Challenging Times
Towards Patterns of Near-residence and Co-residence between Older People and Their Children in Belgium
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Wesley Gruijthuijsen, Dominique Vanneste
Together with a deinstitutionalization of care services and a policy focused on ‘ageing-in-place’, the increasingly ageing population in Belgium creates several challenges. Although the importance of the interaction between micro-individual and macro-level characteristics with regard to ageing are getting more attention, there is still need for a stronger interdisciplinary integration, both from a research and policy perspective. The spatial dimension of ageing, and more specifically the importance of distance, is often neglected, even in the context of housing. Characterized by a high level of urban sprawl, ‘ageing-in-place’ in Belgium can for example be seen as partly contradictory to a spatial policy focused on efficient land use. Nevertheless, patterns of both near-residence and co-residence are largely lacking, especially when coupled with factors such as the availability of care-networks, neighbourhood facilities, cultural backgrounds etc. Although there are indications that parents and older adults adapt their residential choices in function of support and care needs, an extensive (longitudinal) view on parent-child linkages is lacking. This paper presents the development of an approach to track the spatial movements of the population older than 65 and their children in both Flanders and the Brussels-Capital Region between 2001 and 2017, including (changing) patterns of co-housing and near-residence. To realize this we made use of a retrospective open-cohort design based on the Belgian National Register, enriched with data of population and housing censuses of 2001 and 2011. Some first results of a spatial analysis are presented by making use of a geographic information system (GIS).
Age and Wisdom: Understanding Self and Age in the Carceral Setting
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Andreas Lazaris
Between 2007-2010 the number of “elderly” prisoners in the U.S grew at a rate 94 times the overall prison population. Estimates for 2020 place the elderly inmate population at 21-33% of the total U.S. prison population. Despite this, there exist few resources for supporting the needs of older adults in prison and those transitioning to the community. As of 2007, fewer than 5% of state prisons in the U.S. provided any geriatric-specific services, and there are currently few models targeting aging individuals within correctional facilities. Despite this, prison programs that improve health and cognitive skills have been associated with decreased rates of recidivism and re-arrest. In the absence of geriatric-specific supports provided at the Rhode Island state prison, this project assesses the creation of an eight-week curriculum entitled “Aging and Wisdom.” This course takes place in the medium-security wing of RI's state prison, where 30% of adults are over the age of 50. Our group is comprised of 10 men aged 50-80. Led by a medical provider and a social worker, our group aims to provide older adults aging in prison with a space to make sense of their age and circumstances amongst peers. Further, this group is centered on facilitating capacity-building and preparedness for transition into the community in the absence of formal supports in the state of RI. This project shares an overview of our course, an exploration of its curriculum, writings and reflections of participating inmates, and self-assessments conducted by inmates through a pre- and post-course survey.
Exploring Economic Vulnerabilities Among Elders in Post-war Sri Lanka
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Gayathri Abeywickrama
Sri Lanka is considered one of the fastest ageing countries in the world. Growth of both absolute and relative size of the elderly population made them more vulnerable to economic and health burdens. Social security benefits only limited to the small proportion of retired civil servants while the majority who depends on agricultural base expect various social assistance programmes. A qualitative comparative study comprised of 100 elderly (65+) was conducted covering both rural and urban areas in Colombo district. Relevant qualitative techniques used to analyze the data. Economic vulnerabilities are identified under three categories - economic well-being, health and morbidity, and social related factors such as gender, marital status, and living arrangements etc. Findings reveal that poverty, gender, educational status, marital status, area of residence, consumption patterns, and living arrangement of elderly, occupy a prominent place in made them more exposure to the economic burden. Health hazards such as chronic diseases, decline of cognitive, physical functioning and disability would rise and add to enhance the economic pressure of elders as the higher life expectancy leads to higher health care expenditures. It was reveals that women are in a more disadvantaged position to bear the economic burden since the feminization of ageing is prevalent in many developing countries. The findings suggest that the economic vulnerabilities of the elderly should be more addressed by the government according to the changing values and traditions. The study also presents some policy options that can be adopted to support the economically socially and healthily unsecure elders.
