Aging and Social Change II
Support of Older People in Times of COVID-19: Old or New Inequalities? View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Martina Brandt, Monika Reichert
COVID-19 has brought about many challenges across the globe, and measures to contain the spread of the virus led to profound changes in social support patterns. Based on data from our quantitative study on "health & support during times of COVID-19" and expert interviews we assess changes in inter- and intragenerational support and challenges in the care sector. We find evidence for age-related inequalities during times of crisis and suggest different countermeasures on the community level.
Promoting Active Ageing through New Technologies: An APP for Seniors in Spain
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sandra Martínez Molina
Population ageing is one of the most important changes that our society is facing today. Ageing is characterized by the decrease in physiological activity that leads older population to greater vulnerability which has been also aggravated during confinement. Seniors were more affected by greater social restrictions as they were the age group at greatest risk for the disease caused by COVID-19. These restrictions have affected not only their physical, cognitive and psychological health but also their social relationships and loneliness. On the other hand, the process of digitization of our society is increasing. This growing phenomenon can offer great opportunities to seniors. However, it has been found that the use of new technologies is lower in older people, bringing a digital generational gap. Even though new technologies can bring great opportunities to seniors, if it is approached from an active ageing perspective. The main objective of this study is to identify the desired features for a platform or app focused on seniors to improve their active aging and social participation. Two co-creation sessions in Spain were carried out involving 5 seniors and 5 professionals. The results show that to receive continuous training and support on the use of ICTs, adapted to the heterogeneous needs of this group is important. Easy access to digital tools, online support through a "virtual trainer" and the possibility to connect to other users were the main functionalities for a desired APP for seniors.
Dimensions of Inequalities in Extending Working Lives: Perspectives of Older Workers from Poland, Germany, Sweden and UK View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Anna Urbaniak, Rachel Crossdale, Indre Genelyte, Nehle Penning, Maria Varlamova, Jolanta Perek-Bialas
Ageing population leads to numerous changes in the structure of the labour force. Extending working lives is one of the main responses to those changes, yet opportunities to extend working life are not equally distributed. The aim of this paper is to present experiences of older workers across four jurisdictions: Poland, Germany, Sweden and UK in order to unpack inequalities in extending working lives from their perspectives. We use the qualitative component of a larger mix-methods international study Exclusion and Inequality in Late Working Life (EIWO) funded by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (FORTE). We apply life course perspective to analyse 100 semi-structured interviews (25 from each of four countries) with men and women aged 55-75 years old. Findings show that health, skills, and opportunities to keep working are not evenly distributed across sectors and kinds of business or across geographical regions. Analysis shows that the resources on which older people can draw to shape a ‘good’ experience of work late in life, or a good experience of retirement, depend on their access to material and personal resources for a period of years or even decades before they reach the retirement age. Policies for ageing should reflect this.
