Lifelong Learning (Asynchronous Session)
Older Adult Perceptions of Aging and Milestones: A Review of Sociological Perspectives View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Anjli Narwani
Social psychologists, sociologists and educationalists discuss socialization in somewhat differing ways. Our focus is on reviewing these theories and underpinnings in the context of older adults perceptions of aging. We are interested in unpacking sociological perspectives on life transitions. The cliched empty nest is commonly heard, albeit is used interchangeably by some as a transition and others as milestone. The questions we focus on are around how life milestones are defined, how aging is perceived and how perceptions about transitions are shaped. On one hand, an order of milestones might be seen as offering structure, on the other hand, it might become a motivational crutch for those who might be overly caught with moving from one milestone to another. We inquire if the structure of milestones, broadly speaking, is seen as a result of socialization. Epistemological studies have long debated nature over nurture, with young adult and child behavior taking up much of their attention. Studies of older adults deserve to be discussed as much, but have not garnered mainstream attention. The questions we bring to bear in our literary inquiry are centered around the role of culture and society in the manifesting of the conception of age in older adults. By means of a meta-analysis of existing literature we intend to analyze key properties of milestones and life transition concepts. The underlying aim of our work is to develop an informed conceptual model towards laying out a frame for thinking about how older adults make sense of age.
What We Can Learn from Older Adults about Super Typhoon Haiyan View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Reggy Figer
Since time immemorial, natural disasters have become one of the major hazards to human race. With the occurrence of climate changes in different parts of the globe, disasters have become more persistent and damaging. The vulnerable sectors of the society, like the older adults, are generally the ones who are predominantly affected by these disasters. As populations are now growing out to be aged and mature, it is essential that we cognize how older adults perceive, respond, engage, and recover in disaster situations. There have been notions that older adults’ voices are muted and not considered crucial in disasters. However, taking the case of Super Typhoon Haiyan, I argue that since the consequences of calamity on older adults are more substantial, their voices should be more acknowledged and valued. Findings show that older adults are able social actors who have the power and agency. In this paper, I also report their stories of struggles and survival during the post-disaster period. Older adults, likewise, explicate their insights about their roles in disasters. It is hoped that through this research, policy makers can institutionalize elderly’s proactive commitment in community resilience and participation vis-à-vis disaster risks.
Featured Leisure and Life Satisfaction: Empirical Insights from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Ashwin Tripathi
The paper analyses the social inequalities embedded in time-use dimensions among the older adults from the recently released dataset Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI; Wave 1, 2017-2018). With dramatic shifts and changes in later-life, scholars have recorded an emerging cultural movement of third-agers, who are defined by their leisure pursuits. Although social engagement through leisure has been known to be an important determinant for older adults’ wellbeing, the empirical examination of this association remains absent in the Indian gerontological scholarship. Therefore, we examine how everyday leisure activities vary by gender, class and living-arrangement patterns and its association with life satisfaction among older adults aged 50 and above. Results from regression modelling offer support to previous work that emphasizes the centrality of leisure engagement in improving older adult wellbeing. We also contend that a focus on leisure patterns make for a persuasive empirical alternative to examine household-level inequalities across gender and generation.
Ensuring Social Inclusion of Isolated Seniors Through Technology: A Collaborative Community Academic Partnership View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lois Kamenitz, Noor Din
We framed our project within both the field known as gerontechnology, which emerged in the 1990s to highlight the interplay between aging and technology (McDonough, 2016, 1) and socio-technology. We looked at the impact on both seniors and managers of senior serving organizations of distributing to vulnerable seniors several hundred senior friendly integrated android tablets preloaded with apps, data and security. Given that access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is recognized as a social determinant of health, the lack of connectivity found among disadvantaged seniors is cause for concern. Providing them with free pre-loaded tablets ensured their ability to maintain their health and well-being and facilitated their ability to age in place. It also enhanced the efficiency of the senior serving sector to serve the aging population more effectively. We provide the general and specific objectives of our study, its target population, and quantitative and qualitative data assessing the effectiveness of the tablets in removing barriers and connecting both seniors and senior serving organizations with the digital world. We also share information on policy and practice recommendations and future collaborative research.
