Ageing, Demand for Care and the Role of Migrant Care Workers in the UK

In recent decades, rapid population ageing has dramatically increased the need for older adult care provision in the UK. A prominent role in meeting the care needs of the older population has been played by migrant workers. The aim of this paper is to explore the characteristics of the UK social care system that shape demand for migrant labour, the conditions under which migrant care workers are employed, and older people’s and migrant care workers’ experiences of the quality of care. Our analysis draws on the findings of a survey of providers of social care for older people, in-depth interviews with migrant care workers, and focus groups with older people. The findings show that the underfunding of social care and interrelated workforce shortages are largely responsible for the extensive reliance on migrant workers among social care providers, and raise concerns for workforce inequalities and for the quality of care.     

Images of Ageing in Society: A Literature Review

Rapid population ageing triggered by a low fertility rate and a rise in life expectancy is being experienced worldwide, which has raised many formidable social, political and economic challenges. It becomes increasingly important to gain an in-depth understanding into prevailing attitudes towards older people and ageing in society. This article has systematically reviewed the literature on images of ageing. In addition to statistically analysing the characteristics of the reviewed literature, findings of the reviewed articles have been reported using the main themes identified. The review found that older characters, especially older female characters, are underrepresented compared with census figures in both Western and Asian media. Although mixed images are presented, negative ones tend to predominate. Compared with older people, the young and middle-aged people especially those who have less contact with older people tend to have simpler, vaguer and more negative stereotypes for the older population. Through long exposure to the stereotypes held by the public towards their group, older members of the stereotype-target groups may internalise those perceptions, especially for those who are relatively weak in filtering information. In addition, negative self-image and images of ageing held by older people have been found to be detrimental to their physical, mental, behavioural and social functioning. Based on the findings of this review, recommendations are made for research, policy, practice and education so as to construct new images of ageing in the society in which everyone look forward to entering into old age and the older group remain healthy, well-groomed, outgoing, capable, and active members of the community.     

A demographic overview of the ageing of First World populations

The ageing of the UK population, and other similar populations, is now well advanced. The process is probably irreversible and may well be repeated across the globe. It is reasonable to assume that 40-50% of the UK adult population will be over 50 for the foreseeable future, and that the number of people in their 80s and 90s will continue to increase for some decades. Growing awareness of this may well lead to a reinterpretation of the life course with consequent changes in lifestyle and activity. In the past, the main focus of design, both of products and environments, has been the working population. There is clearly an urgent need to direct attention to older sectors of the population, including: fit and active people in retirement; affluent groups in old age; single households; women, who form a majority of the over 50s; and other groups which have been neglected in many work studies.     

Are the Chinese Saving for Old Age?

Worldwide, older people’s support used to be the adult children’s responsibility. In China, two generations after introducing the one-child policy in the late 70-ies, this becomes an increasingly demanding obligation. The Chinese government took the responsibility to mitigating old- age poverty risks and realized unprecedented progress in pension coverage. At the same time, the household savings increased to about 30 % of disposable income. Built on previous research on the politics of ageing, this study analyses households responses to the established governmental and firm pension programs as well as to the New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS), introduced in 2009. The central question is: will participation in the established and new pension programs lead to higher current Chinese household expenditures and therefore to lower savings? The China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) dataset of 2011 offered the opportunity to study the influence of the recently introduced NRPS. We find that Chinese households with members between 45 and 60 years who expect future benefits of NRPS do not have higher expenditures than those not covered by NRPS. For the participants in the established, mostly urban pension programs a correlation was found with higher current expenditures (28 % more spending on basic needs, 80 % more on luxury) However, further analysis shows that this correlation cannot be interpreted as a causal relationship. This implies that coverage by pensions, be it in urban or rural programs, does not determine higher current expenditures and lower savings.     

Age, Policy Changes and Work Orientation: Comparing Changes in Commitment to Paid Work in Four European Countries

Due to ageing populations and a future shortage of labour active people, there is a political ambition to prolong people’s work force activities in Europe. The question of this paper is to what degree policy changes aimed at prolonging people’s working lives have been successful in influencing peoples’ commitment to paid work during the studied period of time? The age patterns of non-financial employment commitment (EC) and organisational Commitment (OC) are examined from the perspective of policy changes in four European countries, using ISSP-data collected in 1997 and 2005 from Denmark, Great Britain, Hungary and Sweden. Because of hypothesised country and group differences in visibility and proximity of policy measures taken to increase labour market participation among older workers, Danish and Swedish people were expected to display some degree of general and intended attitudinal response to the policy changes and that the British and Hungarian response would be more gender divided. The results showed that policy changes overall had little intended effect on people’s attitudes to work. Instead, EC dropped dramatically in Hungary for all men from the age of 30 and over, and for Swedish men and Danish women in the 45–53 age group. OC decreased for Swedish men in the age 54 and over, and for Danish women in the 45–53 age group. The main exceptions were British and Hungarian women that displayed unchanged or even an increase in EC in the age group 54 and over.     

Swiss Retirees as “Active Agers”: A Critical Look at this New Social Role

Similar to other countries in the European Union, contemporary Switzerland faces concerns about an ageing population, and the policy framework of active ageing is one response. Today’s retirees are asked to actively participate in society in ways that are recognized as social contributions. We argue, however, that the redefinition of the role of retiree to be an “active ager” rests upon gender inequalities, among others. As a result, this framework can reinforce the exploitation of elders, especially old women. To illustrate our argument, we draw on interviews conducted among Swiss retirees to demonstrate the ways that active ageing ignores that work in which they are engaged already, while it also rests upon and reshapes gender inequalities in later life.     

A Pace of Its Own: The Demography of Ageing in Sri Lanka

The process of demographic ageing in Sri Lanka is striking in comparison to the experience of other countries in South Asia, and in comparison to many developing countries more generally. The proportion of the population older than 60 years in Sri Lanka was much higher—almost double—than in any other country in the region in 2000, and by 2030, it is expected that nearly one of every five Sri Lankans will be elderly. The rapid ageing of the Sri Lankan population is contributing to the emergence of several policy issues that will undoubtedly become more acute in the years to come. The primary aim of this paper is to examine the magnitude, characteristics and determinants of demographic ageing in Sri Lanka, a country whose demography has received little international attention, and discuss some of the implications of this ageing process for selected policy issues.     

Population Ageing,the Intergenerational Conflict,and Active Ageing Policies – a Multilevel Study of 27 European Countries

In the scientific and the public debate demographic ageing is sometimes perceived as an unstoppable “grey tide” which will inevitably lead to a conflict between the old and young generation. In this paper we empirically evaluate whether we find any evidence for an intergenerational conflict in Europe and which factors might influence its severity. In particular, we answer the following questions. (1) Is there a conflict between the interests of the younger and the older generation? (2) Does the strength of the conflict increase with population ageing? And finally, (3) can a policy of Active Ageing, i.e. better integrating older generations into society, moderate the conflict? We answer these questions in a comparative study of 27 European countries using data from the Eurobarometer 2009. Our results show a moderate conflict between generations. Compared to spending preferences of the younger generation, older people are more likely to support increased spending for old age at the expense of educational spending. Contrary to expectation, generational conflict does not increase with population ageing. Linking country differences in the strength of the generational conflict to the degree of population ageing with multilevel regression techniques we do not find any evidence that the conflict is increasing In a final step of our analysis we evaluate the potential of generational policies - measured with the Active Aging Index - to mitigate the generational conflict. Intergenerational conflict is weaker when older people actively participate in the political life and are visible in society, suggesting Active Aging policies as a means to mitigate intergenerational conflict     

Little brother: could and should wearable computing technologies be applied to reducing older people’s fear of crime?

This paper considers whether emerging wearable computing technologies could and should be applied to reducing older people’s fear of crime. The paper begins by exploring the sociological and criminological literature, which debates why older people are most likely to fear crime, even though they are least likely to be victims. It goes on to report findings from ethnographic studies of key care and social service professionals in an English city. This field work reflects the ways in which assistive technologies for older people can function as signs of vulnerability, and also reports the uses of relatively simple information and communication technologies in providing critical backup and reassurance for elderly users. The fear of crime is then considered as an information problem centring on three questions: what’s going on, what can I do about it and can I get help? Possible applications of emerging wearable surveillance technologies are then explored through a design concept called the Cambadge. This is a wearable, wireless webcam for older people to broadcast video and audio data to police or community Web sites. This concept is situated with reference to a company developing a similar technology and to related fields. It is argued that the design problems of such surveillance technology are inherently political. The case is made with reference to the history and philosophy of surveillance and the massive demographic shifts of the ageing population. It is argued that utopian visions of the uses of such technology under-theorise power and accountability. The paper concludes that technological innovations will not adequately address older people’s fear of crime without accompanying social and cultural change.     

How Long Do We Expect to Live? A Review of the Evidence

How long people expect to live sets an important context for longevity risk in retirement planning and may contribute to the acceptability of policies to raise pension age. However, there have been few studies representative of a national population on subjective longevity. This paper reviews the available evidence. It finds that despite some studies reporting that subjective longevity is close to average measures in population life tables the prevailing tendency is to underestimate lifespans. Men generally reflect that they have lower actual longevity than women on average, but men are more optimistic, so that women are more likely to underestimate their likely longevity. People may take account of some mortality risk factors in estimating their own longevity, but appear not to understand the true extent of risk. There is little data on how people think about longevity or why they choose a particular estimate of their own likely lifespan. Thus, international evidence suggests potential for longevity risk in individual retirement planning and raises significant questions about the policy implications which can only become more acute in ageing populations.     

Marginalised Care: Migrant Workers Caring for Older People in Ireland

Older adult care in Ireland is a mix of public, private, voluntary and family provision. This model is characterised by deficient funding and support structures for both care recipients and carers, leading ultimately to fragmented service delivery, both in the community and in residential care. Against this backdrop, there has been a significant and rapid growth in the number of migrant registered nurses and care assistants providing care to Irish older people. With two potentially marginalised groups now at the centre of the caring relationship, questions arise regarding the sustainability of quality of care and quality of life for both providers and recipients of care. This research study draws on the perspectives of the older person, the migrant carer and the employer to develop an understanding of migrant worker care provision within the disadvantaged ageing sector in Ireland. The paper will frame migrant care workers’ experiences within the perspective of a marginalised sector, whose central consumers, older people, are not prioritised in policy or practice. Providing evidence of disadvantage for older adults and migrant carers, the research findings demonstrate that it is necessary to improve caring experiences and conditions for both groups if quality of care is to be enhanced.     

Responding to the Active Ageing Index: Innovations in Active Ageing Policies in Malta

Malta is no exception to the unprecedented demographic changes that are being experienced by industrial countries. In the first rankings emerging from the 2012 Active Ageing Index, Malta fared in the 19th place in the overall index. In reaction, in March 2013 the newly elected Government took note of the diverse issues facing the ageing of Maltese population by positioning the responsibility for ageing policy under a ‘Parliamentary Secretariat for Rights of Persons with Disability and Active Ageing’ (previously ‘Parliamentary Secretariat for Elderly and Community Care’). The fact that the Secretariat also migrated from the ‘Ministry of Health, the Elderly, and Community Care’ to the ‘Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity’ spoke volumes about the novel direction that ageing policy is taking in Malta—namely, a shift from the long-held focus on ‘elderly care’ to ‘active citizenship’ issues. This article presents current developments in Maltese public policy related to ageing. Given the increasing numbers and relative vulnerability of this group, there is hardly any policy ‘programme’ in greater need of thorough inspection. The Maltese government has in recent months launched, and commenced the implementation process, of the National Strategic Policy for Active Ageing, National Dementia Strategy, and the Minimum Standards for Care Homes for Older Persons. Whilst the Commissioner of Older Persons Act has also been ratified by the Maltese Parliament, the Protection of Vulnerable and Older Persons Act - which will make possible a preventive, ameliorative, remedial, and punitive role for the justice system, so that the human rights of vulnerable citizens are also catered for - has also been finalised.     

新型农村社会保险管理信息系统设计与实现

新型农村社会养老保险是农村社会保障的重要组成部分，它是我国农村人口支付一定的劳动所得，在年老丧失劳动能力时，从积累的养老基金中领取养老金，以保障基本生活需要的一项社会保障制度。它以保障农村老年人基本生活为宗旨，是国家的一项基本社会政策和政府的重要职能。     

Lessons learned in deploying independent living technologies to older adults’ homes

Independent living technologies are fast gaining interest within both academia and industry, amid the realization that the world’s population is ageing. Technology can increase the quality of life of older people, allowing them to age-in-place and helping them to remain physically, cognitively and socially engaged with their environment. However, little research in this area is applied. The paper argues for the necessity of moving such technology out of the research laboratory and into the home, where its real impact on the lives of older adults can be assessed. Moreover, a series of recommendations are outlined, encompassing the life cycle of independent living technologies, from ethnographic assessment, through to design, deployment and evaluation. This work is based on lessons learned in deploying such technologies to older people in over 200 homes. This paper can act as a guide for other researchers interested in developing technologies with older people.     

Computer use has no demonstrated impact on the well-being of older adults

Technology is frequently presented as a panacea for the support needs of the ageing population, based in part upon the commonly cited assertion that computer and internet use has an empirically verified positive effect on the well-being of older people. In this paper we review the studies that this assertion is based on and conclude that they do not support it. While the original studies rarely make unsupportable claims, the secondary literature which cites them is frequently very misleading; limitations include, failure to distinguish between the effects of training/support and computer use; misattributing causality; inappropriately generalising results from a different population.     

The Day-to-Day Co-Production of Ageing in Place

We report findings from a study that set out to explore the experience of older people living with assisted living technologies and care services. We find that successful ‘ageing in place’ is socially and collaboratively accomplished – ‘co-produced’ – day-to-day by the efforts of older people, and their formal and informal networks of carers (e.g. family, friends, neighbours). First, we reveal how ‘bricolage’ allows care recipients and family members to customise assisted living technologies to individual needs. We argue that making customisation easier through better design must be part of making assisted living technologies ‘work’. Second, we draw attention to the importance of formal and informal carers establishing and maintaining mutual awareness of the older person’s circumstances day-to-day so they can act in a concerted and coordinated way when problems arise. Unfortunately, neither the design of most current assisted living technologies, nor the ways care services are typically configured, acknowledges these realities of ageing in place. We conclude that rather than more ‘advanced’ technologies, the success of ageing in place programmes will depend on effortful alignments in the technical, organisational and social configuration of support.     

Socially dependable design: The challenge of ageing populations for HCI

This paper considers the needs of an ageing population and the implications for Human Computer Interaction (HCI) research. The discussion is structured around findings from interviews with medical and care professionals and older people. Various technologies are being successfully used to monitor for falls and other emergencies, and also to assess and manage risk. The design of this technology is currently driven by a medical model of client needs and takes little account of the social context of the home. The design challenges for HCI are to make this technology attractive, provide privacy, allow informed choice and reduce rather than increase the isolation currently felt by many older people. It is argued that the ageing population presents a fundamental challenge to HCI in the need for socially dependable systems. Socially dependable systems take account of social context, the need for sociability and are accessible to all who need them.     

Problematic Demography: Representations of Population Ageing in the Swedish Daily Press

The ageing of populations has been a topic of discussion during the last few decades, but how is this subject represented in the media, and what images of old age are produced? In this article we present the results of a quantitative content analysis that investigates how the concept of population ageing has been represented in Swedish local and national daily news press between 1988 and 2009, and the old age positions that are offered in these representations. We also use discourse analysis in order to qualitatively examine the ways in which the concept of population ageing is articulated in these news press articles and the old age positions that are thereby constituted. The results show that the concept is constituted as a naturalised expert concept, and is primarily used in order to contextualise articles about future political and economical difficulties or even crises. By articulating population ageing with both political policies, political economy and older people??s (as a group) reported need for care and services, population ageing was constituted as a political economic concern rather than a problem for the aged individual.     

Active Ageing Index as an Evidence Base for Developing a Comprehensive Active Ageing Policy in Russia

The concept of active ageing shifts the focus of the discussion of the consequences of ageing from negative expectations of a growing burden of public costs to the analysis of opportunities of using the potential of elderly people. This paper is aimed at testing the applicability of international approaches to measure active ageing to the situation in Russia. For this purpose, we use the international Active Ageing Index (AAI), developed by the experts from the European Centre Vienna. The AAI is a multidimensional composite index that consists of 22 indicators and measures the untapped potential of older people in four major areas: (1) employment, (2) participation in society, (3) independent, healthy and secure life, (4) capacity for active ageing. Our empirical estimation of the AAI is based on several Russian and international surveys, which provide relatively high comparability of the AAI results for Russia with EU countries. The results show that the AAI equals 30.9 points, which means about 69 % of unused potential for active ageing of the elderly in Russia, and corresponds to the 18th place in ranking of 29 European countries. Russia performs relatively better in the employment and capacity for active ageing domains. It is in the bottom of the ranking in the independent, healthy and secure life domain.     

The Unavoidable Nature of Population Ageing and the Ageing-Driven End of Growth – an Update for New Zealand

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, many people still question the extent to which population ageing and the ageing-driven ending of growth will unfold more or less as projected. This is particularly so in New Zealand, where the population is still relatively youthful due to near-replacement fertility and many years of high per capita net migration gains. As elsewhere, however, the picture differs markedly at subnational level, with the populations of one-quarter of the nation’s 67 territorial authority areas (TAs) already (in 2017) having more than 20% aged 65+ years. Accompanying this trend, one-third of the nation’s TAs declined in population between 1996 and 2013, primarily because of net migration loss at young adult ages, but in the process accelerating their structural ageing. Taking a subnational approach, this paper explores the dynamics of population ageing across New Zealand’s TAs. We demonstrate that structural ageing is accelerating and that even excessively high levels of net international migration gain cannot be expected to appreciably reduce future structural ageing. We also show that over the period 2013–43 the majority of declining TAs will move from the old form of decline, caused by net migration loss exceeding natural increase, to a new form caused by the combined effects of net migration loss and natural decrease. The findings reinforce our central argument that the phenomenon of population ageing and the ageing-driven end of growth will not ‘go away’ and has urgent implications for matters such as rate-based local government infrastructure funding.