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Although the active ageing concept generally has positive connotations, with expected benefits at the micro, meso and macro levels, the application of this concept in terms of policy making presents challenges and risks to be avoided (for instance, a predominantly productivist interpretation and a top-down imposition with limited possibilities for bottom-up exchanges; or a disregard for the risk of excluding older people with more disadvantaged backgrounds). Two crucial strategies to minimise risks are the implementation of policies by considering and respecting territorial diversity, and the involvement of all the relevant stakeholders in a participatory consultative and co-decisional approach. This paper entwines both strategies together by focusing on Italian in-country differences in terms of active ageing, and employing the Active Ageing Index for policy-making purposes. This activity is part of a governmental national pilot project aimed at promoting multilevel co-managed co-ordination of active ageing policies across Italy. The analysis identified five groups of regions that differ from the classical, geographic and socio-economic division between the North, Centre and South. Additional in-group analyses were conducted to investigate within-cluster differences. This study will inform a large multilevel stakeholder network for evidence-based policies and their monitoring at both the national and regional levels, in line with the perspective of mainstreaming ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the active ageing framework, this study was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic on older volunteers, in order to explore the possible relation between, on the one hand, changes in their health, social relationships and quality of life due to the pandemic and, on the other hand, volunteers' motivations and (direct or indirect) experience of the COVID-19 contagion. Although various active-ageing-related issues have been studied during the pandemic, the studies did not cover the topic of the present study. Therefore, the results of this study advance the knowledge on the matter. A sample of 240 older volunteers was surveyed in Italy in July–August 2021. Bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression models were performed. The results highlighted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, for older people, volunteering in order to avoid thinking about personal problems was related to worsened health, while volunteering for social reasons was inversely related to a worsening quality of life. Having indirectly (by acquaintances) experienced the COVID-19 contagion was protective against the worsening physical health of older volunteers. The discussion includes the policy implications of the results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews recent international literature on the opportunities and restrictions experienced by older people to act as volunteers in civil society organizations. Our aim was to develop a conceptual framework applicable to the European ageing society. This aim was pursued through a computerized database search focused on studies analyzing the individual, organizational, and/or societal levels. Findings show that senior volunteers are characterized by "younger" age, good health, and a high level of both educational and socioeconomical status. Volunteers are involved mainly in religious organizations as well as in social and personal care, while main barriers are represented especially by ageist practices. The review shows that the debate on this topic has been barely developed in Europe, both from an individual and societal point of view. Therefore, European countries might take advantage from experiences made in other contexts, but the identification of how this can occur requires further and more specific cross-national research. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

This article provides information on trends in formal and informal adult education in Italy, with a particular focus on the older learners (over 65). Main providers, programs, objectives/motivations, and financial and legal framework are described. In general, over-65-year-old people were found to be underrepresented in participation. They were also concentrated in activities of informal education (through, for example, Third Age Universities) instead of formal courses that are oriented mainly towards the development of skills/competencies for the labor market. In order to improve the situation of older people in the future, the question of financing is one of the main challenges to be addressed by policymakers. (Contains 2 tables.)

The article provides an overview of health prevention programs implemented by local authorities to target the needs of older people in Italy. Interventions include health promotion and primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention. The most important characteristics of the interventions are described in terms of type, targets, and resources. The survey underlines some of the most evident difficulties met when performing exhaustive monitoring. It also points out a comprehensive picture of the indicators to be taken into account to achieve an efficient and regular health monitoring system of the older population. (Contains 7 tables and 2 figures.)

This study aimed to understand whether older adults not only received but also provided help during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Belgium, which factors motivated them to help, and whether older adults differed from younger age groups in terms of helping behavior and motives. Bivariate analyses were performed using data generated from an online cross-sectional survey in Belgium (N = 1892). The results showed that older adults who received help also provided it. This "interdependence" - mutual or reciprocal dependence - occurred regardless of age. In terms of motives for providing help, both older adults and their younger peers were primarily motivated by present-oriented and emotion-related motivation: older people were motivated to provide help by altruistic values and humanism, and enhancement motives linked to self-development. Policy implications of these results entail: during crisis situations, make use of the bond between older adults and their neighbors, such as caring communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]