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Purpose: The psychosocial needs of patients suffering from severe visual loss associated with advanced age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) are generally ignored in the clinical routine. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a psychosocial intervention program for ARMD patients. This intervention program was based on six modules carried out in five weekly group sessions. These modules included (a) progressive muscle relaxation; (b) exchange of disease-related experiences; (c) understanding the connections among thought, emotion, and behavior; (d) description of and emphasis on the use of available resources; (e) improvement of general problem-solving skills, and (f) information exchange on ARMD-related treatment and rehabilitation options. Design and Methods: A preliminary evaluation of this intervention program was performed with the aid of a preintervention-postintervention comparison-group research design, which included 14 individuals (mean age of 73.1 years) in the interventional group and 8 participants (mean age of 72.6 years) in the comparison group. The preintervention-postintervention assessment addressed a set of emotional (e.g., positive and negative affect) as well as behavioral (e.g., limitations to activities and instrumental activities of daily living) outcome measures. Results: Although the sample size of the pilot evaluation test was small, our results demonstrate the usefulness of this pilot program. A statistical analysis comparing the interventional group with the comparison group revealed that the intervention group benefited from the program in five out of six outcome measures. Implications: Psychosocial group intervention is a promising approach to improve the quality of life in patients suffering from ARMD.

This study examines the effect of primary and secondary control on 3 major outcomes experienced by visually impaired older adults, that is, functional ability, adaptation to vision loss, and positive affect. The authors' theoretical model is based on the J. Heckhausen and R. Schulz (1995) control framework, as well as a conceptual integration of these outcomes, and they hypothesized that control beliefs can substantially contribute to explaining interindividual differences in these outcomes. A path model applied to data from a sample (N = 90) of visually impaired older adults, suffering from age-related macular degeneration, the major cause of vision loss in old age, generally supports this expectation.

In September 1995, the German Center for Research on Aging at the University of Heidelberg had been founded to become a leading national center of excellence with a clear interdisciplinary scope of ageing research activities. So far, three departments have been built up successively: the Department of Social and Environmental Gerontology (established in 1997, chair: Prof. Hans-Werner Wahl), the Department of Adult Development (established in 1998, provisional chair: Prof. Andreas Kruse), and the Department of Epidemiology (established in 2000, chair: Prof. Hermann Brenner). As one of the next steps, the disciplinary spectrum of the Center will be complemented by setting up several junior research groups in molecular ageing research. Within the few years of its existence, the Center has set up multiple large-scale, extramurally funded cross-sectional, case-control and longitudinal studies. These studies provide a unique common basis for interdisciplinary collaboration both within the Center and with the Center's numerous national and international research partners.

Over the past four decades the environmental context of aging has come to play an important role in gerontological theory, research, and practice. Environmental gerontology (EG)--focused on the description, explanation, and modification or optimization of the relation between elderly persons and their sociospatial surroundings--has emerged as a subfield in its own right. The aim of this article is to reflect on the historical, empirical, and theoretical development of recent EG, following Parmelee and Lawton's diagnosis from 1990 that there is a need to move the field beyond its current languishing state. From a historical perspective, EG has clearly played an important and successful role within the gerontology enterprise in terms of explicit consideration of the sociophysical environment in theory and research. A literature analysis of empirical studies supports the view that research has continued on a substantial quantitative level during the 1990s. Findings of these research studies address the whole diversity of classic EG research questions, but mostly in the sense of replication and extension. In terms of theoretical discussion, our analysis leads to the insight that EG may be described as a field high in conceptual aspiration ("world views"), but low with regard to making research and application-productive use of its theoretical achievements.

The European Commission has marked the year 2012 as the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations. This action indicates an increased awareness of the urgency to make progress in finding solutions to what some perceive as the “problems” of ageing societies. However, ageing societies also present opportunities for Europe. Based on the premise that Europeans are living longer and staying healthier than ever before, the European Commission states that the time has come to realise these opportunities. Hence, the main aims of this year are stated as: maintaining the vitality of older people, enhancing their involvement in society and removing barriers between generations. The emphasis clearly is on employability and workability, given the dramatic demographic shifts in the workforce all over Europe, but also on living independently, health care, social services, adult learning, volunteering, housing, IT services and transport. Under the flag of Europe, a series of initiatives are launched, ranging from conferences and events, information campaigns to exchange of information and best practice. Many national, regional and local authorities as well as social partners and businesses in Europe launch initiatives in parallel. These initiatives should raise awareness, stimulate debate and have a real impact on fostering a sustainable active ageing culture. All initiatives can be found on the official website http://europa.eu/ey2012. An important initiative is the pilot European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing. This partnership has a triple aim: Enabling EU citizens to lead healthy, active and independent lives whilst ageing. Improving the sustainability and efficiency of social and health care systems. Boosting and improving the competitiveness of the markets for innovative products and services, responding to the ageing challenge at both EU and global level, thus creating new opportunities for businesses. This triple aim should be realised by 2020 in the three policy areas of prevention and health promotion, integrated care and independent living of older people. To achieve such aims, it is important to have research-based evidence available and also to know where such evidence is still lacking. In October 2011, a Road Map for Future Ageing Research in Europe has been presented to the European Parliament as the outcome of the 2-year coordinated action FUTURAGE (http://futurage.group.shef.ac.uk/). The Roadmap claims to be the most comprehensive effort ever undertaken to further European ageing research, striving to set research priorities for the next 10–15 years in all major areas from biogerontology and the health sciences to the behavioural and social sciences. The trade of the European Journal of Ageing is the dissemination of research findings. Now in its 9th volume, the Journal plays an increasing role as an outlet of research reports from Europe and other parts of the world including North America and Asia. Thus, it potentially helps to inform debates and best practices. This dissemination is increasingly effective as the Journal gains visibility. We as editors are happy to note that the Journal’s visibility is certainly growing. For example, last year we saw an almost doubling of our impact factor (from 0.61 to 1.11), and we are confident that it will continue to rise. Amongst the 28 Gerontology journals included in the Social Science Citation Index, the rank of our Journal rose from 23rd in 2009 to 15th in 2010. The number of full text downloads shows a steady growth, as does the number of subscribers to Table of Contents alerts. In parallel with these developments, the number of submissions is growing, and the publisher has allowed the Journal 30% more pages. We realise that the viability of our Journal rests on the contribution of both authors and reviewers. A special role is for the Editorial Board, whose members help to determine the policy of the Journal and serve with high-quality reviews of submitted articles. In order to keep the Editorial Board effective, we felt that it should include a fair share of early-career researchers. Thus, during the past year, we renewed one-third of its members. In this issue, we welcome all new members, and send our heart-felt thanks to the members who have left the Board after having contributed so much to our Journal. The new Editorial Board can be found on the last page of this issue. The current issue very appropriately sets the stage for the European Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations with a special section on ‘Comparative Contexts of Care: Findings from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe’—for an introduction, see the contribution from guest editor Howard Litwin (2012). Whilst the data for the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) are collected mainly in western European countries, still a lot needs to be learned about Eastern Europe. Therefore, the article by Nikolai Botev (2012), titled ‘Population Ageing in Central and Eastern Europe and its Demographic and Social Context’ in the section Critical Positions in Ageing Research is a very timely contribution. From demographic data, the author shows developments in individual eastern European countries that are often very different from those in western European countries. The article makes a strong case against the tendency to extrapolate developments from western to eastern European countries, as well as the tendency to generalise across all eastern European countries. In particular, the article provides ample evidence that contradicts the premise for the European Year of Active Ageing: ‘Europeans are living longer and staying healthier than ever before’. Certainly, such a wake-up call leads to new research questions, several of which are proposed in the article. As a contrast to all the statistical evidence from survey and demographic data reported in the articles described so far, this issue includes one report from a qualitative study of people’s responses to being notified that their pattern of nutrition holds health risks (Reimer et al. 2012). The European Journal of Ageing receives an increasing number of submissions based on qualitative studies. We feel that this is a good development, because it enables the Journal to show the breadth and depth of the full range of ageing research from social, behavioural and health perspectives. Moreover, both types of research, quantitative and qualitative, are likely to contribute their share to an informed debate and policy measures that have a real impact—the exact aims of the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations.

Car driving is a vital means of mobility for older adults. It is, however, also a critical test for the potential and limits of gerontechnology. We argue with this editorial that the interaction of a triad of variables -person-related functioning, the micro-environment of car technology, and the broader context outside the car - must be considered in order to fully understand this potential and its limits.

Elderly people whose physical strength and sensory abilities are waning are often in particular need of a car in order to deal with daily demands and to join in social or cultural activities. However, the number of pensioner households that own a car varies greatly according to region, age, gender and size of the household. This article first describes the access of older people to private cars and the predominant modes of transport used by them in urban and rural areas of six European regions in five countries. In the second part, the authors analyse the importance of driving compared to the other travel modes, and doing so, the distinction between: (a) people who own and drive a car themselves, (b) people who use a car as passengers only, and (c) people who do not have a car available in their households. Finally, the satisfaction of these groups with their possibilities to get where they want to go, as well as the variance in mobility satisfaction, is explored by means of descriptive and explanatory analyses. The paper concludes by reflecting on the major challenges arising from the present findings in terms of future urban and traffic planning.

Is there a rule, when consolidation begins for a scientific journal? We are not aware of any. However, entering volume 8 in good shape after the regular presentation of 4 issues per year now since 2005, as it is the case with the European Journal of Ageing, may be regarded as a clear supporting sign. Yes, we feel based on converging indicators that the European Journal of Ageing is near to the goal to be an established periodical for first-class research in social, behavioural and health related ageing in Europe and beyond. First, we believe that the journal has something important to offer in terms of disciplinary and interdisciplinary ageing research and that volume 7 has been another convincing proof for this. For instance, we had two special sections both of which addressed key ageing research topics. The special section guest-edited by Mike Martin, Sherry Willis and Christina Rocke focused on midlife and included mostly psychological but also epidemiology and health related research. This section made it very clear how limited our knowledge regarding midlife and its role for old and very old age still is, but at the same time the papers also support the notion that we will never understand ageing, when conceptually and empirically life in the middle is not taken into better consideration. Gender gap in health expectancy has been the theme of the second special section guest-edited by Henrik Bronnum-Hansen and Berhard Jeune. As has been shown in this collection of papers coming out of a REVES (Reseau Esperance de Vie en Sante) meeting in 2009 in Copenhagen, the so-called male–female health-survival paradox (men have higher death rates than women, but women do worse with regard to disability related outcomes) still needs more research, for instance targeting the magnitude of the gender gap and treating mortality and morbidity in tandem in order to better understand more comprehensively the dynamics behind the gap. In addition, we saw in issue 4 of volume 7 the first contribution to our new section ‘‘Methodology issues in ageing research’’ (van Nes et al. 2010) targeting language differences in qualitative research, an issue of much importance for a region highly active in ageing research (including qualitative work), but at the same time operating in many languages, i.e., a now 27 member Europe. As is argued in the article, the generally preferred ‘‘reduction’’ to English language in cross-country qualitative research seems to have its limits and the way out is far from trivial and deserves much more research investments. We are also happy that we were able to contribute with research published in the European Journal of Ageing to ongoing key themes of the international ageing research literature such as distance-to-death and end-of-life related research (Aaltonen et al. 2010; Kotter-Gruhn et al. 2010), driving forces of retirement incomes (Hershey et al. 2010), disability prevention issues (Daniels et al. 2010) and the interrelations between socio-structural variables and health (Schollgen et al. 2010). The 5 most cited papers within the recent 90 days were two from the area of social gerontology (de Jong Gierveld and van Tilburg 2010; 223 downloads; Dykstra, 2009; 186 downloads), followed by two behavioural papers (Allemand et al. 2010; 152 downloads; Jopp and Schmitt 2010; 143 downloads) and a biodemographic paper (Oksuzyan et al. 2010; 143 downloads). H.-W. Wahl (&) Heidelberg University, Bergheimer Strasse 20, 69115 Heidelberg, Germany e-mail: h.w.wahl@psychologie.uni-heidelberg.de

Wohnen gilt als „physischer, sozialer und psychologischer Austauschprozess zwischen dem Menschen und seiner Umwelt“ (Flade 1987, S. 16). Im mittleren Erwachsenenalter ist neben dem Familienwohnen vor allem die Arbeitsumwelt bestimmend fur den Lebensalltag. Mit zunehmendem Alter wird dann, auch bedingt durch den Ubergang in die nachberufliche Phase, der unmittelbare Wohnbereich zum zentralen Lebensort (Saup 1993; Wahl 1992).

Indices of behavioral competence (activities of daily living [ADLs], instrumental activities of daily living [IADLs], use of outdoor resources, leisure activity level) as well as emotional adaptation (subjective well-being, future orientation) were used to investigate the psychosocial consequences of age-related vision impairment in a threefold manner: (a) comparison of visually impaired and unimpaired elders, (b) comparison of visually impaired and mobility-impaired elders, and (c) long-term adaptation across 5 years. The research design used (a) 42 severely visually impaired elders, (b) 42 blind elders, (c) 42 mobility-impaired elders, and (d) 42 unimpaired elders. Compared with the mobility impaired, the visually impaired demonstrated lower IADL competence but no difference in emotional adaptation. The long-term adjustment of the visually impaired remained relatively stable in the behavioral domain, although lower compared with the unimpaired elders. Emotional adaptation decreased over the 5-year longitudinal interval in the visually impaired and the unimpaired group, but the decrease was generally higher in the visually impaired group. Conceptual ideas from environmental gerontology as well as psychological resilience are used to interpret these results.

Resumo: O presente trabalho pretende dar uma contribuição conceitual ao constructo “competência no cotidiano”. Depois de uma discussão introdutória sobre as razões da crescente atenção da competência no cotidiano na Gerontologia, são esboçadas, numa primeira parte, seis tendências de pesquisa com relevância para a competência no cotidiano: 1 Pesquisa gerontológica cognitiva sobre situações no cotidiano; 2 Pesquisas sobre ADL/IADL (atividades de vida diária, instrumental de atividades de vida diária); 3 Pesquisa sobre lazer, 4 Pesquisa sobre coping; 5 Pesquisa sobre a organização temporal de atividades e 6 Pesquisa ecológico-gerontológica. Numa segunda parte, são apresentados e analisados dois modelos com forte influência na competência no cotidiano, o modelo de Margret Baltes e o modelo de Sherry Willis. Numa terceira parte é elaborada uma concepção integrada de competência no cotidiano, de modo que interrelaciona aspectos das seis tendências de pesquisa com elementos importantes dos dois modelos de competência no cotidiano. Palavras-chave: Envelhecimento. Cotidiano. Competência no cotidiano. Abstract: The goal of this paper is to contribute to conceptual issues associated with the construct of everyday competence. After the description of reasons for the increased attention which everyday competence has found within gerontology, the first section of this work serves to shed light on six research traditions with relevance for everyday competence: (1) Research on everyday cognitive processes, (2) ADL/IADL research, (3) leisure time research, (4) coping research, (5) time budget research, and (6) ecological gerontology research. In the second section, two influencial models of everyday competence, namely those of Margret Baltes and Sherry Willis, are discussed. Finally, an integrative conception of everyday competence, which is aimed to combine aspects of the six research traditions with elements of the two models of everyday competence, is suggested. Keywords: Aging. Everyday life. Everyday competence.

Altern wird in der Gerontologie aus den verschiedensten Perspektiven untersucht. Dieses Buch nahm seinen Ausgang von der Annahme, das es theoretisch und empirisch auserst reizvoli ware, Altern im Spannungsfeld zwischen der Gestaltung des alltaglichen Alterns „drinnen“ – also in der eigenen Wohnung (gleich ob als Mieter oder Eigentumer), den „eigenen vier Wanden“, dem „Heim“, dem „Zuhause“ – auf der einen, und der Gestaltung des alltaglichen Alterns „drausen“ – also im naheren und weiteren Wohnumfeld mit seinen vielfaltigen baulichen und naturlichen Erscheinungsformen, mit befriedigenden oder belastenden Sozialkontakten, mit anregenden Moglichkeiten des Sich-Bewegens „in der frischen Luft“ oder dem stressvollen Erleben mancher Verkehrssituationen – auf der anderen Seite zu betrachten. Die Beitrage des Buches sollten gezeigt haben, das es ein markantes Kennzeichen eines solchen Zugangs zum Altern ist, das dieses „Drinnen“ und „Drausen“ von vielfaltigen Forschungsstromungen und Anwendungsfeldern thematisiert wird. Die Okologische Gerontologie kann ein Dach bieten, um diese Zugange im Sinne einer interdisziplinaren Bundelung zu vereinen (siehe auch Kapitel 1 des Buches), jedoch sind damit keinesfalls alle Fragen beantwortet.

Dieses Einfuhrungskapitel sei mit zwei Vorbemerkungen begonnen. Es geht in diesem Beitrag zum ersten darum, in die Thematik der Person-Umwelt-Beziehung im hoheren Lebensalter im Sinne einer Sensibilisierung fur damit verknupfte zentrale Fragen einzufuhren. Wir sehen also die Aufgabe des Kapitels im Sinne des Aufspannens jenes Forschungs- und Anwendungsfeldes, das den alten Menschen in seinen alltaglichen Umweltzusammenhangen fokussiert, also der okologischen Gerontologie. Es soil ganz bewust keine Forschungsubersicht prasentiert werden, zumal essentielle Inhalte der okogerontologischen Forschung im Verlauf der weiteren Kapitel dieses Buches dezidiert aufgegriffen werden. Zum zweiten soil im folgenden keine wissenschaftliche Disziplin eindeutig im Vordergrund stehen, denn es gehort nach unserem Verstandnis zu einer Grundanforderung der okologischen Gerontologie, Interdisziplinaritat anzustreben, also die eigene Heimatdisziplin zu zugeln und die Chancen einer diesbezuglichen Heimatlosigkeit zu erkennen. Allerdings wird eine psychologische Akzentsetzung schon notwendig sein, da die psychologische Gerontologie gerade zur Klarung von Fragen der Person-Umwelt-Beziehung im hoheren Lebensalter wichtige Theorieansatze und Befunde beigetragen hat (Oswald, 1996; Saup, 1993; Wahl & Saup, 1994; Wahl, 1992).

Wenn es um Fragen der Person-Umwelt-Beziehung im hoheren Lebensalter geht, so drangt sich in besonderer Weise der Eindruck auf, das viele Fragen und Themen, die bisweilen als aktuell und neu charakterisiert und entsprechend bearbeitet werden, eigentlich alte Fragen unseres Gebietes sind, zu denen bereits vor Jahrzehnten in profunder Weise Stellung bezogen wurde. Das Werk und Schaffen Margret Diecks kann dies in vielfacher Weise belegen.

Rehabilitation im hoheren Lebensalter ist immer noch alles andere als selbstverstandlich. Diese Beobachtung besitzt grundsatzlich auch fur rehabilitative Bemuhungen bei Seh- und Horeinbusen alterer Menschen Gultigkeit. Zwar gilt fur beide sensorische Modalitaten, das es eine Vielzahl von technischen Hilfsmitteln zur Kompensation von Einbusen gibt (siehe dazu auch die Kapitel 9 und 10); jedoch gelingt die Umsetzung dieses Rehabilitationspotentials bislang nur unzureichend und Bedarfe bleiben zumindest teilweise weiterhin ungedeckt (zum Bereich Sehen: 6, 16, 18, 65, 66 sowie zum Bereich Horen: 4, 14, 23, 39, 70). Dies liegt vor allem daran, das die Betroffenen oft nicht „erreicht“ werden und die Vielfalt und Komplexitat technischer Moglichkeiten bislang nur in unbefriedigender Weise von Anwendungstrainings und sonstigen psychosozialen Implementationshilfen begleitet werden, was nicht selten dazu fuhrt, das die an sich sehr gute Technik Gefahr lauft, zu „verstauben“. Hinzu kommt, und dies ist der eigentliche Gegenstand dieses Kapitels, das Rehabilitation bei Seh- und Horeinbusen keinesfalls bei diesen technischen Hilfsmitteln und deren optimaler Anpassung und Einfuhrung stehen bleiben darf; notwendig sind vielmehr auch komplementare Interventionen auf verschiedenen Ebenen, wie beispielsweise bei den sozialen Bezugspersonen der Betroffenen sowie in ihrem raumlich-dinglichen Umfeld.

Seheinbusen alterer Menschen sind nicht nur zu kennzeichnen als anatomische Veranderung, als physiologisches Geschehen oder als objektive Beschreibung eines Ruckgangs in der Sehscharfe oder im verfugbaren Gesichtsfeld; sie ragen auch unmittelbar in den Alltag der Betroffenen hinein, stellen bislang nicht reflektierte Ablaufe des Alltagsgeschehens in Frage, erschweren oder verhindern gar vollig die Pflege von Interessen und Hobbys, machen moglicherweise Zukunftsplane und -wunsche zunichte. Derart massive Konsequenzen konnen nun aber in der Regel nicht einfach routinemasig hingenommen, akzeptiert oder in eine neue Lebensgestalt umgeformt werden; vielmehr fuhren sie nicht selten zu solch ausgepragten Veranderungen in der bisherigen Lebensbalance, das eine intensive Auseinandersetzung mit dem eigenen vergangenen, gegenwartigen und zukunftigen Leben unumganglich wird. Mit diesen Uberlegungen sind wir bereits mitten in einem psychologischen Forschungsfeld angelangt, in dem auf der einen Seite die Belastungen und krisenhaften Aspekte schwerwiegender und negativ getonter Lebenserfahrungen, auf der anderen Seite die von der Person und ihrer Umwelt in Angriff genommenen Versuche der Bewaltigung und Verarbeitung (sog. Coping) dieser Erfahrungen, und die dabei erzielten Erfolge (oder Miserfolge) naher untersucht werden. Doch bevor wir Seheinbusen im hoheren Lebensalter unter dem Blickwinkel dieser Forschungstradition naher betrachten, soll noch fur einen Moment innegehalten und nicht der Sehverlust, sondern das „normale“ Sehen thematisiert werden. Auch sind in dieser Einfuhrung noch einige Eingrenzungen vorzunehmen.

Werfen wir zu Beginn dieses Buches einen Blick in unseren Alltag. Kommen uns in dieser Alltagswelt nicht gerade Hor- und Seheinbusen alterer Menschen als gleichsam typische Kennzeichen des Altwerdens und Altseins entgegen? Etwa wenn wir in der Schlange an der Supermarktkasse stehen und feststellen mussen, das einem alteren Menschen die Identifikation einzelner Munzen nicht mehr gelingt, oder wenn wir einen Weg erklaren wollen und merken, das wir zunachst — bei normaler Lautstarke und den ublichen Strasengerauschen — nicht verstanden worden sind. Wahrnehmungsprobleme dieser Art treten so haufig auf, das wir sie nicht selten als unvermeidliche Begleiterscheinungen des Alter(n)s ansehen, die akzeptiert werden mussen und an denen sich nichts andern last.

Our purpose in this study was to explore relationships between aspects of objective and perceived housing in five European samples of very old adults, as well as to investigate whether cross-national comparable patterns exist. Design and Methods: We utilized data from the first wave of the ENABLE–AGE Survey Study. The five national samples totalled 1,918 individuals aged 75 to 89 years. Objective assessments of the home environment covered the number of environmental barriers as well as the magnitude of accessibility problems (an aspect of person–environment fit). To assess perceptions of housing, we used instruments on usability, meaning of home, and housing satisfaction. We also assessed housing-related control. Results: Overall, the results revealed that the magnitude of accessibility problems, rather than the number of physical environmental barriers, was associated with perceptions of activity-oriented aspects of housing. That is, very old people living in more accessible housing perceived their homes as more useful and meaningful in relation to their routines and everyday activities, and they were less dependent on external control in relation to their housing. The patterns of such relationships were similar in the five national samples. Implications: Objective and perceived aspects of housing have to be considered in order to understand the dynamics of aging in place, and the results can be used in practice contexts that target housing for senior citizens.

Study objective was to examine the effect of an intervention program on fear of falling, physical performance and life space in nursing home residents.

The multitude of different contexts shaping human development and aging are not well understood as are the mechanisms and pathways by which these contexts operate. Research on key contexts such as socio-economic, social, physical, care/service, and technological features are often studied in isolation in aging science. This is unfortunate because the daily life of aging individuals is shaped by all of these contexts conjointly and presumably in interactive and non-additive ways. Among the challenges is whether and how a conjoint framework may help organize and integrate the so far often isolated bodies of conceptual perspectives and empirical insights gained in contextual developmental science and how such a combined perspective can be made heuristically fertile. The current symposium makes an attempt to address these complex issues by a series of conceptual and empirical contributions. We (Wahl & Gerstorf) start with the presentation of a recently developed conceptual framework for integrating contexts for aging well. We continue the symposium with three conceptual/empirical contributions, in which we take up the recent strong trend toward contextualization of large surveys. First, Carlos Mendes de Leon et al. addresses the work context for aging well. Second, Slaug and Schilling treat the physical home environment in its relation to functional impairment. Third, Denis Gerstorf et al. found within a distance-to-death research design study that participants living with a partner (immediate social context) report more happiness, but also steeper increases in sadness as death is approaching. We include Dale Dannefer for discussing papers from a social-behavioral lifespan perspective.

Background One of the more common behavioral manifestations of dementia-related disorders is severe problems with out-of-home mobility. Various efforts have been attempted to attain a better understanding of mobility behavior, but most studies are based on institutionalized patients and the assessment usually relies on reports of caregivers and institutional staff, using observational approaches, activity monitoring, or behavioral checklists. The current manuscript describes the research protocol of a project that measures mobility in Alzheimer's disease and related cognitive disorders in an innovative way, by taking advantage of advanced tracking technologies. Methods/design Participants are 360 demented persons, mildly cognitively impaired persons, and unimpaired controls aged ≥ 65 in Israel and Germany. Data regarding space-time activities will be collected via a GPS tracking kit for a period of 4 weeks in 3 waves (one year apart) with the same participants (using a repeated measures design). Participants will be interviewed by use of a battery of instruments prior to and following GPS data collection. Further, a family member will complete a questionnaire both before and after data tracking. Statistical analyses will strive to explain differences in mobility based on a wide range of socio-structural, clinical, affect-related and environmental variables. We will also assess the impact of the use of advanced tracking technology on the quality of life of dementia patients and care givers, as well as its potential as a diagnostic tool. Systematic assessment of ethical issues involved in the use of tracking technology will be an integral component of the project. Discussion This project will be able to make a substantial contribution to basic as well as applied and clinical aspects in the area of mobility and cognitive impairment research. The innovative technologies applied in this study will allow for assessing a range of dimensions of out-of-home mobility, and provide better quality data.