Search results

It is said that the ageing population in developed countries will cause state pension systems to collapse, cripple national health services and place unacceptable burdens on the state in terms of social benefits. This article challenges several prevalent myths about population ageing and repudiates the idea that ageing is a major economic and social burden. While it is indisputable that all advanced industrialised societies are ageing, this social fact has become a kind of mantra for opponents of the welfare state and for a collection of alarmists.

The purpose of this concluding paper is to reflect on the theories of ageing well delineated by the papers of the special issue. It sets research themes that social theorists of ageing should reflect upon in creating conceptual tools to understanding the power dynamics of older people and modern society.

The paper is an overview of the key issues that have been found by theories introduced throughout the special edition. It attempts to look ahead to seeing how social theory and ageing will need to be strengthened so that theory and experiences are inter‐locked.

This concluding paper cites how social theory can be analysed in variety of international and national contexts that gives an holistic and not eurocentric approach to social gerontology.

The paper is original in that it points to the future challenges social gerontology in terms of theorising ageing. The great value of social theory is that it provides critical questions about the nature of modern society and the implications this has for older people. This is original in getting researchers to see the creative use of theories of ageing.

This paper aims to investigate the reaction to the use of senior models in ads by older consumers while taking into account their spiritual dimension in the context of ageing.

This research relies on a qualitative approach and the narrative analysis of 40 transcribed interviews with older adults of age 50-83.

Interviews with senior respondents confirm that ageing is a challenging individual process in the context of which spiritual needs emerge. Taking these needs into account helps understand the reaction of older consumers to the use of senior models in ads. It also reveals the potential of this marketing practice to respond to spiritual needs in the context of ageing.

This paper contributes to the understanding of older consumers’ reaction to the senior models they see in ads. It reveals the necessity to take spiritual needs into account to fully understand consumer behavior at old age. This paper contributes to the understanding of older consumers’ reaction to the senior models they see in ads. It reveals the necessity to take spiritual needs into account to fully understand consumer behavior at old age.

This paper provides practical guidance to advertising professionals on the use of senior models in ads.

This research reveals that the adequate representation of older models in advertisements can help fight the negative stereotypes associated with ageing and contributes to highlighting the major role played by older adults in society.

This research is the first to investigate the relationship of older consumers to the senior models used in advertisements while taking into account their spiritual dimension. It extends the existing research on older consumers and advertising, especially their perception of senior models.

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the need to challenge ageism and to draw attention to how art, especially art activism, can challenge Ageism and bring about a new personal understanding of ageing.

This paper is a summary of personal reflections by the author.

The pervasive, ageist, stereotypical attitudes developed at an early age and the possible means to challenge and transform thinking through Art.

Artist and Arts organisations, their commissioners and funders could consider focussing upon ageing across the life course and commission and create work which challenges thinking and the status quo on ageing, reflecting society’s adjustment to an Ageing society.

Art and especially art activism could make a fundamental contribution to a raft of strategies to not only combat ageism but assist personal understanding of our ageing.

Currently there are relatively few artists and arts organisation focussing upon ageing across the life course. The paper states the view that such art activity could assist with new ways of understanding personal ageing and challenge ageist attitudes.

Ageing is a fundamental issue for the future of the planet. An ageing society challenges basic assumptions of modern culture and political economy. This paper explores alternative futures of ageing in Queensland, understanding that certain assumptions about Queensland’s future are given. It is also focused on probable futures, and not on every possible future. Based on this map of the future‐developed through causal layered analysis and scenario planning – policy recommendations are developed for the Queensland Government.

The dramatic ageing of societies will not be addressed successfully by generalised policies for all older people, but by concerted action to tackle major inequalities in income, health and well‐being and social inclusion. Such approaches must form part of a life course strategy which deals with disadvantages owing to gender, ethnicity and socio‐economic origins and uses mid‐life and retirement as windows of opportunity. Paradoxically, the current economic difficulties cause the right conditions for a new drive to reduce unequal ageing. A concordat is needed across state, business, voluntary sector and media if it is to be a realistic possibility.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the latest findings on the economic potential of ageing and compare them primarily from a consumables perspective. The relevant question relating to this research was: What are the economic consequences of the demographic development in relation to consumer demand for products and services in old age?

Narrative systematic publications were thoroughly reviewed and collated. A systematic search was carried out in journals, books, databases, the internet as well as within the scientific community from November 2012 to May 2013.

A total of 115 relevant scientific publications were identified in this review (from 1964 to 2013). In order to gain an actual overview of the relevant literature, the results show the most recent publications from 2000 to 2013.

There are three limitations within this paper: First, the search process used only four databases. Second, this review only took into account publications in English and German. Therefore, the review may fail to encompass all published literature. Finally, this study did not endeavour to evaluate the methodological quality of each scientific publication. Study findings were taken as reported.

This paper aims at analysing the economic potentials of ageing primarily from the perspective of consumption. The focus of this economics of ageing investigation is on the “demography-related” consequences in terms of the demand behaviour of the older consumers (the elderly as potential buyers). The paper deals with all the “silver economy” as a cross-sector campaign and research area for economics of ageing – a still fairly young discipline, both in science and in practical applications.

Ageing populations are national and global phenomena. These older residents are likely to be among the most disadvantaged nationally and in comparison with younger neighbours. The benefits of active ageing are attracting attention from policy makers globally, as it is increasingly recognised that age‐friendly cities encourage active ageing. Resources to sustain active ageing are becoming scarce. Older people's health, social activity, needs, aspirations and the barriers to realising them are at the centre of this investigation. The purpose of this paper is to explore inclusion and exclusion within some of England's most deprived areas.

Between 2002‐2007, over 600 older Liverpool people, key informants and policy makers in five of Liverpool's poorest electoral wards were consulted via semi‐structured questionnaires, key informant interviews and focus groups about their needs and aspirations.

Barriers to active ageing arose primarily from participants' poverty, ill‐health and deprivation, poor neighbourhoods, ageism, and insecure, gendered, racialised and sectarian space.

This in‐depth investigation into active ageing consulted over 600 older people in some of Liverpool's poorest neighbourhoods. In disseminating knowledge of Liverpool's situation, the paper adds significantly to knowledge around the severe challenges to active ageing in localities characterised by multiple deprivation.

The purpose of this paper (overview) is to provide a brief introduction to the topic of active ageing and summarise the seven studies included in this special issue. The authors also acknowledge those who were instrumental in bringing this issue to fruition.

The International Journal of Manpower's usual double‐blind review process was used to select the seven papers included in this special issue. The papers themselves all have a cross‐national perspective using data from eight European countries. These papers represent a wide variety of designs, methodologies and analytic strategies used to study active ageing in the paid labour force as well as in civil society. The papers make use of large‐scale surveys among employers and volunteers, case studies in organisations, and vital statistics.

The findings of the studies included in this special issue provide insights into the factors and mechanisms that hamper higher participation levels of older adults in paid employment and civil society, and give suggestions on how to improve their inclusion and how to deal with an ageing workforce.

Taken as a collective, the papers in this special issue help propel forward in significant ways the study of active ageing from an international and interdisciplinary perspective.