Community Contexts
Utilizing Geragogy Methods in Community-Based Education to Support Later-life Well-being and Retirement Security
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Shamette Hepburn
Theoretically, critical researchers and practitioners have contextualized teaching and learning among older adults, also referred to as geragogy, within a framework that puts older adults in control of their learning, inclusive of content areas. This approach to community-based teaching and learning can support creative gerontological social work interventions aimed at collaboratively addressing various challenges that older adults may have such as social isolation, limited access to community-based social supports, and barriers to retirement income security. With a focus on a newly implemented community-based arts education programme based in Kingston, Jamaica, this paper presents findings of interviews from a grounded theory study that explored the experiences of five instructors and 30 retired older adults who are teaching and learning visual art forms such as painting, drawing, jewelry-making and crafting for purposes of recreation, skill-development or enhancement and income security. The study sought to 1) Explore experiences of older adults who participate in community-based arts education programming during their retirement; 2) Identify effective teaching and learning strategies among instructors and learners in community-based arts programming; 3) Increase understanding of how community-based arts programming can support later-life well-being. Findings highlight the challenges and opportunities to teaching and learning among older adults as well as the potential for community-based arts-based education and geragogy (theory and methods) to be utilized in gerontological social work to support later-life well-being.
The Impact of Social Networks and Social Interactions on the Health Status of Older Adults View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Michael Chletsos
Social networks promote social activity such as interaction, engagement, participation and volunteering based on their needs. Elderly who have limited social interactions have a higher prevalence of depression, reduction of cognitive function and morbidity. The main aim of the present chapter is to analyze the potential role of trust and social networks in explaining the health outcomes of the respondents. We carry out the analysis for the elderly. To do so, we exploit individual-level data from the European Social Survey. We use two self-assessed indicators as the dependent variable, namely perceived health and life satisfaction. We consider both individual as well as social trust (aggregate trust at the country-level) as the main independent variables of interest. Social interactions are captured by two variables indicating whether individuals meet with friends and relatives regularly, or whether they participate in social activities. We also include a set of further covariates to reduce endogeneity. Our full specifications suggest that a one-point higher trust increases the probability of an individual reporting good health (being happy) by about 1 (1.5) per cent. We have also considered the importance of community trust. According to our findings, social trust displays a much stronger correlation with the outcomes consider in this study. The analysis also reveals that sociable persons, defined as those who meet friends regularly, or those participating in social activities, have an increased probability to report good health or happiness. Interestingly, religiosity, income, and education appear also to be important determinants.
Ageing in the United Arab Emirates: Intergenerational Support, Government Policy, Cultural Values, and Institutional Roles View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nasria Darwish
This paper examines ageing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a focus on intergenerational support systems. Although the UAE’s population is relatively young, the absolute number and proportion of older adults (60+/65+) are growing as life expectancy rises and the demographic structure gradually ages. The UAE government has responded with a national policy for senior citizens, expanded social-welfare and home-care services, and investments in geriatric health infrastructure; emirate-level health authorities have recently developed standards for long-term and palliative care. Family-based care and respect for elders remain central cultural norms, shaping expectations that children will support parents. However, demographic shifts, labor migration, and changing family forms are placing new pressures on family care and increasing demand for institutional and professional services. Non-governmental organizations (including the Red Crescent and local charities) and a growing private sector of nursing homes and geriatric providers now play complementary roles — filling gaps in social programming, providing community activities, and operating specialist long-term care — while regulatory frameworks (federal and emirate) are evolving to ensure quality and standards. The paper synthesizes available demographic data, policy documents, health-system developments, and research on cultural attitudes to outline strengths, structural gaps, and policy recommendations: strengthen community and home-based care, harmonize regulatory safeguards for long-term care, invest in workforce training for geriatrics, and promote intergenerational programs that preserve cultural values while adapting to modern family realities,
