Ageing is associated with reduced muscle mass, strength, flexibility and balance, resulting in a poor quality of life (QOL). Past studies have occurred in highly controlled laboratory settings which provide strong support to determine whether similar gains can be made in community programmes. Twenty participants were enrolled in an eight-week community-based resistance training programme (mean age = 61.3 (standard error (SE) = 0.9) years); Body Mass Index = 32.0 (SE = 1.3) kg/m2). All participants completed surveys to assess outcomes associated with QOL. Given the relationship between muscle function and nerve health, nerve conduction studies (NCS) were also conducted in a separate group of participants (mean age = 64.9 (SE = 2.0) years; Body Mass Index = 32.6 (SE = 1.9) kg/m2). This community-based training programme significantly improved QOL measures in older adults (p < 0.001). Although weight loss was not the primary outcome of the study, participants reduced their body weights (p < 0.001), by primarily reducing fat mass (p = 0.007) while maintaining muscle mass. Significant improvements were observed in muscle strength (2.2%), flexibility and balance (3.2–464.2%, p ⩽ 0.05 for all). Improvements were also observed in plasma glucose (p = 0.05), haemoglobin A1C (p = 0.06) and aldolase enzyme levels (p < 0.001). Scores for surveys on memory and sleep improved (p < 0.05). Improved QOL was associated with increased lean mass (r = −0.714, p = 0.002), decreased fat mass (r = −0.702, p = 0.003) and improved flexibility and balance (r = −0.627, p = 0.008). An eight-week, community-based resistance training programme significantly improved QOL in older adults. Influence on the lipid profile and NCS still needs further investigation.

This study explored the coping strategies and social comparisons used by older adults on different loneliness trajectories (decreased loneliness, stable loneliness and degenerating loneliness). The adaptive consequences of social comparison in later life are recognised as an important strategy for preserving life satisfaction regardless of age-related losses. Coping strategies are also important in managing loneliness. Narrative interviews were conducted with lonely older adults (N = 11) who had participated in Wave One of the Maintaining Function and Well-being in Later Life Study Wales (CFAS Wales). The study found key differences in the coping strategies employed by older adults on different loneliness trajectories. Differences in coping styles between those who reported decreased loneliness and those who were chronically lonely stemmed from perceptions as to whether loneliness was modifiable or not. Different types of social comparison were also found to modulate the loneliness experience. The findings indicate that higher-order strategies (problem, emotional and meaning focused) are not distinct entities but are part of a dynamic process. The management of loneliness in later life may be dependent on several factors, including older adults’ interpretations of the cause of loneliness. These interpretations will have implications for interventions aimed at alleviating chronic loneliness, where the focus may have to be on changing older adult's perceptions of unmodifiable loneliness.

Across literature on loneliness and ageing, little attention is given to the intersection of ageing, sexuality and masculinities, and how this shapes the social connections of older men. We report findings from a qualitative study of older men's experiences of loneliness and social participation, focusing on perspectives from two groups who are single and/or living alone: men identifying as (a) heterosexual and (b) gay (not bisexual). We present findings generated from semi-structured interviews with 72 men residing in England (65–95 years). We discuss three prominent themes: (a) loneliness, loss and social dislocation; (b) diverging life-events that trigger loneliness; and (c) variations in visibility and exclusion across social settings. Embedded within men's descriptions of loneliness is a running theme of social dislocation that speaks to a wider sense of social separation and estrangement. Unique to gay men's accounts are the ways in which experiences of loneliness and social isolation are compounded by living in heteronormative social environments and their encounters with ageism in gay social settings. Older men's accounts convey anxieties about visibility and anticipated exclusion across social settings shared with other men that vary according to sexual identity and context. We discuss how sexuality and being single and/or living alone impact on older men's social participation as we seek to move beyond a heterocentric understanding of loneliness.

What explains ageism towards older people? Several answers exist in the literature, but it is still unclear whether the ageism people express has been altered by motivational forces (i.e. factors which carry or enact motivation, leading to action or thought) or whether an original, primal ageism can be expressed directly. Investigating populations of young adults (45 and younger), this article suggests that value systems are sources of internal and external motivational forces which work to either suppress or to justify both subtle and blatant forms of ageism. It was hypothesised that, at the individual level, values precede any threat perception and negative stereotypical beliefs associated with older people, leading to forms of ageism which match the motivational goals of a person's values. It was further expected that, at the cultural level, values represent the climate in which people express ageist beliefs. It was found that self-transcendence values can bypass the negative effects of threat perception and negative stereotypes, resulting in less-negative forms of ageism. A sample comprising a clear majority of hierarchical, non-Western cultures showed that self-enhancement values also contributed motivational strength for the suppression of blatant ageism. A practical implication of these findings is the possibility of further developing existing strategies of combating ageism by working to effect appropriate long-term changes in the values of young adults.

Technology, and particularly the internet, has transformed consumer and business behaviours. An ageing population is impacted by these contextual and operational changes. Understanding these impacts within an ageing population is important for businesses, organisations and individuals, and their e-commerce activities. Our study increases understanding about the online behaviour of older consumers. Our research question is: what is the impact of age and individual and household characteristics on the online behaviour of older consumers? This is important given the increasing assumption that all consumers are digitally enabled. We use data from the first wave of an innovative longitudinal study in Scotland (HAGIS – Healthy Ageing in Scotland) to explore ageing consumers and e-commerce activities. The United Kingdom (including Scotland) is the world's third largest e-commerce market, thus providing a suitable context. Our findings point to a shifting relationship between ageing consumers and e-commerce activities. Age is related to e-commerce activities but the ‘break-point’ for these activities is older than normally identified in academic and business practice. Sex is not a differentiator of activity but marital status is. Age and the contextual situation impact e-commerce, and have implications for access and capability, and link to questions over isolation. Important issues are raised for business and organisational practice, around service and other delivery for older people.

Fear of crime among older people has been a frequent topic in ageing research, criminology and urban studies. The ‘environmental docility hypothesis’ assumes that older people are more vulnerable to adverse neighbourhood conditions than younger age groups. Yet, few studies have tested this influential hypothesis using samples of respondents covering the complete adult lifespan. Looking at fear of crime, we investigated the person–environment interaction of age and neighbourhood disadvantage, using two independent surveys comprising 12,620 respondents aged 25–90 years residing in 435 neighbourhoods in four cities in Germany and Australia. We used multi-level analysis and cross-level interactions to model age-differential effects of neighbourhood disadvantage on fear. Contrary to the hypothesis, we found a weakening of neighbourhood effects on fear with age. The strong effect of neighbourhood disadvantage on fear of crime dropped by around half from the youngest (25 years) to the oldest age (90 years) in both countries. Younger people were almost as fearful as older people in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, but older people were considerably more fearful than younger ages in better-off neighbourhoods. We found limited empirical support for the assumption that this diminished association between neighbourhood disadvantage and fear can be explained by the stronger neighbourhood attachment of older people. The limitations of the analysis and potential future directions of research are discussed.

This study examined the association between adult children's achievements and ageing parents’ depressive symptoms in China. The research topic was examined within the contexts of one-child and multiple-children families in rural and urban China. Older adults (aged 60–113, N = 8,450; nested within 462 communities/villages) from the 2013 China Longitudinal Ageing Social Survey provided information about themselves and their adult children (N = 22,738). Adult children's achievements were assessed with educational attainment, financial status and occupational status; older parents’ depressive symptoms were assessed with nine items of the Chinese version of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Multilevel linear regression models were estimated separately for older parents with one child only and multiple children. For older parents with multiple children, both having one or more children with any achievement and the total number of children's achievements were associated with fewer depressive symptoms. For parents with only one child, any achievement of the child and the total number of the child's achievements were associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Our results also indicated that the association between children's achievements and parents’ depressive symptoms varied by rural–urban residence and family type. Our findings contributed to the understanding of family dynamics underlying the emotional wellbeing of older adults in China.

Most of the extant literature on the fertility history and social networks of older adults has focused on advanced societies. Nevertheless, a limited number of studies have explored how culturally preferred family structures or living arrangements are related to older adults’ social networks in developing societies. This study examined these issues in the Chinese context and paid particular attention to the filial piety and preference for sons dominating Chinese society. Using nationally representative data of adults aged 60 and over from China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey in 2016, we constructed family and friend network scores following previous studies and developed linear models using multiple imputation for the missing data. The results suggested that childless older adults were the most disadvantaged in receiving support from family networks. Despite China's patrilineal culture, daughters were important sources of support. In terms of friend networks, older men who had no sons were least likely to receive support while co-residing with a partner and a son(s) might benefit them. Further analysis revealed that older rural women, but not older urban women, also had more support from friend networks if living with sons, implying urban–rural differences. Given the impact of social networks on older adults’ health and wellbeing, older Chinese people with no sons might need more support from other sources, such as aged-care programmes from public institutions, to achieve healthy ageing.

This qualitative study explores the experiences of 23 professional baby-boomers in Australia who are challenging the traditional employment and retirement pathway through non-standard employment (NSE). We focus on professional part-time, casual and self-employed work within the kaleidoscope of various working arrangements that form NSE. Using a phenomenographic approach, we identified variations in how these older baby-boomers experience engagement in NSE. Our findings revealed five interrelated hierarchical categories of description, which posit a generally positive view of NSE and highlight financial stability, flexibility, continued activity, social ties and maintaining self-identity as key conceptions for work engagement. Our study suggests that NSE is an important and under-researched part of the labour market for baby-boomer professionals, that it can offer greater opportunities for engagement and that the traditional hard-boundary view of retirement as a defined lifestage is softening. It extends our understanding of baby-boomer engagement with NSE in the labour market and offers findings that may inform future policy and practice.

The aim of this study was to contribute with knowledge about how a sense of home and belonging is enacted and can be supported in everyday life, with a particular focus on the relationships that connect everyday life and the environment in nursing home contexts. The concepts ‘a sense of home’ and ‘belonging’ were chosen with the ambition to grasp values grounded in experiences and everyday practices, with an openness for various aspects that can support an enjoyable life and comfort for nursing home residents. The study focused on communal areas, e.g. dining room, kitchen, corridors and gardens, that serve as arenas where nursing home residents’ everyday lives expand beyond the private room. Ethnographic methods were applied to identify and explore situations where a sense of home and belonging were enacted in nursing homes that had been acknowledged as good examples of nursing home environments. Through the analytic process, four qualities were identified: (a) a cornerstone for stability and everydayness, (b) the beating heart, (c) spatial dynamics, and (d) magnetic places. Following from the chosen methodology, the findings provide a situated understanding of how communal areas in nursing homes can invite a sense of home and belonging for the residents.

Population ageing and discourses on healthy ageing have led to a growing interest in social dancing for seniors. While senior dance has been described as both common and contributing to good health, the fundamental connection between bodily and temporal dimensions has been fairly neglected. As a result, there is a risk of portraying dance among older adults as a general practice, while at the same time the senior dance's potential to shed light on relations between temporality and ageing is not utilised. Based on qualitative interviews with 25 women and eight men, aged 52–81, in Sweden, whose main leisure activity was dancing, this article sheds light on this knowledge gap by illustrating the pleasurable experiences of senior dance. The results illustrate that the pleasurable experiences of dancing can be understood as three different experiences of temporality: embodied experience of extended present, an interaction with synchronised transcending subjectivities and age identities with unbroken temporality. The results also highlight the central role that temporal aspects play in processes around subjectivities in later life, as well as the close connection between ageing embodiment and temporality. They also illustrate the ability of dance to create wellbeing, not only through its physical elements, but also through the sociality that constitutes the core of dancing. In light of these results, the article argues that the temporal processes relate to individuals’ diverse relationship with the world and that they therefore play a central role in subjective experiences of ageing.

The amount of financial debt held by older adults has grown substantially over the past two decades in Europe. This study examines the association of objective and subjective debt burden with social and emotional loneliness among 1,606 older adults in the Netherlands. Objective debt burden is based on financial terms, such as debt-to-income ratio; whereas subjective debt burden measures the psychological distress caused by financial debt. Data are from the 2015/2016 wave of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. First, we use means-comparison tests to examine whether older adults who experience social and emotional loneliness differ from older adults who do not experience loneliness regarding their subjective and objective debt burdens. Subsequently, using linear regression models we address two questions: whether social loneliness and emotional loneliness are associated with objective and subjective debt burden; and whether social participation, social network size, anxiety and depression mediate these relationships. We find that subjective debt burden (i.e. the worry related to debt) is a significant predictor of social loneliness, above and beyond the role of social and psychological measures. Objective debt burden, in contrast, is unrelated to social and emotional loneliness. Social participation, social network size, anxiety and depression do not mediate the debt-burden-to-loneliness relationships. The results point to the importance of subjective debt burden in understanding social loneliness and designing interventions.

The term ‘in the moment’ has received growing interest in the context of music programmes for people living with dementia, with music therapists, family carers, health-care professionals and people living with dementia themselves reporting the value of framing musical experiences in the ‘here and now’. Although this term is being used more frequently within the literature, there has yet to be a formal examination of such ‘in the moment’ musical experiences and how they might benefit a person living with dementia. We used a multiple-case study approach to develop a thematic framework of ‘in the moment’ musical experiences within the context of a music-making programme for people living with dementia. The research followed six people living with dementia and four family carers, and used video-observation and video-elicitation interviews to capture and analyse ‘in the moment’ experiences. Four thematic observations were developed which captured ‘in the moment’ musical experiences: Sharing a life story through music, Musical agency ‘in the moment’, Feeling connected ‘in the moment’ and Musical ripples into everyday life. These findings showcase the creativity and musical abilities of people living with dementia whilst affirming music as a medium to connect people living with dementia with their own life story, other people and the environments in which music-making takes place.

Although the literature on social capital, social support and social networks uses the concept of emotional support, studies rarely recognise nuances of the emotional relationships in late life. Using a personal communities framework, we examine the subjective meaning of family and friendship ties that form the network of emotionally close relationships of a cohort of Chilean people between 60 and 74 years of age. Chile is an interesting case to investigate personal communities, as the country is facing both a rapid process of population ageing and the consequences of abrupt socio-cultural changes triggered by a military government. We conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews using personal communities diagrams that enabled study participants to reflect on what and how different types of personal ties were important to them. Data analysis included thematic analysis of interview transcripts and classification of identified personal communities using Pahl and Spencer's typology. The personal communities framework proved useful in capturing the composition of older people's networks of close relationships and in reflecting the diverse ways different ties are relevant in late life. We further developed a complementary typology based on the distinction between ‘clustered’ and ‘hierarchical’ personal communities. This complementary typology adds a cultural dimension to understand better emotional closeness in late life in a context of rapid socio-cultural changes affecting levels of social trust.

This study investigates the impact of non-intensive and intensive supplementary grandparental child care on grandparents’ involvement in leisure activities. Three aspects of leisure activities are investigated: the number/frequency of activities, with whom they are carried out and the subjective satisfaction with them. Beside the possibility of a cumulation effect, the literature suggests that providing grandparental child care might compete with other activities, especially for women. Thus, we consider role enhancement and role strain theories to derive our hypotheses. We use longitudinal data from the German Ageing Survey (DEAS) which contains rich information on the leisure activities of people aged 40 and older. To account for selection into the provision of grandparental child care, we use a within-unit estimation approach (fixed-effects panel models). Our results show that both grandfathers and grandmothers tend to engage in more leisure activities when they provide grandparental child care. While care-giving grandfathers become more likely to engage in activities with family members without changing their engagement outside the family, we found no effect for women in this respect. Nevertheless, grandparental child-care provision modifies satisfaction with leisure activities only for women, reducing it, independently from with whom leisure activities are carried out. These findings suggest that a higher quantity of leisure activities does not necessarily imply higher quality.

Personhood has been a key influence on the development of person-centred care models in dementia. However, there is ambiguity around the concept and interpretation of personhood, and what it means in practical terms for the delivery of care to people with dementia. This study examines the conceptualisation of personhood within the formal care system for people with dementia in Ireland. A multiple perspective study design examines the experiences of personhood in dementia from the perspectives of people with dementia, family carers and a range of formal carers. Semi-structured interviews with participants were conducted in both community and long-term care settings. Interpretative phenomenological analysis is used to examine the data. A total of 31 participants were interviewed: eight people with dementia, eight family carers and 15 formal carers. There is general consensus on the core elements of personhood among all participants: interests and preferences; lifecourse experiences; social interaction; family; and place. However, there is ambiguity among family carers and formal carers in the interpretation of changes to personhood as the disease progresses. Interpersonal and structural barriers to supporting personhood are identified by all participants. The findings provide guidance on the traits of personhood-enhancing care, including effective communication skills, and the potential of health and social care reform to support the core elements of personhood among people with dementia.

This article draws upon six social research studies completed by members of the Dementia and Ageing Research Team at The University of Manchester and their associated networks over an eight-year period (2011–2019) with the aim of constructing a definition of ‘being in the moment’ and situating it within a continuum of moments that could be used to contextualise and frame the lived experience of dementia. Using the approach formulated by Pound et al. (2005) in synthesising qualitative studies, we identified this continuum of moments as comprising four sequential and interlinked steps: (a) ‘creating the moment’, defined as the processes and procedures necessary to enable being in the moment to take place – the time necessary for this to occur can range from fleeting to prolonged; (b) ‘being in the moment’, which refers to the multi-sensory processes involved in a personal or relational interaction and embodied engagement – being in the moment can be sustained through creativity and flow; (c) ‘ending the moment’, defined as when a specific moment is disengaged – this can be triggered by the person(s) involved consciously or subconsciously, or caused by a distraction in the environment or suchlike; and (d) ‘reliving the moment’, which refers to the opportunity for the experience(s) involved in ‘being in the moment’ to be later remembered and shared, however fragmentary, supported or full the recall.

In rapidly urbanising China, a high number of elderly people, the so-called ‘laopiao’, float to cities where their sons or daughters live to look after their children and grandchildren. Laopiao in urban China are thought to suffer poor mental health owing to their floating status. This study explores the inter-relationship among social capital, the built environment and mental health in urban China. Using a recent survey conducted in Nanjing (N = 591), structural equation modelling was performed to compare the local elderly people and the laopiao. Results showed that mental health determinants are dissimilar between the two groups of elderly people. Bonding social capital promotes mental health in both groups, while bridging and linking social capital only contributes to the mental health of the laopiao. Also, access to public transportation is positively correlated with mental health in both groups. Furthermore, lower street network density and better access to parks enhance the mental health of the local elderly people, while higher street network density and more open space within a community enhance the mental health of the laopiao. Our findings suggest that different policy measures should be implemented for different groups of elderly people in urban China to improve their mental health.

In Australia, numerous reviews and inquiries have documented concerns about inadequate access to, and the quality of, aged care. Despite those concerns, research is yet to appraise fully how care needs are assessed, prioritised, and met or left unmet. This paper asks two interrelated questions: (1) How should we conceptualise and measure unmet care need and care inequalities among older people? (2) What are the policy parameters for assessing needs, prioritising access to support and monitoring quality in aged care in Australia? Key insights from academic literature are used to critically review Australian policy documents describing rights, assessments, prioritisation, quality standards and performance indicators for the aged care sector. Using the concepts of care inequalities and care poverty, the paper develops a framework for understanding and measuring needs and unmet needs in aged care, and for encompassing fundamental and valued aspects of life for older people, their carers and their care network. The paper argues that the concept of care poverty opens the space to discuss what level of unmet need and inequality in access to aged care in any society may be considered intolerable.

Increased physical activity is widely promoted as beneficial for older people, but previous research indicates this may be difficult to implement in care homes, especially for people with dementia who form an increasing proportion of residents. Care home cultures can mitigate against physical activity for residents, but there is also scope for them to embed personalised physical activity. They are under-researched, but significant in terms of outcomes and quality of life for residents. This paper builds understanding of care home cultures of physical activity through qualitative, empirical research in five care homes. Key findings are that culturally framed views about physical activity, sometimes reflecting stereotypical views of dependency, can be seen in care homes. Managers, staff and residents may be invested in or resistant to physical activity and dominant managerial or societal views may be reflected or contested. The relatively closed boundaries of care homes reinforce sedentariness, and resident involvement in either chosen or enforced physical activity is varied. Interactions demonstrate potential to negotiate physical activity more or less effectively in any given care home. Rigid routines, external regulations and pressure on staffing can be negative, but management commitment has positive potential. In conclusion, the paper identifies that to increase physical activity in a sustainable manner, any intervention needs to address issues of culture change and individual needs and preferences.