By applying the ethnographic method and drawing from the theoretical framework of social capital, this study sought to explore how the social relationships of Greek retirees are affected by their Facebook usage. It also aimed to investigate how the social medium is integrated into their day-to-day lives. This research was motivated by the increasing number of older adults using Facebook globally over the past years and the need to address this phenomenon in a qualitative way. Through the use of diaries, in-depth interviews, a focus group and participant observation of 34 Greek retirees in the context of their everyday lives, the results have shown that their bonds benefit in multiple ways from their Facebook employment. Their closest relationships, as well as their less intimate ones, are strengthened by both their offline and online interactions related to the platform. As the world’s population grows older now more than ever and older adults’ presence in social media is on the rise, studies like the one at hand can offer insights towards a better understanding of these emerging dynamics and the unique association between later life and technology.

No description available.

High contact sports put athletes at a higher risk of sustaining a concussion. This work focused on assessing regional brain health in aging, retired Canadian Football League (rCFL) players years to decades after retirement. Advanced, quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques were implemented to identify and quantify microstructural brain white matter damage, cognitive functional signal characteristics (fractal dimension (FD) and amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF)), and cerebral blood flow (CBF) dysregulation. Due to the high reproducibility of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI), a Z-scoring approach exploring outliers relative to a large normative dataset was implemented to examine each rCFL subject individually. However, arterial spin labelling (ASL) data is more sensitive to scanner inconsistencies, therefore a group-wise analysis was performed with the CBF and ASL spatial coefficient of variance (ASL sCoV) data. Minimal microstructural damage was detected in the rCFL subjects, but a substantial amount of functional and CBF abnormalities were present. The FD was significantly reduced in 48 of 91 regions-of-interest (ROIs) examined, and the four rCFL subjects with the highest number of abnormal ROIs all exhibited worse motor speed, social functioning and general health scores than the other rCFL subjects. Furthermore, the ALFF analysis identified the cerebellum, parietal lobe ROIs, and central sub-cortical ROIs to be consistently abnormal. Finally, the temporal occipital fusiform cortex, superior parietal gyrus, caudate nucleus, and the cerebellum were significantly abnormal bilaterally based on CBF and ASL sCoV values, which also correlated with worse physical functioning and elevated daily chronic pain. This work adds to the growing literature that brain changes are present later in life that may be related to concussions and repetitive sub-concussive head impacts sustained years earlier. Several consistently damaged ROIs also correlated with adverse clinical presentations to indicate areas of future research. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Clinical concussion assessment has a limited ability to identify brain injury location and severity. Therefore, there is a need for more advanced diagnostic tools to provide meaningful, objective information to concussion patients and clinicians. The work presented in this thesis aimed to assess brain health using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques of retired professional football players with a complex history of concussions and repetitive sub-concussive impacts. Our research found concussion-related functional and cerebral blood flow brain abnormalities past that of normal aging, but minimal white matter damage, present in the retired athletes that also correlated with clinically testable health metrics such as motor speed, emotional well-being, and pain. Through personalized subject-specific analyses, this work provides further evidence of the effects of concussions later in life.

No description available.

<p>Internasjonal forskning har gjennom flere studier koblet menns helse til mannsrollen, mens det finnes få norske studier innen dette feltet. Hensikten med foreliggende studie er å få økt kunnskap om hvordan menn opplever helse, aktiviteter og sosialt nettverk når yrkesrelatert aktivitet ikke lenger er hovedinnholdet i hverdagen. Studien er gjennomført blant faste deltagere i et uformelt sosialt nettverk, etablert for og av menn bosatt i en middels stor norsk by. Mennenes møteplass var en hytte i skogen omkring 15 minutters gange fra nærmeste bilvei og parkeringsplass. Nettverket besto av ca 25 ikke-yrkesaktive menn i aldersgruppen fra rett over 60 til godt over 80 år som møttes nesten hver dag året rundt i forbindelse med turaktivitet på dagtid. Data ble samlet gjennom 10 gruppeintervjuer samt deltagende og ikke-deltagende observasjon i miljøet. Komparativ analyse inspirert av metoden “grounded theory” ble gjennomført for å komme frem til mest mulig dekkende kategorier av innholdet i intervjudataene. Resultatene viser at nettverket og hytten med omgivelsene blir mennenes ”eget rom” med et kameratslig felleskap som de daglig oppsøker i en bevisst og aktiv ivaretakelse av egen helse og mestring. Deltagelse i et miljø hvor den enkelte mann kan fremtre slik han vil og klarer til en hver tid, skaper trivsel og opplevelse av sammenheng og mening som gir egenopplevd god helse. Undersøkelsen viser hvordan sammenhenger mellom helse, aktivitet og nettverk kan være mulig å forklare ved at enkeltindividet internaliserer nettverkets verdier og omdanner dem til positiv helseeffekt gjennom en følelse av velvære og fellesskap.</p> / <p>Internationally several studies have focused on men’s health connected to masculinity ideology. In Norway there is a lack of knowledge about men’s health related to gender. This study aimed at exploring retired men’s experiences of health, activities and social network. Data were collected by 10 group interviews with participants in an informal social network, established for and by men inhabiting a medium-sized Norwegian town. The men gathered at a cabin in the town woods about 15 minutes walking distance from the nearest road and parking lot. This social network consisted of 25 retired males, aged from 60 to well past 80 years. This group of men was meeting on a regular basis nearly every day all year connected to daytime hiking activities. Comparative analysis inspired by Grounded Theory was conducted to extract relevant categories from the interview data. The results showed that the social network and the cabin in the woods had become the men’s ‘own room’ combining friendship with conscious and active caring for ones own health and coping. Participation in an accepting environment allowed every man to appear as he wanted. The companionship at the cabin in beautiful surroundings created a feeling of wellbeing and a sense of coherence supporting the men’s experiences of having good health in spite of their relative high age and, for some, severe medical diagnosis. The study showed how connections between health, activity and social network in terms of individuals internalizing the values of the network can be transformed into personal health and feeling of wellbeing.</p>

Confrontées à des problématiques marketing d’attraction et de fidélisation des bénévoles, les associations ciblent les retraités en raison de leur temps quotidien disponible. Cependant, elles omettent le fait que leur temps est également une ressource limitée, du fait du rapprochement de leur propre finitude. Pourquoi donner son temps lorsque celui-ci est compté ? Cette recherche a ainsi pour objectif d’expliquer la diversité des motivations au bénévolat des retraités par leurs différences en termes de rapport au temps restant à vivre. Celui-ci est envisagé comme une pression temporelle spécifique : la pression temporelle ultime (PTU) ; soit la conscience d’un temps restant à vivre limité par le rapprochement de l’échéance ultime et les réactions affectives qui l’accompagnent. Après un état de l’art sur le thème du bénévolat et des motivations qui le sous-tendent (chapitre 1), une revue de la littérature sur le rapport au temps suite au vieillissement nous amène à conceptualiser la PTU et aboutir à un premier modèle théorique (chapitre 2). Celui-ci est enrichi progressivement (chapitre 3), grâce à une analyse thématique de contenu de 18 entretiens semi-directifs, réalisée à l’aide du logiciel NVivo10. En découlent les variables, les hypothèses et le design de recherche (chapitre 4). Par la suite, une étude quantitative (728 retraités bénévoles au total) permet la création d’une échelle de mesure de la PTU, la vérification des propriétés psychométriques des autres instruments (chapitre 5), puis le test des hypothèses. Les principaux résultats (chapitre 6) mettent en avant l’influence (absolue puis relative) de la PTU sur les motivations au bénévolat des retraités, ses antécédents, ainsi que des implications relatives aux intentions de poursuite du comportement. Le principal apport théorique et méthodologique est l’ajout d’une troisième catégorie de pression temporelle et l’échelle de mesure associée. Cette recherche répond également à des enjeux de nature managériale et sociétale, en étant de nature à aider les responsables associatifs à tirer profit du vieillissement de la population. Pour cela, elle encourage la considération de l’hétérogénéité des retraités pour une stratégie et un marketing mix plus efficaces (typologie de 5 segments de bénévoles retraités). / Non-profit organizations are faced marketing issues : recruiting volunteers and improving their loyalty. To answer them, they target retirees, focusing on their daily free time. However, they forget that their time is a limited resource, because of the proximity of their own finitude. Why volunteering when time is running out ? This research aims to explain the variety of retirees’ motivations to volunteer by what they experience when considering time remaining to live. We shed light on a new temporal concept: ultimate time pressure (UTP), to gain a better understanding of what retirees think about their limited time remaining to live and the feelings related. After a literature review on volunteerism and motivations underlying this behavior, another literature review on time experience with ageing leads us to create a new concept: ultimate time pressure ; and to build a theoretical model. In chapter 3, we progressively enrich it, thanks to a thematic content analysis of 18 interwiews, with Nvivo10 software. The variables, hypothesis and research design follow. Next, a quantitative study (N= 728) leads us to create an UTP scale, to examine psychometric properties of the other scales (chapter 5) and finally to test the hypothesis. The main results described in chapter 6 shows the influence of UTP on motivations to volunteer by retirees, its determinants and consequences. The main academic contribution is the add of a third kind of time pressure and the scale related. This research has also practical and societal issues. It encourages non-profit organizations to consider the heterogeneity of retirees, for a better strategical and mix marketing (typology : 5 segments of retired volunteers).

This qualitative study, located within a postmodern and social constructionist framework, explores how the social identities of retired white Afrikaner ex-military South African Defence Force (SADF) servicemen are constructed in South Africa. It considers how retired white Afrikaner ex-military South African Defence Force (SADF) servicemen have chosen to define and experience their social identities in view of the transformed political, socio-cultural and economic landscape and dominant discourses to which they have had to adjust. The literature review describes the multiple, dynamic and socially constructed nature of identities, traces the reciprocal relationship between the individual and society, relates identity formation to the various social category memberships subscribed to by research participants, and elucidates the role of language in the construction of social identities. In this study, ‘discursive threads’ of race (whiteness), culture (Afrikaans traditions, language, practices), gender (masculinity), role status (retiree, ex-soldier) were all woven together by the multiplicity of meanings contained in drawn-upon discourses, which constructed the social identities of research participants. Social identity can be viewed as a compromise between assimilation with and differentiation from others, where the need for similarity is satisfied within ingroups, while the need for distinctiveness is met through inter-group comparison. Discourse analysis was used to analyse the texts produced during semi-structured interviews with five research participants. Additionally, the discursive psychological concepts of action orientation (and positioning were used to explore how temporal, multiple and fluid social identities of participants were constructed by their use of language and invocation of supporting, opposing and overlapping discourses. From the discourse analysis, five discourses were identified as being realised in the texts, namely: a discourse of discipline; a discourse of ‘same-ness’; a discourse of ‘different-ness’; a discourse of ‘loss’: “Old Soldiers never die; they just fade away”; and a discourse of ‘camaraderie’: “Esprit de Corps”. The participants’ accounts have highlighted the complexity, fluidity and multiplicity of identities and the impact of dominant discourses on the reciprocal relationships between individuals, groups and society. This study contributes significantly to the existing knowledge regarding white retired ex-servicemen of the SADF in South Africa by offering insights into how this ingroup defines, re-defines, negotiates and maintains its social identities in accordance with and in reaction to dominant discourses of the past and present. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Psychology / unrestricted

The global demographic context of contemporary society is characterized by an increasing percentage of elderly people. In fact, currently in Portugal 22% of its total population is over 65 years of age with an average retirement age of approximately 64 years of age. As a result, it is considered one of the countries in the world with the highest proportion of elderly people, which are consequently labelled as a socially vulnerable group. This prevalent situation presents a current social problem described by the lack of inclusion and sense of meaning among the elders and retired in civil society, shaping the embedded negative attitudes and stereotypes attached to these societal groups as invalid and dependent. In this way, the continuous growth of the elderly population requires the introduction of social organizations, such as the Portuguese social organization The Grandmas Came to Work, centered in the elderly and retiree’s inclusion in society and on their well-being. The main focus of this social organization is to promote ageing as a continuation of development and learning through creative methods and activities, as well as to fill the gap between generations by offering the elderly and retired a place where they can learn from each other, discuss and meet. Hence, this study aims to understand the social and economic sustainability of this particular organization to support the inclusion and well-being of the elderly. This will be done by analyzing the viability of using artistic methods and activities in the context of elderly and retiree's social inclusion. This issue is relevant in the context of Portugal given its predominance of an elderly population and the lack of this group's social inclusion. In fact, it is predicted that by 2050 Portugal will be the country in the European Union with the highest percentage of elderly people (32%) and lowest percentage of working population. This complex issue was studied by using qualitative methods for the data collection, namely through the conduction of semi-structured interviews done to one of the organization’s founders and to its participants. This data provided an updated version of the situation of the elderly and retired population living in Portugal, especially of their possible social inclusion by participating in this specific type of social organizations. The results confirmed the role of such organizations for contributing to the social inclusion of the elderly and retired and for their increased sense of meaning, affecting positively both theirs and society’s perception of the continuous value and contribution of this group. Nevertheless, as what happens in many social and non-social organizations, some limitations were found in the project’s management and respective suggestions were made to face those limitations.

Bakgrund: I dagsläget finns kunskapsluckor angående vad äldre upplever som meningsfulla aktiviteter. Författarna vill genom denna intervjustudie bidra med kunskap om äldre personers subjektiva upplevelser av meningsfulla aktiviteter. Syfte: Att beskriva äldre personers upplevelser och erfarenheter av meningsfulla aktiviteter samt vad som hindrar eller främjar meningsfulla aktiviteter. Metod: Kvalitativ intervjustudie med induktiv och fenomenologisk ansats. Datainsamlingen skedde genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med tio äldre personer som gått i pension. Ett strategiskt urval användes. Dataanalysen utgick från en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: I analysen framkom tre huvudkategorier som beskriver resultatet: Upplevelsen av meningsfulla aktiviteter är subjektivt, faktorer som kan verka hindrande vid utförandet av meningsfulla aktiviteter samt faktorer som kan verka främjande för utförandet av meningsfulla aktiviteter. Slutsatser: Betydelsen av meningsfulla aktiviteter beror  på den unika personen och dennes sammanhang. Studien visar att främjande faktorer för utförandet av meningsfulla aktiviteter är den sociala delaktigheten och en positiv inställning medan kroppsliga och ekonomiska begränsningar upplevs som hindrande faktorer. Val av meningsfulla aktiviteter utifrån personen kan bidra till en mer positiv inställning samt en känsla av kontroll och autonomi hos personen. Ur ett arbetsterapeutiskt perspektiv bör även andra aktiviteter och sammanhang utöver basala behov utforskas och belysas, då dessa kan vara meningsfulla för individen. / Background: Currently, there are knowledge gaps regarding what the elderly perceive as meaningful activities. Through this interview study, the authors want to contribute knowledge about older people's subjective experiences of meaningful activities. Purpose: To describe older people’s experiences of meaningful activities and what hinders or promotes meaningful activities. Method: Qualitative interview study with inductive and phenomenological approach. Data collection took place through semi-structured interviews with ten elderly people who had retired. A strategic sampling was used. The data analysis was based on a qualitative content analysis. Results: In the analysis, three main categories emerged that describe the result: The experience of meaningful activities is subjective, factors that can act as obstacles to the performance of meaningful activities, and factors that can act as a promotion for the performance of meaningful activities. Conclusions: The meaning of meaningful activities depends on the unique person and their context. The study shows that promoting factors for the performance of meaningful activities are social participation and a positive attitude, while physical and financial limitations are perceived as hindering factors. Choosing meaningful activities based on the person can contribute to a more positive attitude and a sense of control and autonomy in the person. From an occupational therapy perspective, other activities and contexts in addition to basic needs should also be explored and highlighted, as these may be meaningful for the individual.

過去國外的實證研究結果指出，民眾在退休後的消費支出會有減少的現象，文獻稱此現象為 “退休消費的難題 （Retirement Consumption Puzzle）”。本研究主要目的在於探討不同世代是否在退休消費難題的程度上有所差異。研究結果顯示，臺灣民眾在退休後，家戶的消費並未有顯著的減少現象，但對不同世代戶長退休後的家戶消費行為進行分析，本研究發現相較於20年代的家戶，40年代的退休家戶其退休後的消費有顯著減少現象，可能的原因在於年輕世代面臨人口平均餘命增加所產生的長壽風險，而人口結構老化使得過去養兒防老的觀念式微，以及年輕世代對未來退休金制度產生疑慮，使得年輕世代家戶退休後的消費有顯著下降的現象，此結論顯示不同世代在退休後的消費行為確有顯著差異。 / The world is facing the dual effect of life expectancy and declining fertility, this phenomenon will enable society and individuals exposed to the longevity risk. In this study, we use “The Survey of Family Income and Expenditure” from Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan, R.O.C.（Taiwan）. The results show that there is a decline in the expenditure of food after retirement, and younger generations decline less than elder generation obviously. There are also declines in work-related expenditures, including clothing, transportations and communication. It means that retired-consumption puzzle is not obvious to younger generations. While the consumption of home management, recreation and education do not drop after retirement, showing leisure time increase and also increase those consumption. Health and medical expense is related to the age and health status, not to the status of work. Total consumption expenditure is no significant correlation with retirement. Finally, there is a trend of younger generation consumption increase. Comparing, it may have retirement plan to support the increasing consumption.