9 TWO Theorising time and space in social gerontology The themes of time and space occupy a central place within social gerontology (Baars 2015), however, these are generally implicit and often poorly theorised by researchers and writers in the field. Yet the ways in which we understand time, space and the interconnections between them impact on the ways we frame ageing and later life. As conceptions of time and space change so too do our theories of ageing. As a result, it is important to critically assess the time-spaces employed in social gerontology
1 1 Precarity and ageing: new perspectives for social gerontology Amanda Grenier, Chris Phillipson and Richard A. Settersten Jr Introduction This book examines some of the challenges facing older people, given a context of rising life expectancy, cuts to the welfare state, and widening economic and social inequalities. Although cultural representations and policy discourses depict older people as a group healthier and more prosperous than ever, many older people experience ageing amid insecurities that emerge in later life or are carried forward as a
9 TWO The need for theory, critical thinking and practice This book is concerned with theory, policy and practice in safeguarding older people from abuse. The theoretical bolstering to this includes social gerontology and policy studies. The present chapter does not develop a case for one theoretical perspective over another. Rather its purpose is to make a case for theory-informed and critically driven understandings and interventions in safeguarding older people from abuse. The chapter’s first section sets out ‘the case for theory’, describing what is
1 ONE Introduction Misa Izuhara Changing social contexts At the turn of the millennium, relations between generations continue to evolve, shift or even be reinforced in order to cope with the increasing domestic and global pressures which individuals and families are now facing in a globalising world. Relationships between generations have never been static, but the dynamic nature of such social ties within families has always attracted ample research interests. In Western academic circles, the 1990s was a recent period in social gerontology when a
? Socia-economic implications of recent shifts in age structure'. Demography, Vol. 15 (4): 397-432. Ermisch, J. (1990) Fewer babies, longer lives, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Evandrou. M. and Victor, C. (1987) 'Does social class matter in later life?' in di Gregorio, S. (ed) Social gerontology: new directions, London: Croom Helm, pp.252-267. Falkingham, J. (1989) 'Dependency and ageing in Britain: a re-examination of the evidence', Journal of Social Policy, Vol. 18, Part2, pp. 211-234. Foote, D. (1982) Canada's population outlook: demographic futures and economic
Targeted as the ‘grey consumer’, people retiring now participated in the creation of the post-war consumer culture. These consumers have grown older but have not stopped consuming.
Based on extensive analysis over two years, this unique book examines the engagement of older people with consumer society in Britain since the 1960s. It charts the changes in the experience of later life in the UK over the last 50 years, the rise of the ‘individualised consumer citizen’ and what this means for health and social policies.
The book will appeal to students, lecturers, researchers and policy analysts. It will provide material for teaching on undergraduate courses and postgraduate courses in sociology, social policy and social gerontology. It will also have considerable appeal to private industry engaged with older consumers as well as to voluntary and non-governmental organisations addressing ageing in Britain.
Demographic ageing is identified as a global challenge with significant social policy implications. This book explores these implications, with a particular focus on the pressures and prospects for ageing societies in the context of austerity.
The book presents a carefully crafted study of ageing in Ireland, one of the countries hardest hit by the Eurozone financial crisis. Providing a close, critical analysis of ageing and social policy that draws directly on the perspectives of older people, the text makes significant advances in framing alternatives to austerity-driven government policy and neoliberalism, giving a refreshing interdisciplinary account of contemporary ageing.
The aim of much gerontological research is to understand the lived experience of growing older and being old. In this chapter, classic approaches to research in social gerontology and, in particular, four strains which have featured in its history: the relationship with clinical practice, the study of needs in old age, the distinction between old age and ageing, and the development of theory are reviewed. Three primary sources of data that social research draws upon are considered: interviews, observations and documentation. Alternative research methods that might uncover the ways in which age figures in the course of life, paying particular attention to the use of diaries and correspondence, and the abstracting of material from literature are also discussed. ‘How old are you?’, this simple question is easily understood but not necessarily easily answered. This and other related questions are examined at the latter part of this chapter.
differentiation: Accentuation, the Matthew effect and the life course’, Sociological Forum 2(2), pp. 211–236. Dannefer, Dale and Kelly-Moore, J.A. (2009) ‘Theorizing the life course: New twists in the paths’, in V. Bengtson, D. Gans, N.M. Putney and M. Silverstein (eds) Handbook of Theories of Aging, New York: Springer, pp. 389–411. Dannefer, Dale and Settersten, Richard (2010) ‘The study of the life course: Implications for social gerontology’, in Chris Phillipson and Dale Dannefer (eds) The Sage Handbook of Social Gerontology, London: Sage, pp. 3–19. Deleuze, Gilles
‘Relationships with neighbours, family and friends are, for most older people, robust and enduring’, with high levels of contact (2009: 225): they stress that we urgently need to know more about what older people offer those neighbours, family and friends. In a relatively rare concentration on just this topic, Gallagher (2008) explores how older people in Ireland contribute to a sense of local community, often through small-scale practical activities that, cumulatively, make their surroundings more habitable. An American university’s website on ‘Social Gerontology and
