Search

Abstract Background With the increasing proportion of older adults in India, it becomes essential to get an insight into the various influencing factors of successful ageing. However, the literature on successful ageing is minuscule in the Indian context. The present study attempted to understand successful ageing in terms of active and productive ageing by exploring their determining factors. Methods The data were extracted from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave–1 (2017–2018). We utilized self-reported time use information from the experimental module of the LASI. A total of 7837 ageing adults were included in the study. We employed descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis and a multinominal logistic regression model to examine the prevalence and the determinants of active and productive ageing. Results The prevalence of inactive ageing was higher among the Indian ageing population (57.47%), followed by active ageing (29.59%) and productive ageing (12.94%). Poor sleep quality and the prevalence of morbidity and disability limited the ageing population from attaining active and productive ageing. Engagement in physical activity was significantly associated with active and productive ageing (β = 0.83, 99% CI: -0.72–0.94 and β = 0.82, 99% CI: 0.66–0.98), respectively. Rural ageing adults were more likely to attain active ageing and less likely to attain productive ageing. Conclusion Engagement in physical activities among the ageing population shall be promoted to attain active and productive ageing. Since the rural ageing population were less likely to attain productive ageing than their urban counterparts, opportunities to participate in more formal economic activities in rural areas could be promoted for the wellbeing of the second demographic dividend.

Healthy ageing is a new paradigm that describes the possibility of better ageing experience in contrast to the traditional notion of ageing. The aim of this scoping review was to map literature on healthy ageing in the context of low and middle-income countries (LMICs). A five-step scoping review procedure was used to synthesise the conceptualisation of healthy ageing and its measurement approach and to summarise key evidences on healthy ageing. Our descriptive summary analysis shows that the majority of the studies conceptualised healthy ageing under physical capabilities, cognitive functions, metabolic and physiological health and psychological well-being domains with more of objective measurement approach. We identified a number of studies that can be relevant to consider for public health policy. Future research should also focus on neurobiological ageing aspects as such studies were found to be very rare in the review. Our review identified that there is limited number of studies conducted in some LMICs where the growth of population ageing is an emerging concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The construction of old age is a set of strategies to create and implement the image of the desired old age. The article considers biological, psychological and environmental factors from the point of view of their modeling, which lend themselves to the possibility of creating, managing and eliminating certain mechanisms, depending on their role in the structure of aging. Objective. The work is devoted to systematization of scientific data on aging and the mechanisms of maintaining the quality of life during the aging period. The article examines biological, psychological, social and environmental factors that affect the specifics of aging. Methods. Theoretical analysis of modern research in the field of the psychology of aging. Results and conclusions. It has been shown that genetic and physiological mechanisms are not unconditional predictors of aging, but can be modified. At the same time, psychological and social factors lend themselves only to conditional modeling. The most flexible at this stage are various environmental factors that make it possible to significantly correct aging trends. The analysis showed that the factors and mechanisms known at this stage can be conditionally divided into modeled, conditionally modeled and difficult to model. At the same time, among such factors, conditional and easily modeled ones prevail, which allows us to develop the idea of construction of aging at earlier stages. The data indicate that the mechanisms of subjectivity underlie the possibilities of constructing aging, and the basis for the formation of strategies is adequate and positive representations of one’s own aging.

Facilitating elders' volunteerism, which comprises motivation and practice to help people formally, is beneficial to the elders and their volunteering beneficiaries. According to social–cognitive theory, such facilitation supposedly benefits from art training to raise elders' artistic efficacy. This study examines such a supposition with a two-wave panel survey of 118 elders in Hong Kong, China. Among them, forty-seven were art trainees in a senior centre and seventy-one were non-trainees. Results show that art training significantly contributed to Waves 1 and 2 artistic efficacy and volunteerism in the elder. Moreover, Wave 1 artistic efficacy significantly contributed to Wave 2 volunteerism. The results imply that art training aiming to raise artistic efficacy in a senior centre is valuable for facilitating elders' volunteerism. Incorporating such training in social services is thus worthwhile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The population aged 65 years and above in Hong Kong is projected to rise from 15 per cent in 2014 to 38.4 per cent in 2069. Therefore, the quest for creating age-friendly conditions and the promotion of active ageing has become a priority for the Hong Kong Government and stakeholders in the city. Using a cross-national comparative framework for productive engagement in later life, this article examines the predictors of productive engagement (perceived voluntary engagement) in two districts (the Islands and Tsuen Wan) of Hong Kong – a typical productivist welfare regime in Asia. Data were collected through a social survey to ascertain the perception of an age-friendly city and active ageing in 2016 and 2018 from 1,638 persons aged 60 years and older. The results indicate some differences in the perception of the key determinants in both districts, but the factors associated with productive engagement were consistent, namely social atmosphere, social provisions and the built environment. The findings are discussed within the broader discourse on social gerontology, age-friendly cities and productivist welfare regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used nationally representative data from the China Longitudinal Ageing Social Survey 2018 to examine how activity patterns in the personal and family life domains were associated with social networks among Chinese older adults and whether internet use changed these relationships. Using latent class analysis, we identified four activity patterns, including Personal‐centered Activity class (14.37%), Low Activity class (58.06%), Family‐centered Activity class (19.24%), and Balanced Activity class (8.33%). Multivariate analyses revealed that the Personal‐centered Activity and Low Activity classes were associated with looser family ties compared with the Family‐centered Activity class, whereas the Balanced Activity class was associated with closer friendship ties. Internet usage was significantly associated with stronger family and friendship ties in the Low Activity group. Intervention programs to address the digital divide and engage older adults with limited offline social engagement in online communications may have positive effects on maintaining or expanding their social networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article implements an attempt to present the success of older workers in the conditions of the sporting paradigm and the formation of eco-thinking in organizations. The reasons for rethinking the prolonged working capacity of age workers as a “new normal” are shown. The article dwells on the features of teaching employment in higher education and makes the case for forming environmental conditions in universities to retain key professors and associate professors so that they can continue their creative work. The authors give characteristics of successful, healthy, active and productive ageing and suggest the measures that help to slow down the premature ageing of personnel.

Social work profession can be useful in addressing the transportation needs of older adults. However, there is a paucity of knowledge concerning this need in Ghana. The purpose of the study was to investigate the factors relating to transportation difficulty among older adults in Ghana, employing the World Health Organisation (WHO) Healthy Ageing framework. The implications of the findings on social work practice with older adults in Ghana are herein discussed. Data for 5,107 adults aged fifty years or more came from the WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health Ghana Wave 1. Transportation difficulty was assessed using the self-reported question. In the last thirty days, how much difficulty did you have with getting to where you want to go using private or public transport if needed?" Logistic regression tested associations between transportation difficulty and other independent variables. About 31 per cent of the participants, mostly women (54.7 per cent), experienced transportation difficulty. Associated factors included (not exhaustive) advanced age, lower household income, chronic diseases and lack of trust for others. A high prevalence of transportation difficulty exists among older adults in Ghana and is holistically related. Social work's intervention to address the transportation needs of older adults in Ghana should be holistic; incorporating the significant factors identified affecting older adults' well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The innovative aspects of medical and psychological rehabilitation of the old-aged patients in out-patient clinics on the basis of specialized medical centre have been studied. As an innovation: the long-term rehabilitation work (an additional period to the main course of 14 days) on the recovery of this category of patients, taking their age peculiarities into consideration (low level of intellectual and neuro-dynamic abilities); restorative treatment in a 24-hour hospital on the basis of the multifactorial program have been offered. In both cases, the emphasis is made on the recovery in terms of the developed program “The territory of welfare”. It is a medical and psychological support of the elderly on the basis of the Rehabilitation Medical Center “RZD-Medicine”, Yekaterinburg. On the one hand, this program will give an opportunity to overcome the lack of the provision of medical and psychological services during outpatient treatment.On the other hand, the program will help to understand the necessity of the rehabilitation measures extension for the elderly patients on the basis of medical centers. This program as an approbation for including into a pilot project “The organization of a modern model of a long-term medical treatment for the elderly people based on the principles of interdisciplinary and inter-departmental interaction (The Territory of care)”and for reconsidering the practice of rehabilitation services for the elderly; it is a necessary measure for the prevention, training and activation of the internal resources of older people for their productive aging.

This article explores issues of age and enterprise in later life as manifested in tensions between retiree and entrepreneurial identities. We utilize the concept of a discursive event to examine time-bound online data, specifically media texts and reader comments associated with the online news coverage of an insurance company report. This report introduced the label Weary to describe "working entrepreneurial and active retirees." Our analysis shows how keeping healthy and active are constructed as insufficient markers of a productive and successful older age. These markers are supplanted by a neoliberal discourse that prioritizes enterprise and economic productivity in retirement. However, the Weary subject position has implications within this discourse that constrain the valued contribution of older adults to productive work yet deny access to this group to entrepreneurial endeavors. This highlights the destabilization of retirement and critical tensions in its discursive reconceptualization as a period of entrepreneurial endeavor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While considerable scholarly attention has been given to factors influencing productive activity, less is known about how multiple forms of resources predict the maintenance or initiation of such activity over time. Using two-wave panel data of older adults from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), the study investigated the relationship between measures of capital and changes in multiple types of productive activity. Findings showed that all three types of capital were associated with volunteering in cross-sectional analyses, but only education, neighbourhood socialisation and religious service attendance remain significant predictors of continued volunteerism. Human capital strongly influenced employment both cross-sectionally and over time. Aspects of social capital – marital status and network size – were linked to participation and initiation of care-giving activities. The findings demonstrate that different patterns emerge in cross-sectional and two-wave panel data of multiple productive activities, adjusting for baseline activity level and selective attrition. The project also suggests factors that promote or hinder continued engagement in productive activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phase of retirement has been steadily growing since the 1950s. Rules and regulations related to retirement have been changing. Recent cohorts have reached this phase in better health than previous ones. Until recently, retirement has been rather void of societal expectations, leaving room for individual decisions regarding amount and type of activity. Thus, investigating activity patterns displayed during this life phase, their predictors and outcomes seems overdue. The study addresses three questions: (a) Which distinct clusters of productive activities among retirees can be identified in Germany? (b) Do activity patterns of clusters follow complementary or substitutive composition rules? (c) Which are the most important predictors of cluster membership? Using probability-based sample data (N = 2,141) from the survey 'Transitions and Old Age Potential' (TOP), this study investigated clusters of productive activities among retirees aged 60–70 years in Germany. The activities examined included paid work after retirement, formal and informal volunteering, child care and care-giving. Results showed a four-cluster structure. The clusters (Multiple Engagers, Volunteers, Family Helpers and Family Disengagers) differed with regard to the composition and the intensity of productive activities. Both complementary and substitutive relations were identified within clusters. Individual, familial and economic resources were predictors of cluster membership. Results are discussed with regard to role theory, cumulative inequality theory and the ongoing debate about old-age potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the insights and observations of the interventions where fifteen retired senior citizens were trained in using an online learning platform to get productively engaged by utilising their dormant knowledge resource to impart quality education from their home to rural underprivileged school students for three years. This Action Research programme demonstrates that use of Internet and Web 2.0 Technologies by senior citizens not only helps them to get involved in a productive activity but also directly engage themselves in the development process of improving the learning outcomes of underprivileged school children in rural India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Scientific research has slowly been incorporating the factors that influence the process of ageing. Among them, gender has been considered a cross determinant which affects all other factors of Active Ageing (World Health Organization, 2002). This paper provides a review of the role of gender on ageing well. Methods: A bibliographical database with 2143 references, selected from several national and international referenced databases, was used. These references were obtained by a systematic search of terms related to ageing well (active, healthy, successful, productive) in Spanish and English, carried out through title, keywords, and abstract. Eligible studies were published between 1997 and 2015. This systematic review was complemented with a snowball strategy. Results: From the general database, 214 references were initially selected, in which sex or gender had some sort of importance. But only 33 studies that provide a gender perspective were retained from reviewing the abstract and/or the complete document, especially on those related to Social Sciences, which developed the concepts of Active Ageing or Successful Ageing. The most relevant treated areas were focused on: i) differences between men and women caused by different labour force roles (paid work and domestic work, including care activities); ii) consequences of gender roles on participation; iii) psychosocial health status on older people. Conclusions: Although the policy framework for Active Ageing gives importance to gender as a cross determinant, research carried out from a gender perspective is yet limited. Future research may consider these results to revitalize and create knowledge about gender influence on ageing well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Psychotherapie im Alter is the property of Psychosozial-Verlag 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.)

How to respond to an ageing society has become an increasingly important question, for employers, workers and policy makers. Here we critically engage with that debate, arguing that future approaches to the relationship between work and age should take into account multiple influences on older worker behaviour, including the combination of economic, lifecourse and personal priorities. We consider the international consensus that has emerged about the primacy of work as the solution to what to do with a long life. We then address the uncertain nature of work as it affects older workers, and discuss the commodification of time in relation to a productivist approach to demographic ageing and the attitudes of older workers themselves. A tension is noted between pressures for continuity and discontinuity within the adult lifecourse which is often eclipsed within a policy discourse that tends to focus on continuity as a route to social legitimacy. Thinking about life-time as a meta-narrative, a tension between existential life priorities and commodification, may help to explain the ease with which ‘live longer–work longer’ policies both dominate and obscure the potential of a long life. Finally, we examine the implications for work–life balance and suggest this needs to be radically re-thought when addressing the purpose of a longer working life and the promise of a long life in general. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents an ethnographic picture of the less recognized task of elder adults, who provide informal care to the senior citizens in Chinese society. It provides an account of survey and fieldwork, which involves participant observation and interviews conducted in a some area of Shanghai, China where the population of old age people is highest in China.

Copyright of Chung Cheng Educational Studies is the property of Chung Cheng University, College of Education 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.)

One of the most concerning contemporary developments in the European Area is population and workforce ageing, even the negative dynamics of working age population for the 2010-2030 time-horizon. Ageing triggers not only major challenges for economy and society, but also opportunities when the human capital represented by older workers together with other target-groups such as low-skilled adult population, early school leavers and migrants is valorised efficiently. The complex requirements and the rapid development on the labour market impose as sine qua non condition for valorising the human potential of elderly their responsible involvement in continuing vocational education and training, for maintaining and developing work ability. The concept of work ability is developed within the specialised literature from the perspective of its determinants and triggered effects. Its major determinants are: physical and mental health, the social relationships skills, educational level and competences' enhancement; values, attitudes, motivation and the working environment, and leadership. Satisfying this work ability conditioning has the following certain effects: employability, productivity and quality of work, productive ageing, quality of life and well-being. Unfortunately, the investment in learning later in life presupposes also the existence of some barriers: on the side of the elderly employees we mention the closeness to the pensioning age and the inadequate support of the employer in terms of allotted time and training costs; on the side of the employer very often the perception that elderly have lower training openness prevails. Consequently, employers would have to be the main providers of the training, even though they are aware of the negative impact of ageing that does not always provide for an adequate training infrastructure within the company, which constitutes the content of the so-called "ageing paradox". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

WINGS (Women's Initiative for Ageing Successfully) was conceived in 2005 and launched in 2006 by a group of female activists in Singapore after local research suggested that women in the city-state were growing older, sicker, poorer, more disabled, and more isolated. The WINGS model aims to empower women aged 40 and older to have a holistic view of ageing which encompasses good health (health), financial security (wealth), and societal engagement (happiness). As of 2011, WINGS has more than 5,000 members, and is piloting new programs (WINGS Action Groups) that use a peer mentoring model and focus on behaviour change. Ongoing challenges for the organization include a very heterogeneous target population and operational concerns related to a young non-profit organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a growing ageing population, productive ageing in China must evolve with the new social and historical context. This paper summarizes the development of the concept of productive ageing in Chinese history and its components. By referring to other related concepts such as social participation among older adults and active ageing, it supplements the conceptual framework of productive ageing and makes it more complete. This paper proposes that the conceptual framework of productive ageing includes not only the social and political participation of older adults but also their contributions within families. It asserts that older adults are the most important part of productive ageing, as both the agents and the beneficiaries, in achieving the ultimate goal of harmonious development of individual and social values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Productive ageing recognises the contribution of older people to economic, social and cultural growth and helps build a sustainable community. Being involved in community life is good for individuals and good for society. However, we know very little about the participation of and contribution by people aged 50 and over in rural communities. This research aimed to develop a better understanding of productive ageing in different types of communities in rural Victoria, Australia. An anonymous self-complete postal questionnaire was distributed to a sample of households in twenty rural communities using the Australia Post Unaddressed Select Service. Those householders 50 years of age and older were invited to complete the survey. Data collected allowed examination of social and civic engagement, familiarity with community, the value placed on social relations by people aged 50 years and over, and how community involvement was linked to community sustainability. In particular it attempts to address the question ‘Does social and civic engagement differ across declining, stable and growing rural communities?’ Despite differences among rural communities, this study showed that older people develop and maintain strong community connections and well-functioning social capital and that participation in social activities was associated with feelings of being connected with community. It also identified health issues and lack of options as the main constraints on participation. A key message for policy makers is that older people play an important role in the sustainability of rural communities. There is much to be gained from actively supporting their participation in activities that are connected to ageing well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Considering the current centrality of active ageing in contemporary socio-political and academic discourses, and the shortness of available scientific questioning on the complexity of what the term "active" comprises, this paper pays attention to the understanding given to the concept since its allocation in health discourses to the prominence given to its economic and productive conception. Based on studies that critically focus on the hazards and constraints of the active ageing model, we discuss the need for recognizing the subjectivity inherent to the concept while recognizing, in an equilibrated way, both the social contribute and the personal impact of the activities considered for its definition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warburton J, Jeppsson Grassman E. Variations in older people's social and productive ageing activities across different social welfare regimes Int J Soc Welfare 2011: 20: 180-191 © 2009 The Author, International Journal of Social Welfare © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. This study explores voluntary association involvement by seniors using a six-regime model with Esping-Andersen's three worlds of welfare as a starting point. Current literature is then used to argue for the inclusion of three additional regime types. The model, with its six illustrative countries, is then used to compare type and level of voluntary association membership and volunteering by older people. The first set of findings is a descriptive account of the context of ageing and social welfare in the six countries and the relationship between this context and volunteering by older people. The second set of findings utilises a broad comparative dataset, the World Values Survey (2005-2006), to explore differences in voluntary association involvement more specifically. The analyses suggest that differences across regime types are explainable in terms of the social welfare context. These findings suggest a possible line of approach to understanding differences across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the steady growth in life expectancy in recent decades the question is increasingly being raised whether and how older people should be encouraged to be more active, and particularly to engage in unpaid voluntary work. Taking adult life as a whole the conditions for such charitable involvement would appear to be especially favourable after retirement. However, these analyses, which are based on German longitudinal data, show that the effect of entering retirement is often exaggerated. Rather, the individual's previous volunteering experiences are of major importance in his decision to take up and continue voluntary work in later life. At the same time the analyses show how important the major resources of health and education are, particularly for participation in voluntary work during ageing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the worldwide phenomenon of population ageing, it is important to further differentiate the life conditions and experiences of the 'young old', the old, the 'old old', and the 'super old'. Using data collected from in-depth interviews with Taiwanese centenarians and their family members, this paper explores the meanings of productive ageing and the necessity of expanding the concept of productive ageing. This research suggests that the oldest member of the family and the society plays an important role. Centenarians not only serve as symbols for the value of life and anchors of family traditions, they also set an example for younger generations through their long lives and continuing survival. In addition, their life stories are a living history of a nation. This paper concludes with the proposition that productive ageing is cumulative over a lifetime, and is not uni-directional from the past to the future. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has 160 million adults aged 60 and over, accounting for 12% of the total population, and the size of this population will further increase to 430 million by 2050. Following 30 years of rapid socioeconomic development and improvements in education and healthcare, the role of older adults in China is experiencing a fundamental transition, and social policies must support older adults' greater engagement in economic and social development. Using the latest data, this paper analyzes the characteristics of population ageing in China, the changing characteristics of the older adult population, policy and practice addressing older adults' opportunities for employment, volunteering, caregiving, and pursuing a lifelong education. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a country with the most rapidly ageing society in history, Japan is facing strong demand to develop an environment for older adults to find meaning (ikigai) in their late life. In response, the Japanese government has encouraged policies pertaining to 'social participation' of older adults, particularly in employment and lifelong learning. Although the government papers do not use the term 'productive ageing,' debates and discussion on productive ageing among academics and researchers have centred on older adults' labour participation. Since Japanese older adults report one of the lowest satisfaction rates in quality of life among industrialized nations, a structural reform in social policies related to income maintenance, labour, education, and long-term care in Japan is warranted to realize the true essence of ' productive ageing.' The paper will focus on examining today's policies and programs for older adults including employment, volunteerism, career-related education, and family caregiving. Key challenges and related issues will be discussed. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Productive ageing policy and programs emerged in Australia in the early 1990s, influenced both by international debate and proactive federal government leadership particularly in the area of economic and health planning for an ageing population. These economic and health frames have remained the dominant discourses surrounding productive ageing initiatives, driven both by the need to maintain growth and productivity in an ageing society and to restrain burgeoning health costs through more active preventative strategies. Social framings of productive ageing, from both the left and the right, have also been evident around ideas of mutual obligation, the building of social capital, and more recently, with a new government, around the concept of social inclusion. This paper explores the development of productive ageing policy and programs in Australia across the areas of employment/retirement, volunteering/civic engagement, care-giving, and lifelong learning. Program developments in each of these areas are briefly explored. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the considerable contribution of older adult caregivers to South Korean society, we examine current caregiving-related policies and explore potential paths forward. Caregiving-related policies were analyzed in terms of service delivery system, eligibility, and benefits, including Public Long-Term Care Insurance, the National Basic Livelihood Security Act, Respite Care Service, the Formal Caregiver Program, and the Elderly Caring for Elderly and Children Programs. Findings indicate that older caregivers do not receive sufficient governmental support, and that most of the programs do not specify the explicit identification of older caregivers in benefits. Service benefits that do exist are generally limited to low-income caregivers, and the quality and quantity of these services are questionable. Negotiating bureaucracy to use these services is a particular challenge for older caregivers. We conclude that the current caregiving system has not been formally institutionalized to meet the specialized needs of older caregivers. A comprehensive needs assessment of older caregivers is necessary to develop social interventions tailored to their well-being. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with many city and countries around the world, the age structure of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's population is shifting towards a greater proportion of older adults. In 1983, the aged population (65 years and above) reached 7% and this rate is expected to double to 14.4% by 2016, a relatively short period of 33 years. However, negative stereotypes of older adults are prevalent, particularly in societies such as Hong Kong. In addition to having low education and low literacy, most older adults lack retirement pensions, which reinforce negative images of them as non-productive and dependent. This paper considers the productive contributions of older persons in Hong Kong to family caregiving in three areas, namely, spousal caregiving, caregiving for adult children with physical and developmental disabilities, and grandparenting. The paper is organized into four sections. The first section reviews existing literature on family caregiving in Hong Kong. The second section addresses the effects of caregiving on caregivers themselves and their family members. The third section considers the policies and services currently available to support and reward older adults in their caregiving roles. The fourth section proposes policy changes to better enhance older adults' productivity and increase the value of caregiving. Case examples are provided to illustrate caregiving experiences in Hong Kong. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Volunteering offers great promise for the productive engagement of Hong Kong's ageing population. This paper begins with an overview of older adult volunteering in Hong Kong, including policy development and volunteer management. The focus of the paper is the low participation rate, which is the lowest among all age groups in Hong Kong, and is also lower than those of most developed societies. The reasons for this low level of participation will be examined by drawing on empirical studies and considering cultural factors. The goal is to identify the pull and push factors in the recruitment and retention of older volunteers. The paper concludes with recommendations on promoting volunteerism that is a win-win situation, both meeting older volunteers' self-oriented needs (e.g. acquiring new knowledge, contributing their own skills) and serving society through helping others. [image omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to contribute to the literature on the relationship between productive and healthy ageing as two key theoretical concepts in contemporary ageing. Specifically, volunteering as a productive activity in later life has been associated with social and health benefits for older people. Evidence from the literature has generally focused on global outcomes, such as mortality and self-rated health, or on measures of psychological well-being. This study explored whether volunteering is protective of an important adverse health outcome in later life, that of fall-related hip fracture, utilising data from a case control study of 387 participants. The results showed that volunteer activity in older age remained significantly protective of hip fracture risk [OR: 0.61 (0.38–0.99)], independent of social and physical activity, social support and health status, supporting the hypothesis of a relationship between the concepts of productive and healthy ageing. Whilst further studies are clearly needed to establish causality, these results suggest that health benefits of volunteering in later life might be more extensive than previous studies have shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents several case studies of ageing women who are productive in their districts in India. It is said that ageing women are not cursed nor blessing in the society and which is not a frightening experience for women. It is noted that economic importance of women are often not mentioned in which they still continue to be a productive in spite of the old age. It is cited that ageing women have the capabilities to be a root for social change.

The contemporary discussion about the growing ‘burden of population ageing’ should not neglect the substantial productive potential of older people. Using micro-data from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), this paper examines the relationships between selected socio-demographic characteristics and the rates of participation in voluntary work in 10 European countries among those aged 50 or more years. The analysis reveals a clear spatial pattern, with relatively high participation rates in Northern Europe and relatively low participation rates in Mediterranean countries, and shows that age, education, health and involvement in other social activities strongly influence an individual's propensity to engage in volunteer work. A multivariate logistic regression provided no indication that the country differences can be explained by variations in population composition or attributes, such as the age structure or differences in health status. The findings have important implications for future cross-national research and for policies to promote the participation of older adults in voluntary work, and suggest that policies and programmes to encourage older citizens to make greater use of their productive capacities are feasible. It is concluded that further research needs to account for the influences of institutions and culture on participation in volunteering, the finding of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the ways in which older people contribute to their communities and families as informal volunteers. It challenges current ways of thinking that assign an economic value to the productive activities undertaken by older people. Using qualitative data from a study of older people resident in Queensland, Australia, the paper explores the ways that older people contribute to their families and to the community and the outcomes associated with these activities. Two specific themes emerged from the data: first, the ways in which older people contribute to strong inter-generational relations, and second, how they provide essential mutual support that permits many older people to remain living in the community. These contributions, while often small in themselves, are in aggregate critical both to family functioning and to the maintenance of sustainable and healthy communities. Many are reciprocal interactions that add value to the lives of individuals and offer positive social roles in later life, and they may be particularly important for those from minority cultural backgrounds or at risk of social isolation. The findings suggest that older people are integral to community and civil society and, therefore, that social policy should respond to the ageing of Australia's population and recognise the positive contributions of older people, rather than emphasising the costs of demographic change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the response of the U.S. to the trends associated with its ageing population. Included in the trends are the opportunities and wealth on which to establish strong communities where together with the baby boomers are millions of healthy, active people over the age of 65. One author stated that their older population's various experiences and personal strengths hold the keys to urban and rural revitalisation and growth. Their desire to continue to grow personally, interact intellectually and remain actively involved will depend on the mastery of landscape architects and other design and planning professionals. The basic spatial qualities of new urbanism sets the foundation for a multigenerational environment in which people of all ages share resources.