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Measuring living standards of older people using Sen's Capability Approach: development and validation of the LSCAPE-24 (Living Standards Capabilities for Elders) and LSCAPE-6

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 October 2014

MARY BREHENY ,
CHRISTINE STEPHENS ,
ANNETTE HENRICKSEN ,
BRENDAN STEVENSON ,
KRISTIE CARTER  and
FIONA ALPASS
MARY BREHENY*
Affiliation:
School of Health and Social Services, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
CHRISTINE STEPHENS
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
ANNETTE HENRICKSEN
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
BRENDAN STEVENSON
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
KRISTIE CARTER
Affiliation:
School of Medicine and Health Science, University of Otago, Wellington, New Zealand.
FIONA ALPASS
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
*
Address for correspondence: Mary Breheny, School of Health and Social Services, Massey University, Private Bag 11 222, Palmerston North, New Zealand E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

The impact of disparities in socio-economic status on the health of older people is an important issue for policy makers in the context of population ageing. As older people live in different types of economic circumstances and because, as people age, their desires and needs are different to those of younger generations, measures of living standards need to be appropriate for older people. This paper reports on the validation of a measure of living standards for older people based on Sen's Capability Approach. Using this approach, living standards are conceptualised as varying from constraint to freedom rather than from hardship to comfort. Using the New Zealand Longitudinal Study of Ageing omnibus survey of 3,923 adults aged 50–87 years, the validity of the measure was assessed. The results indicate that this measure assesses what older people are able to achieve. In addition, this measure discriminates better at the higher end of the living standards spectrum than an existing measure that assesses living standards from hardship to comfort in terms of what people possess. From this, a short form of the measure has been developed which offers a conceptually based and valid measure useful for survey research with older people. This measure of living standards provides future avenues for improved understandings of socio-economic position in later life.

Keywords

living standardssocio-economic statuswellbeingCapability Approach
Type
Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 36 , Issue 2 , February 2016 , pp. 307 - 332
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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