Late Additions II
If Your House Caught Fire: Family Photographs as Catalysts for Sharing Life Stories
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Roddy MacInnes
Representation and social justice is segregated on many levels, including generationally. My project recognizes senior members of society by presenting the opportunity to share life stories using family photographs as a catalyst. The project celebrates a broad diversity of senior citizens, whether living independently or in retirement communities. The project’s principal goal is to reveal common humanistic themes preserved within the record of family photographs. I invite participation by asking, “if your house caught fire and you could only bring one photograph, which one would it be?” The photograph becomes a catalyst for telling life stories. Through a process of re-photographing old photographs held by their owner, with accompanying, life-stories as text, and exhibited in a group, what may previously have been regarded as a-snapshots, containing meaning for a few, is transformed into art with communal appeal. Art is the only intermediary able to visually articulate such powerful emotional correlations. Photography, because of its magical ability to freeze time and mirror reality is the ubiquitous visual medium, and therefor, the perfect vehicle to articulate such a project.
Diversity in Active Ageing : Subnational Study of Russian Macroregions
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Elena Frolova, Veronika Malanina
We take Active Ageing Index (AAI) as a basis to estimate physical activity and social participation for Russian elders in order to identify domains and indicators which provide independence, happiness, and life satisfaction and thus affect individual wellbeing and longevity. Estimations of the AAI for Russian regions are based on the following data sources: Round 8 of European Social Survey (2016) and annual data from Federal State Statistic Service (Russia). We calculate the AAI 2016 at national (Russian Federation) and subnational (Russian Federal Districts) levels to compare the results of AAI estimation, made for 2012. We found the changes in all domains of AAI in Russia and in Federal districts. We also found correlation between AAI and happiness, AAI and loneliness, AAI and life satisfaction for older adults in Russia. The results show that active ageing interventions could be beneficial to improve life satisfaction and happiness and to combat loneliness while the share of aged people in Russian population is continuously growing, demonstrating the same trend as in European Union.
Acute Weight Training-Induced Testosterone Responses of Males Across Age Groups and Diets: A Pilot Study
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ciara Angeli Juan
Testosterone has been associated with health. However, it is also known to decrease with age. The rise of these age-related, non-communicable diseases affects economic growth. To develop natural, safe, and sustainable fitness and nutrition programs to keep the aging population healthy and fully functional, the present study explored exercise, diet, and age as possible factors affecting hormonal levels and responses. Twelve recreationally trained men from different age groups (20s to 70s) and diets (vegans and meat eaters) completed a 30-minute weight training protocol. Blood samples were taken before and after exercise to determine exercise-induced changes in total testosterone (TT) levels. Additional hormonal tests for cortisol (C) and testosterone-cortisol ratio (T/C) were conducted for outliers to guide future research. Pretest-posttest analysis showed a statistically significant increase in TT within subjects; t(11)=-3.842, p=0.003. Younger men (35 years old and below) had a significantly greater increase in TT compared to older men (40 years old and above); X²(1)=4.121, p=0.042. Age was negatively correlated with TT increase (r=-0.622, p=0.031). In conclusion, a single session of 30-minute, moderate intensity, high-volume leg exercise can significantly increase blood serum TT in men across age groups. Younger men tend to show greater increases in TT compared to older men.
