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Policy Development on Ageing in Malaysia
Published in Goh Cheng Soon, Gerard Bodeker, Kishan Kariippanon, Healthy Ageing in Asia, 2022
Tengku Aizan Hamid, Wan Alia Wan Sulaiman, Mohamad Fazdillah Bagat, Sen Tyng Chai
Our society needs to provide opportunities for older persons to participate in policymaking, environmental or urban planning, civil society movements and legislative engagements. Recently, the Government has announced the intention of drafting a bill for senior citizens, but there is little public outreach on the matter. Cities and town planners need to focus on making their public spaces more conducive for healthy and active ageing, by putting in place enablers for greater mobility and participation in neighbourhood activities. Housing and transportation needs rank high among low-income older persons with poor health (Black and Jester, 2020), as this affects their accessibility to work and health services. This is supported by a local study by Lai and her colleagues (2016) where they found that built environment barriers hindered the social interactions of the aged in the community. Social connectedness is a mediator between active ageing and the age-friendliness of the individual’s environment. As indicated by Barton and Grant (2006), a well-designed outdoor space can enhance long-term health, promote physical activity and reduce social isolation (Figure 4.6).
The active ageing paradigm and physical activity of older people in Germany
Published in Karin Volkwein-Caplan, Jasmin Tahmaseb McConatha, Ageing, Physical Activity and Health, 2018
This public discourse about getting older in Germany reveals that today old age and ageing has a broad set of meanings for the elderly, who are expected to enjoy their deserved freedom, have time for leisure activities, actively engage in grand-parenting, engage in community work, or participate in traveling. Only a small minority unconditionally agrees with and lives up to this productive ageing image. Instead, retirement and old age is highly valued by most of our interviewees because of its freedom of self-determination. Denninger et al. (2014) even identify a majority of attitudes that challenge any popular “active ageing” narratives. Focusing on the dimension of physical activities in the active ageing paradigm, Hartmann-Tews, Tischer, and Combrink (2012) contrarily found a relevant proportion of elderly people engaging in physical activities as an important tool to stay fit and healthy in order to play an active role in society.
Health in later life
Published in Liam J. Donaldson, Paul D. Rutter, Donaldsons' Essential Public Health, 2017
Liam J. Donaldson, Paul D. Rutter
The World Health Organization has called for a paradigm shift to a positive vision of ageing. The model of healthy and active ageing is a lifelong process of seizing opportunities to improve and preserve health; physical, social and mental wellness; independence; and quality of life. The European Union has a key political framework to ease the impact of ageing demographics. The model of active ageing encourages activity in later life within a supportive social environment. Healthy ageing is directly affected by social policies designed to prevent poverty in later life, which is still prevalent in many parts of Europe.
The impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on nursing home residents: An occupational perspective
Published in Journal of Occupational Science, 2022
Grace Richardson, Róisín Cleary, Ruth Usher
Among the key barriers to active ageing in nursing homes are deterioration in physical and mental well-being, reduced social contact, and decreased levels of functioning (Fernández-Mayoralas et al., 2015). COVID-19 restrictions may compound these barriers, impacting negatively on nursing home residents’ engagement in active leisure occupations (Ammar et al., 2020; Aubertin-Leheudre & Rolland, 2020). Research shows that older adults, who were relatively active prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, are now leading more sedentary lifestyles as they comply with COVID-19 restrictions (Brooke & Jackson, 2020; Hartmann-Boyce et al., 2020). Older adults who are more mobile tend to retain independence in their daily occupations (Lee et al., 2020). While adults naturally become more frail and less mobile as they age, the rate of this decline increases with excess sedentariness (Blodgett et al., 2015; Del Pozo-Cruz et al., 2017; Gennuso et al., 2016; Lee et al., 2020; McPhee et al., 2016). Thus, increased sedentary time as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions is likely to cause older adults and nursing home residents to become more frail and less mobile over time. The need for older adults to engage in physical activity, avoid sedentary behaviour, and minimise the risk of increased frailty during COVID-19 has been acknowledged (Aubertin-Leheudre & Rolland, 2020; Goethals et al., 2020), however few studies have explored this in a nursing home context, and no studies have done so in Ireland.
Location monitoring of physical activity and participation in community dwelling older people: a scoping review
Published in Disability and Rehabilitation, 2021
Claire Gough, Heather Weber, Stacey George, Anthony Maeder, Lucy Lewis
Social tasks were reported as being prioritized over all others, with individuals going out of their way to locations in order to maintain familiarity with people, often using errands to achieve social goals [34]. This is also demonstrated with travel patterns remaining consistent, caused by the desire to maintain physical and social activity [29]. The environment was considered important for social aspects of participation [32]. Individuals moved outside of their residential tracks over 40% of the time monitored, mainly for shopping, exercising and participating in group activity [58]. The social components of active ageing are interlinked to the majority of facilitators and occasionally barriers with an individual avoiding social interaction whilst out on her walks [32]. These findings demonstrate that for older people, social interaction is a priority which should be noted when designing interventions.
Depopulation in Spain and violation of occupational rights
Published in Journal of Occupational Science, 2021
Ana Alejandra Laborda Soriano, Alba Cambra Aliaga, María Isabel Vidal-Sánchez
For a successful and satisfactory ageing of seniors who live in rural areas, there is a need to know about their occupational needs and adopt the active ageing approach (Clemson & Laver, 2014; COTEC, 2010; Wilcock, 2007). A deeper understanding of senior citizens’ perspective on occupation might provide insights about the relationship among occupation, place, and individuals. At the same time, such knowledge is expected to be useful to conduct occupational interventions in rural areas (Lundgren et al., 2020). The satisfactory engagement of seniors in social occupations and physical and recreational occupations can have a positive influence on the health and well-being of people and their communities (Alegre et al., 2010; Chang et al., 2014; Doble & Santha, 2008). The promotion of social and recreational opportunities that demand cognitive, physical, intellectual, or social skills has been proven to reduce cognitive decline and stimulate physical health (Karp et al., 2006; Smallfield & Molitor, 2018; Wang et al., 2002). Occupational science is in line with the active ageing approach as it fosters policies that develop friendly communities and favour the health and well-being of senior citizens (Zur & Laliberte Rudman, 2013).