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The phenomenon of an ageing population coupled with diminishing birth rates has given rise to an increasingly aged workforce in numerous nations. The undertaking to extend the working age beyond retirement holds great significance and poses formidable challenges in the fostering of readiness for active ageing among individuals within the age cohort of 45–59. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess WHO’s active ageing perception and practices and the social support of the educational personnel in the government sector of Nakhon-Si-Thammarat Province, southern Thailand. Data were collected through a multi-stage random sampling of 271 participants between October and November 2021. Descriptive statistics and point-biserial analyses were used to examine the correlations between the variables. The study participants consisted predominantly of females (81.2%), with an average age of 50.4 years (SD 4.3). The majority of the participants were married (56.5%) and had obtained a bachelor’s degree (78.2%). Most of the participants had not been diagnosed with noncommunicable diseases (52.0%) and had a good level of active ageing perception (95.9%), a moderate level of practice (68.6%), and a good level of social support (90.4%). Extra income and social support were correlated with practices at a low level (r = 0.252; p-value < 0.001 and r = 0.214; p-value < 0.001, respectively). In summary, the maintenance of a stable income emerged as a compelling incentive to engage in active ageing initiatives. The proactive promotion of active ageing practices among educational staff is of the utmost significance to the Thai government, particularly in the context of population ageing, with the anticipation of heightened awareness and backing from both families and educational institutions.

Abstract Background Disengagement from outdoor recreation may diminish the positive benefits on health and well-being in old age. The purpose of this study is to present a contextual, theoretical, and empirical rationale for an intervention, aiming to promote continued engagement in outdoor recreation for older adults in a Swedish context. Methods The paper includes a contextualization of outdoor recreation in Sweden, a presentation of evidence on health benefits related to engagement in outdoor recreation, together with theoretical frameworks that may guide future intervention designs. To add empirical knowledge, a mixed methods approach was applied, including an empirical data collection based on a quantitative survey (n = 266) and individual semi-structured interviews with older adults (n = 12). Survey data were presented with descriptive statistics. Associations between disengagement from previously performed activities and age and gender was analyzed with Chi2 tests. Transcripts and handwritten notes from the interviews were analyzed qualitatively to identify key themes, as well as patterns and disparities among respondents. Results Outdoor recreation was rated as important/very important by 90% of respondents of the survey. The interviews highlighted that engagement in outdoor recreation aided respondents to keep fit but had also relevance in terms of identity, experiences, and daily routines. Outdoor recreation close to the place of residence was most common and walking was the most frequently reported activity. While 80% considered their health to be good/very good, disability and long-term diseases were common and during the previous year, more than half of all respondents had disengaged from activities previously performed. Reasons for disengagement were mainly related to health decline or that activities were too demanding but also due to social loss. The interviews indicated that continued engagement was important but challenging, and that disengagement could be considered as a loss or accepted due to changing circumstances. Conclusions In the design of an intervention aiming to promote engagement in outdoor recreation for older adults, the following features are proposed to be considered: person-centeredness, promoting functioning, addressing self-ageism, providing environmental support, promoting subjective mobility needs and adaptation to find new ways to engage in outdoor recreation.

The study aims to conduct a systematic review based on the results found around the Walking football, in order to know the sport rules and the benefits of it practice for health and general well-being in older adults. The search phrases were always introduced in English and computerized databases: Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct and Google Academy. Two search phrases were used: "Walking football - And - Older adults" and "Walking soccer – And - Older adults”. To limit the search, a series of inclusion and exclusion criteria were established in order to select the most appropriate documents on the subject. After the review, 18 manuscripts published up to November 2020, which met the inclusion criteria, were selected. The selected documents show that the Walking Football has benefits on a social, psychological, and physiological level. In addition, the Walking Football regulations are adapted to each training group, in order to minimize the risk of injury in older adults during its practice. Finally, the documents related to the subject are mainly Journal articles, published in 2019, and are found in the Google Academic database.

The study presents through international examples of how the security and quality of life of elderly and disabled people can be enhanced. 12 partners in eight Central European countries carried out pilot activities within the framework of the HELPS project. The aim of this international project is to contribute to the decrease of the social exclusion of elderly, and to elaborate practises through which seniors would not be constraint to institutional care, and can live in their homes on a longer term. The study presents the outcomes of these pilots and the ensuing primary experiences. The presented innovative solutions offer possibilities in various fields (housing, services, career, practises, information of relatives) for the home care of elderly and people living with disabilities. Prior to the elaboration and put into practice of the development ideas and plans, the partners evaluated the health care system and related services offered to elderly and disabled people in their homeland. The analyses revealed those shortage areas, where further developments would increase the possibility to keep and care for the target group in their homes.

Increasing numbers of people are delaying retirement. Studies of their motives are scarce and biased to Western contexts. The aim was to explore internal and external motives of older Slovenians who continue to work after becoming eligible for retirement. Nine workers, aged 59–72, were interviewed. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Three main themes were extracted. The 'Foundations' described the prerequisites for continued work engagement that were often non-negotiable. The 'Rewards' included the benefits of working and suggested a strong pull towards the non-material aspects of work. 'Negotiating occupational challenges' summarized an internal crisis that was experienced when faced with a potential occupational void of retirement. Although the participants' motivations were not homogenous, we identified a pattern in the way they constructed their motives in relation to the occupational life trajectories and contextual factors. Based on our findings and multidisciplinary theories, we proposed a hierarchy of motives for prolonged work activity. The study offers an occupational perspective of the phenomenon of delayed retirement and argues that the efforts of the discipline of occupational therapy should be directed at different levels of motives, including empowering people to nurture higher level occupational motives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthy ageing is a public health problem globally. In Europe, the dependency ratio of the elderly is expected to increase by 21.6 per cent to 51.2 per cent in 2070. The World Health Organization (WHO) study on healthy ageing started in 2002 as a concept whereby all people of all ages should be able to live in a healthy, safe and socially inclusive way. The aim of this study is to present preliminary results of the project Identification of Determinants of Healthy Ageing in Italy (IDAGIT) that aimed to collect data on the active and healthy ageing of the Italian population aged over 18 using the conceptual framework of the WHO's ageing model. To link the determinants of the IDAGIT studies to those of the WHO model, we performed a confirmatory factor analysis which reported these variables as significant (in order of factor loading): smoking, cognition score, comorbidity, outdoor built environment, participation, working expertise and income. Considering comorbidity, 83.8 per cent of the sample declared not having any chronic diseases or to have only one, and regarding neurological diseases, only nine people had received a diagnosis of stroke. Regarding gender, the personal determinants and physical and social environments did not result in statistically significant differences, whereas we found statistical differences between the aged groups in all variables analysed. These results provide a first bio-psycho-social perspective on ageing in the Italian population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the country with the largest population of older people, while still being a developing one, China is confronted with huge challenges in seeking an optimum response, which is high on the agenda of policy makers in Beijing. This paper makes the case for a radical new strategy on ageing which substitutes an ageing-oriented paradigm for the previous passive, instrumental and economistic ones. We first present an overview of the trend of Chinese population ageing, compared with already aged societies, followed by a summary of its impacts on the social welfare system associated with old age. Then we outline an alternative WHO influenced policy paradigm, active ageing, focusing on health, participation and security. In the light of this new approach, more active policies on ageing are called for, which are rooted in a comprehensive understanding of population trends, draw on international experience and conform to Chinese conditions and traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, reflections about the ageing process has led to the emergence of a number of concepts, all positive in nature compared to previous theories, and which have been used to characterise a new paradigm. Contemporary approaches have basically been dominated by two narratives, one based more on mental and physical well-being (successful ageing), while the other concerns the aspect of socio-economic integration (active ageing). In this article, an attempt has been made to revisit the time when the concepts were introduced in order to highlight, through genealogical analysis, how a series of scientific ends have become intermingled, over time, with explicit political goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study reveals that age-related areas are the least desirable professional future options for many university students in social work degree programmes. One of the possible causes is the negative social labelling of older age, especially pronounced in respect of older women. Additionally, there is a poor and limited educational approach towards later life and growing older inside and outside the educational settings. This article focuses on the social construction of older age from gender and double theoretical perspectives. In particular, it centers on the pillars of education and profiguration. For educational and analytical purposes, these aspects are approached in the classroom setting from a critical perspective by using the in-depth reading of a book that is set in the local context, in particular, the city of Lleida (Spain). It presents the results of the content analysis and reflections written by 170 first-year university students taking a degree course in social work, and the outcomes of the subsequent classroom discussions with the author of the book. The study results show that better knowledge about the complexities of ageing and later life can lead to the reconstruction of the students' viewpoints about older age, help foster critical thinking, and defy age-related stereotypes, beliefs, and prejudices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Social Policy Studies / Sosyal Politika Çalismalari Dergisi is the property of Journal of Social Policy Studies / Sosyal Politika Calismalari Dergisi 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.)

Copyright of Zeszyty Naukowe Politechniki Poznanskiej. Organizacja & Zarzadzanie is the property of Poznan University of Technology 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.)

Copyright of Zeszyty Naukowe KUL is the property of John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Wydawnictwo KUL 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.)

Copyright of Quaestio Iuris (QI) is the property of Editora da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (EdUERJ) 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.)

Age-friendly built environments have been promoted by the World Health Organisation (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland) under the Global Age-friendly Cities (AFC) movement in which three domains are related to the built environment. These are: housing, transportation, outdoor spaces and public buildings. The aim is to foster active ageing by optimising opportunities for older adults to maximise their independent living ability and participate in their communities to enhance their quality of life and wellbeing. An age-friendly built environment is inclusive, accessible, respects individual needs and addresses the wide range of capacities across the course of life. Age-friendly housing promotes ageing in familiar surroundings and maintains social connections at the neighbourhood and community levels. Both age-friendly housing and buildings provide barrier-free provisions to minimise the needs for subsequent adaptations. Age-friendly public and outdoor spaces encourage older adults to spend time outside and engage with others against isolation and loneliness. Age-friendly public transport enables older adults to get around and enhances their mobility. For achieving an age-friendly living environment, a holistic approach is required to enable independent living, inclusion and active participation of older adults in society. The eight domains of the AFC movement are not mutually exclusive but overlap and support with one another.

The idea that older people should be active agents has dominated policy discourse across health, social care and housing that has a core care function. In the context of ageing population, the active and successful ageing paradigm risks to exacerbating existing inequalities and disadvantages that take shape along the life course and that cross several aspects of everyday life. The covid-19 pandemic shed light on areas of inequalities and social exclusion in old age. This paper, based on interviews with both representatives of services for older adults and people over 65 living in a city of Northern Italy, aims at exploring representations and (self)perceptions of ageing in the wake of the health emergency, with a focus on the re-definition of everyday life and habits, emerging needs, and on the weakness of services in front of an unprecedented and unpredictable situation. Results will show that public representations of ageing during the pandemic came into tension with older adult’s self-perceptions, bringing to light dynamics of social exclusion and even of a “benevolent” ageism.

The cooperative model can be especially appropriate to promote labour market inclusion for older workers. Under an overall reflection of this group at risk of social exclusion, this study analyses the possibilities of worker’s cooperatives in four main areas: 1) As a suitable channel for labour reincorporation of older unemployed people. 2) As an useful instrument in companies’ reconversion that could disappear due to various circumstances. 3) As enterprises concerned with the protection of older workers within the dynamics of cooperative work. 4) As entities sensitive to the care of older people within the silver economy. he result of this analisys is to ascertain the state of affairs and propose good practices from different sources that allow us to affirm that worker’s cooperatives are able to offer to older workers a wide range of possibilities to maintain their employment or undertake a business or productive activity. Received: 30 November 2021 Accepted: 12 April 2022

As older people have accumulated more developed networks, stronger financial positions and a greater ability to leverage resources and create more credible businesses, they are better placed to start new and more successful businesses than the younger generation. This paper presents the research that has been conducted for the ENTRUST project, which aims at designing an entrepreneurship training programme for people aged 50+ who are interested in creating new businesses to foster the sustainable development of rural areas and to provide services to tourists or other businesses that support tourism in rural areas. The results of the surveys for potential 50+ entrepreneurs (72 respondents) and experts in rural development and tourism organizations (100 respondents) show that there are perceived business opportunities in rural areas for experienced 50+ professionals. There is also a high demand for training targeted at rural tourism entrepreneurs. The interviews of experienced 50+ entrepreneurs (8) who work in cooperation with the rural community show that 50+ entrepreneurs find their work meaningful and that they want to continue working “as long as their health allows”. They greatly value the opportunity to develop the rural area and to be involved in preserving its historical and cultural heritage.

The older population is growing globally, and more so in some European countries. Aimed at enhancing the quality of life of older people, active ageing has been on the policy agenda in Europe since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Using a subsample of the European Quality of Life Survey consisting of individuals aged 65 and over living in 27 European countries we explore the effect of active ageing on subjective quality of life. The central argument of the paper is that active ageing is cumulative, consisting of a mix of various interconnected activities. Hence, when assessing the impact of active ageing on quality of life we include the whole collection of activities in which seniors engage and avoid limiting to a single activity. Latent Class Analysis is employed to find the mix of interconnected activities in which older adults engage. We identify three classes: home keepers (mainly engaging in housekeeping activities), carers (mainly engaged in caring, but also some housekeeping activities) and those engaged outside their homes (engaged primarily in paid or unpaid work). Multilevel regression models test the connection between the different strategies to remain active in later life on life satisfaction and happiness, the cognitive and affective indicators of subjective quality of life. Our results show that remaining active in later life does not always lead to improvements in subjective quality of life and that separate strategies to remain active in later life are at work to maintain life satisfaction and happiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Active ageing is the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age (WHO 2002). This article aims at describing the diverse interventions that different actors implemented in a city of Northern Italy for (partially) self-sufficient people aged 65 or over, in order to recognize the different reasonings that oriented them, with reference to the active ageing paradigm. To this aim we conducted semi-structured interviews with representatives of public bodies and third sector associations who offer services for the elderlies. The analysis focused on the risks of exclusion and stigmatization of those who cannot or will not align to the model of active ageing, and the role of this paradigm in increasing those risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Societies in the most developed countries have witnessed a significant ageing of the population in recent decades, which increases the demand for healthcare services and caregivers. The development of technologies to help the elderly, so that they can remain active and independent for a longer time, helps to mitigate the sustainability problem posed in care services. This article follows this new trend, proposing a multi-agent system composed of a smart camera network, centralised planning agent, a virtual coach, and robotic exercise buddy, designed to promote regular physical activity habits among the elderly. The proposed system not only persuades the users to perform exercise routines, but also guides and accompanies them during exercises in order to provide effective training and engagement to the user. The different agents are combined in the system to exploit their complementary features in the quest for an effective and engaging training system. Three variants of the system, involving either a partial set of those agents or the full proposed system, were evaluated and compared through a pilot study conducted with 12 elderly users. The results demonstrate that all variants are able to guide the user in an exercise routine, but the most complete system that includes a robotic exercise buddy was the best scored by the participants. Article Highlights Proposal of a multi-agent system to help elderly adopting regular physical activity habits. A virtual coach and a robotic exercise buddy provide both guidance and companionship during the exercise. A pilot study conducted with 12 elderly users demonstrated an effective and engaging training system.

Abstract Background Health, participation, and security are the basic pillars of active ageing suggested by the WHO. The concept is used by professionals but requires exploration from the perspectives of older people themselves. This study aims to explore how older adults experience and describe health, participation, and security. Methods A qualitative research approach was used based on open-ended interviews with 20 older Thai adults aged 60–92 years. The interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results The results showed perspectives related to experiences of daily life and local culture. Health while ageing, was described as the absence of barriers to continued daily living, combined with a peaceful and adaptive mindset. Participation was described as maintaining social networks and being a formal volunteer, with an emphasis on the “making of merits”, of meaningful activities and being respected. Security was described as manageable living conditions and managing to finalize life well by balancing dependency and independency in relation to children to sustain the traditional value of gratitude between generations. Conclusions These understandings will support healthy policy planning by providing resources and activities that relate to older Thai adults’ perspectives of health, participation and security and ultimately contribute to a better quality of life.

Abstract Background Active ageing has been a rapidly developing field of study in light of the growing population of older people. Acknowledgement of the lack of a counselling program to promote active ageing for the older people in nursing homes led to the development of this study which aims to investigate active ageing of the Thai elderly in a nursing home in addition to promoting active ageing for them through integrative counselling. Methods The study was conducted in a nursing home in Samut Prakan province, Thailand. The integrative counselling program referred to appropriate literature along with implementation of the Satir Model and Motivational Interviewing techniques. An intervention mixed methods design was applied in the study, which consisted of two phases. Phase 1 involved an investigation of the concept of active ageing, based on the context of older people in nursing homes by way of in-depth interviews, involving 5 participants. Phase 2 comprised of an investigation of the effects of an integrative counselling program to promote active ageing for older people in the same nursing home. There was a total of 16 participants in phase 2 which were divided equally into experimental and control groups respectively. Results Phase 1 of the study showcased qualitative results of the progress of active ageing development in older people that resulted in 4 sub-themes (Health development, spiritual development, active engagement and psychosocial support). Two parameters were used to analyze the results in phase 2. The quantitative results showed that the active ageing score of participants in the experimental arm increased significantly after enrollment (p

Global demographic trends show an ageing population, concentrated mainly in Europe and Asia, in countries such as Italy, China and Japan. This can be seen either as an issue, considering the social protection system, either as a big opportunity in keeping elders active. In both cases, the importance of modernization of social policies has become crucial around the world. In order to avoid major economic issues or social tensions, it is required to identify main areas with big impact for ageing population and consider benefits for them. The purpose of this research is to investigate the opportunities of ageing population in the context of quality of life, based on the nine dimensions proposed by Eurostat, showing that silver (population) is the new gold for society. As a preliminary research, ageing will impact material living conditions, health, leisure and social interactions. For instance, in medicine there will be a challenge to switch from traditional medical checks to tele-medicine based on gadgets that monitor health or can assist persons in their daily life and fight with illness.

This conceptual paper elaborates on the paradigm of ‘grey spaces’ in skateboarding. It presents the fundamentals of the grey spaces concept as a bond between the material and symbolic and provides three core arguments. Firstly, it suggests that the simplicity of the concept works to make the complexity of skateboarding accessible. In doing so it opens the opportunity to bond elements of research on skateboarding to other lifestyle and action sports, and more broadly to a variety of disparate scholarly realms. Secondly, it identifies a nascent movement in skateboard studies to craft and adopt bespoke methodologies that speak to the specificities of skateboarding as a social, sensual and urban act. Thirdly, it proposes some possible frames by which grey spaces can be adopted to theorise elements of skateboarding and make conceptual bridging beyond the niche frame of the sport, and lifestyle/action sports more generally. These frames relate to pollution, active ageing, sport for development and peace, and identity. In conclusion, grey spaces are advocated as a paradigm to encourage scholars of skateboarding and beyond to connect and communicate through a shared frame. It also advocates for plurality and has a political component that suggests that even though there may be something unique in skateboarding, it can be known, communicated, understood, and even applied in other contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world’s population is rapidly ageing, which places a heavy burden on traditional healthcare systems with increased economic and social costs. Technology can assist in the implementation of strategies that enable active and independent ageing by promoting and motivating health-related behaviours, monitoring, and collecting data on daily life for assessment and for aiding in independent living. ICT (Information and Communication Technology) tools can help prevent cognitive and physical decline and social isolation, and enable elderly people to live independently. In this paper, we introduced a comprehensive tool for guiding seniors along the designed urban health paths employing urban architecture as an impulse to perform physical and cognitive exercises. The behaviour of seniors is monitored during their activities using wearable sensors and mobile application. We distinguished three types of data recipients (seniors, path/exercise designers, and the public), for whom we proposed methods of analysing the obtained data and examples of their use. In this work, a wide range of diverse information was examined from which short- and long-term patterns can be drawn. We have also shown that by fusing sensory data and data from mobile applications, we can give context to sensory data, thanks to which we can formulate more insightful assessments of seniors’ behaviour.

In the first half of 2015, a percentage of residents older than 60 years of age on a world level amounted to 12%, thus representing the fastest growing segment of the world population. For the past two centuries, a care for older persons and promotion of their active and healthy ageing has become a priority issue for social policy creators in numerous European countries. Ageing is a global trend and demands urgent action of all society segments. The background for all activities, responses and creation of adequate policies present a good insight into demographic trends, position of older people in the society and understanding the concept of social involvement enabling to observe the position of older people in different aspects of social participation, meeting their needs and achieving quality lifestyles. The active ageing concept became a priority for European Community policies, as well as organisations such as Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The active ageing strategy encourages the shift of the health care system from a curative to a preventive model, as well as promotion and support of rehabilitation and independent living. The main idea behind the active ageing concept is to enable the individual to become an active participant in the life of his/her family, as well as in the society, despite existing cognitive or physical difficulties, frequently present in the senior age. The Strategy presents a basis for making policies and decisions in the health care, including decisions on allocation of financial funds within the health division. The Strategy must offer clear and convincing reasons why something is considered a priority. Bosnia and Herzegovina is in urgent need to implement a strategy that would improve the health of older people and enable healthy and active ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore to what extent ageing is associated with increased active time spent in natural environments. We anticipate this pattern, aligned with active ageing theory, as greater exposure to nature is associated with better health and well‐being, including in old age. Following cohorts of elderly people over time using daily time‐use survey data from Sweden, we observe nature contacts including gardening, walking in parks, active nature pursuits, and outdoor exercising. The results indicate that spending active time in natural environments increases sharply in the years after retirement, the pattern remaining when a cohort moves into an older phase. However, we find no signs that the active time spent outdoors increases as new generations enter retirement. We find no dramatic social differences, aside from spatially segregated activities connected with individual housing situations. Older people who live in detached homes spend more time gardening, whereas residents of multi‐family housing spend more time in natural environments located farther from home, indicating a compensatory relationship. Key Messages: Spending active time in natural environments increases sharply in the years after retirement, the pattern remaining when cohorts move into older phases.Aside from spatially segregated activities connected with housing situations, no substantial social differences in time spent in natural environments emerge.There is a need for enabling proximate access to green spaces and publicly available plots for cultivation, challenging ongoing urban densification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Polityka Spoleczna is the property of Institute of Labour & Social / Instytut Pracy i Spraw Socjalnych 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.)