As the body of research on suicide in later life has developed, so has its vocabulary. This has generated a high level of overlap in concepts and terminology used to articulate suicide and how it might present, as well as ‘grey area’ behavioural terms that are both specific to older adults and less well-defined (e.g. ‘hastening of death’ or ‘completed life’). A better understanding of individual experiences and pathways to suicide can help to inform assessment and interventions, and increase the potential to relate any theoretical concepts to the implementation of such. Here, we adopted a scoping review to search systematically literature on specific presentation, features, circumstances and outcomes of these grey areas of suicide in later life. Fifty-three articles (quantitative, qualitative and theoretical) were reviewed. A narrative approach was used to merge and translate this body of knowledge into a new conceptual framework based on four key themes: (a) a sense of completed life or existential loneliness; (b) death thoughts, wishes and ideation; (c) death-hastening behaviour and advanced directives; and (d) self-destructive or self-injurious behaviour. We discuss the importance of integrating this understanding into current knowledge and suicide prevention strategies for older adults. Recommendations are made for unifying research with policy themes on healthy ageing, person-centredness within service provision and citizen participation.

Individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias often require substantial support from other people. Much of the care-giving is from family members who eventually experience physical, emotional and financial stress, depression and fatigue. In Uganda, families are a cornerstone in providing care to individuals with dementia. However, little is known about the psychosocial supports available to the care-givers in their care-giving role. We assessed the psychosocial supports available to care-givers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in southwestern Uganda. We conducted 34 in-depth interviews at three referral hospitals at which care-givers identified by the treating clinicians were approached for informed consent. The interviews were conducted until thematic saturation was reached, and the interviews were translated and transcribed. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. Care-giver supports were structured into two major themes: medical supports utilised and supports beyond the medical care system. Medical supports highlighted information provided by medical professionals. Supports beyond the medical care system included emotional and instrumental supports provided by religious leaders, the local communities and family members. Care-givers for individuals with dementia in southwestern Uganda receive educational support from medical practitioners, and unstructured emotional and instrumental supports from the family and community.

This article attempts to illustrate the importance of housing issues in old age and to argue for a more sophisticated view of older people than that achieved by much housing research. Tenure relationships in two contrasting localities are explored and it is shown that cruder models of social and tenurial polarisation need to be treated with care because of the tendency for aggregate data to hide important variations in relationships between tenures and within tenures. Many older people wish to enter local authority council housing and they have strong views on what is the ‘best’ and ‘worst’ property on offer.

Out of a vast set of empirical research data about the making of old-age policy (retirement, jobs, way of life) in France since 1945, a sociological interpretation is proposed of the social dynamics that have underlain the exceptional development of programmes for the early withdrawal of elderly persons from the labour force. During a long initial phase, each of the major social actors (the state, the labour unions and the employers' national organisation) attempted to impose its own version of a policy of jobs for older workers. Thereafter (1975–1977), arguments and viewpoints began [gradually] converging. Under pressure from the economy and owing to the new line-up of political forces, all actors agreed, for various reasons, on a policy of literally ‘unemploying’ older workers. The rapid expansion of this policy has plunged French old-age policy not only into a financial crisis, as these so-called ‘pre-retirement’ schemes ate up more than half the unemployment fund in 1984, but also into a crisis of legitimacy and of motivation. As a consequence of this ‘unemployment’ policy, the life-span has been socially redefined and the very meanings of old age and of retirement have been confused.

As a result of the institutionalization of retirement and the development of an ageing population, a keen discussion has emerged concerning the nature of retirement education. Two major research projects (at the Universities of Keele and Surrey) have begun; and the number of books and articles devoted to the theme has expanded enormously over the past two years. However, despite this attention, pre-retirement education (PRE) is still struggling to find a secure foundation within the range of occupational and social policies affecting the older worker. There remains a feeling that it has yet to demonstrate its full value or potential – either to employer or employee. In this paper I shall argue that the reasons for this can be traced partly to the post-war origins of PRE, and the way these origins influenced the trajectory taken by retirement education. I shall go on to examine the effectiveness of PRE; to look at arguments about the adequacy of its present structure; and finally, look at the likely shape of future developments in the area of retirement education.

Discourses on later-life housing and care are polarised. Ageing in place – typically in one's long-term dwelling – is often presented as the most desirable living arrangement, while moving to a congregate environment tends to be regarded as a last resort. Such polarised discourses obscure older people's experiences as they contemplate needs for housing, health and social care. To expand current understandings of mobility intentions, this paper examines ‘time work’ – or actions undertaken to exert some agency over time – as older people with chronic health conditions and disabilities navigate present and future support arrangements. Based on an interpretive analysis of qualitative interviews with 22 older persons receiving home care in Ontario, Canada, I identify three themes that highlight the temporal aspects of mobility intentions: (a) maintaining continuity with the past and present, (b) constructing alternative futures and (c) facing precarity. Focusing on time work shows how people make sense of ageing in place and/or relocating not only in relation to their physical, social and psychological capacities, but also in relation to perceptions of the past, present and future. Time work, moreover, has implications for feelings of security in the present and a sense of control over the future. Based on these findings, I make suggestions for developing a comprehensive continuum of supports, so all older people can make meaningful choices concerning housing and care.

Cognitive decline and dementia have become major concerns for many individuals reaching later life within contemporary Western societies. This fear of decline is central to the social divide between the third age embodying ideals of maintained health, activity and lifestyle choices, and the fourth age, a social imaginary encompassing the irreversible decline associated with ageing. In this article, we explore how brain-training technologies have become successful by relying on tensions between the third and fourth ages. We review current debates on the concepts contained in brain training and examine the emphasis on the moral virtue of ‘training the brain’ in later life as an extension of fitness and health management. We underline the limited consideration given to social positioning within old age itself in the literature. We further argue that using brain-training devices can support a distancing from intimations of dementia; a condition associated with an ‘ageing without agency’. Drawing on Bourdieu, we use the concept of distinction to describe this process of social positioning. We discuss the impact that such ‘technologies of distinction’ can have on people with dementia by ‘othering’ them. We conclude that the issue of distinction within later life, particularly within the field of cognitive decline, is an important aspect of the current culture of active cognitive ageing.

This paper analyses the determinants of satisfaction with daily activities among retirees aged 65 years or older in 11 European countries. We use data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe on self-assessed satisfaction with daily activities and anchoring vignettes to correct for potential differences in response scales across countries and socio-demographic groups. On average, retired Europeans appear to be satisfied with their daily activities, but there are large differences across countries: respondents from Northern countries tend to be more satisfied than individuals from Central European or Mediterranean countries. Our analysis shows that correcting for response scale differentials alters the country ranking for satisfaction with daily activities but hardly affects the conclusions on the factors driving within-country differences between socio-demographic groups.

This paper draws on gerontological studies conducted in Poland over the last 20 years to outline a number of changes in the socio-economic circumstances of the elderly population. It begins by examining the impact of demographic factors, with particular emphasis on the post-Second World War migrations and the more recent move to the towns, and goes on to describe trends in health and functional status. It is shown that self-assessed health and even life expectancy have decreased over the last five years, and a number of explanations are suggested. The main part of the paper uses national surveys conducted in the 1960s and in the 1980s to identify changes in the family situation of the elderly. Despite an overall reduction in many forms of family support, it is shown that help from parents and children has increased particularly over the last five years. It is concluded that while various services need to be developed along Western lines, this development should be accompanied by a strengthening of various forms of family care.

Social gerontology, as a distinct discipline, has been slower to develop in France than in Anglo-Saxon countries. Gerontological discourses have been dominated by the medical and physical sciences. At the same time, France has a long tradition of research on ageing that incorporates important social dimensions, particularly in demographic and economic fields. Current developments include research on pensions and related issues such as early-retirement or older people in the labour force; inter-generational relations or family solidarity; disabled elderly people and caring; and ageing among ethnic minority populations. These developments point in the direction of co-ordinated, multi-disciplinary approaches to the life course and ageing in the future.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has affected living standards around the world, and pandemic anxiety has changed social habits. In this context, this paper investigates the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and quality of life, and assesses the mediating effect of loneliness on this relationship among a sample of older adults in Turkey. The study considers data from approximately 400 people, all of whom completed the CASP-19 Quality of Life Scale in Older People, the Loneliness Scale for the Elderly and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to confirm a one-factor structure for each instrument. Subsequently, mediation analysis, correcting for age as a continuous covariate, was performed to assess the nature of the relationship between fear and quality of life, and the extent to which that relationship is mediated by loneliness. Our study showed that there is a negative and direct relationship between loneliness and quality of life. Another important finding of our research is that fear of COVID-19 has a significant effect on loneliness. Finally, loneliness mediates the relation between fear of COVID-19 and quality of life. This finding strongly suggests that fear of COVID-19 influences quality of life via loneliness. This result is noteworthy, as we could not find any similar finding in the literature.

The sector of temporary employment agencies in Belgium has been growing for more than 20 years. If temporary work is seen primarily as a path into the workforce for young people, it also concerns seniors, in increasing proportions. The problematic of end-of-career temporary work was analysed from a dual perspective, considering the embedding of temporalities in advanced modernity and more broadly the ‘lifecourse’ paradigm. A typology was created based on qualitative analysis of 36 semi-structured interviews of temporary workers ⩾45 years old. Results demonstrate how the experiences of temporary workers nearing retirement depend on professional, familial and social paths, and also reveal the presence of different cultural models: What is the importance of work in construction of an identity? What standards and values are applied? How is social time prioritised according to these norms? These analyses incorporate an intersectional framework in which gender and social inequalities structure the lives of workers approaching the end of their careers.

This article investigates the relationship between psycho-social transition to retirement on the wellbeing and mental health of retired farmers through their adjustment to retired life. The sample was taken from the Approche Multidisciplinaire Intégrée cohort, a French prospective study of retired farmers living in rural areas in south-western France. Cross-sectional analyses were conducted on a sample of 530 participants. The wellbeing and mental health of retirees were investigated through three outcomes: satisfaction with current life, perceived health and depression. Multiple mediator models show that the more retirees consider retirement as a positive event, the better they adapt to the new temporality of their retirement life and the more they feel satisfied with their current life, healthy and less depressed. Acceptance of the end of working life is also a mediator in the perceived health model. These results highlight the centrality of the adjustment to the new temporality induced by retirement. They indicate that the level of this adjustment is linked to how retirement is affectively experienced, regardless of its duration.

In this article we recount some of the memories, hopes and strategies of 22 older migrants who are ageing in their adopted country of Aotearoa New Zealand. Having arrived as young adults in the 20 years after World War II, most of the immigrants have lived on ‘foreign’ soil for twice as long as their brief sojourns of childhood and early adulthood in their country of origin. Arriving from a variety of backgrounds in 12 different countries, they can all be considered ‘white’ immigrants in relation to New Zealand's indigenous Māori population and other non-European immigrant groups such as those from Pacific Island Nations or Asia. Their lives encompass the experience of globalisation and transnationalism in communication technologies and inter-country migration. As they recount the meaning of living through these changes, these older folk discuss the delicacies of assimilation in post-World War II New Zealand and the interplay between the daily life of New Zealand as ‘home’ and the homeland as Heimat. Their stories argue against the assumption that decades of residence, particularly for white immigrants in a white-majority nation, imply an ‘assimilation’ of cultural identity. Instead, the stories evoke recognition of the negotiation of gain and loss which continues as they, and their contexts, change over time.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most widely known of the organic mental disorders described as dementias. It is apparent, in both the USA and the UK, that AD imposes a large economic burden in terms of both formal and informal costs. In the UK, one estimate is that annual costs are about £1,039 million at 1990/91 prices and another, even higher, at £4,684 million. There is an extremely heavy burden on informal caregivers, and on agencies providing social services and residential accommodation.

After the onset of AD, the progress of the illness results in declining levels of functioning and increased dependency for patients, factors linked to higher needs for care. Evidence from clinical trials indicates that some drugs may retard the effects of this decline. Economic evaluation of treatments has focused on drug therapies and their ability to alter this progress. One suggestion is that, through delaying the decline and consequent institutionalisation of the patient, effective drug therapy would have economic benefits and reduce health service costs, but this point has not been clearly demonstrated and is open to question.

The number of older people (aged 65+) will more than double by 2050 in Sweden. The ageing population is an increasing concern due to rising health-care costs and a shortage of health professionals. Older people generally prefer ageing in place, as long as they feel confident and comfortable. However, preventive and supportive measures are needed to maintain older people's independence and active participation in society. The aim of this study is to explore the prerequisites for a healthy and independent life among older people in Sweden. A Delphi study was conducted in three rounds. In round 1, seven focus group interviews were performed with older persons aged 65–79, older persons aged ⩾80, next of kin of older persons, health professionals in primary and home health care, assistant nurses in home care, care managers and local politicians. The data were analysed using thematic analysis, resulting in 35 statements of the prerequisites needed for a healthy and independent life. These statements were sent to the participants from round 1, who were asked to evaluate the degree to which they agreed with each statement in round 2, and again in round 3. There was an agreement of at least 80 per cent for 31 of the 35 statements. When asked to identify the three prerequisites of most importance for a healthy and independent life, most participants stated: to have a social life, to have freedom of choice and power over one's own situation, and to have the possibility to choose independently one's type of housing. There was an overall high group agreement on the prerequisites needed for a healthy and independent life among older people. The main areas of importance were to have a social life, several dimensions of feeling safe and to retain one's personal control.

As the ageing population in China continues to grow, more people will be living with long-term health conditions and require support from family care-givers. This scoping review therefore aims to explore sources of stress and coping mechanisms adopted by care-givers of older relatives living with long-term conditions in mainland China. Literature searches were conducted in English (CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO and SCOPUS) and Chinese (CNKI, WANFANG DATA, CQVIP and CBM) databases between October and November 2019. The searches focused on the stressors and coping mechanisms utilised by family care-givers residing in the community. Narrative synthesis was used to identify themes within the data. Forty-six papers were included: 20 papers from English and 26 from Chinese databases. Six themes captured stressors: care-giving time (N = 22), financial resources (N = 17), role and personal strains (N = 42), preparedness (N = 4), social roles (N = 10) and lack of adequate formal support (N = 22); and one theme captured coping (N = 14). Unmet needs of care-givers of older relatives in mainland China were found to be extensive. Only a few studies had attempted to explore the causal link between stressors, coping and the influence of culture. Findings underscore the significance of adequately capturing intricacies around care-givers’ unmet needs, rather than generalising on the basis of culture. Qualitative studies are critical to providing a better understanding of the relationship between stressors, coping and resources afforded to care-givers by their cultural environment. Having such understanding is crucial to inform the development of competent care, which promotes self-efficacy and self-actualisation in care-givers in mainland China.

Social resources – close relationships, support exchange and social engagement – can play an important role in successful adjustment to widowhood in later life. However, it is not clear whether access to, and the utilisation of, social resources are different for men and women during late-life widowhood. This study provides a qualitative exploration of the experience of social resources in the lives of older widowed men and women across the transition to widowhood (from pre-widowhood to later widowhood). Using a life course theory lens, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 men and women who had been widowed in later life. The interview data were analysed using the framework approach. Four phases in the transition to widowhood were identified: ‘Illness and caring’, ‘Relocation and separation’, ‘Early bereavement’ and ‘Life goes on’. Widowhood brings great change to the accessibility and utilisation of social resources, and each of these transitional phases was associated with differential usage of these resources. Gender differences were observed in the availability of social resources across the transition to widowhood, with widowed men typically found to have smaller friendship networks, receive less support and be at increased risk of social isolation. Particular attention is required to ensure that all older widowed men and women have access to sufficient social support and contact following bereavement.

Although the literature on informal care-giving for older parents shows that daughters have a higher tendency to provide care compared with sons, only a few studies have focused on the gender composition of all children or parents’ entire range of care options. Our study examines the effect of children's gender composition on informal and formal care types, as well as the informal care network. Using data from the 2015 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (N = 40,312), we found that parents with daughters tended to use less formal care because daughters take on additional informal care-giving responsibilities. Daughters were the main care-givers among parents’ informal care networks. Further analysis indicated that daughters-in-law play an important role in the care-giving process when parents have only sons. We concluded that the presence of a daughter among the children reduces the use of formal care. The results indicated that children's gender composition is an important factor in explaining the allocation of informal care to parents.