It can be challenging to provide person-centred care for individuals with cognitive impairment if they are unable to communicate their needs to facility providers clearly. The high base rates of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in US nursing homes is well documented; however, our understanding of the unique prevalence of cognitive levels in long-term care and short-stay residents is limited. Our aim is to determine whether there are significant differences in specific cognitive levels between these two groups. Long-term care and short-stay residents (N = 579) were randomly selected from 18 Maryland, US skilled nursing facilities; 345 met inclusion criteria for participation (mean age 79.41) and completed a cognitive test (Brief Cognitive Assessment Tool (BCAT)). Based on BCAT scores, 78.9 per cent of the long-term care residents had dementia compared to 61.4 per cent for short-stay residents. The proportions of MCI, mild, and moderate to severe dementia were significantly different between the two groups (p = 0.00). The odds of residents having moderate to severe dementia were 2.76 times greater for long-term care compared to short-stay residents. BCAT total and factor scores were significantly different between long-term care and short-stay nursing home residents (p < 0.001). We discuss the implications of these empirical findings in terms of facilitating person-centred care in nursing homes.

The current generation of older people who are approaching or recently experiencing retirement form part of a unique generational habitus who have experienced a cultural shift into consumerism. These baby boomers are often portrayed as engaging in excessive levels of consumption which are counter to notions of sustainable living and to intergenerational harmony. This paper focuses on an exploration of the mechanisms underpinning the consumption patterns of baby boomers as they retire. We achieve this through an understanding of the everyday practices of grocery shopping which have the potential to give greater clarity to patterns of consumption than the more unusual or ‘extraordinary’ forms of consumption such as global travel. In-depth interviews with 40 older men and women in four locations across England and Scotland were conducted at three points in time across the period of retirement. We suggest that the grocery shopping practices of these older men and women were influenced by two factors: (a) parental values and upbringing leading to the reification of thrift and frugality as virtues, alongside aspirations for self-actualisation such as undertaking global travel, and (b) the influence of household context, and caring roles, on consumption choices. We conclude with some tentative observations concerning the implications of the ways baby boomers consume in terms of increasing calls for people to live in more sustainable ways.

Old age is often characterised as being associated with neglect, isolation and loneliness, not least since established risks factors for loneliness include widowhood, living alone, depression and being female. Cross-sectional data have challenged the notion that loneliness is especially an old-age phenomenon but longitudinal data on loneliness is scarce. Moreover, an under-represented group in prior studies are the oldest old, those aged 85 years and more. This paper addresses these knowledge gaps using data from the Newcastle 85+ Study, a large population-based cohort aged 85 years at first interview with follow-up interviews at 18 months and three years. At baseline over half (55%) reported being always or often alone, and 41 per cent reported feeling more lonely than ten years previously, although only 2 per cent reported always feeling lonely. Women spent more time alone than men and reported more loneliness both currently and compared to the past. Length of widowhood was a key factor, with those recently widowed having twice the risk of feeling lonely and those widowed for five or more years having a lower risk of reporting increased loneliness. Overall, the findings show that loneliness is a minority experience in the oldest old but is strongly driven by length of widowhood, challenging the notion that loneliness in later life is a static experience.

Older adults’ vulnerability and resilience are a result of processes constructed throughout the lifecycle. In Uganda, older people almost always rely exclusively on their social networks for care and economic support when in need. These support systems are mainly family based, and play a role of safety net for their older members. However, localised in-depth studies have pointed out the limitations of family-based support systems, especially in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. This paper uses 83 in-depth interviews conducted in various settings across Uganda with older people and their family members on the subject of their support systems. Over and above the lack of immediate/personal resources characterising most older people, our results highlight the importance of the extent of support systems and resource diversity. Most of the people in our case studies had lost descendants due to the civil war, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, or simply family break-ups, events which often create large breaches and gaps in support systems. Few older people can be resilient in this situation, primarily because there are often not enough resources available in their support networks to cover the needs of all, especially education for the young and health-care access for the old.

Older people consider moving home when there is a discrepancy between actual and desired living conditions. This study builds on the classic push and pull framework described in the early work of Lee and Wiseman by identifying whether or not individual differences among older people can be predictive for certain push and pull reasons (such as housing, health, neighbourhood and social contact). On the basis of data from the Belgian Ageing Studies (N = 35,402), it was found that 13.9 per cent of older respondents had moved in the last ten years (N = 4,823). An analysis of the movers revealed inequalities in the reasons for moving in later life and raises the question of whether a relocation is voluntary (being able to move) or involuntary (being forced to move). Respondents with lower household incomes and poor mental health were significantly more likely to have moved because of stressors pushing them out of their previous dwelling, whereas older people with higher household incomes or home-owners were mainly pulled towards a more attractive environment.

This article presents an analysis of long-term care-workers' work motivation that examines the way this is shaped by the social contexts in which they operate. We conducted a thematic analysis of 19 in-depth interviews with care-workers. Three core themes were identified as underpinning their motivation: those of ‘fulfilment’, ‘belonging’ and ‘valuing’, and together these contributed to a central theme of ‘pride’. We also found an overarching theme of ‘shared experience’ to be integral to the way in which care-workers made sense of their motivation and work experience. We draw on the social identity approach to provide a conceptual framework through which to understand how this shared experience shapes care-workers' motivation and the quality of care they deliver. In particular, we note the importance that care-workers' attach to their relationships with clients/patients and highlight the way in which this relational identification shapes their collective identification with their occupation and organisation and, through this, their motivation.

The current paper seeks to explore whether there are differences in leisure patterns among men and women aged 50 and above, and whether the characteristics of one's country of residence influence these patterns. Data were obtained from the first wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE 2004/5), as well as from the database of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The research population comprised 7,769 men and 9,337 women aged 50 and above from 11 European countries. Three clustered-robust logistic regression models examined the likelihood of participating in one or more of three leisure activities: going to sport or social clubs, participating in a course or educational class, and volunteering. Three Blinder–Oaxaca decompositions were used to examine gender gaps in participation in each activity. At the micro level, the results showed that men were more active than women and that men were also less influenced by the observed characteristics. In addition, retirement only increased the likelihood of participating in sport club activities for men. At the macro level, the country's expenditure on culture and recreation was found to contribute significantly to women's participation in leisure activities, especially those in which most of the participants are men. In addition, macro variables as a whole were found to reduce the contribution of the observed micro characteristics. The main conclusion of the study is that the macro factors, especially the country's expenditure on culture and recreation as a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product, contribute substantially to reducing the gender gap in participation in leisure activities in older age.

Caring for a patient with dementia is a stressful life event, and care-givers carry a heavy psychological burden. However, the extent to which care-givers are affected by the stressful aspects of care-giving may depend on a variety of factors. This study examined the relationships between cognitive emotion regulation strategies, social support and depression among Turkish dementia care-givers. Research questions explored whether different coping strategies and social support were related to levels of depression, as well as whether social support moderated this relationship. We used a hierarchical multiple regression analysis consisting of three blocks as the primary statistical technique to examine our expectations. In total, 141 dementia care-givers (108 women, 33 men) were recruited to the study. The mean age of the sample was 59.74 years old (standard deviation = 12.70). Hierarchical regression analysis indicated a significant negative main effect for positive refocusing strategies and significant positive main effects for catastrophising and blaming others. Social support moderated the relationships between catastrophising, rumination and symptoms of depression. Our results show that cognitive emotion regulation strategies and social support can play significant roles in alleviating care-giver depression. In the light of these results, it may be suggested that interventions focusing on the effects of positive refocusing, catastrophising and blaming others, as well as providing social support, may be helpful in alleviating depression in care-givers.

Widowhood becomes increasingly common with advancing age, and spousal bereavement is likely to present additional challenges for adults in very late life. However, previous studies have not considered the potential heterogeneity of the experience of widowhood for different age cohorts. This study provided a novel examination of the experience of social resources during widowhood in the fourth age. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 widowed older men and women in the fourth age, i.e. aged 85 years and older. Participants were asked about their access to, and mobilisation of, social resources during widowhood in the fourth age. The role that these resources play in adjustment to spousal loss was also explored. During this phase, widowhood was associated with diminished social networks and concurrent challenges related to ageing and health which impacted upon support needs and social participation. Despite requiring and receiving increasing levels of social support, participants strove to maximise independence. Males and those widowed during the fourth age were more likely to experience social isolation, loneliness and unwanted informal support. Through the mobilisation of social resources many oldest-old widowed adults continue to lead socially engaged and meaningful lives. The implications of the findings for future policy and practice are discussed, including the need for programmes to promote the continuing independence, self-directedness and social engagement of widowed individuals experiencing advanced ageing.