdom data-set with an explicit focus on older people. In order to undertake this analysis, confirmatory factor analysis models are employed in conjunction with the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS). This enables various dimensions or domains of Social Quality to be measured and then subjected to further scrutiny via regression analysis. Initially, the paper explores links between low income, poverty and older people, prior to outlining the concept of Social Quality and its four conditional factors. Following the methodology, the impact of income on Social Quality domains is explored. We identify that differences in income in older age provide a partial explanation of differences in individual Social Quality. While there is a statistically significant relationship between income and certain aspects of Social Quality such as economic security, altruism, social networks and culture/participation, other factors such as health, identity and time did not have a statistically significant relationship with income. This indicates that improvements in the income of older people are likely to positively impact on aspects of their Social Quality. Finally, some policy implications of the finding are outlined with particular reference to the potential role for pensions in enhancing aspects of Social Quality in retirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines the concept of flexibility within the context of demographic ageing and the fourth pillar approach. Using the U.K. as an example, it addresses some of the key strands of policy debate and highlights the importance of the concept of choice. By placing the discussion in the context of the theoretical debate surrounding risk and the deinstitutionalization of the life course, it suggests that policy solutions related to demographic ageing which address the concept of flexibility need to look beyond later years to address the whole of the life course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the pension programme in Britain, focusing on reforms that have increased the fraction of the work-force opting out of public provision and that have permitted individuals to choose their private pension provider. It also examines the issue of pension provision and household saving. The paper highlights the disparities in retirement saving behaviour across types of pension provision and different households. The paper discusses the policy issues of the adequacy of household saving, and the impact of pension reform on household saving and the public finances. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Since the seminal research of O'Reilly, Karen [2000.TheBritish on the Costa del Sol. London: Routledge] and King, Russell, Anthony Warnes, Allan Williams [2000.Sunset Lives: British Retirement Migration to the Mediterranean. New York: Berg Publishers] about British citizens on the Costa del Sol there has been a surge in the publication of lifestyle migration papers, books and research. Nonetheless, there is a part of the lifestyle migration process that has been rarely explored: a return move to the country of origin following retirement migration. Research has indicated a broad increase in the number of older British returnees, yet there has been no substantive research on the topic. This paper therefore attempts to fill this gap by using Spanish registry data to examine the number of British retirees since 2009 who have returned to the UK. In addition, the results of an electronic survey to older British people in Spain are presented which suggest that considerable numbers of British citizens aged over 55 living in the Northern Costa Blanca are likely to return in the next few years. These data therefore indicate the relevance of return migration from Spain to the UK as a significant issue to the academic community as well as to British and Spanish policy-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the challenges that female elder carers in the United Kingdom face in combining paid work with elder care, and the implications of this care for their current and future working lives. In-depth interviews with 11 working women from a large organisation were conducted, and five of the women were re-interviewed after a period of one year to examine any changes in their situation. The interviews revealed the precarious nature of their daily schedules, which required constant effort to maintain, the intrusion of elder care into their working lives, and the impact it had upon their career development and future aspirations. The findings provide insight into the reasons why carers, especially women, are more likely to reduce their working hours, do not take advantage of training opportunities and retire early. The findings are discussed in relation to the expectation of an extended working age and gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the impact and cost associated with mental illness. Methods: A rapid review of the literature from Australia, New Zealand, UK and Canada was undertaken. The review included literature pertaining to the cost-of-illness and impact of mental illness as well as any modelling studies. Included studies were categorised according to impact on education, labour force engagement, earlier retirement or welfare dependency. The well-accepted Drummond 10-point economic appraisal checklist was used to assess the quality of the studies. Results: A total of 45 methodologically diverse studies were included. The studies highlight the significant burden mental illness places on all facets of society, including individuals, families, workplaces and the wider economy. Mental illness results in a greater chance of leaving school early, a lower probability of gaining full-time employment and a reduced quality of life. Research from Canada suggests that the total economic costs associated with mental illness will increase six-fold over the next 30 years with costs likely to exceed A$2.8 trillion (based on 2015 Australian dollars). Conclusions: Mental illness is associated with a high economic burden. Further research is required to develop a better understanding of the trajectory and burden of mental illness so that resources can be directed towards cost-effective interventions. What is known about the topic?: Although mental illness continues to be one of the leading contributors to the burden of disease, there is limited information on the economic impact that mental illness imposes on individuals, families, workplaces and the wider economy. What does this paper add?: This review provides a summary of the economic impact and cost of mental illness. The included literature highlights the significant burden mental illness places on individuals, families, workplaces, society and the economy in general. The review identified several areas for improvement. For example, only limited information is available on the impact of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, cognitive function, conduct disorder, eating disorder and psychological distress. There was also a dearth of evidence on the intangible elements of pain and suffering of people and their families with depressive disorders. More research is required to better understand the full extent of the impact of mental illness and strategies that may be implemented to minimise this harm. What are the implications for practitioners?: Knowing the current and future impact of mental illness highlights the imperative to develop an effective policy response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]