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three - From ‘active’ to ‘capable’: a capability framework for policy and practice on ageing and later life
- Edited by Mara A. Yerkes, Universiteit Utrecht, Jana Javornik, University of Leeds, Anna Kurowska, Uniwersytet Warszawski Instytut Ameryk i Europy
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- Book:
- Social Policy and the Capability Approach
- Published by:
- Bristol University Press
- Published online:
- 30 April 2022
- Print publication:
- 26 June 2019, pp 41-60
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- Chapter
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Summary
Introduction
Population ageing has raised several critical issues for multiple social policy domains, including pensions, healthcare and longterm care. In the European Union (EU), the dominant policy framework designed to address the challenges of population ageing is called ‘active ageing’ (AA). There is no consensus around what exactly AA means, but it usually refers to the idea of exhorting older people to engage in relevant economic and social activities and to be independent and autonomous. The ‘Council Declaration on the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations’ (Council of the European Union, 2012), hereinafter referred to as ‘Council Declaration’, expects that the EU policy on AA will improve productivity, enhance solidarity between generations and contribute to promoting employment and reducing poverty and social exclusion, helping in this way to meet the targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy.
However, the EU policy on AA exhibits several limitations that compromise the promotion of the older people's wellbeing and quality of life. This chapter proposes the adoption of an alternative framework for developing policies and practices to deal with the challenges of population ageing. This framework is based on the capability approach (CA) and is constituted by eight principles that, taken as a whole, shift the ‘normative reference point’ (see Chapter One, this volume) from activity (mainly economic and social activity) to the real opportunities older people have (their capabilities) to do what they value and be the persons they want to be. In the ambit of this framework, policy and professional practice must focus on the promotion of the older people's wellbeing by intervening in those factors that enhance/undermine their capabilities. This entails a more flexible, multidimensional and more supportive approach to old-age policy, without imposing a priori importance on certain policy domains and without an exclusive focus on individual responsibility.
European Union policy on active ageing
Although we can establish the European Year of Older People, in 1993, as the first milestone in the emergence of a specific EU policy on AA (due to the emphasis that was put on the theme of older people's active participation in society), we had to wait almost 20 years to see the definitive institutionalisation of this policy with the celebration, in 2012, of the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations.
On studying ageism in long-term care: a systematic review of the literature
- José Manuel Sousa de São José, Carla Alexandra Filipe Amado
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- Journal:
- International Psychogeriatrics / Volume 29 / Issue 3 / March 2017
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 17 November 2016, pp. 373-387
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- Article
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Background: Ageism in long-term care is pervasive, but it is not easy to define, to identify and to fight it in practice. These difficulties could be overcome if we develop research capable to conceptualize, detect, measure, and understand the multidimensionality and complexity of ageism. Nevertheless, to achieve this, it is fundamental to know how ageism in long-term care has been previously studied.
Methods: This paper systematically reviews studies on ageism in long-term care services published before October 2015 and indexed in Web of Science, PubMed, and Social Care Online electronic databases. Electronic searches were complemented with visual scanning of reference lists and hand searching of leading journals in the field of gerontology. Four specific review questions were addressed: Which analytical angles (aetiology, prevalence, manifestations, consequences, and interventions) have been explored? Which theories and concepts have been used? Which methods have been employed? Which variants of ageism have been covered?
Results: Studies have focused mainly on the manifestations, etiology, and prevalence of ageism, neglecting its consequences and the interventions to tackle it; a significant number of studies used scales of ageism which, despite being appropriate considering the aims of the research, present important limitations; most studies have focused on residential services, neglecting non-residential services; some of the variants of ageism have been well covered, while implicit and self-ageism have been under-explored.
Conclusions: Research on ageism in long-term care services is scarce but important. Much has been done but much remains to be done. An agenda for future research is presented.