bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Direct numerical simulation of wind-wave generation processes
Authors: LIN MEI-YING , MOENG CHIN-HOH , TSAI WU-TING , SULLIVAN PETER P. , BELCHER STEPHEN E.
Published: November 2008

An air–water coupled model is developed to investigate wind-wave generation processes at low wind speed where the surface wind stress is about 0.089 dyn cm−2and the associated surface friction velocities of the air and the water areu*a~8.6 cms−1andu*w~0.3 cms−1, respectively. The air–water coupled model satisfies continuity of velocity and stress at the interface simultaneously, and hence can capture the interaction between air and water motions. Our simulations show that the wavelength of the fastest growing waves agrees with laboratory measurements (λ~8–12 cm) and the wave growth consists of linear and exponential growth stages as suggested by theoretical and experimental studies. Constrained by the linearization of the interfacial boundary conditions, we perform simulations only for a short time period, about 70s; the maximum wave slope of our simulated waves isak~0.01 and the associated wave age isc/u*a~5, which is a slow-moving wave. The effects of waves on turbulence statistics above and below the interface are examined. Sensitivity tests are carried out to investigate the effects of turbulence in the water, surface tension, and the numerical depth of the air domain. The growth rates of the simulated waves are compared to a previous theory for linear growth and to experimental data and previous simulations that used a prescribed wavy surface for exponential growth. In the exponential growth stage, some of the simulated wave growth rates are comparable to previous studies, but some are about 2–3 times larger than previous studies. In the linear growth stage, the simulated wave growth rates for these four simulation runs are about 1–2 times larger than previously predicted. In qualitative agreement with previous theories for slow-moving waves, the mechanisms for the energy transfer from wind to waves in our simulations are mainly from turbulence-induced pressure fluctuations in the linear growth stage and due to the in-phase relationship between wave slope and wave-induced pressure fluctuations in the exponential growth stage.
The effect of confinement on the motion of a single clean bubble
Authors: FIGUEROA-ESPINOZA B. , ZENIT R. , LEGENDRE D.
Published: November 2008

The effect of confining a gas bubble between two parallel walls was investigated for the inertia-dominated regime characterized by high Reynolds and low Weber numbers. Single bubble experiments were performed with non-polar liquids such that the bubble surface could be considered clean; hence, shear free. The drag coefficient was found to be the result of two main effects: the Reynolds number and the confinement. The total drag could be written as the product of the corresponding unconfined drag, which depended mainly on the Reynolds number, and a functionF(s)=1 + κs3. The confinement parameterswas defined as the ratio of the bubble radius to the gap width. The value of the constant κ depended on the way in which the bubbles moved within the gap, which was found to be either in a rectilinear (κ≈8) or oscillatory trajectory (κ≈80). ForRe< 70, and a range of values of the confinement parameter, the bubbles followed a rectilinear path. For this regime, numerical simulations were performed to obtain the drag force on the bubble directly; a reasonable agreement was found with experiments. Moreover, a comparison of these results with a potential-flow-based model indicated that the vorticity produced at the walls induced a significant part of the drag. ForRe> 70, oscillations were observed in the bubble trajectory. In all cases, the oscillation occurred in a zigzag manner. Near the transition the bubbles oscillated but did not reach the walls; for larger Reynolds numbers, the bubbles collided repeatedly with the walls as they ascended. The instability, which is different from the well-known unconfined path instability, resulted from the reversal of sign of the wall-induced lift force: for low Reynolds number, the walls have a stabilizing effect because of the repulsive nature of the lift force between the walls and the bubble, while for high Reynolds number the lift is attractive and trajectories become unstable. Considering a model for the lift force of a bubble moving near a wall, the conditions for the transition were identified. A reasonable agreement between the model and experiments was found.
Steady inlet flow in stenotic geometries: convective and absolute instabilities
Authors: GRIFFITH M. D. , LEWEKE T. , THOMPSON M. C. , HOURIGAN K.
Published: November 2008

Steady inlet flow through a circular tube with an axisymmetric blockage of varying size is studied both numerically and experimentally. The geometry consists of a long, straight tube and a blockage, semicircular in cross-section, serving as a simplified model of an arterial stenosis. The stenosis is characterized by a single parameter, the aim being to highlight fundamental behaviours of constricted flows, in terms of the total blockage. The Reynolds number is varied between 50 and 2500 and the stenosis degree by area between 0.20 and 0.95. Numerically, a spectral-element code is used to obtain the axisymmetric base flow fields, while experimentally, results are obtained for a similar set of geometries, using water as the working fluid. At low Reynolds numbers, the flow is steady and characterized by a jet flow emanating from the contraction, surrounded by an axisymmetric recirculation zone. The effect of a variation in blockage size on the onset and mode of instability is investigated. Linear stability analysis is performed on the simulated axisymmetric base flows, in addition to an analysis of the instability, seemingly convective in nature, observed in the experimental flows. This transition at higher Reynolds numbers to a time-dependent state, characterized by unsteadiness downstream of the blockage, is studied in conjunction with an investigation of the response of steady lower Reynolds number flows to periodic forcing.
Morning breakup of cold pools in complex terrain
Authors: PRINCEVAC M. , FERNANDO H. J. S.
Published: November 2008

Under fair weather conditions, local flow patterns in areas of complex topography are driven by diurnal heating and cooling. If the topography is basin-shaped, downslope flows occurring at night accumulate (pool) in the basin valley to form a stable layer of cold air. During the morning transition, this cold pool is destroyed by the onset of turbulent convection and upslope flow. A series of laboratory experiments was conducted to identify mechanisms responsible for the breakup of cold pools. An idealized V-shaped tank filled with thermally stratified water and heated with an approximately uniform bottom heat flux was used. Temperature measurements and dye visualization were used for flow diagnostics. Mechanisms of cold pool destruction were identified and placed in the context of previously proposed mechanisms. A new mechanism was identified, wherein a dominant intrusion emanating from the upslope flow plays a dynamically important role in cold pool destruction. The results are expected to help develop subgrid parameterizations for meso-scale weather forecasting models, which are notorious for giving poor predictions during the morning transition period in complex terrain.
Magnetic detachment and plume control in escaping magnetized plasma
Authors: SCHMIT P. F. , FISCH N. J.
Published: November 2008

The model of two-fluid, axisymmetric, ambipolar magnetized plasma detachment from thruster guide fields is extended to include plasmas with non-zero injection angular velocity profiles. Certain plasma injection angular velocity profiles are shown to narrow the plasma plume, thereby increasing exhaust efficiency. As an example, we consider a magnetic guide field arising from a simple current ring and demonstrate plasma injection schemes that more than double the fraction of useful exhaust aperture area, more than halve the exhaust plume angle, and enhance magnetized plasma detachment.
Retirement Status Predicting Health Conditions 16 Years Later
Authors: Samuelsson Gillis , Hagberg Bo , Dehlin Ove
Published: November 2008

All 67-year-old pensioners in a primary care district (N = 142) participating in a multi-disciplinary population study were followed until the age of 83. At 83 years of age, 65 persons had survived and continued to take part in the study. Social, psychological and medical factors predicting survival during the period have previously been reported (Samuelsson et al. 1992). In the present analysis, the same variables at age 67 were used to predict health, measured with six different health indicators, at 83 years. The analysis has been performed separately for women and men. Variables at 67 years of age as determinants for health at age 83 have been identified and ranked through successive selection in a step-wise discriminatory analysis. For women, reported diseases at 67 was a very strong predictor but quite the contrary for men. Blood pressure and sleep medication were strong predictors for men but not for women. Psychological factors were more frequently included in the predictive models for women than for men. Social factors were of comparatively less importance for both men and women. There was greater accuracy in the prediction of health for women. The individual variables most often included in the predictive model for women were coping and reported health at age 67. For men, blood pressure, sleep medication and intelligence were the most frequent predictors. The analysis demonstrated clear sex-specific prediction patterns. When comparing predictors for survival and predictors for differentiated health in the same population no similarities were found.
Life After a Death: The Experience of Bereavement in South Wales
Authors: Pickard Susan
Published: November 2008

This paper looks at the experience of bereavement in old age in a South Wales locality and traces the immediate and long-term effects it has on the bereaved. It examines various categories of bereavement – death of spouse, death of the mother, death of a child, siblings and friends, with death of spouse as specially significant. In each category it closely relates the experience of bereavement to the nature of the relationship formerly maintained, arguing that the significance of bereavement can only be appreciated within the context of social structure which defines the meaning of these relationships. It suggests that the special position occupied by female networks in the social structure enables old women to cope with the effects of bereavement more successfully than old men. For both old men and old women however, the special position they occupy with respect to contemporary society gives death a particular and unique resonance.
Social Work and Case Management in the UK: Models of Professionalism and Elderly People
Authors: Hugman Richard
Published: November 2008

Discrimination against old age and work with elderly people are evident in the practices and organisation of caring professions, of which social work may be taken as an example because of its central role in community care provision. This article examines the implications for the status of professional social work with elderly people of recent proposals to develop the role of care manager in place of the case management model developed in Kent and elsewhere. It is argued that such a move derives from managerial concerns, which ignore the likely consequences for retrenching ageism and other forms of discrimination in services for older people. It is concluded that more careful consideration will be required concerning the context in which new professional models are being developed, if these discriminations are not to be reproduced and reinforced, as well as the benefits from case management systems being lost.
The Self as Process in Late-Life Reminiscence: Spiritual Attributes
Authors: Sherman Edmund , Webb Theodore A.
Published: November 2008

Ageing has been referred to as a spiritual journey. Empirical data from gerontological research and paractice literature on the phenomenon of late-life reminiscence reveal a sense of self as process, and ageing as a spiritual journey for a number of older persons. The empirical data experiential reports on reminiscence from the elderly themselves point to a life trajectory of ‘joruney’ of the self that moves from a possessive attachment to an identification with the physical self, significant others, and material belongings to a view of self as a process, as ‘being’ rather than ‘having’ within and as part of a larger process. A process conception of the self derived from William James, contemporary social science, and process theology is delineated to explain the nature of this journey and this process. Two older women who illustrate the process conception of self in their reminiscences are presented, followed by a discussion of the spiritual implications of this conception.
Elderly People with Advanced Cognitive Impairment in England: Resource Use and Costs
Authors: Schneider Justine , Kavanagh Shane , Knapp Martin , Beecham Jeni , Netten Ann
Published: November 2008

This paper describes where elderly people with moderate to severe (‘advanced’) cognitive impairment are living, what resources they use and the costs of these services to different funding agencies. It operationally defines dementia in terms of cognitive impairment and uses the OPCS disability surveys to estimate the prevalence of moderate to severe cognitive impairment in England. The paper goes on to describe services received by this client group on the basis of the same surveys, and costs these by supplementing the data with information from related studies by the PSSRU. Since accommodation is a major cost, the population of elderly people with cognitive impairment is classified according to their place of residence. Thus we are able to estimate the ‘baseline’ global cost of provision for this client group at current prices. We make cost projections at 1991/92 price levels to the national level, and discuss the implications in terms of burdens to different agencies.
Towards a Theory of Dementia Care: The Interpersonal Process
Authors: Kitwood Tom
Published: November 2008

A description of the microstructure of interpersonal processes is developed, based on the analysis of interaction as a succession of reflexive triadic units. This account can be modified in some aspects so as to provide a detailed theory of the process of dementia care. The theory is particularly relevant to moderate and severe dementia, and to formal care settings. A key concept is that of facilitation. The idea of a ‘culture of dementia’ is explored. Cautiously optimistic conclusions are reached about the possibilities for enabling dementia sufferers to remain in a state of relative well-being.
Institutionalisation: Why Blame the Institution?
Authors: Baldwin Norma , Harris John , Kelly Des
Published: November 2008

After noting the centrality of local authority homes for older people in British research on institutionalisation, influential research undertaken in this setting during the 19803 is reviewed. Three problems are identified in this current of research. Firstly, the assumption that there is a uniform process of institutionalisation is questioned. Secondly, the lack of comparative studies is highlighted. Thirdly, the absence of the structured dependency thesis is regarded as indicative of the lack of attention paid to social divisions. In conclusion, it is suggested that the concept of institutionalisation may have outlived its usefulness and that an alternative approach needs to be developed which is capable of focusing on the degree of dependency, independence and interdependence existing in a range of care settings.
Integrating Carers into the Service System: Six Strategic Responses
Authors: Twigg Julia
Published: November 2008

This paper discusses the mechanisms whereby the needs and interests of carers might be integrated into the service delivery system. Over the last decade, informal care has emerged as a major subject for research and discussion, and much work has been undertaken exploring the experiences, burdens and needs of carers. Carers are increasingly recognised as central to community care, but little work has so far addressed the means whereby their needs and interests might be integrated within mainstream service provision. The mechanisms for achieving this are underdeveloped. This paper puts forward six possible strategic responses, and discusses the merits and demerits of each. The responses are: taking evaluation a step further; consumerism; case management; performance or service indicators; rights; and targets. The issues raised in the discussion have relevance beyond the subject of informal care, and address questions that are central to the provision of welfare services generally.
The Long Term Impact of Staying Put
Authors: Leather Philip , Mackintosh Sheila
Published: November 2008

Staying Put projects provide practical help to older home owners with the repair and improvement of their homes. A number of studies have examined the immediate impact of this help on the housing conditions experienced by older people and on their ability to remain living independently in the community, but the extent to which these benefits could last for a long period of time was not known. This paper describes the findings of a study which attempted to examine the longer-term impact of the Staying Put service. A sample of clients helped by Staying Put in the early 1980s were traced and interviewed in order to assess the impact of the assistance received and to examine their current and future housing and care needs. Although the study could not conclusively disentangle the impact of the Staying Put service from other factors influencing the ability of clients to live independently, it concluded that the help received was significant in improving housing conditions over a long period. The study made recommendations which aim to increase the effectiveness of Staying Put projects in the future, including the establishment of a target standard for the housing conditions of clients, the development of mechanisms for continuing contact with clients, and the provision of advice on moving on options where appropriate. More generally, however, the study concluded that more resources to fund services like Staying Put were required from government and from local and health authorities if they were to be more effective in helping clients to live independently.
The Health and Well-being of Jewish People Aged 65 to 85 Years Living at Home in the East End of London
Authors: Bowling Ann , Farquhar Morag
Published: November 2008

Relatively little is known about what has been termed cultural gerontology, or the experience of ageing among members of particular ethnic minority groups. One of the greatest gaps in current knowledge relates to the subjective health status and use of health services among elderly people in ethnic minorities, particularly those who are Jewish. The research results reported here are from a survey of elderly people in City and Hackney, London, of whom 16% were Jewish. They show that Jewish respondents were more likely than other elderly people to report problems with emotional well-being, with mental and physical health and with functional ability (tasks of daily living). Jewish respondents were also more likely to use services, particularly health services, than other respondents. The associations with service use generally remained after health status had been controlled for.
Ageing Anglican Clergy and Performance Indicators in the Rural Church, Compared with the Suburban Church
Authors: Francis Leslie J. , Lankshear David W.
Published: November 2008

This study employs path analysis to examine the relationship between clergy age and certain quantitative indices of church life in two samples: a sample of 1,553 villages and rural communities, ranging in size from 251 to 1,250 inhabitants and a sample of 584 suburban parishes. The data indicate that clergy aged sixty or over working in rural parishes tend to have contact with a smaller number of active church members, as indicated by attendance on a normal Sunday, than younger clergy working within comparable rural parishes, although they maintain contact with the same number of nominal church members, as indicated by the electoral roll and festival communicants. Clergy aged sixty years or over working in suburban parishes, on the other hand, have contact with the same number of active church members as younger clergy working within comparable suburban parishes. These findings are discussed in the light of a growing body of research which suggests that changing patterns of rural ministry may be generating difficulties and stresses for clergy approaching the age of retirement.
Researching Elder Abuse
Authors: Ogg Jim , Munn-Giddings Carol
Published: November 2008

There is a growing interest among several disciplines in the phenomenon of the abuse of elderly people (elder abuse). This article examines how elder abuse is being constructed as a social problem and the particular conceptual difficulties which sets elder abuse apart from other forms of family violence. American elder abuse research findings are discussed focusing upon the difficulties of developing indicators of ‘abuse’ and the consequent problems of comparing findings. A lack of British research on elder abuse is noted and this deficit is examined with reference to the methodological and ethical issues of researching a sensitive topic. The way in which the research process interacts with and influences our understanding of elder abuse is examined in the light of these considerations. The article concludes with a call for greater awareness of these issues in future research on elder abuse.
The Berlin Aging Study (BASE): Overview and Design
Authors: Baltes Paul B. , Mayer Karl Ulrich , Helmchen Hanfried , Steinhagen-Thiessen Elisabeth
Published: November 2008

This article, the introduction to a collection of six related articles, describes the general rationale and design of the Berlin Aging Study (BASE). The distinguishing features of BASE are: (1) a special focus on the very old (70–105 years), (2) broad inter-diciplinarity (medicine, psychiatry, psychology, sociology and economics), and (3) sample heterogeneity achieved by local (West Berlin) representativeness. In addition to discipline-specific topics, four theoretical orientations guide the study: (1) differential ageing, (2) continuity versus discontinuity of ageing, (3) range and limits of plasticity and reserve capacity, and (4) ageing as an inter-disciplinary and systemic phenomenon. To provide a foundation and framework for the remaining articles, this paper outlines the protocols, designs, and measurement procedures of fourteen data collection sessions. In addition, information is given on the samples used for empirical analysis. Two samples from the first wave of the Berlin Aging Study are addressed in this collection of articles. The first (N = 360), uses data from the BASE Intake Assessment Protocol (Session 1). The second (N = 156), employs data from the entire 14-session full protocol of BASE. Selectivity analyses involving 22 comparison variables are reported in this paper and demonstrate that, with the exception of 12-month mortality, these two samples displayed the intended sample heterogeneity. Those results suggest that data from BASE hold high generalizability.
The Differentiation Between Depression and Dementia in the Very Old
Authors: Helmchen Hanfried , Linden Michael
Published: November 2008

Key questions in the psychiatric understanding of elderly people are the development of psychiatric morbidity, its phenomenology in old age, the differentiation between ‘normal’ and ‘pathological’ ageing, the interrelatedness of different types of mental disorders, their relation to somatic morbidity, and their consequences in daily life. Under the hypothesis of the de-differentiation of psychopathological features in old age, the relation between depression and dementia is studied. Contrary to most gerontopsychiatric research, the Berlin Aging Study (BASE) permits an analysis of these questions in a heterogeneous and primarily non-clinical community population. Initial data from the first 360 intake assessments and the first 156 intensively studied participants of BASE are presented. Results show that, even in very old individuals, depression and dementia still exhibit clearly distinctive psychopathological features. Prevalence rates in consecutive age groups show an age-related increase for dementia but not for depression. Nevertheless dementia and depression do not seem to be fully independent, because our data indicate a masking or extinction of depressive symptoms by dementia. Finally, both disorders have a similarly significant negative impact on independence, comparable to that of somatic morbidity.
Contrasting Cultural Profiles between Generations: Interests and Common Activities in Three Intrafamilial Generations
Authors: Kolland Franz
Published: November 2008

This paper is concerned with intercultural relationships within the trigenerational family. As part of our study of sociostructural changes affecting the family, we have looked at these relationships from a basis of the concepts: generation gap and seriality between generations. The information reported in this paper was obtained from twenty inter-generational triads (ten female, six male, four mixed) who were given a series of highly structured and open ended questions by trained interviewers. The results showed significant differences in the definitions of culture given by the three generations. The most important result in analysing ‘taste cultures’ and cultural activities within trigenerational families is that within the trigenerational family there are varying relationship structures and that these are perceived differently by the different generations. This is attributed to an overall process of individualisation in society. The findings indicate that similar taste cultures and shared activities in grandparent-grandchild generations are not common and that consecutive generations resemble each other more in tastes and activities. In general, the position of the old in relation to the youngest generation can be described as remote. Grandparents are not important in the cultural life of young adult grandchildren and vice versa. On the basis of our findings, it would appear that the family is declining as a factor in the sociocultural integration of the elderly.
Elderly Wellbeing and the Psychology of Social Comparison
Authors: Sherrard Carol A.
Published: November 2008

Twenty-two elderly retired people were interviewed for their beliefs about the sources of wellbeing in old age. Manual and Professional social class responses were compared, controlling for age, gender and health status. Respondents' free discourse was characterised by spontaneous social comparisons of the self with other people. In Social Comparison Theory, these serve as a means of self-assessment or wellbeing-enhance-ment. The comparison statements were analysed by Direction, Target, Dimension, and Wellbeing Yield. Significant class differences were apparent. Both groups compared Downward with others on the Dimensions of ageing, longevity, keeping active, security, and money. The Manual group derived less wellbeing from their Downward comparisons, many of which focused on entitlement to money benefits. The Professional group made more Upward comparisons, focusing on the younger self as Target, and yielding neutral or negative wellbeing. The predominant Upward Dimensions were perceived cognitive and physical condition. The Professionals tended to rationalise cognitive decline, but neither group showed psychological defence against physical decline, using social comparison as a means to objective self-assessment rather than self-enhancement.
Spirituality and Personal Well-Being in Old Age
Authors: Marcoen Alfons
Published: November 2008

It is argued that a spiritual outlook on life may help elderly people to cope constructively with the vicissitudes of life. Many persons who are now in late adulthood and old age developed a relationship with a transcendent reality. This relationship is a core element of their global personal well-being. This paper briefly elaborates some thoughts about the relationship between personal well-being and spirituality in old age. Six themes are focused upon: I. personal well-being as a subjective experience of evaluation; 2. psychological, physical, social, material, cultural and existential well-being as components of global personal well-being; 3. religious or humanistic spirituality; 4. a life enhancing relationship with a transcendent reality in old age; 5. spirituality and spiritual growth require self-care and social support; 6. some possible lines of research.
Gender and Adaptation to Widowhood in Later Life
Authors: Stevens Nan
Published: November 2008

Examination of the well-being and living conditions of older widows and widowers reveals ways in which adaptation to loss of the partner in later life is influenced by gender. This article compares the results of two Dutch studies, one on men and one on women between the ages of 60 and 75, living independently and widowed three to five years earlier. The same combination of quantitative and qualitative methods was used in these studies. The results indicate remarkable similarities in the well-being of the widows and widowers. Gender influences the availability of resources such as income, education and freedom from health restrictions, with widowers demonstrating clear advantages compared to widows. In the area of relational resources, widows who are well adapted have more varied sources of support, including close female friends and supportive neighbours in addition to children. Widowers benefit more from the presence of new partners or partner-like relationships; the tendency of many widowers to rely strongly on children is a disadvantage. Few significant differences were found in the relational needs acknowledged by widows and widowers; however, acknowledging the need for intimacy is differentially related to life satisfaction for widowed men and women. An unexpected finding is the effect of gender on life satisfaction, which remains when other variables have been entered into the equation in regression analysis. Several possible interpretations for this gender factor are provided; these involve the possibility of greater diversity in the ways in which women adapt to widowhood, women's special virtuosity in relationships, and a kind of flexibility that is developed in the course of women's lives which helps them adapt to major change later life, despite structural disadvantages in comparison to men.
How Elderly People Rank-Order the Quality Characteristics of Home Services
Authors: Edebalk Per Gunnar , Samuelsson Gillis , Ingvad Bengt
Published: November 2008

Various studies have dealt more or less directly with qualitative questions concerning social services provided in the home. While as a result of such studies the general characteristics of home services of importance to elderly people are quite well known, this is not the case regarding the relative importance assigned to such characteristics. Personal interviews using the ‘Multiattribute Utility Technology’ (MAUT) were used. This procedure organises the attributes in a ‘tree’ structure for comparing the relative importance & ranking of different quality attributes. A random sample of 180 receivers of home-help services aged 65 to 95 and living in a rural, small town and city area were interviewed. The interviewed persons were asked to rank-order according to personal importance each grouping of quality attributes. The relative values of the different qualities were determined, using a scale with a range from 0 to 100 points. Continuity, especially Staff Continuity, was the most important quality attribute together with Suitability and Personal Relation. Availability and Influence were the least important quality attributes. The characteristics studied had largely the same relative importance for all older people, irrespective of category.
The Case of Ivan Ilyitch
Authors: Wilson Robert N.
Published: November 2008

Leo Tolstoy's short story, The Death of Ivan Ilyitch, is considered as a case history of a seriously flawed life and a consequently inept coping with death. Never having truly lived fully, never having been committed to passionate love or work, Ilyitch in his dying review finds his experience absurdly empty. His death comes to be seen as superficial and meaningless, like his life. It is suggested that people need to be educated for life's failures and death's inevitability.
Ageing, Meaning and the Allocation of Resources
Authors: Moody Harry R.
Published: November 2008

Different scenarios for an ageing society presume different approaches to the meaning of old age. One scenario anticipates a Prolongation of Morbidity, where quality of life concerns might permit active euthanasia or suicide as a means of saving money. Those who believe in a Compression of Morbidity opt for health promotion to delay morbidity in favour of productive ageing. Optimists look to a scenario of Lifespan Extension, where scarce health resources are not expended for incremental gains in life expectancy but rather for basic research to postpone or eliminate ageing. Finally, those who emphasize Voluntary Acceptance of Limits identify the meaning of old age with voluntary acceptance of finitude, where claims of future generations might limit longevity for any one generation. Thus, contrasting meanings such as quality of life, productive ageing, indefinite survival and voluntary limits entail very different consequences for the allocation of scarce resources across age-groups and among sub-groups of the elderly population.
An Age-Based Mobilisation: The Emergence of Old Age in American Politics
Authors: Elman Cheryl
Published: November 2008

Older people became a highly visible force in the American politics of the 1930s. The Townsend organisation mobilised one tenth of the U.S. elderly population prior to their direct representation in the polity as an interest group. This article utilises several theoretical social movement models to analyse how and why mobilisation occurred. It demonstrates that many factors, including phenomena associated with the social dimension of age, influenced the mechanisms of mobilisation and the movement's shape. Characteristics of this cohort of older people, including its size, life expectancy, spatial distribution, shared traditions, and symbolic frameworks were conducive to club formation and mobilisation. The period event of the Depression also triggered collective action, by exacerbating trends of changing old-age institutional supports. But the organisation expanded most where it channelled inducements to participants and evoked the cohorts' symbolic frameworks and ideals. Mobilisation also occurred within a political environment, the national stage of U.S. politics, where non-represented interest groups (such as elderly people) find it difficult to receive benefits.
Cognitive Control as a Buffer of War-Induced Stress in a Middle-Aged and Older Israeli Sample
Authors: Prager Edward , Solomon Zahava
Published: November 2008

Three weeks after the outbreak of the Scud Missile crisis residents of Tel Aviv and the outlying regions, aged 50–91 participated in a study the focus of which was the relationship between personal (cognitive) control of the aversive environmental stimuli and (1) distress in areas of mood and affect, and (2) distress in interaction with the social environment. Personal control was measured along two dimensions: perceived control of the situation and attribution of meaning to events and their outcomes. Findings revealed no significant differences between age categories in levels of cognitive control or in levels of distress. Situation control emerged as the most significant variable in explaining variation in distress scores. Attribution of meaning, though significantly related to situation control, was only a moderately significant predictor of interaction distress. The findings support the thesis that the existence of a causal link between life events and psychological equilibrium makes theoretical sense only when the cognitive structure of such events for individuals is considered.
Age-Associated Memory Impairment: A Suitable Case for Treatment?
Authors: Deary Ian J.
Published: November 2008

The provisional criteria for age-associated memory impairment (AAMI) attempt to define a potentially treatable decline in mental function found in people over 50 years of age. It is suggested here that the present criteria are likely to apply to a large proportion of those over age 50 in the population. From a psychometric viewpoint the criteria have several short-comings that are detailed. Finally, the social and ethical problems of the wider use of such a diagnosis are adumbrated.
Voices of Experience: Talk, Identity and Membership in Reminiscence Groups
Authors: Buchanan Kevin , Middleton David
Published: November 2008

This paper presents a discourse analysis of talk in reminiscence groups. Two main issues are addressed. First, we examine how speakers' identities are accomplished through the way they position themselves in social relationships and social practices of ‘remembered pasts’. Particular analytical attention is given to how people claim entitlements to the significance and consequences of their lived experience. Second, issues of membership are examined through the way people index their engagement in the narrative environment accomplished in reminiscence group talk. Finally, we are concerned with how these narratives contribute to a ‘reconstitution’ of understandings in common about cultural and moral orders of remembered pasts and the historical era in which the reported events, experiences and practices took place. Our analysis aims to demonstrate how reminiscence work affords a context for ‘re-membering’ where older people on their own behalf can work entitlements to voice the consequences of their experiences of life.
Elderly Married Persons Living in Long Term Care Institutions: A Qualitative Analysis of Feelings
Authors: Gladstone James W.
Published: November 2008

This paper focuses on the feelings that institutionalised and community-dwelling spouses have in regard to their own or their spouse's living in a long-term care facility. Qualitative data were gathered from 161 married respondents. Themes associated with positive feelings included: benefit to self, benefits to spouse, reappraisal of self as caregiver, and appraisal of institutionalisation. Themes associated with negative feelings included: concern about institutionalised partner's care, tension with staff, stress associated with visiting, loss of purpose, loneliness, privacy, and tissues related to the marital relationship. Data indicate that feelings about institutionalisation must be analysed in various contexts. Implications for service delivery are discussed.
Citizenship and Old Age: The End of the Road?
Authors: Higgs Paul
Published: November 2008

This paper is concerned with the interlinked issues of citizenship and the structured dependency of older people within Social Gerontology. It argues that implicit in much British Social Gerontology is a strategy of advancing the wellbeing of elderly people through the extension of citizenship rights. Absence of these rights leads to poverty, exclusion and ageism being commonplace experiences of large sections of the older population. This approach draws heavily on the ideas regarding social citizenship of T. H. Marshall who has influenced much mainstream social policy in Britain since 1945. Changes to the Welfare State since 1979 have seriously questioned the validity of this approach and many of these criticisms apply to the structured dependency approach. Recent work on citizenship can help us to see how the relationship between old age and citizenship has changed and how far theory in social gerontology needs to change to take account of these new circumstances.
Behavioural Problems and Distress among Caregivers of People with Dementia
Authors: Chappell Neena L. , Penning Margaret
Published: November 2008

This paper seeks to identify specific problem behaviours related to the distress experienced by informal caregivers of dementia victims. Analyses are conducted using a random sample of caregivers rather than a restricted clinical sample. Distress is measured in terms of both depression and caregiver burden. The findings reveal that specific behaviours on the part of the care receiver are strong correlates of the distress experienced by caregivers. In particular, aimlessness, aggressive behaviours, forgetfulness, and restlessness are correlated with heightened feelings of burden. Apathy or a lack of interest in daily activities is strongly correlated with both feelings of burden and depression. The identification of specific problem behaviours suggests where efforts should be placed in order to alleviate the distress experienced by informal caregivers.
Living Alone towards the End of Life
Authors: Seale Clive
Published: November 2008

Drawing on the accounts given by 163 relatives, friends and others who knew a sample of people who lived alone in the last twelve months of their lives, this paper examines a variety of strategies used by speakers to maintain their moral identities. Respondents sought to locate themselves as members of a community of care by stressing their activity in surveillance of the living conditions of those who lived alone, describing their part in the orchestration of help by members of a team of professional and lay carers, and in conducting negotiations over the placement in institutions of people who failed to maintain adequate reputations for independent living. A variety of strategies for justifying or excusing placement decisions—including criticisms of the behaviour of the people who lived alone—are described. At the same time, the accounts are read as a resource for understanding the perspective of the people who lived alone. People who live alone towards the end of life face particularly pressing threats to their capacity to maintain meaning and purpose. Declining physical capacity threatens loss of control and the onset of social death, conspiring to undermine ontological security. The struggle to maintain a reputation for independence in the face of neighbourly surveillance for signs of slippage is described. The paper concludes by identifying a central dilemma for carers: how to provide care that allows its recipient to manage self-identity independently.
Continuity and Change in the Study of Family Relationships
Authors: Jerrome Dorothy
Published: November 2008

Recent work on family life in old age may be considered in several dimensions. First, it encompasses different substantive areas: parentchild relationships, care-giving, changing family forms. Second, it involves different types of discourse, which variously reflect social policy considerations, legal and ethical debates, academic discourses and prescriptive writing for professionals and older people. A third dimension consists of methodological and theoretical variations. These include synchronic and life history approaches, quantitative and qualitative methods, positivistic and phenomenological research paradigms, and cross-cultural and historical comparisons.
Older People with Learning Difficulties Leaving Institutional Care—A Case of Double Jeopardy
Authors: Walker Alan , Walker Carol , Ryan Tony
Published: November 2008

People with learning difficulties are now surviving into old age and more and more of them are being resettled from long-stay hospitals. The main purpose of this article is to examine some of the key barriers facing, and dilemmas involved in, the provision of community-based services to this newly emerging user group. The findings of some recent field research on older people with learning difficulties who have been resettled into the community are used to illustrate the challenges facing service providers. Particular reference is made to the impact of age discrimination and traditional differences between service specialisms. The article shows that both official definitions of need in old age and the aspirations of the service responses to those needs have been artificially constructed in very narrow terms, especially when compared with the principled approach to service provision for younger people with learning difficulties. In conclusion, therefore, it is argued that the principles underpinning services for people with learning difficulties, such as normalisation, should be applied to older people as well.
Images of Old Age in the Hong Kong Print Media
Authors: Gibb Heather , Holroyd Eleanor
Published: November 2008

The present study set out to identify how the experience of being old in Hong Kong is represented through images commonly recurring in the print media. A case is presented for how the media not only reflect social images and views on ageing, but actively participate in the social construction of views about being old. Two newspapers in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post (English medium) and the Sin Tao (Chinese medium), were surveyed and contents of stories depicting old age were analyzed, using a qualitative and quantitative methodological design. Dominant amongst the themes was vulnerability in old age. Newspapers used stories according to journalistic formulae to present both negative and positive depictions of old age; however, positive stories carried a sense of the exceptional rather than ordinary life. Results were analysed through a comparison between the two Hong Kong newspapers as well as a comparison with a similar study undertaken on the Australian print media.
The Mask of Dementia: Images of ‘Demented Residents’ in a Nursing Ward
Authors: Golander Hava , Raz Aviad E.
Published: November 2008

A description of the social construction of dementia among elderly residents of a nursing ward is offered, based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in an Israeli geriatric centre. This account focuses on the construction of positive social identities and the ascription of roles for residents labelled as ‘demented’. The findings illustrate the split between personal and social identity in dementia. The applicability of conventional socio-psychological constructs such as ‘I’ and ‘me’ regarding dementia is questioned, as the spoken manifestations of these constructs is critically examined from a symbolic interactionist perspective.
Measuring the Social-Care Service Needs of Impaired Elderly People in Japan
Authors: Nakano Ikuko , Shimizu Y. , Hiraoka K. , Nakatani Y. , Wake J. , Honma A. , Okamoto T. , Izumo Y.
Published: November 2008

This study aims to measure objectively and/or estimate the needs of impaired elderly persons and their families for social care services. The research was carried out in Maebashi, a medium size Japanese city. In our study, ‘impaired elderly persons’ included both physically and/or mentally impaired persons. In total, 693 impaired elderly persons and their families were classified according to 20 specific types of need: these ‘need types’ were cross-tabulated with two sets of factors: (1) Severity of impairments and (2) Difficulty of caregivers in providing the required care. A standard model of the service provision necessary for each ‘need type’ was established through group consultation with social care service professionals. Finally, the total amount of each service required in the city was calculated. Major findings are: (1) Our estimates indicate that 7.1 per cent of all persons 65 and over residing in Maebashi City were physically and/or mentally impaired to a certain degree. (2) Forty per cent of these elderly people were being cared for by caregivers who themselves had serious difficulties. (3) The demand for social care services in local Japanese cities is high. In order for this demand to be met a substantial expansion of both nursing home care and in-home care services is required.