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Following the UN Human Rights Declaration in 1948, much effort has been undertaken to formalize the rights of older people. This article aims to highlight the role of education in advancing the rights of older people. Raising awareness and sharing knowledge about the rights of older people through rights-based education can empower students, when entering their field of work, to be advocates for rights within their employment settings and local communities. The effectiveness of a rights-based educational training for organizations working with refugees in Jordan, which took place in Amman in January 2020, is analyzed using the participant-focused Transformative Human Rights Education (THRED) as a framing structure. Our analysis found that training participants became active in promoting the rights of older people in their workplaces. The rights of older people need to be more than a conversation, and transformational change that promotes rights can occur when people feel empowered to undertake action-oriented advocacy. The case study analysis provides an example of how influential participant-centered pedagogy, such as THRED, can be to help students in gerontology programs become active agents in promoting rights of older people in their workplaces, communities, and ultimately influencing the international dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how two domains of engagement—social network and activity participation—associate with objective and subjective cognitive function in later life. Specific consideration was given as to how these two spheres intersect in regard to recall and memory. The analytic sample included Europeans aged 60 and older drawn from the fourth wave of the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe in which a new name-generated social network inventory was implemented. Multivariate analyses revealed that activity participation yielded stronger positive associations with word recall and self-rated memory than social network alone. However, the interactions indicate that this association lessened in strength for both the objective and subjective cognitive outcome measures as social network resources increased. The findings suggest that the social component of activity participation may be partially contributing to the positive role that such engagement has on cognitive well-being in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To examine the role of meaningful relationship characteristics, defined here as social network type, in relation to the association between functional impairment and depressive symptoms.Methods: The sample included respondents aged 65 years and older (n = 26,401) from the fourth wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Respondents were classified into one of seven relationship network types (Distal Children (living at a distance), Proximal Family (living nearby), Spouse, Other Family, Friend, Other, and No Network) according to the predominant characteristics of their most meaningful relationships. A two-stage regression analysis was performed in which the number of depressive symptoms was first regressed on the extent of functional impairment and network type, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, cognition, health, and country. In the second stage, variables representing the interactions between functional impairment and network type were considered.Results: The compositional characteristics of respondents' relationships in later life, as defined by social network type, were associated with depressive symptoms. In particular, when experiencing functional impairment, those without any meaningful relationships were found to have more depressive symptoms when compared to all other network types. The findings underscore the importance of meaningful relationships for the mental health of older adults experiencing functional impairment as well as the risk of experiencing depression among those who maintain no personal social network.Conclusions: The study shows that differing constellations of meaningful relationships in later life yield different associations with mental health, especially when taking functional limitations into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the relative contribution of social capital and engagement in activity to life satisfaction and quality of life among older Europeans. It examines data from respondents aged 50 and older from the fourth wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (N=57,234). Employing hierarchical OLS regressions, the findings show that social network ties and activity participation are both related to positive well-being. However, consideration of their interaction reveals that the association between activity participation and well-being varies according to the extent of social capital. Respondents without meaningful social ties benefit most from engagement in a greater diversity of activities. In contrast, respondents with a greater number of social ties experience relatively fewer gains in well-being from activity participation. Thus, it may not be activity, per se, that improves the quality of late life, but rather the social components of the activities in which older adults are involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Informal caregiving has been found to be burdensome and is associated with depression among older caregivers. These outcomes are often accentuated when caregivers and care recipients co-reside. The current study aims to examine whether the status of the relationship between caregiver and care recipient lessens the negative outcomes commonly associated with informal caregiving.Methods: The study focused on the subsample of co-resident caregivers (N = 3280) in the fourth wave of the Survey of Health Ageing and Retirement in Europe, of persons aged 50 or above, collected in 2011. A logged count of depressive symptoms, measured on the EURO-D scale, was hierarchically regressed on relationship status, measured as relationship type and closeness (confidant) controlling for sociodemographic background, health and country.Results: Co-resident caregivers of spouse and children experienced more depressive symptoms than other relationship co-resident caregiving dyads. However, those who cared for a confidant experienced fewer depressive symptoms, independent of the relationship type.Conclusions: The provision of informal care is stressful and results in a heightened experience of depressive symptoms. Nonetheless, the type and closeness of the relationship between the caregiver and the care recipient can lessen caregiver depression. When informal caregivers care for a confidant, the emotional bond may reduce the depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This inquiry examined whether social networks are associated with wellbeing among older-old people in the same way that they are among younger-old persons. The study focused on family respondents, aged 60 and older, from the second wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (N=14,728). The statistical analysis regressed two wellbeing measures (the CASP quality of life scale and life satisfaction) on a range of social network variables from three domains: family structure and interaction, social exchange and social engagement. In addition, the inquiry viewed these associations through the lens of age-based interaction terms, controlling for background characteristics, health status and region. The analysis revealed that the associations between subjective wellbeing and social network vary according to age. Among younger-old respondents, aged 60–79, more significant associations were found between social network variables and wellbeing outcomes in comparison to older-old respondents, aged 80 or older. Differences between age groups also emerged with the direction of the associations between social network variables and subjective wellbeing. The study results reveal that social networks do matter in very old age, but not in the same way as among younger-old persons. This finding is one indication of the differences that may emerge between third-age adults and those approaching the fourth age. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]