On the role of personality in successful aging: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to critically examine current knowledge on the role of personality in successful aging, considering McAdams' (Hooker & McAdams, 2003; McAdams, 2015) three-level, six-foci model of personality. The aim was also to pinpoint knowledge gaps that research should address in the future. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We carried out a scoping review on the literature on successful aging and personality, following the five-step framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) and further expanded by Levac et al. (2010). RESULTS: Research into the role of personality in successful aging has grown significantly over the last 20 years. However, the increasing number of publications on the topic was primarily accounted for by studies focused on layer 1 and particularly layer 2 of McAdams' model of personality, with layer 3 being scarcely addressed. Research that included more than one layer of personality was rare. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Our study pinpointed gaps that should be considered in future research in this area. These gaps were related to advancing towards agreed-upon definitions of successful aging and personality, broadening the scope of research on this topic, and integrating personality dimensions on research on successful aging.

Life-course transitions and exclusion from social relations in the lives of older men and women.

There is increasing interest across European contexts in promoting active social lives in older age, and counteracting pathways and outcomes related to social isolation and loneliness for men and women in later life. This is evidenced within national and European level policy, including the 2021 Green Paper on Ageing and its concern with understanding how risks can accrue for European ageing populations in the relational sphere. Research indicates that life-course transitions can function as a source of these risks, leading to a range of potentially exclusionary impacts for the social relations of older men and women. Findings presented in this paper are drawn from the qualitative component of a larger European mixed-methods study on exclusion from social relations (GENPATH: A life course perspective on the GENdered PATHways of social exclusion in later life, and its consequences for health and well-being). We use data from 119 in-depth interviews from four jurisdictions: Austria, Czechia, Ireland and Spain. This research employed an approach that focused on capturing lived experienced insights related to relational change across the life course, the implications of these changes for multifaceted forms of exclusion from social relations and the role of gender in patterning these changes and implications. We focused on transitions that commonly emerged across those jurisdictions for older people: onset of ill-health, bereavement, retirement and relocation. We found that these transitions translate into multidimensional experiences of exclusion from social relations in the lives of older men and women by constraining their social networks, support networks, social opportunities and intimate relationships.

Civic engagement among foreign-born and native-born older adults living in Europe: a SHARE-based analysis.

Civic engagement is one of the cornerstones of participatory democracy and fundamental to preventing old-age social exclusion. Even though civic engagement late-in-life has received considerable attention, there is a lacuna of research on older migrants' civic engagement. This study aims therefore to examine potential predictors of civic engagement in terms of formal volunteering and participation in political organisations among foreign-born and native-born older adults in Europe. Attention is hereby given to how socio-structural resources and social capital are associated with civic engagement, and whether these associations differ between foreign-born and native-born. Data from wave 7 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe [n = 74,150; 5710 of them are foreign-born] were used in multivariable logistic regression analyses. Results show that socio-structural and social capital variables are positively associated with volunteering and participation in political organisations, both in native-born and foreign-born older adults. The study also suggests that place of birth (in Europe vs. outside Europe) and age-upon-migration play a role in predicting civic engagement among foreign-born older adults, and are therefore features worth considering when studying older migrants' civic engagement.

For the Sake of Myself, My Colleagues and My Community: Exploring the Benefits of Political Participation in Later Life.

Most studies on the benefits of late life civic engagement have focused exclusively on formal volunteering. Older adults' political participation is much more overlooked. The current paper explores the benefits of long-term participation in political organizations as described by actively engaged Spanish older people. We used an adaptation of McAdams' life-story interview with 40 participants from three types of political organizations who occupy a responsible position within the organization. We identified three main themes in participants' answers: personal benefits, relational benefits, and community benefits. Overall, our results showed that the benefits arising from long-term political participation go far beyond the well-studied individual benefits that research on late-life volunteering has typically identified, and spread to relational and community areas. Social work practitioners should consider these benefits when they implement plans and programmes to promote healthy, active ways of aging, fostering age-friendly communities or reducing old-age social exclusion.

The Role of Generativity in Later Life in the Case of Productive Activities: Does the Type of Active Aging Activity Matter?

Active aging has been associated with both personal and social benefits. However, active aging encompasses a broad range of activities, including self-oriented and community-oriented ones. The aim of this study was to explore to what extent generativity is a key factor in differentiating between both types of activity, and to contribute to the theoretical and methodological literature on generativity as a multidimensional concept relevant to later life participation in certain activities related to an active style of living. A sample of 549 older adults who engaged in two types of self-oriented activity (leisure activities and students of University of the Third Age programs) and two types of community-oriented activity (formal volunteering and political activism) participated in this study. Following a mixed-method strategy, we administered several qualitative and quantitative measures of generativity, including generative concern, generative goals, and perceived cultural demand. Our results showed that participants who engaged in self-oriented and community-oriented activities differed on all dimensions of generativity. Differences in generativity were particularly high regarding cultural demand and future generative goals, which were far more frequently mentioned by political activists and volunteers than by university of the third age students and those pursuing leisure activities. Overall, our findings suggest that generativity plays a role in older adults' participation in some (but not all) active aging activities in later life, and that our understanding of generativity in later life gains from a multidimensional assessment of the concept.

Older adults' participation in artistic activities: a scoping review.

This scoping review analyses existing literature on older adults' participation in artistic activities. It identifies gaps in this research topic and suggests new directions for research. We followed the five-step process defined by Arksey and O'Malley (2005) and extended by Levac et al. (2010). Four electronic databases were searched, and 129 peer-reviewed articles were included in the scoping review. Research into older adults' participation in artistic activities has grown in the last ten years. However, empirical papers tend to focus on the outcomes of older people's participation in artistic activities, in particular the benefits. Most papers centred on facilitators to examine the antecedents of this type of participation among people in late life. Research about experiences, potentially negative consequences or barriers to older adults' participation in artistic activities have been largely overlooked. We identified several gaps in the literature, which we classified as: related to the artistic activities that were considered; the potential costs and barriers for older adults' participation in artistic activities; older adults' voices and their diversity; the life course perspective; and a contextual view of research on the topic. These gaps suggest challenges that future research on older adults' participation in artistic activities should consider.

Long-term care staff 's positive experiences of caring for people living with dementia: Narratives' content and lessons learned.

Research on caregiving for persons with dementia has mainly focused on its negative impact on caregivers. However, while some studies have found that positive aspects of care can also be found among informal caregivers, little attention has been paid to these positive aspects among staff working in long-term care facilities. The aim of this is study is to explore what kind of positive stories of caring for a person living with dementia staff working in long-term care facilities recall, and what kind of lessons they extracted from these experiences. Forty-two staff members currently working in four Spanish long-term care facilities (21 nursing assistants; 21 technical staff) were interviewed. They were asked about positive stories related to caring for people living with dementia. Data were analyzed using content analysis, aimed at identifying common ideas in the responses. Results showed that the type of stories were quite diverse, but can be grouped into three main themes: attachment, awakening, and mastery. The stories imply different lessons learned, including the importance of individualized care, the value of persistence and patience, and the relevance of technical knowledge and strategies to provide good care. The articles discusses how recording, reflecting on and discussing positive experiences that care staff encounter in their daily practice, may be key to skill development, reinforce job satisfaction, and improve quality of care in a person-centered care direction.

Resistance to Eating in People with Dementia Living in Long-term Care Facilities: Gaps between Common and Good Practices.

OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to explore the perception of common and best practices for dealing with resistance to eating of persons with dementia living in long-term care facilities. METHODS: Forty-two staff members working in long-term care facilities were interviewed. They worked in four Spanish long-term care facilities; 21 were nursing assistants and 21 technical staff. Participants heard a vignette in which person with dementia showed resistance to eating. Participants were asked how a situation like that is commonly managed by their workmates, and how the situation should be managed. Responses were content-analyzed. RESULTS: Strategies mentioned by participants were quite diverse and did not converge on common ground that harmonizes their responses. Less than half of the participants considered person-centered strategies as a best practice. Those strategies were lower on assistant carers, compared to technical staff. CONCLUSIONS: Resistance to eating is a common situation faced by professionals. Nonetheless, there is not a common procedure to deal with this situation. Resistance to eating was seen more as a problem to be eradicated than a behavior to be understood. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Staff development initiatives are necessary in relation to mealtime situations. They should consider work position and competencies needed by assistant carers.

Exploring the Benefits of Proactive Participation among Adults and Older People by Writing Blogs.

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for information-seeking, social contact and leisure activities is increasing in adults and older people. However, little is known about adults and older people who are already actively using ICTs to write a blog. The aim of this paper is to describe the benefits adults and older people gain from having a blog. Twenty-three older adult bloggers (aged 60-83 years; most of them with college degrees and retired) from Spain who, at the time of the study had an active blog were interviewed. A thematic analysis identified four different benefits related to blogging: (1) a general sense of satisfaction from producing the blog; (2) relational benefits; (3) cognitive benefits; and (4) identity benefits. Results showed that adults and older people experienced a variety of benefits that broadens the distinction between personal and social benefits found in previous research. Blogging in later life challenges the traditional passive/consumer and online user experience view of adults and older people and seems to be a good example of proactive participation through websites.

Psychosocial Aspects of Participation in Competitive Sports Among Older Athletes: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In the last decade, sport has been considered a tool in active aging to maintain physical fitness, improve mental well-being, and form social relationships among older people. However, a thorough psychosocial understanding of the phenomenon of older athletes competing in sports events is lacking. Most research has focused on competitive sports participation in the young population. This study analyzes the general state of knowledge of competitive sports participation among athletes aged 50 years and older from a psychosocial perspective. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We followed the 5-step process outlined by Arksey and O'Malley. After the search in 4 electronic databases, 69 peer-reviewed articles met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The findings indicate that psychosocial research into older people's participation in competitive sports has grown moderately in the last decade. While intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects have dominated the academic psychosocial discourse on older athletes' competitive sports participation, aspects related to the environment/community and policy have largely been overlooked. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: We identified several critical gaps in the literature, classified into conceptual (e.g., lesser attention to personality, emotional, and cognitive aspects), methodological (e.g., longitudinal studies almost absent), and diverse aspects (e.g., focus on a wide indiscriminate age range; few comparisons between types of sports; underrepresentation of some nation or world regions as well as few cross-national comparative studies). These research gaps hint at opportunities that future research on older people's participation in competitive sports should address.

Post-Traumatic Growth among Older People after the Forced Lockdown for the COVID-19 Pandemic.

We explored post-traumatic growth (PTG) in older adults immediately after the forced lockdown in Spain during March to April, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also tried to identify the variables that predict PTG, focusing on the experience of COVID, sociodemographic variables, and social resources. In total 1,009 people aged 55 years and older participated in the study and completed an online questionnaire comprising the following elements: The short form of the Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI-SF), sociodemographic and social resources questions, and their experiences of COVID-19 (if they had been infected themselves or if they had experienced the loss of someone close). Results showed that only a quarter of the participants experienced higher PTG after the forced lockdown, with only age and social resources being correlated with scores on the PTGI-SF. Looking at the strengths that older adults put into action to combat the pandemic and its social and health consequences could be an important consideration when planning future social policies for this and other pandemics.

Managing apathy among people with dementia living in institutional settings: Staff's perceived gap between common and best practices.

The aim of this study is to explore how staff manage apathy involving a person living with dementia (PLWD). Forty-two staff members working in four Spanish long-term care facilities were interviewed; 21 were nursing assistants and 21 technical staff. They read a vignette about a PLWD presenting apathy. Participants were asked (1) how a situation like that is commonly managed, and (2) how it should be managed. Responses were content-analyzed. Most participants (88.1%) mentioned having experienced a situation similar to the one described in the vignette. Behavior-focused strategies and person-centered strategies were the most frequently mentioned. As for best practices, person-centered strategies emerged as the preferred alternative, and technical staff mentioned them more frequently than assistant carers. Our findings stress the importance of organizational guidelines and staff development in the management of apathy in PLWD.

Breaking the win-win narrative: The dark side of older people's political participation.

Studies on older adults' civic engagement have been dominated by a win-win narrative, which assumes that the activity is beneficial both for the individuals involved and for communities. However, civic engagement may also be a source of negative experiences. The aim of this study was to understand these experiences in greater depth through an analysis of older Spanish activists' narratives of negative episodes of political participation. We also aimed to contribute to the methodological literature on narrative research by highlighting the strengths of analysing not just the content but also the structure of older people's stories. Life story interviews were carried out with 40 members of Spanish political organisations aged between 65 and 86 years old. As part of the interview, they were invited to narrate a negative event related to their stories of political participation. Answers were analysed both for their content (using thematic analysis) and for their structure (using Christopher Booker's plot typology). Participants recounted many negative experiences of political participation, which challenged the win-win master cultural narrative around civic engagement. These stories, which often reflected Booker's plots of 'tragedy', 'overcoming the monster', 'the quest', and 'redemption', recorded political defeats, conflicts with other members in the organisation, feelings of loneliness associated with engagement, and undesired consequences for relatives and friends. The results highlight the importance of providing a more nuanced understanding of what it means to be politically engaged in later life. This understanding would integrate the positive aspects assumed by the master win-win narrative with others that clearly challenge its assumptions.

'I do it my way': long-term care staff's perceptions of residents' sexual needs and suggestions for improvement in their management.

This study is aimed at exploring to what extent staff perceive older residents in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) as still having sexual needs, and how they think care in relation to sexual issues could be improved. The sample was self-selected and comprised 2115 staff members (including managers, technical and care assistants) employed at 152 Spanish LTCFs. Data were collected in the second half of 2016. Participants were asked to estimate the proportion of older residents who had sexual needs in their institution and, by means of open-ended questions, they were also asked about how they satisfied such needs and how to improve care in relation to sexual issues. Responses to the open-ended questions were analysed using content analysis. Differences were assessed according to participants' work position. Results showed that most participants did not see sexual needs as being present in many (or even any) older people living in LTCFs. Masturbation was the most common way staff thought residents' sexual needs were being satisfied. The participants mentioned a broad range of measures to improve care regarding sexual issues, including providing more training opportunities for staff, guaranteeing privacy and improving negative attitudes held by family, residents or staff members. Work position influenced participants' responses: managers and technical staff were more likely to recognise sexual needs among residents, perceived a greater need for training, and proposed more ambitious and far-reaching improvements than care assistants.

Fifty-Five Years of Research Into Older People's Civic Participation: Recent Trends, Future Directions.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: This study analyzes critically existing knowledge concerning older people's civic participation, pinpoints gaps in the literature, and proposes new directions for research. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a scoping review of literature on older people's civic participation. To conduct this review, we followed the 5-step framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley (Arksey H, O'Malley L. Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. Int J Soc Res Method. 2005; 8: 19-32), and expanded by Levac and colleagues (Levac D, Colquhoun H, O'Brien KK. Scoping studies: Advancing the methodology. Implement Sci. 2010; 5: 69). RESULTS: Research into older people's civic participation has grown steadily over the past 55 years. However, the increasing number of publications mainly concerns collective forms of social participation, particularly volunteering, with other types of participation being more stable over time. Contextual as well as dynamic aspects of civic participation remain underdeveloped. Diversity of older people is scarcely represented in current research. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: This scoping review identifies 4 critical gaps in the literature that should be at the forefront of future research. These are classified as conceptual, contextual, processual, and diverse aspects of research into older people's civic participation.

Sexual harassment from older residents at long-term care facilities: is it really part of the job?

OBJECTIVES: To explore the extent to which staff members in long-term care facilities (LTCF) have experienced situations of sexual harassment, how they commonly and ideally manage the situation, and how their work position influences their responses. DESIGN: Cross-sectional quantitative study, using the vignette technique. METHOD: A total of 2,196 staff-members who were currently working in Spanish LTCF participated in the study. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Questions regarding sexual harassment were analysed by a vignette that described a case of sexual harassment. Participants had to choose common and best practices for dealing with the case, and report the frequency with which they had experienced similar situations. RESULTS: The results indicate that 29.9% of participants had experienced an episode of sexual harassment in a LTCF similar to the one presented in the vignette. Responses to the situation were diverse and there were significant differences between common and perceived best practices. Differences were also found depending on the work position of the participant (manager, technical staff or nursing assistant). CONCLUSIONS: There is a need for a fuller recognition of the sexual needs of older people. However, the presence of inappropriate sexual behavior must also be acknowledged. The right of staff to work in an environment free of harassment must be respected. The need for explicit institutional guidelines and training opportunities is discussed.

Older migrants' civic participation: A topic in need of attention.

The number of international migrants around the world has steadily increased, as has the number of people that belong to the older segments of our populations. Due to these demographic transformations, topics that have yet to receive scholarly attention have begun to receive the attention of research communities. This article aims to expand the social gerontological agenda on civic participation in old age by arguing that migratory life courses offer new angles of investigation. By bringing attention to older migrants' civic participation, this article argues also for the expansion of the imagination of migration scholars who have yet to regard civic participation as an angle of investigation worthy of attention when it comes to this population. Thus, by proposing some of the research questions that could be posed if older migrants' civic participation was to be a part of the research agenda of social gerontologists and migration scholars alike, this article proposes that the ways in which these older people chose to engage civically is one of the ways through which we could bring explicit attention to the contributions that they make to their so called 'host' societies.

Staff responses to residents exposing their genitals in public in long-term care settings: The gap between common and perceived best practices.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore staff reactions to residents' behaviour consisting in exposing their genitals in public, and to differentiate between what is perceived as common practice (what most staff do) and best practice (the best possible approach). BACKGROUND: The presence of inappropriate sexual behaviours (ISBs) in long-term care facilities poses practical and ethical dilemmas since they may impinge on the rights of others (staff and residents) and thus need to be adequately monitored and managed. However, no studies have focused on how staff handle ISBs, and particularly exposing oneself in public. METHODS: A total of 2,175 people working in 152 Spanish LTC facilities participated in the study. They were presented with a vignette describing a resident exposing his/her genitals in public, and they were asked what they think most of their workmates would do and what they think should be done in that situation. The STROBE checklist was used to enhance the quality and transparency of the research. RESULTS: Approximately one-third of participants (32.4%) reported having experienced behaviours such as the one described in the vignette. Staff reactions underline the predominance of restrictive practices. However, if prompted to think in terms of best practice, supportive reactions increased in frequency. Finally, factors such as work position have an influence on perceived common and best practices, with care assistants generally holding more restrictive views than directors or technical staff. CONCLUSIONS: Around one-third of staff members, and particularly those in managerial or technical positions, had witnessed residents exposing their genitals in public. However, there is no common ground among staff regarding the best way to handle the situation. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Our findings stress the importance of organisational policies and workplace training in the management of challenging behaviours such as exposing oneself.

Giving Them a Voice: Challenges to Narrative Agency in People with Dementia.

In this paper, we argue that the capacity for narrative agency is significantly compromised in individuals with dementia due to at least three factors: (a) Dementia itself, which causes increasing difficulties in constructing and articulating coherent and meaningful stories, and sharing them with others; (b) cultural narratives about dementia, which promote an extremely negative and pessimistic view of those with the disease; and (c) the convergence of these two last factors, which can lead to caregiving interactions that do not support storytelling and can even stop people with dementia from telling stories. We highlight the importance of narrative care, which involves interventions that focus on the person and their unique life narrative. In narrative care, people with dementia are treated not as impaired patients defined by the disease, but as human beings. In doing so, people with dementia can have their own voices back, which is silenced and discredited so many times.

Disclosing a LGB Sexual Identity When Living in an Elderly Long-Term Care Facility: Common and Best Practices.

This study aims at exploring staff perceptions of common and best practices toward a situation in which an older resident discloses their non-heterosexual sexual identity, differentiating between gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals. A total of 2,254 staff members from 96 Spanish long-term care facilities took part in the study. They were asked about what they think most of their workmates would do and what they think should be done in a situation in which an older resident discloses his/her non-heterosexual sexual orientation. The results indicate that, in general, staff's attitudes to non-heterosexual older residents' disclosure of their sexual identity are quite tolerant and open. However, differences in staff perceptions of common and best practices indicate that there is still potential for improvement. Results underline that factors such as residents' sexual identity (and particularly, bisexuality), generation, professional position, and the prevailing model of care influence staff responses.