Active ageing in vital villages

Active ageing in vital villages

Frans Thissen

Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies

OutlineMy contribution: Opinions about active ageing

and vital villages Concepts about:

Ageing Villages

Diversity of older people

Relevant characteristics of villages

Possible contributions of older inhabitants

Your contribution: Your personal opinion

Diversity of older people in your country

Relevant characteristics of villages in your country

Possible contributions of older inhabitants in your country

Active ageing in Vital villages 2


Introduction

Human Geographer Relation Man - Environment Main topics

Villages Older people

Research projects about older people

The experience of being old myselfYoung Adults have not ‘been there’. ‘Being old’ creates the potential of empathy, recognition, sharing and understanding.

.


Active ageing Growing Old: Loss Loss of health

(biological) Loss of social roles

(social-cultural) Loss of social capital

(functional social resources)

Active ageing The ability to cope with

loss Older people as active

agents

Vital villages

Wulvergem

Loil

55Active ageing in Vital villages


What are your personal opinions about:

Active ageing? .. .. .. .. .. ..

Vital villages? .. .. .. .. .. ..

Concepts

Vulnerability Environment (village)

Demanding (environmental stress) Supporting (community care)

Person-environment fit of older people

Social vitality of villages


Vulnerability (1)

Definition: “aggregate of all factors that negatively affect independent functioning in daily life”

Balance between burden vs. bearing capacity

Multidimensional concept with cumulative effects


Vulnerability (2)Three dimensions: Individual: personal functional

dependency Personal health status Behavioural consequences (Instrumental) activities of daily

living: (I)ADL, measures of independent functioning

Household: resources Presence of other people Adequacy of household income

Environment Demanding vs. supportive

character of the environment Older people are active agents


Village as a demanding environment: environmental stress

Environmental stress: process in which people experience emotional distress in relationship to environmental exposures

Measuring environmental stress1. Dissatisfaction with the neighbourhood2. Feelings of safety

Dependent older adults with few household resources experience high levels of environmental stress in demanding villages, while feeling satisfied and safe in less demanding villages


Village as a supportive environmentVulnerable older people in demanding villages receiving informal care experience less environmental stress than older people receiving formal care (community care)

Older people contribute also to the local quality of life (social support networks, reciprocity)

Meaning of ‘community’ is changed



Receiving care and/or giving care

01020304050607080

16-30 31-50 51-64 65-74 75+

%

geen alleen ontvangen alleen geven beide

Person-environment fit

Dimensions of person-environment fit for older people Housing and care: quality dwellings, public domain and

access to services: Self reliance Wellbeing : Feelings of belonging and identity

Opinions about person-environment fit and the own contribution: Opinions about housing, care and well being Own contribution with respect to housing, care and

wellbeingActive ageing in Vital villages 13


Social vitality of villages (1)definition and images A social vital village is a village where residents put

themselves out for each other and their environment, where new residents feel they belong and where people know how to find their way so that new initiatives can get off the ground

Stereotypical and contradictory images about (older) people in rural areas Positive: active as volunteers, in clubs, vivid cultural

traditions Negative: closed conservative attitude


Social vitality of villages (2) What is needed ?

1. Sufficient quality of the residential function (dwellings and residential environment)

2. Meeting places ‘open’ to all residents (‘third places’)3. Social capital (to bond and to bridge): characteristics

of social relations (inhabitants with large networks) that result in valuable things for the village

4. Active orientation of inhabitants on a changing identity: ‘storytelling’



Older people: a growing diversity Age / Cohort or date of birth

Young old and old old Older people born till 1945, born after 1945

Migration history Social support network Geographical differences

National (culture and institutional) Rural / urban Regional (wealth and culture)


Age

0,0%

10,0%

20,0%

30,0%

40,0%

50,0%

60,0%

70,0%

80,0%

90,0%

100,0%

55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89

Ego of partner betaald w erk Thuisw onende kinderenGeen partner Ego of partner slecht ter beenVerminderde zelfstandigheid huishouden Geen auto in bezit van huishouden


Cohort

0,0%

10,0%

20,0%

30,0%

40,0%

50,0%

60,0%

70,0%

80,0%

90,0%

100,0%

Hoog opleidingsniveau huishouden Betaalde arbeid vrouwRijbew ijs vrouw Bezit PCBezit auto


Diversity in villages in your country?

Young old, born before WW II

Old old, born

before WW II

Young old, born

after WW II

Old old, born after

WW II


National differences (OPERA, 1989)

% UK NL BRD GDR POL HUN

Livingalone

35 21 23 29 17 31

Onegeneration

82 83 50 61 34 65

Child incommunity

46 49 87 81 87 83

Social-support networks

Family dependent

Locally integrated

Locally self-contained

Wider community focussed

Private restricted

Soc

ial S

uppo

rt N

etw

ork

Type

(acc

ordi

ng to

Wen

ger,

1991

)

0.0 10.0 20.0 30.0 40.0 50.0

2009 1995



Important characteristics of villages for the person-environment fit of older people?


Old old, born

before WW II

Young old, born

after WW II

Old old, born after

WW II


What is important for person-environment fit of older people in villages?

0,0 20,0 40,0 60,0 80,0 100,0

Wonen in deze streek

Wonen in de buurt van kinderen en familie

Een mooie omgeving

Een omgeving die me vertrouwd is

Een rustige omgeving

Dichtbij winkels en andere voorzieningen

Wonen in dit dorp

Een veilige omgeving

Dichtbij strand en duinen

Een levendige omgeving

Dichtbij een zorgcentrum ofdienstencentrum

Belangrijk Zeer belangrijk

Eastern Gelderland

25Active ageing in Vital villages


Possible contributions of older inhabitants to the person-environment fit of older people in villages?


Old old, born

before WW II

Young old, born

after WW II

Old old, born after

WW II


Four situations of person-environment fit

vulnerable successfultraditional 2 1modern 3 4


Traditional successful: Nel 75 years Lives 50 years in small village M. Married with farmer Active in community life (choir, noaberschap, dialect) Feels perfectly at home Feels safe

“I leave the keys in my car and everybody could take the car and I let all the doors open and there is always coffee for anybody who drops in”


Traditional vulnerable: Corrie 86 years Wheelchair 45 years in industrial village B. Low involvement in community life Knows less and less people Feels unsafe

“The tight community is still there but has gone underground”


Modern vulnerable: Anna

68 years 34 years in small village L. Active in social activities outside village (tennis,

classical music) Few contacts in village Feels not at home Feels unsafe

“L. does not feel as ‘my’ village”


Modern successful: Marjan 68 years Born in large village K., but lived longtime outside village Active in aqua fitness, badminton and voluntary work (Third

World shop, Red Cross, local crafts) in village Helps people, knows many people in village Feels at home Feels safe Actively anticipates on later life in village

“I have spotted my future house in the village”


Conceptualization and measurement of person-environment fit of older people in small villages

Self

reliance

General opinion about self-reliance Own contribution:Housing Opinion about dwelling

Opinion about residential environment Opinion about characteristics of the

residential environment (facilities, safety, inhabitants, attractiveness)

Recent activities aimed at better person-environment fit: Moving, changes to dwelling, activities aimed at better fit with respect to residential environment

Care Opinion about formal care Opinion about informal care of family Opinion about informal care of neighbours Opinion about informal care of friends

Recent activities with respect to self-care, informal care, volunteering, helping family, friends and neighbours

Feeling at home

General opinion about feeling at home Own contribution:Well-being

Loneliness Place attachment:

o Social (social integration)o Physical (esthetical and emotional)o Historical (relation developed in time)

Identification: relation between own lifestyle and place identity

Recent activities with respect to social integration, the physical quality of the village, historical consciousness, attuning lifestyle and place

Active ageing in vital villages

Frans Thissen

Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies

Documents

Active ageing in vital villages