Posters III
Poster sessions present preliminary results of works in progress or projects that lend themselves to visual displays and representations. These sessions allow for engagement in informal discussions about the work with interested delegates.
Economic and Social Support in Later Life in Urban Slovakia - Solidarity or Distance?
Poster Session Juraj Majo, Marcela Kacerova, Lubica Volanska, Pavel Suska, Julia Holanova
In Europe, economic and social independence in the group of elderly people is perceived as the significant token of their subjective wellbeing as well as active and healthy ageing. Independence is desirable in the societies of (post-socialist) transitive systems like Slovakia and freedom in political, financial and personal decisions is highly valued also among retired individuals. The process of aging is a development process at a high complexity level. It concerns all age categories in population. In the process of aging, the proportion of the elderly grows, motivating change in design of the living environment and social sphere including formal and informal social care. Quality of life in old age is therefore often affected by the quality of social networks. Their functional presence contributes to mutual respect of various generational needs and helps to create a living space for all ages. Their absence leads to social exclusion, feelings of disappointment caused by limited possibility to influence the decisions related to the living conditions foremost for the eldest generation in society. The use of various methods, analysis of censual households of individuals with socio-demographic variables enabling to approach this topic in broader spatial context in combination with qualitative biographical narrative interview as well as semi-structured focused interview and walking interviews, based on the interdisciplinary cooperation of researchers with the background in human geography and social anthropology, enables deep insights into the topic of social networks of seniors and mutual generational social and economic support in modern-day Slovakia.
The Associations between Income, Informal Social Networks, and Health among Older Adults in South Korea: A Multi-group Analysis Based on the Level of Age-friendly Environments
Poster Session Dongsim Kim, Ju Hyun Kim, Sue-Lynn Kim, Kyong-Hee Ju, Soondool Chung
The aim of this study is to empirically demonstrate the role of age-friendly environments on the association between income, informal social networks, and health among South Korean older adults. We used “2017 Age Integration Survey” data collected national wide, and analyzed 615 older adults over 50 years of age. Structural Equation Modeling and multi-group analysis were used to test the hypothesis. Specifically, two groups of perceived level of age-friendly environments (top 25%, bottom 25%) were compared to examine the moderating effects. Findings showed that poor income and scarce informal social networks had significantly adverse impacts on health, respectively. However, the effect of income on health was no longer significant for older adults living in better age-friendly environments. Fewer informal social networks adversely impacted on health in both groups, though the size of their effects decreased when the level of age-friendly environments perceived by older adults was improved. Finally, several implications of the study findings are discussed.
Understanding the Health and Well-being of Older Women Living Alone : Findings from the UK Household Panel Survey
Poster Session Cat Forward
With an ageing population, understanding the determinants of health in later life is key to improving quality of life for the individual and minimising costs associated with poorer health on a societal level. The wider determinants of health are well-acknowledged, and the dynamics of social capital has been of interest of late. The number of people living alone in the United Kingdom (UK) in later life is continuing to increase and this has implications for the social and practical support immediately on hand for the individual as they age. Women are more likely to live alone in later life and are subject to inequalities across the life course which affect their experience of ageing and later life. The health and well-being of older women in the UK who live alone are of interest to care providers, health organisations and policymakers alike. This poster presents findings from analysis of the Understanding Society dataset (UK Household Panel Survey). The analysis examines the relationship between household composition and health and well-being outcomes, providing a comparison between older women living alone and their co-habiting counterparts.
Developing an ICT-based System to Support Care-dependent Older Persons to Continue to Live in Their Own Homes: User Interface Evaluation
Poster Session Kazutoshi Furukawa
As part of the development of a system to support care-dependent older persons to continue to live in their own homes using ICT for real-time monitoring, we evaluated the user interface of a developed web system, covering the ease of manipulating tablet terminals. We asked four older persons living at home to use the web system for four weeks, and examined their impressions through a questionnaire survey. We also interviewed three facility staff members in charge to collect their opinions regarding the system. The ease of manipulating tablet terminals and contents of data output were generally satisfactory, but the data entry method had yet to be improved. In future studies, we will modify the prototype of this system, mainly improving the data entry method.
The Measurement of the Degree of Inequality among Older Adults in the Russian Federation
Poster Session Ekaterina A. Taran
The ageing of the population as an objective global trend makes viable the concept of active ageing, involving the provision of autonomy for the older generation in terms of financial support, independent living, and an active role in social participation [Morrow-Howell et al., 2001 ; Frye, 2011; Zaidi et al., 2012; Ludlow et al., 2016]. The inequality of older adults is reflected in foreign studies in the context of ethnic segregation [Evandrou et al., 2016], for the countries of the European Union the issues of ensuring the well-being of elderly migrants and the indigenous population [Heisig et al., 2018] are of particular importance. In Russian studies, the inequality of older people is practically not covered. Studies in inequality and poverty as a subjective assessment of the position of the individual in society are closely related to the concept of resilience. Research groups of older people in difficult socio-economic conditions reveal new and confirm the previously known causes of vitality, such as social ties, self-development, the ability to psychologically adapt to the difficulties of life [Kok et al., 2018; Jeste et al., 2013; MacLeod et al., 2016]. In this study we evaluate the scale of inequality among older people in Russia in retrospect, including comparative analysis of the global scale and dynamics of inequality among the older adults. The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (project №19-18-00282)
Implementing and Evaluating a University-led Multigenerational and Multicultural Community Cafe Program
Poster Session Junko Wake
In order to promote multigenerational and multicultural integration and a mutually caring community, a community café program was created on the university campus where residents, volunteers, international and Japanese students, university staff, city officials, and health and social work professionals could participate and interact. The project began in April 2016, and the first café was opened in November 2016. The core staff meeting was organized and the café was held once a month. The project is carried out and evaluated using an action research method. Evaluation surveys are conducted with all the participants and core staff every six months to monitor and improve the program. In 2018, on average, 55 residents and 15 university students participated in the café every month. The evaluation surveys indicated that more than 95 percent of the residents were satisfied. Compared to the same questionnaire administered one year ago, the percentage of the residents who are male, living alone, have concerns for their heath, or have limited interactions with relatives and friends has increased. The program has proven effective in meeting the preliminary goals of the new initiative to promote multigenerational and multicultural interactions to lessen the social isolation experiences by elderly residents in the community. The project is also beneficial for international and Japanese students who gain opportunities to collaborate with a wide variety of people in both formal and informal sectors. Further investigation and collaboration efforts are needed to continue the project with less support from the formal sector.
