Future of Ageing in Europe (eBook)

Alan Walker is Professor of Social Policy and Social Gerontology at the University of Sheffield, UK. He has been researching and writing on aspects of ageing and social policy for more than 40 years. He has directed several major national and European research programmes and projects. In 2007 he was given Lifetime Achievement Awards by both the Social Policy Association and the British Society of Gerontology. In 2011 he was awarded the European Association of Gerontology’s first Medal and Honorary Diploma for Advances in Gerontology and Geriatrics (Social and Behavioural Sciences). He was the Economic and Social Research Councils’ first Impact Champion in 2013, was appointed CBE for Services to Social Science in 2014, and made a Fellow of the Gerontology Society of American in 2016.

Preface 6
Contents 8
List of Figures 10
List of Tables 13
1: Introduction 14
MOPACT 15
Centrality of Active Ageing 18
Social Innovation 21
Ageing Europe 23
The Active Ageing Index 26
Introducing the Book 29
Conclusion 39
References 39
2: Strategies of Active Ageing in Europe 42
Introduction 42
Policy-Relevant Knowledge Synthesised from MOPACT 45
Challenges Ahead 45
Old and Living Alone 45
Healthy Life Expectancy 46
Long-Term Care 46
Active Citizenship and Political Participation 47
Tapping the Silver Economy 47
Unleashing Social Innovation 47
Key Policy-Relevant Findings from MOPACT 48
Active Ageing Rising Across EU Member States 48
Greater Challenges for Central European Countries 48
Greater Risks of Social Exclusion in Older Age 49
Ageing Is Not Inevitably Linked to Chronic Diseases 49
EU Institutions Playing an Important Role but More Is Required 50
Five Prerequisites for Realising Active Ageing in Europe 50
Major Policy Priorities and Instruments 51
Goal 1: Ensuring Economic and Social Sustainability 51
Goal 2: Promoting Health and Well-Being in Later Life 51
Goal 3: Provision of Adequate Person-Centred Long-Term Care 52
Goal 4: Adopt Modern Technologies for Efficiency and Effectiveness 52
Goal 5: Engagement of Older Persons in Social, Cultural, and Civic Activities 52
Strategies for Clusters of EU Countries 53
Low-Scoring Countries 53
Middle-Scoring Countries 57
High-Scoring Countries 60
Conclusions 62
References 63
3: Achieving Economic Sustainability in Ageing Societies 66
Introduction 66
A Snapshot of Demographic Trends and Economic Effects of Population Ageing 68
Recent Trends in Demographics 68
The Main Economic Effects of Population Ageing 69
Population Ageing, Economic Growth and Secular Stagnation 72
New Results on Demographics and Economics of Population Ageing 73
Traditional Measures of Population Ageing Are Problematic 73
Number of Older People Living Alone Grows Strongly 75
Reducing Fiscal Costs of Population Ageing 78
Fiscal Sustainability and Redistribution 83
Policy Conclusions 85
References 87
4: Effective and Sustainable Private Pensions 91
Introduction 91
The Key Challenges 93
Optimal Contribution, Drawdown, Investment, and Insurance 95
Introduction: Unbundling 95
Savings and Investment Decisions in the Accumulation Phase 97
Dissaving, Investment, and Insurance Decisions in the Decumulation Phase 99
Dissaving, Investment, and Insurance Decisions in the Decumulation Phase in Case of Habit Formation 102
Dissaving, Investment, and Insurance Decisions in the Decumulation Phase in Case of Income Guarantees 104
Individual Pension Decision-Making 106
Financial Literacy and Pension Literacy 106
Financial Literacy 106
Pension Literacy 108
Choice Architecture 109
Implications for Policy and Practice 111
Further Research Priorities 114
Conclusions 115
References 116
5: Extending Working Lives 119
Introduction 119
The Key Challenges 120
Research Activities and Objectives 121
The National Policy Level and Recommendations for an Action Plan 123
Adapting National Retirement Policies 123
Raising Legal Retirement Ages in Combination with Financial Incentives/Disincentives 123
Closing/Complicating Early Exit Pathways/Retirement Schemes 123
Deepening Social Inequalities 125
Lessons To Be Learnt 125
Partial Retirement/Partial Pension Schemes 126
Lessons To Be Learnt 127
Work Beyond Legal Retirement Age (Silver Work) 127
Lessons To Be Learnt 128
Promotion of Self-Employment 129
Employment Protection Against Dismissal 130
Anti-age Discrimination Legislation 131
Wage Subsidies 131
Active Labour Market Policies for the Older Unemployed 132
Health Protection, Promotion, and Prevention of Disability 133
Occupational Health Policies 133
Disability and Rehabilitation Policies 134
Lessons To Be Learnt 135
Work-Life Balance and Life-Course-Oriented Policies 136
Life-Course Orientation in Employment Policies—To Make Working Life More Flexible 136
The Case of Reconciling Work and Care 137
Informal Work/Social Volunteering in Combination with Paid Work 137
Lessons To Be Learnt 138
Awareness, Information, and Counselling Policies 138
Country-Targeting National/Public Programmes 138
Company-Targeting National Strategies 139
Lessons To Be Learnt 139
The Meso/Company Level 140
Different Understanding of Social Innovation 140
Spheres of Activities 140
Drivers of and Barriers Against Extending Working Lives of Older Staff Members 141
Conclusions and Overall Lessons To Be Learnt 143
Lifelong (Vocational) Learning 145
State of the Art 145
Lessons To Be Learnt 147
Final Conclusions 148
References 150
6: Healthy Life Years and Social Engagement 155
Introduction 155
Changing Demographics 156
Social Engagement 157
The Disablement Process 157
Approach 158
Phase 1: Trends in Healthy Life Expectancy 159
Life Expectancy With and Without Activity Limitations from 50, 65 and 85 Years of Age 159
The Prevalence of Long-Term Severe Activity Limitations by Five-Year Age Category 162
Conclusions on Healthy Life Expectancy 165
Phase 2: Determinants of Social Involvement in Older People with Poor Health 167
Determinants of Social Participation in Older People With and Without Multimorbidity 168
Conclusions on Determinants of Social Participation 172
Phase 3: Fostering Social Engagement on the Meso-Level 172
Phase 4: Fostering Social Engagement on the Macro-Level 177
Phase 5: Projections of Healthy Life Expectancy 181
Implications 183
Research Priorities 184
References 185
7: Improving Health in Later Life: How a Life Course Approach Could Improve Health and Well-Being in Old Age 189
Introduction 189
The Key Challenges 191
State-of-the-Art Biogerontology from Womb to Tomb 191
Foetal Life 192
Infancy and Childhood 194
Adolescence 195
Adulthood 196
Lifestyle Anti-ageing Interventions 197
Dietary Interventions 197
Physical Activity 200
Vaccination 201
Pharmacological Anti-ageing Interventions in Development 202
Popular Anti-ageing Interventions with Questionable Evidence 205
Elderly: What Can Still Be Done 207
Major New Findings Within Mopact 209
Prevention 209
Intervention 210
Translation 210
Implications for Policy and Practice 211
Further Research Priorities 213
Conclusion 214
References 214
8: Technology for All 228
Introduction 228
The Key Challenge: ICTs, Age-Friendly Housing, and Mobility for All? 231
ICT 231
Housing 236
Mobility 237
The Deployment Gap 243
ICTs for Active Ageing as a Push Factor for the ‘Silver Economy’ 243
Overcoming the Deployment Gap 244
Implications for Policy and Practice 253
Further Research Priorities 257
Conclusions 258
References 261
9: Social Support and Long-Term Care for Older People: The Potential for Social Innovation and Active Ageing 265
Introduction 265
The Key Challenges with Regard to LTC in Europe 267
Socio-Demographic Developments and Their Consequences for LTC 267
The Heterogeneity of LTC Systems in Europe: The Role of Care-Regimes 269
The Concepts of Social Innovation and Active Ageing in Relation to LTC 272
Social Innovation 272
Active Ageing 273
Potential for Active Ageing through Social Innovation in LTC and Social Support 275
Drivers and Barriers of Social Innovation in LTC 275
Areas with the Greatest Potential and Need for Social Innovation in LTC 279
Establishing and Expanding LTC as a System 279
Shifting LTC Systems Towards Community-Based Care 280
Facilitating the Integration and Coordination of LTC Systems 282
Creating and Improving Employment in LTC 285
Conclusion 288
References 291
10: Promoting the Political Inclusion and Participation of Older People: Social, Psychological and Institutional Perspectives 297
Introduction 298
The Political Participation of Older People in Europe: Towards a More Comprehensive Framework of Analysis 299
The Political Participation of Older People from a Life-Course Perspective 300
The Importance of Social Representations 302
From Supply to Demand: Participatory Approaches for the Involvement of Older People in Policy-Making 303
Promoting the Political Inclusion and Participation of Older People: New Insights 305
Political Participation Tends to Remain Stable over the Life Course, with Some Crucial Exceptions 305
Cross-National Variations Matter 307
Prescriptive Norms About the Role of Older People in Society Impact on Ageing Stereotypes and Behaviours Towards Older People 308
Print Media Plays an Important Role in the (Re)production of Prescriptive Norms About the Role of Older People in Society 309
Policy Makers Tend to Favour a More Consultative Approach When Involving Older People in Policy-Making 310
Guidelines for Enhancing the Participation of Older People in Policy-Making 310
Conclusion 312
References 315
11: Conclusion: Realising Active Ageing 318
Introduction 318
Key Findings 319
Strategies of Active Ageing in Europe 319
Economic Sustainability 320
Improving Private Pensions and Retirement Planning 321
Extending Working Lives 321
Participation, Health, and Well-Being 323
Staying Healthy in Old Age 324
Built and Technological Environments 324
Long-Term Care 326
Political Inclusion and Participation 327
Major Policy Priorities 328
Goal 1: Ensuring Economic and Social Sustainability 328
Goal 2: Promoting Health and Well-Being in Later Life 329
Goal 3: Provision of Adequate Person-Centred Care 329
Goal 4: Adoption of Modern Technologies 329
Goal 5: Increased Engagement of Older People in Social, Cultural and Civic Activities 330
Re-focusing Active Ageing Policy 330
Active Ageing in Europe 330
The Promise of Active Ageing 332
Realising the Promise 334
References 336