Introdução: A humanidade passa por uma transformação notável, com profundas implicações para a organização social e para as políticas de Saúde Pública: o envelhecimento da população. Ao contrário dos países desenvolvidos, no Brasil e na maioria dos países em desenvolvimento a população idosa vem aumentando em um cenário de pobreza e despreparo. Nesse quadro, os idosos com idade igual ou superior a 80 anos – que, segundo o Censo de 2000, já eram 1.787.607 - representam um segmento da população pouco estudado e que possui demandas e características singulares e notavelmente diferentes das dos idosos mais jovens. Objetivo: Este estudo, parte do projeto SABE, tem como objetivo descrever as características sócio-demográficas e de saúde da população com idade igual ou maior que 80 anos residente no Município de São Paulo e que participou do estudo SABE no ano de 2000. Metodologia: Essa pesquisa é parte do Estudo SABE – Saúde, Bem-estar e Envelhecimento -, estudo multicêntrico que busca traçar o perfil dos idosos na América Latina e Caribe. A população de estudo foi composta pelos 2136 idosos residentes, no ano de 2000, na área urbana do município de São Paulo, e os dados coletados por meio de questionário padronizado. Resultados: observou-se uma alta prevalência de doenças crônicas não-transmissíveis nessa população, com destaque para a hipertensão e doenças reumáticas. A dentição, a audição e a visão foram mal avaliadas pelos muito idosos entrevistados, e as quedas, realidade para 40,7% dessa população, foram sérias o suficiente para demandarem atendimento médico em 40,2% dos casos. Apesar da fragilidade funcional, uma alarmante proporção de indivíduos não obtinha tratamento adequado e acesso a medicamentos, mesmo para enfermidades graves, como diabetes, doenças cardíacas e cerebrovasculares. Além disso, esses idosos careciam de adequada assistência de cuidadores, mesmo em atividades básicas, como ir ao banheiro ou locomoção. Esse quadro é agravado pelo fato de 14% dos homens e ¼ das mulheres viverem sozinhos, sendo esse o arranjo domiciliar no qual os níveis de ajuda foram os menores encontrados. Os muito idosos brasileiros encontraram-se marginalizados por órgãos públicos e assistenciais despreparados para atender às necessidades especiais desse segmento. Descritores: envelhecimento, muito idosos / Introduction: The world has suffered a remarkable change over the last years with profound implications for Public Health policies: the ageing of its population. Differently from what has happened in developed countries, population ageing in Brazil - and in most developing countries – has taken place in an extremely challenging environment, in which wealth inequalities and inefficient health care systems are the rule. The oldest old are at grater risk because it is an age group that demands very specialized care. Objective: to describe the population aged 80 or over in the Municipality of São Paulo, Brazil, in the year 2000. Methods: this research is part of the SABE study (Helth, Well Being and Ageing), which aims to describe the elderly population in Latin America and the Caribbean. Subjects were 2136 elderly people in São Paulo, Brazil. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect the data. Results: there was a high prevalence of chronic diseases, especially hypertension and rheumatic diseases. Hearing and dental health were badly assessed; 42% had suffered at least one fall and 40,2% of these falls were serious enough to demand medical assistance. Despite the high prevalence of morbidities, a high proportion of the population – sometimes greater than 50% - did not have medicines or appropriate treatment for these diseases, being many of them as serious as heart diseases or diabetes. They also lacked assistance from caregivers, even for basic activities of daily living, such as moving around in the house or using the bathroom. 14% of the elderly men and 25% of the elderly women aged 80 or over lived alone, and this was the worst living arrangement when it comes to receiving help from caregivers. The future for the oldest old living in the Municipality of São Paulo looks bleak, and urgent measures have to be taken in order to prevent the health care system from collapsing.

Introdução: A humanidade passa por uma transformação notável, com profundas implicações para a organização social e para as políticas de Saúde Pública: o envelhecimento da população. Ao contrário dos países desenvolvidos, no Brasil e na maioria dos países em desenvolvimento a população idosa vem aumentando em um cenário de pobreza e despreparo. Nesse quadro, os idosos com idade igual ou superior a 80 anos – que, segundo o Censo de 2000, já eram 1.787.607 - representam um segmento da população pouco estudado e que possui demandas e características singulares e notavelmente diferentes das dos idosos mais jovens. Objetivo: Este estudo, parte do projeto SABE, tem como objetivo descrever as características sócio-demográficas e de saúde da população com idade igual ou maior que 80 anos residente no Município de São Paulo e que participou do estudo SABE no ano de 2000. Metodologia: Essa pesquisa é parte do Estudo SABE – Saúde, Bem-estar e Envelhecimento -, estudo multicêntrico que busca traçar o perfil dos idosos na América Latina e Caribe. A população de estudo foi composta pelos 2136 idosos residentes, no ano de 2000, na área urbana do município de São Paulo, e os dados coletados por meio de questionário padronizado. Resultados: observou-se uma alta prevalência de doenças crônicas não-transmissíveis nessa população, com destaque para a hipertensão e doenças reumáticas. A dentição, a audição e a visão foram mal avaliadas pelos muito idosos entrevistados, e as quedas, realidade para 40,7% dessa população, foram sérias o suficiente para demandarem atendimento médico em 40,2% dos casos. Apesar da fragilidade funcional, uma alarmante proporção de indivíduos não obtinha tratamento adequado e acesso a medicamentos, mesmo para enfermidades graves, como diabetes, doenças cardíacas e cerebrovasculares. Além disso, esses idosos careciam de adequada assistência de cuidadores, mesmo em atividades básicas, como ir ao banheiro ou locomoção. Esse quadro é agravado pelo fato de 14% dos homens e ¼ das mulheres viverem sozinhos, sendo esse o arranjo domiciliar no qual os níveis de ajuda foram os menores encontrados. Os muito idosos brasileiros encontraram-se marginalizados por órgãos públicos e assistenciais despreparados para atender às necessidades especiais desse segmento. Descritores: envelhecimento, muito idosos / Introduction: The world has suffered a remarkable change over the last years with profound implications for Public Health policies: the ageing of its population. Differently from what has happened in developed countries, population ageing in Brazil - and in most developing countries – has taken place in an extremely challenging environment, in which wealth inequalities and inefficient health care systems are the rule. The oldest old are at grater risk because it is an age group that demands very specialized care. Objective: to describe the population aged 80 or over in the Municipality of São Paulo, Brazil, in the year 2000. Methods: this research is part of the SABE study (Helth, Well Being and Ageing), which aims to describe the elderly population in Latin America and the Caribbean. Subjects were 2136 elderly people in São Paulo, Brazil. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect the data. Results: there was a high prevalence of chronic diseases, especially hypertension and rheumatic diseases. Hearing and dental health were badly assessed; 42% had suffered at least one fall and 40,2% of these falls were serious enough to demand medical assistance. Despite the high prevalence of morbidities, a high proportion of the population – sometimes greater than 50% - did not have medicines or appropriate treatment for these diseases, being many of them as serious as heart diseases or diabetes. They also lacked assistance from caregivers, even for basic activities of daily living, such as moving around in the house or using the bathroom. 14% of the elderly men and 25% of the elderly women aged 80 or over lived alone, and this was the worst living arrangement when it comes to receiving help from caregivers. The future for the oldest old living in the Municipality of São Paulo looks bleak, and urgent measures have to be taken in order to prevent the health care system from collapsing.

One challenge in the Western world is the risk of functional impairmentand chronic disease accompanying older age. In Norway it is expected thatmost chronically ill older persons will continue to live at home and receivehelp from home nursing care. The inner strength of the oldest old, as seenin relation to the help that is given, and whether the help has contributed tostrengthen the will to live has been explored only to a limited extent.Meaning in life and daily routines can be related to the will to live,understood as enjoying life and having the courage to live. The aim of thisstudy is to develop knowledge in regard to chronically ill oldest olderpersons and the possibilities and limitations in their will to live when theyreceive help from home nursing care.This study uses the quantitative method (n=120, Article 1 and Article 2) todescribe the characteristics of inner strength using the questionnairesResilience Scale, Sense of Coherence Scale, Purpose in Life Test, and Self-Transcendence Scale. Inner strength was seen in relation to mental andphysical health using the questionnaire SF-36. The qualitative method wasused to illuminate how the oldest older persons experienced living at homewith chronic illness (n=13, Article 3) and receiving help from home nursingcare (n=11, Article 4). The participants in this study were 80 years old orolder, living at home with chronic illnesses, and receiving help from homenursing care. All participants were determined to have the mental capacityto take part in this study.The analysis showed in Article 1 that the oldest old had an inner strengthexpressed as ”sense of coherence” and ”purpose in life.” Their innerstrength was accompanied by the ability for self-transcendence. Mentalhealth was predicted by self-transcendence (p < 0.001) for the total sampleand for women. Physical health was predicted by self-transcendence (p <0.01) for the total sample. Low resilience contributed to vulnerability for theparticipants. They were vulnerable in terms of limited perseverance, selfreliance,and existential aloneness (Article 2). On the contrary, theyexperienced equanimity and meaning. Meaning in daily life (Article 3)sometimes meant feelings of insufficiency and dependency. In contrast,they also experienced joy in life, gratitude for living at home, and aneagerness to participate in activities that made them feel alive. Theyexperienced both good and bad days, which depended on their illness butwas also based on how their needs for help and support were met. InviiArticle 4, receiving help indicated different experiences. Being ill anddependent on help led to days with illness, treatment, and receiving care. Italso indicated they were in need of professional help. Receiving help couldmean being at the mercy of helpers, which could imply unworthy help, asthey had no influence on the help they got from incompetent nurses whofocused only on tasks, with limited flexibility in their work, using theirhomes as a working place. This situation of receiving help from busynurses caused the old person to feel inferior as a human being. Other timesit meant receiving help from nurses who took care with respect to the oldperson and confirmed him or her as a human being. The older personswanted to be seen, met, and supported to strengthen their courage to meetthe challenges of being old and ill.According to the ethics of caring, human beings are vulnerable andmutually dependent on each other. This influences the possibilities andlimitations of ”the other” in experiencing a will to live. ”Receiving theother” can contribute to the will to live, influenced by the help received inan asymmetric dependency in which the nurses are caught in the tensionbetween suffering and the will to live for the oldest older person in need ofhelp. In this tension, the will to live is dependent on help that is given in arelationship characterized by caring and responsibility for the other.

This thesis demonstrates relations among health, social network, ADL and patterns of care in the oldest old guided by a resource theoretical model. The analyzed data are based on two studies: the Nona study, a longitudinal study of 157 individuals aged 86 to 94 years, and the H70 study, a longitudinal study of 964 individuals aged 70 at baseline. Data were collected by interviews and to some extent in the H70 study, medical exams and medical records. The results demonstrate that perceived resources seem to affect patterns of care to a higher extent than the more objective resources in the sample of the oldest old. On the other hand, sociodemographic variables such as gender, marital status and SES, in addition to the more objective resources of having children nearby and the number of symptoms of illness predicted institutionalization during a subsequent 30-year period from the age of 70. The proportion of elderly persons’ institutionalization was further significantly higher than that generally found in cross-sectional studies. ADL was one of the strongest predictors for both use of formal care and institutionalization in both samples, indicating an effective targeting of the formal care system in Sweden. The care at end of life in the oldest old is challenged by the problems with progressive declines in ADL and health, which makes it hard to fit in the dying oldest old in the palliative care system. There is a need to increase the knowledge and the possibility for care staff to support and encourage social network factors and for decision-making staff to consider factors beyond ADL.

The overall aim of the five studies that make up this thesis is to elucidate constructions of being old from the perspectives of gender and ethnicity. One of the studies uses quantitative data and four use qualitative data. The sample in study I consisted of 125 participants from the Umeå 85+ study, aged 85 to 103 years old, who were able to use Likert scales in responding to questions. Studies II and III involved content analysis of interviews with old persons scoring on the extremes of the resilience scale. In study IV, interviews with nine Sami women were analysed using grounded theory. In study V, four interview situations were subjected to discourse analysis. Study I showed statistically significant correlations between the scales measuring resilience, sense of coherence, purpose in life and self-transcendence. These scales were supposed to measuring a common dimension, which is here interpreted as “inner strength”. There was a significant correlation between women’s “inner strength” and perceived mental health. The femininities found were associated with “being connected”, “being an actor”, “living in the shadow of others” and “being alienated”. The masculinities found were associated with “being in the male centre”, “striving to maintain the male facade” and “being related”. The femininity associated with “being an actor” and the masculinity associated with “being in the male centre” were pronounced in those participants assessed as having high resilience. Old Sami woman were found to be balancing within various discourses, including being a reindeer owner versus not owning reindeer, being Sami versus being Swedish, speaking in Sami versus speaking in Swedish, dreaming about the past versus looking to the future, being equal to men versus living in the shadow of the male herders, and changing for survival versus striving to retain uniqueness as a Sami. Study V revealed that shifts in power between the interviewer and the interviewed can be related to the discourses of age, gender, education, body, ethnicity and ideology. This thesis presents a complex picture of what it means to be among the oldest old. The ageing, gendered and ethicised selves cannot be seen as socially and culturally fixed. For the women, the femininity expressed in “being connected” involved being satisfied, content and having positive relationships. “Being an actor” involved a stress on the person’s own strength and own choices. The femininities experienced as “living in the shadow of others” and “being alienated” generated narratives about dissociation and loneliness. For the men, it seemed important to relate to themselves and to other men. However, the masculinity expressed in “being related” involved an alternative form of masculinity, focusing on the importance of daily work, new relationships, and reflecting on the meaning of life. The Sami women showed strength in being able to position themselves between various discourses, but their narratives also showed tender sadness when they spoke of their longing for the past and for their mother tongue. The reflection on how narratives are constructed by both the interviewed and the interviewer in relation to their access to various discourses of age, gender, education, ethnicity and ideology in different interview situations can be important for increasing awareness of the role of these discourses. Various ways of constructing femininities and masculinities must be studied if we are to avoid ageism developing in society. Analyzing and reflecting on the importance of age, gender and ethnicity from a constructivist perspective may reduce stereotypical descriptions of the oldest old.

No description available.

This study examined links of cumulative and present depressive symptoms with present cortisol diurnal profiles in oldest-old adults. Five waves of data from 50 older adults (M age = 89.05 years; 64% women) who participated in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing were used to combine 15 years of longitudinal data with seven cortisol samples per day over a one-week period. Findings revealed that individuals with more past depressive symptoms showed a lower cortisol awakening response (CAR). Interestingly, present depressive symptoms were not associated with the CAR. These findings inform our understanding of distal health factors in very old age.

The overall purpose of this thesis is to describe, explore and illuminate inner strength among the oldest old. The thesis has a salutogenic perspective where strengths and health are in the foreground instead of weakness and ill health. The thesis is part of The Umeå 85+ study and comprises four studies with both quantitative and qualitative data. The aim of Study I was to test reliability and validity of the Swedish language version of the Resilience Scale (RS) in regard to its stability, internal consistency and validity. A convenience sample of 142 participants aged 19 to 85 years answered the questionnaires the first time and 126 on the retest. In Study II scales aimed to measure phenomena related to inner strength, health and development were used. The aim was to describe resilience, sense of coherence, purpose in life, and self-transcendence in relation to perceived physical and mental health in a sample of 125 participants aged 85 to 103 years. Study III aimed to give a more extensive knowledge of resilience among the oldest old. The relationship between resilience and physical health factors, psychological health factors, diseases and social relations were examined among a sample of 192 persons aged 85 to 103 years. In order to deepen the knowledge about inner strength from a life world perspective the aim of study IV was to illuminate the meaning of inner strength as narrated by women and men 85 and 90 years old. The sample consisted of those 18 participants that scored the highest on the scales aimed at measure phenomena related to inner strength. The findings in study I showed that the Swedish version of the RS was both valid and reliable. Construct validity was established by satisfactory correlations coefficient values between the RS and the Sense of Coherence Scale and the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale. A principal component analysis corresponded well to the original version of the RS. Reliability was assured with both satisfactory internal consistency as well as test-retest reliability. The findings in study II showed significant correlations between the scales aimed to measure resilience, sense of coherence, purpose in life and self-transcendence which indicates that the scales reflect some kind of common core, which was interpreted as inner strength. The oldest old scored high on all scales, this indicating that strength can be preserved or perhaps even increased in old age. The finding also showed lack of significant correlations between the scales and perceived physical health but significant correlations between these scales and perceived mental health among the women but not for the men. No significant correlation was found between physical and mental health. In study III a regression analysis showed that a strong resilience among the oldest old was found to be associated with health, mainly represented by absence of depressed mood but also by not being on medication and by the absence of psychological symptoms, but also that raising children in the past gave a meaning to the present by having a family and this produced feelings of feeling safe and secure in facing the inevitable future; that is, being resilient means living in connectedness with one’s past, present, and future. In study IV a phenomenological hermeneutic approach to the interview text disclosed a meaning of inner strength as Life goes on –living it all, meaning that inner strength still makes it possible to live, handle and being open to ones life in many of its potentials. Inner strength means that one can chose to stand up and fight as well as living in reconciliation, a possibility to work hard as well as feeling relaxed, inner strength means having tasks to accomplish as well as feeling content and proud over ones life as well as life itself, it means relying in oneself as well as having faith in others and God (for some), knowing that you as a person is the same as well as accepting and adjusting to changes. It means that one can chose aloneness and still be connected, it is to be living in the present as well as in one’s past and in the future. That is, living in wholeness. The findings of the studies are discussed in relation to personal strengths and a good aging.

Background: Although there is significant scholarly interest in defining the concept of successful aging, there are very few small-scale, in-depth qualitative studies examining the lived experience of women over 80 who self-identify as aging successfully. Aim: The aim of this study is to explore the lived experience of a small group of community-dwelling Jewish women over 80 in a single county in Northwestern Vermont who self-identify as aging successfully. Approach: This study has a phenomenological approach. Method: Phenomenological interviews were conducted with five women over 80 years of age. Interview content was analyzed, and shared themes were synthesized. Findings: Findings revealed the following shared themes: acknowledgement of extraordinary quality of life events and/or circumstances, extensive and ongoing social involvement with communities and/or individuals, and strong sense of self. Conclusions: The lived experiences of participants who self-identified as aging successfully were characterized by gratitude for the lives they led and continue to lead, extensive and ongoing communal and interpersonal social engagement, and high levels of self-esteem and self-knowledge. Implications for practice: Interventions focused on promoting gratitude, ongoing social engagement, and self-esteem/efficacy may improve individuals' chances of aging successfully; women over 80 respond positively given the opportunity to tell their story, and may benefit from affiliation with a religious community.

Background: Fall risk increases with age and visual impairment, yet the oldest-old adults (>85 years) are rarely studied. Partnered dance improves mobility, balance, and quality of life in older individuals with movement impairment. Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the feasibility and participant satisfaction of an adapted tango program amongst these oldest-old adults with visual impairment. Exploratory analyses were conducted to determine efficacy of the program in improving balance and gait. Methods: In a repeated-measures, one-group experimental design, 13 older adults (7 women; age: M = 86.9 years, SD = 5.9 years, range = 77–95 years) with visual impairment (best eye acuity: M = 0.63, SD = 0.6 logMAR) participated in an adapted tango program of twenty 1.5-hour lessons, within 11 weeks. Feasibility included evaluation of facility access, safety, volunteer assistant retention, and participant retention and satisfaction. Participants were evaluated for balance, lower body strength, and quality of life in two baseline observations, immediately after the program and 1 month later. Results: Twelve participants completed the program. The facility was adequate, no injuries were sustained, and participants and volunteers were retained throughout. Participants reported enjoyment and improvements in physical well-being. Exploratory measures of dynamic postural control (p < .001), lower body strength (p = .056), and general vision-related quality of life (p = .032) scores showed improvements following training. Discussion: These older individuals with visual impairment benefitted from 30 hours of tango instruction adapted for their capabilities.