Search

Structural changes in multi-pillar systems require greater individual responsibility for retirement saving. Therefore, in recent years, the need for multi-pillar pension information systems has been increasingly discussed in many countries. These discussions have either culminated in the introduction of various digital pension overviews or a planned rollout in the next few years. We provide an integrative review of existing international research on the use of pension communication and its effects on the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of individuals. Small positive changes have been found in terms of knowledge, attitudes, and retirement planning behaviour because of the information provided. The paper concludes with a discussion of emerging issues, new research directions, and practical implications of pension communication in ageing societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to discuss the notion of silver entrepre)neurship in the context of the silver economy. Policy-wise knowing who silver entrepreneurs are and what it takes to support them is an essential step to productively managing the ageing population and promoting an age-ready but age)friendly approach to creating a sustainable economy and society in the new demographic reality. The paper provides a theoretical and empirical literature review of silver entre)preneurship to identify the current state of the art. It also identifies selected policies and strategies aiming to foster silver entrepreneurship, representing a more inclusive and age-diverse entrepreneurial landscape. The silver entrepre)neurship proves to be a challenging research field due to the elusive nature of entrepreneurship itself and the lack of universal definitions for this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan's lost decade has long puzzled economists, specifically as to what brought it about. As China's current economic conditions resemble Japan's in the 1980s, this has prompted concern China might suffer a similar fate. This paper identifies that the response of the Japanese central bank toward the Plaza Accord, which is unfettered lending was the key factor of lost decades. By contrasting Sino-US and Japan-US trade wars, this paper argues that China will not fall foul of the same situation of accepting a new Plaza Accord. By comparing China's bubble economy now with Japan's bubble economy in the 1980s, this paper argues that the fallout from a burst Chinese bubble is expected to be less severe than Japan's early 1990s. Furthermore, by analyzing the two countries' respective debt problems and aging populations, it is concluded that these issues pose no significant threat to Chinese economic growth in the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: With the ageing of the global population and the rise in noncommunicable diseases, there is an increased need for rehabilitation services, especially those that address the specific needs of ageing populations. Through their proximity to patients, nurses play a critical role in providing rehabilitation interventions for older adults in primary health care. However, they are not yet established as typical rehabilitation providers and further research is needed to clarify their role and competencies to optimize rehabilitation interventions for ageing populations. Objectives: Therefore, this secondary analysis of a scoping review aims to describe the role of nurses in the provision of rehabilitation interventions to ageing populations in primary health care. Methods: This review was carried out following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. It is built on all inclusion and exclusion criteria from the primary analysis and focused on studies including nurses and taking place in primary health care. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, as well as qualitative analysis on the role of nurses. Results: A total of 68 studies from high- and upper-middle income countries were included. Nurses typically had a managerial and clinical role (76%) and worked in multidisciplinary teams (54%), most often with physical therapists. Nurses provided 355 interventions, with assessments (n = 106; 30%), and coordination and management of the rehabilitation process (n = 105; 30%) being the most frequent ones. They had 117 different job titles and little information was available about their educational background. Discussion: This paper contributes to a better understanding of the key role nurses play in providing rehabilitation interventions to ageing populations in primary health care. Matching nurses' competencies with their level of proficiency is essential to ensure quality care in rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This paper addresses the growing healthcare needs of an ageing population and the lack of advanced technologies with social capabilities that are cost effective, user friendly, and readily adopted. In response to this motivation, a socially assistive walker is designed to provide physical and cognitive support in activities of daily living for older adults. Methods: Physical and cognitive support is provided by walker's structure, sensors, and feedback interfaces to assist users daily living activities, as well as, in navigating environment safely and efficiently. The walker's design arises from semi-structured interviews conducted with ageing experts, leading to the development of two levels or modes of social interaction, namely low and high interaction. Results and discussion: In a cohort of 14 adults, the study found the device easy to use regardless of the interaction mode, with 78.5% expressing a preference for the version featuring embodiment, verbal feedback, and more proactive cues (p < 0.05). The results also prompted ideas and suggestions for new designs based on insights gleaned from the user. This research contributes to the field of socially assistive robotics by offering an example of a user centred approach to address the healthcare challenges an ageing population poses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that, on average, younger citizens in advanced industrial democracies tend to have different policy preferences to those aged 65 and over. Population ageing and relatively lower levels of electoral participation among young people amplify the political voice of older citizens and contribute to policymakers being more responsive to their preferences. This paper presents qualitative evidence on whether young adults and older Australians recognise a need to increase young people's influence on policymaking in the context of intergenerational inequality. The paper considers possible responses to this need, such as voting age reform. Results indicate that there is reasonable support, including from the older participants, to enhance young people's political voice and influence over policymaking. Growing awareness of intergenerational inequality in ageing democracies may make public opinion more favourable towards voting age reform and other measures to increase the political voice of young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The paper investigates senior citizens' housing preferences and needs in medium-sized Polish cities, aiming to inform sustainable housing development strategies that cater to an ageing population. Methodology: Utilizing a questionnaire survey, the study engages a representative group of seniors and pre-seniors within the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship to gather data on their housing conditions, preferences, and expectations. Results: Findings reveal a significant demand for housing adapted to seniors' needs, with preferences leaning towards dwellings without architectural barriers and including essential services. The research highlights the discrepancy between current living conditions and the ideal housing situation for seniors. Theoretical Contribution: This paper contributes to the discourse on sustainable urban development by emphasizing the importance of integrating senior citizens' housing preferences into planning and policy-making processes. Practical Implications: The study offers valuable insights for real estate developers, urban planners, and policymakers, suggesting the need for a diversified housing market that includes options tailored to the elderly, potentially influencing future housing policies and market offerings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

My paper seeks to explore the linkage between new media and the Urban Marginals with special emphasis on ageing population in Kolkata. Conventional use of media for ageing has made the aged population a passive victim to be duped by the media messages. Given the structural locations and positions, mass media is of no use where the considerations are for younger populations. Although ageing population may be a marginal category keeping in view the larger media ecology, new media provides the potential to the aged population to be inclusive of urban governance provided they have access and availability. With the help of substantive details, my paper would seek to address the idea of 'precarity' associated with aged population and their way of coping with such precarity with the help of new media in Kolkata. This paper would provide a select reading of samples (qualitative data) from different regions of Kolkata. Through substantive details my paper would provide insights about a vulnerable population, otherwise, neglected in the making of urban governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the prevalence of a rich literature on bank profitability, yet, none of it analyzes the simultaneous effects of GFC and COVID-19 on bank profitability. We attempt to fulfil this gap by using a model which factors in digitization, ageing population, endogenous and predetermined variables, let alone control for G-SIBs. Findings show that the impacts of COVID-19 were twice as much deleterious as those hailing from the GFC in the case of NIM and four times as harmful in the case of ROE, with ageing population exerting bearish forces on bank profitability. Mobile usage interacted with COVID-19 crisis dummy and is found to leverage on ROE, underscoring the significance of technology-driven sources of activities during the pandemic. Overall, our paper justifies the significantly larger bailout package launched by the authorities during the pandemic compared to that triggered during the GFC with the critical role of technology being underscored in securing banks' profits during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being old comes with a lot of health crises that inhibit an aged person from adequately living a comfortable life as desired. However, advancement in medicine and technology is expected to make life comfortable for every human, particularly the ageing population. This paper relies on secondary data sourced from the internet to measure the health crises facing the ageing population. Evidence from the works of scholars showed that Nigeria has a very high, consistent, and rapid growth rate of the older population with serious health, social, economic and political implications. Findings revealed that old people without adequate care are often confronted with physical and psychological crises that eventually compound their socioeconomic and political lives. It is affirmed in this paper that maintaining a healthy state in old age is hampered by the onset of mental diseases, neurological disorders, drug use disorders and other health crises (diabetes, hearing loss and osteoarthritis). It is concluded that old age is crisis-driven and devastating to individuals and society. Thus, the paper recommends adequate medical and social support tailored to the specific need of individuals. Additionally, access to medical care should be tailored to the physical activity, occupation, education, and communication of the aged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent sluggish economic growth in developed countries has become a cause for concern regarding the long-term sustainability of the global economy. Continuous declines in the total fertility rate (TFR) constitute an essential factor in stagnant economic growth in developed countries. In this paper, we utilize fixed and random effect models to examine the relationships of TFR with putative TFR determinants in G7 countries from 1980 to 2020. Our findings support the societal response hypothesis wherein the relationship between TFR and female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) is posited to be stable and positive. Furthermore, the present study confirms a positive relationship of crude marriage rate (CMR) and market childcare availability (MktCC) with TFR. A negative relationship between the ageing population (AGE) and TFR was observed, consistent with broad concerns regarding the impending economic impacts of population ageing in developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current projections show that between 2000 and 2050, increasing proportions of older individuals will be cared for by a smaller number of healthcare workers, which will exacerbate the existing challenges faced by those who support this patient demographic. This review of a collection of Age and Ageing papers on the topic in the past 10 years explores (1) what best practice geriatrics education is and (2) how careers in geriatrics could be made more appealing to improve recruitment and retention. Based on these deeper understandings, we consider, as clinician educators, how to close the gap both pragmatically and theoretically. We point out paradigm shifting solutions that include innovations at the Undergraduate level, use of simulation, incorporation of learner and patient perspectives, upskilling professionals outside of Geriatrics and integration of practice across disciplines through Interprofessional Learning. We also identify an education research methodological gap. Specifically, there is an abundance of simple descriptive or justification studies but few clarification education studies; the latter are essential to develop fresh insights into how Undergraduate students can learn more effectively to meet the needs of the global ageing challenge. A case of improving understanding in delirium education is presented as an illustrative example of a new approach to exploring at greater depth education and outlines suggested directions for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to digital health and care solutions and services that promote healthy ageing, independent living, and ageing in place is limited due to significant market barriers and challenges. The SHAPES project addresses the challenge of ageing populations by developing a sociotechnical ecosystem comprising a variety of health and care digital solutions, tools and services to enable and facilitate active, independent, and healthy ageing at home. Within the SHAPES project, the SHAPES Marketplace serves as a one-stop-shop for digital solutions and services designed for the Silver Economy that target the smart and healthy ageing and independent living markets. Delivering a dynamic catalogue of health and care digital solutions and services, the Marketplace promotes a transparent expansion of a trusted market offer on digital solutions and services for healthy ageing and independent living on a pan-European scale, thereby preventing vendor lock-in and enhancing the agile and fair competitiveness of the health and care industry, particularly in Europe. This paper introduces the SHAPES Marketplace and considers its function as a market driver to raise awareness on the benefits and impact of health and care digital solutions and services, as well as to shape the healthy ageing market, upholding the Systems-Market for Assistive and Related Technologies (SMART) Thinking Matrix to stimulate transparency, trust and fair competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In this paper we analyzed the complex issue of mental illness in older persons living in rural areas using the Strength and Vulnerability Integration (SAVI) model as a conceptual framework to bring balance to negative accounts of older persons' emotional experiences. Method: A narrative review was conducted to examine the mental health issues of older persons living in rural areas. Three databases were searched for data pertaining to rural mental health and the SAVI model. Theoretical and empirical articles that analyzed the strengths and vulnerabilities in relation to mental illness in older persons living in rural areas were included and analyzed. Additionally, policy and position papers were used to interrogate this issue. Findings: Analysis revealed three themes: individual vulnerabilities, system vulnerabilities and strengths. Rural individuals' struggles with chronic stress, a loss of social belonging, and neurological dysregulation across their lifespans were discussed in how they developed strengths in ageing and overcame vulnerabilities. Barriers to accessing mental health services, caregiving respite care, and health promotional services in rural areas included system vulnerabilities that exacerbated the rates of mental illness and poor health outcomes in older persons. Strengths included the rural social connection and community engagement that fostered a sense of community. Conclusions: Research and practice recommendations situated within the SAVI model include the importance of acknowledging individual differences viewing the strengths of ageing, cultural perceptions of time and leveraging community-based strengths to overcome vulnerabilities of ageing in rural areas. These changes will facilitate nurses and other health care providers assess, respond to, and prevent mental illness and poor health outcomes in the diverse ageing population living in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of people in China aged 60 and older has risen from 10.0% in 1999 to 17.9% in 2018, signaling that Chinese society is facing an unprecedented challenge to care for their ageing population. With the decline of traditional family support for elderly relatives and subsequent development of social provisions for them, nursing homes are expected to increasingly take on a caregiving role in the coming years. Therefore, this paper first ascertains the spatial distribution of nursing homes in China. Based on a global ordinary least squares (OLS) model and geographically weighted regression model, it then investigates which socio-economic factors affect the spatial distribution of nursing homes and the degree of their influence. Study results show that, (1) nursing homes are mainly located in the Bohai Bay Economic Zone and the Yangtze River Delta region, with fewer in western cities, except Chongqing; (2) urbanisation and fiscal expenditures are the main drivers for promoting nursing homes in the Yangtze River Delta region and southwest China; (3) the increase of nursing homes in the Pearl River Delta and Northeast China may largely rely on the level of social welfare, social welfare services, and higher number of elderly people; (4) outward migration poses a major challenge to the development of nursing home services in southwest China, and North and Central China Plain, given that population size is positively associated with the number of nursing homes, and (5) population migration from west to east is continuing, so regional collaboration between east and west is urgently needed to cope with the ageing issues. This research advocates for more detailed and region- and city-targeted elderly care policies on the basis of actual situations in cities and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent months in Australia there has been extended debate about whether the age pension, particularly with regard to single pensioners, is sufficiently high to allow older Australians to attain an acceptable standard of living. This is an important policy consideration given Australia’s rapidly ageing population. By using microdata and microsimulation models, this paper examines the national and spatial impacts on the distribution of poverty among older single people of an increase in the single age-pension rate. This paper shows that the cost of increasing the single age-pension to 66 per cent of the couple-age pension rate would be about $A1.3 billion and would benefit about 824,000 single age-pensioners. Further, it is estimated that such an increase would reduce poverty rates for lone older persons from 46.5 per cent to 36.5 per cent, a 10-percentage point reduction. Looking at the spatial distribution of such benefits, the effect of the policy change seems to be generally stronger in capital cities, and in bands of rural areas in New South Wales and Victoria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Housing options for an ageing, predominantly home-owning society have evolved within the shifting context of social, economic, policy and locally-specific property conditions. Drawing on a case study of the retirement housing industry in Victoria, this paper finds that actor groups from overlapping aged care and housing agencies, from not-for-profit and for-profit sectors, have continuously redefined taken-for-granted housing “problems” of old age and developed solutions. The paper contributes to understanding the ideas and conditions that have shaped the retirement housing industry, and contributes theoretically to research that seeks to understand how ideas about housing and ageing are built into institutional arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term care (LTC) represents a significant and substantial proportion of healthcare spends across the globe. Its main aim is to assist individuals suffering with more or more chronic illnesses, disabilities or cognitive impairments, to carry out activities associated with daily living. Shifts in several economic, demographic and social factors have raised concerns surrounding the sustainability of current systems of LTC. Substantial effort has been put into modelling the LTC demand process itself so as to increase understanding of the factors driving demand for LTC and its related services. Furthermore, such modeling efforts have also been used to plan the operation and future composition of the LTC system itself. The main aim of this paper is to provide a structured review of the literature surrounding LTC demand modeling and any such industrial application, whilst highlighting any potential direction for future researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With patients living longer and retaining their natural teeth for longer, dental healthcare professionals are presented with new challenges. This paper outlines considerations for dental health care professionals managing periodontal disease in an ageing population. Although age itself is not considered an independent risk factor for periodontal disease, there may be complicating factors associated with ageing that impact upon the planning and delivery of care. This paper describes current evidence for the management of periodontal disease in the context of health conditions associated with ageing. It identifies aspects to consider and provides advice on how treatment planning for this patient population may be tailored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of an ageing workforce on the workplace is a concern internationally. Governments are increasingly encouraging the continued labour market participation of older workers, seeking to remove previous barriers to the extension of working lives and give more choice to workers. Despite these legislative drivers, research has consistently found a lack of systematic approaches by employers to prepare and benefit from these demographic and labour market changes. In this paper, qualitative research is drawn upon to examine how managers and older workers think about age and ageing in the workplace; the support put in place for older workers, as well as future priorities; and the lived experiences of the older workers. It is highlighted that employees' age and fitness for work is treated on an individual basis, rather than having formal plans to manage the workplace for older workers. This thus indicates a hands-off approach from management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last few decades, the shape of Europe's population pyramid has transformed substantially, due to a considerably older population structure, with fewer working-age people and more pensioners. This paper examines the EU's demographic problem which involves an increasing ageing population as a result of low birth rates and longer life expectancies, leading to the so called "greying of Europe". Therefore, certain recommendations are suggested in order to mitigate the negative economic, social and geopolitical effects of this demographic phenomenon. It is concluded that the EU's ageing population should not be regarded solely as a threat, as it has also the potential to provide opportunities for societies through intergenerational solidarity and the rapidly emerging silver economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The life expectancy of the world population is increasing and the art of aging well is of global interest (European Commission, n.d.). In Ireland, the number of people over the age of 60 will increase from 1.1 million currently, to 2.44 million by 2041, constituting nearly one third of its total population (Institute of Public Health, 2018). Despite the benefits of regular physical activity (pa), particularly with the frail (≥65 years and requiring a walking aid), rates of participation remain low (Colley et al., 2011).Health concerns raised, such as smoking and weight issues, are more prevalent in this cohort (Witcher et al., 2016). Currently, when they reach a certain age, pa is not seen as beneficial and older adults refrain from participating in pa (Witcher et al., 2016), particularly post-retirement (Chaudhury and Shelton, 2010). Education of the older population concerning the benefits of pa is critical, and pa perceptions and behaviours must be examined both contextually and historically (Witcher et al., 2016) to provide greater clarity and understanding. In order to develop a more comprehensive, inclusive policy for active ageing in Ireland, particularly rural Ireland, we need to reflect on the research to date. This conceptual paper develops a framework of meaning-making to active leisure, focusing on perceptions and motivations of a rural based population. It also examines the impact of being physically active on participating in tourism in this population and how Ireland is targeting this growing older market for various forms of tourism activity. An unhealthy population brings a financial burden to the country. Encouraging a healthier lifestyle which includes more meaningful active leisure, facilitating an engagement with tourism, is required to enable this cohort to age healthily and well and thus reduce the cost associated with an ageing population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of an ever-increasing ageing population has been the increasing burden on caregivers to care for the elderly population. Caring for elders, especially those diagnosed with dementia, can be challenging. People living with dementia (PWD) require extra care and attention from the caregivers due to the associated behaviours that come with dementia. Wandering is a frequent behaviour exhibited by PWD, which can bring about negative outcomes on the PWD as well as increasing the stress of the caregivers. Though many technological solutions exist, they are not widely deployed. This paper introduces a technological framework, bridging the localisation technologies to the needs of elders and caregivers. The aim is to minimise or eliminate the negative outcomes of dementia wandering and to reduce the burden and stress on the caregivers, thus improving overall well-being. In this paper, we study the application, SingTRACeX, features by considering user needs from the field study with 2 focus group discussions (FGD), comprising of 14 professional caregivers and coordinators. The proposed system features Realtime Location Tracking and Indoor Localisation. The location is determined by GPS location from the Sensor module when outdoors, and estimation using data from the WiFi module, and Bluetooth module when indoors. The indoor navigation provided by the Indoor Localisation module uses an A-star search algorithm. This paper could serve as a foundation that can be built upon over time as the needs of elders and caregivers may change over time, as well as the evolution of technology that may bring about new methods to address needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on creating age-friendly cities to accommodate the changing needs of older people and to promote their overall health and wellbeing. This paper focuses on some of the urban planning implications related to maintaining the social health, as a main component of overall health and wellbeing, of older people. Specifically, we look at the role and accessibility of third places (popular public places where many people go to socialise) in relation to older people living in different neighbourhood built-form patterns, and how these factors impact on the formation of absent, weak and strong social ties. The data draw upon interviews with 54 older people living in different neighbourhood built-form patterns on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Our findings demonstrate the significant role third places have in affording older people opportunities to engage in the social lives of their local communities, thus contributing to their social health and overall wellbeing. This research supports previous studies relating to the accessibility of amenities by re-emphasising the importance of planning for the provision of third places that are conveniently located and easily accessible by older people. The paper concludes by arguing for the planning of transport and third-place interventions in Australia's sprawling suburban landscapes to allow older people more opportunities to be socially connected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The culture of rights and the inclusive processes that promote the participation of people with disabilities in the community context has grown significantly in recent years, partly as a result of changes in demographic development at national and international level. The progressive ageing of the population and the increase in life expectancy represent a very significant challenge for both people with disabilities and their families This is a social and cultural challenge we have to face not only to guarantee inclusion and participation rights, but also to implement organizational and managerial practices and processes that make them possible. It is therefore increasingly necessary to promote reflections, to develop project ideas and practical experiments aimed at building the adult identity of people with disabilities. The creation of an adult identity is the most important prerequisite for being able to relate to and to perceive oneself as such. On the basis of these considerations, this paper presents some elements derived from a research/action aimed at the realization of a service for people with disabilities in a city area of Lombardy, in order to respond, in a logic of innovation and sustainability, to the different needs of the users who will be welcomed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Innovation: The European Journal of Social Sciences is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The paper investigates senior citizens' housing preferences and needs in medium-sized Polish cities, aiming to inform sustainable housing development strategies that cater to an ageing population. Methodology: Utilizing a questionnaire survey, the study engages a representative group of seniors and pre-seniors within the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship to gather data on their housing conditions, preferences, and expectations. Results: Findings reveal a significant demand for housing adapted to seniors’ needs, with preferences leaning towards dwellings without architectural barriers and including essential services. The research highlights the discrepancy between current living conditions and the ideal housing situation for seniors. Theoretical Contribution: This paper contributes to the discourse on sustainable urban development by emphasizing the importance of integrating senior citizens’ housing preferences into planning and policy-making processes. Practical Implications: The study offers valuable insights for real estate developers, urban planners, and policymakers, suggesting the need for a diversified housing market that includes options tailored to the elderly, potentially influencing future housing policies and market offerings.

Purpose - Increasing longevity, while welcome, has far-reaching implications for the social contract between generations. These include eye-watering costs for health and social care, intense pressure on the old-age dependency ratio, changing power relations in politics and voting, and increasing pressure on in-work families. In a period of austerity, policy makers have chosen to protect older generations' benefits and paid for this by slashing benefits for the young, in spite of growing evidence that wealth distribution has changed with older generations becoming wealthier than once thought. The paper concludes that age alone can no longer be used as a proxy for need. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach - This discussion paper uses original quantitative research and analysis undertaken by the Intergenerational Foundation (IF) (www.if.org.uk) which includes Freedom of Information requests to government departments. It brings together the think tank's research into demographics, ageing, policy, government debt and liabilities, benefit reform and spending patters in order to investigate the changing distribution of wealth across the generations. Findings - It is clear that with changing distributions of wealth that age alone can no longer be used as a proxy for need. While older generations are becoming wealthier younger generations are becoming increasingly burdened by debt, with poorer prospects and being asked to maintain the current status quo. Originality/value - The paper contains original research conducted by the IF (www.if.org.uk) into spending patterns across the generations and annual public sector pensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population ageing becomes a serious issue not only in developed countries, but also in a post-socialist country such as Romania. Nowadays, the demographic tendencies of ageing trends are visible in the demographic dynamics of developed countries, especially in Central and Eastern European Countries in the context of economic growth and population loss. For example, in Romania, it is noticeable in urban areas and rural areas where the demographic trajectories show the presence of a certain demographic phenomenon in age structure of population such as "population ageing". In the last decades, Romania has entered a period of rapid and dramatic ageing demographic phase. In this respect, first we investigate the phenomenon of population ageing in Transylvania region. Secondly, the paper presents the calculation of elderly dependency rate based on demographic statistical data provided by the National Institute of Statistics. Thirdly, it drives some possible social-economic effects of the progressive process of ageing tendency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As a densely populated city, Hong Kong’s housing market is the least affordable in the world. This paper aims to uncover the underlying socio-economic factors behind the changing homeownership patterns of new immigrants before and after the handover. While Mainland immigrants enjoyed the highest likelihood of homeownership among new immigrants before the handover, their advantage disappeared after the handover. The findings support the Assimilation theory’s prediction that homeownership is lower among those less assimilated in general, but not among Mainland migrants. Those who were married, well-educated, employers; and had longer residences were more likely to be homeowners. Various admission schemes are implemented to attract talents, professionals and entrepreneurs to reside in Hong Kong but there is no accompanying housing policy to enable immigrants to become homeowners. The results show the homeownership rate of new immigrants dropped by more than half after the handover. Immigrants may feel less secure calling Hong Kong their home if they don’t own a “home”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that, on average, younger citizens in advanced industrial democracies tend to have different policy preferences to those aged 65 and over. Population ageing and relatively lower levels of electoral participation among young people amplify the political voice of older citizens and contribute to policymakers being more responsive to their preferences. This paper presents qualitative evidence on whether young adults and older Australians recognise a need to increase young people’s influence on policymaking in the context of intergenerational inequality. The paper considers possible responses to this need, such as voting age reform. Results indicate that there is reasonable support, including from the older participants, to enhance young people’s political voice and influence over policymaking. Growing awareness of intergenerational inequality in ageing democracies may make public opinion more favourable towards voting age reform and other measures to increase the political voice of young people.

An ageing population raises the question of providing adequate housing that enables older people to age in place without losing autonomy and independence. Except for the issue of accessibility, no framework exists that specifically outlines a standard to achieve and, as a result, interventions on existing or on new buildings may be inconsistent without leading to a desired rise in living standards. This research addresses this issue by presenting a framework for the assessment of the age-appropriateness of housing through a number of metrics that detect and identify physical and non-physical features of a home environment to enable ageing in place. The study combines data from a qualitative systematic literature review of 93 papers and qualitative data from structured interviews with four experts in the field. As a result, 71 metrics were identified, divided into eight main domains, to describe the framework. This paper provides an improved understanding of the housing features that enable ageing in place. The tool categorizes and rates qualitative and quantitative aspects that contribute to the age-friendliness of housing, resulting in an easy to adopt assessment framework. This is a valuable means for stakeholders engaged in improving the current housing stock or in constructing new buildings for older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The old-age dependency ratio and the inadequacy of public pension finance has been a particular focus in theoretical and practical fields. Our paper suggests that the sole use of demographic data to calculate the simple old-age dependency ratio (SOADR) leads to the neglect of some important social factors and the underestimation of the seriousness of the insufficiency of pension funds. We suggest the use of a real old-age dependency ratio (ROADR) that considers students of working age, unemployment, low-income employees and retirees of working age. We use these factors in our new model, which calculates the dependency ratio and the accumulation of pension funds. The results of our simulation are presented in this paper. Comparisons are made between the general and real old-age dependency ratios to indicate the urgent need to adopt the real old-age dependency ratio in analysing pension finance. This is especially important given the assumption that China will extend the current social insurance pension system to the national state pension system covering all rural and urban employees and residents in the near future. Some policies that could be used to address these problems are also suggested in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A population group that is often overlooked in the recent revolution of self-tracking is the group of older people. This growing proportion of the general population is often faced with increasing health issues and discomfort. In order to come up with lifestyle advice towards the elderly, we need the ability to quantify their lifestyle, before and after an intervention. This research focuses on the task of activity recognition (AR) from accelerometer data. With that aim, we collect a substantial labelled dataset of older individuals wearing multiple devices simultaneously and performing a strict protocol of 16 activities (the GOTOV dataset, N = 28 ). Using this dataset, we trained Random Forest AR models, under varying sensor set-ups and levels of activity description granularity. The model that combines ankle and wrist accelerometers (GENEActiv) produced the best results (accuracy > 80 % ) for 16-class classification. At the same time, when additional physiological information is used, the accuracy increased ( > 85 % ). To further investigate the role of granularity in our predictions, we developed the LARA algorithm, which uses a hierarchical ontology that captures prior biological knowledge to increase or decrease the level of activity granularity (merge classes). As a result, a 12-class model in which the different paces of walking were merged showed a performance above 93 % . Testing this 12-class model in labelled free-living pilot data, the mean balanced accuracy appeared to be reasonably high, while using the LARA algorithm, we show that a 7-class model (lying down, sitting, standing, household, walking, cycling, jumping) was optimal for accuracy and granularity. Finally, we demonstrate the use of the latter model in unlabelled free-living data from a larger lifestyle intervention study. In this paper, we make the validation data as well as the derived prediction models available to the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many worldwide live in households with multiple generations of related adults. This paper shows that the number of UK multigenerational households has been increasing but UK multigenerational households have been little studied. The research found that the motivations for multigenerational living are diverse and reflect multiple intersecting structural pressures, including an ageing population, worsening housing affordability and later household formation amongst young people. These intersect with individual circumstances, such as divorce or illness, to make multigenerational living the most practical option for some families. However, forming a multigenerational household is also often an individual and family choice, based on the expectation of mutual benefits brought about by multigenerational living. The research suggests that the extent to which living in a multigenerational household is a positive experience is determined by an individual's degree of agency and choice in the arrangement, rather than an ability to cope with wider structural pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implications of frailty in older adults’ health status and autonomy necessitates the understanding and effective management of this widespread condition as a priority for modern societies. Despite its importance, we still stand far from early detection, effective management and prevention of frailty. One of the most important reasons for this is the lack of sensitive instruments able to early identify frailty and pre-frailty conditions. The FrailSafe system provides a novel approach to this complex, medical, social and public health problem. It aspires to identify the most important components of frailty, construct cumulative metrics serving as biomarkers, and apply this knowledge and expertise for self-management and prevention. This paper presents a high-level overview of the FrailSafe system architecture providing details on the monitoring sensors and devices, the software front-ends for the interaction of the users with the system, as well as the back-end part including the data analysis and decision support modules. Data storage, remote processing and security issues are also discussed. The evaluation of the system by older individuals from 3 different countries highlighted the potential of frailty prediction strategies based on information and communication technology (ICT). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the burden of the ageing population, time banking can be one of the possible approaches in the community to maximise social capital. Time banking aims to exchange one's time to serve others and the time of service can be saved as credit so as to swap for services when necessary. It can create a virtuous cycle for providing and receiving services. Several positive outcomes to service providers and recipients of time banking are identified in this review paper. Nevertheless, there is a lack of practical adoption of time banking in Hong Kong. To analyse the challenges of the adoption of time banking in Hong Kong, the current practices of time banking in Hong Kong will be evaluated. To promote time banking in Hong Kong, governmental, technical and educational support are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This policy note finds that the ageing of the population in Singapore will cause a reversal of the current net Central Provident Fund (CPF) contribution into a substantial net CPF withdrawal from 2025, with a peak occurring at 2035. The result is qualitatively robust to changes in the underlying assumptions of the projection. The paper then highlights the implications of this change on the exchange rate and monetary management in Singapore. Finally, the paper proposes policy measures that can help (a) mop up the excess liquidity due to the net CPF withdrawals; and (b) maintain the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)'s influence on Singapore's exchange rate at a reasonable level in the longer future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]