Current Discussion

Scholars interested in aging sometimes distinguish between the socially constructed categories of the “Third Age,” a fulfilling period in the life course in which older adults experience engaged and active lives in retirement, and the “Fourth Age,” a dreaded period characterized by the decline and disease of those who are “old old.”

The rapid pace of population aging around the globe is stimulating searches for innovative solutions that will help us to create positive answers to this challenge. In recent years, various important and interesting technological and social innovations have been created. However, the dissemination and implementation of best practices is a challenge in itself.

Written by Emilie Raymond June 12, 2016 The concept of social participation has become central in aging policy since the 2000s, framing a new trajectory for older people in terms…

Back in my graduate studies, I remember discovering Nancy Fraser’s (1997) book Justice Interruptus, and in particular, her work on recognition and redistribution. The idea that justice requires both has stuck with me over the years, and is certainly relevant when thinking about homelessness in later life.

The concept of home is now being taken up by many long-term care facilities who wish to provide comfortable living arrangements for their residents. In terms of care policies, the notion of ‘home’ also tends to be idealized in both regulated and unregulated settings (Peace & Holland, 2001; Braedley & Martel, 2015).

Historical, social, and political determinants put Indigenous people at a high risk for experiencing poor health as they age. As a population, they live less long than their mainstream counterparts, and have disproportionately high risk factors for chronic disease.

Dressing, personal care and eating are the stuff of everyday life. These activities are so essential that disability activists and scholars argue receiving help with these tasks should be seen as a fundamental right.

‘Doing age’ refers to how individuals construct age in terms of actions and interactions with others. ‘Doing age’ made me think: how do our daily practices throughout the life course impact how we will experience later life?

Last week I had the experience of attending a virtual dementia tour, which was eye-opening and inspiring- yet troubling in terms of ‘representing dementia’. We were greeted by a series of people who immediately sat us down and told us that we were going to learn what it’s like to be old, living with dementia, and residing in a long-term care institution.

Within social gerontological research, there has been an overwhelming focus on the care needs of older people experiencing physical and cognitive declines. Implicit in discussions of eldercare are questions of dependency, power, and the use and control of resources.