Inheritances and work for pay - will the expected wave of bequests undermine active ageing policies?

It is frequently assumed that the inheritance of wealth undermines economic activity. If such an assumption is valid, the expected wave of bequests may have a negative impact on labour market activity of heirs, what might further weaken the financing of state pension systems. This paper provides a detailed review of the empirical findings on the associations of inheritances with labour market activity, that is labour force participation status and working hours, and presents own analyses based on the survey of health, ageing, and retirement in Europe. We find that the receipt of an inheritance is not related to labour force participation in general. Inheritance expectations even have a small, but statistically significant positive effect on remaining in the labour force for men. Women who expect an inheritance tend to reduce working hours, but the effect of having received an inheritance is not significant, neither for men nor for women. We conclude that the receipt of an inheritance will not affect labour market decisions, so that the expected wave of bequests will not undermine active ageing policies. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10433-022-00706-1.

The technology acceptance puzzle. Results of a representative survey in Lower Saxony.

It is widely taken for granted that the interest in technology decreases with increasing age. Many studies and especially large scale surveys seem to confirm declining technology acceptance; however, it is argued that composition effects (e.g. increasing proportions of women among the older age groups), cohort effects (e.g. experience with different technologies during the lifetime) and various living and health conditions (e.g. living alone, having children in the neighborhood and experience of falls) have to be taken into account and that these factors will have different impacts on the acceptance of different scenarios of assistive technologies. The analyses are based on data from a self-administered questionnaire (n = 2032, a representative random sample of individuals aged 50 years and above in Lower Saxony, Germany). The survey briefly introduced four scenarios of ambient assisted living (AAL) technologies. Multinominal logistic regression was used to explore the correlations of acceptance and the independent variables mentioned. The results show that the simple assumption of an age effect, i.e. technology acceptance generally declines with increasing age, is misleading. An answer to the question whether older people will make use of assistive technologies in the future should consider specific scenarios and also various socioeconomic variables.

Five years of interdisciplinary research on ageing and technology: Outcomes of the Lower Saxony Research Network Design of Environments for Ageing (GAL)--an introduction to this Special Issue on Ageing and Technology.

This Special Issue of Informatics for Health and Social Care is presenting outcomes of the Lower Saxony Research Network Design of Environments for Ageing (abbreviated as GAL), probably one of the largest inter- and multidisciplinary research projects on aging and technology. In order to investigate and provide answers on whether new information and communication technologies can contribute to keeping, or even improving quality of life, health and self-sufficiency in ageing societies through new ways of living and new forms of care, GAL had been established as a five-year research project, running from 2008 to 2013. Ambient-assisted living technologies in personal and home environments were especially important. During the five years of research in GAL, more than seventy researchers from computer science, economics, engineering, geriatrics, gerontology, informatics, medicine, nursing science and rehabilitation pedagogy intensively collaborated in finding answers.

Information and communication technologies for promoting and sustaining quality of life, health and self-sufficiency in ageing societies--outcomes of the Lower Saxony Research Network Design of Environments for Ageing (GAL).

Many societies across the world are confronted with demographic changes, usually related to increased life expectancy and, often, relatively low birth rates. Information and communication technologies (ICT) may contribute to adequately support senior citizens in aging societies with respect to quality of life and quality and efficiency of health care processes. For investigating and for providing answers on whether new information and communication technologies can contribute to keeping, or even improving quality of life, health and self-sufficiency in ageing societies through new ways of living and new forms of care, the Lower Saxony Research Network Design of Environments for Ageing (GAL) had been established as a five years research project, running from 2008 to 2013. Ambient-assisted living (AAL) technologies in personal and home environments were especially important. In this article we report on the GAL project, and present some of its major outcomes after five years of research. We report on major challenges and lessons learned in running and organizing such a large, inter- and multidisciplinary project and discuss GAL in the context of related research projects. With respect to research outcomes, we have, for example, learned new knowledge about multimodal and speech-based human-machine-interaction mechanisms for persons with functional restrictions, and identified new methods and developed new algorithms for identifying activities of daily life and detecting acute events, particularly falls. A total of 79 apartments of senior citizens had been equipped with specific "GAL technology", providing new insights into the use of sensor data for smart homes. Major challenges we had to face were to deal constructively with GAL's highly inter- and multidisciplinary aspects, with respect to research into GAL's application scenarios, shifting from theory and lab experimentation to field tests, and the complexity of organizing and, in our view, successfully managing such a large project. Overall it can be stated that, from our point of view, the GAL research network has been run successfully and has achieved its major research objectives. Since we now know much more on how and where to use AAL technologies for new environments of living and new forms of care, a future focus for research can now be outlined for systematically planned studies, scientifically exploring the benefits of AAL technologies for senior citizens, in particular with respect to quality of life and the quality and efficiency of health care.

Multimodal activity monitoring for home rehabilitation of geriatric fracture patients--feasibility and acceptance of sensor systems in the GAL-NATARS study.

BACKGROUND: Demographic change will lead to a diminishing care workforce faced with rising numbers of older persons in need of care, suggesting meaningful use of health-enabling technologies, and home monitoring in particular, to contribute to supporting both the carers and the persons in need. OBJECTIVES: We present and discuss the GAL-NATARS study design along with first results regarding technical feasibility of long-term home monitoring and acceptance of different sensor modalities. METHODS: Fourteen geriatric participants with mobility-impairing fractures were recruited in three geriatric clinics. Following inpatient geriatric rehabilitation, their homes were equipped with ambient sensor components for three months. Additionally, a wearable accelerometer was employed. Technical feasibility was assessed by system and component downtimes, technology acceptance by face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: The overall system downtime was 6%, effected by two single events, but not by software failures. Technology acceptance was rated very high by all participants at the end of the monitoring periods, and no interference with their social lives was reported. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Home-monitoring technologies were well-accepted by our participants. The information content of the data still needs to be evaluated with regard to clinical outcome parameters as well as the effect on the quality of life before recommending large-scale implementations.

The Lower Saxony research network design of environments for ageing: towards interdisciplinary research on information and communication technologies in ageing societies.

Worldwide, ageing societies are bringing challenges for independent living and healthcare. Health-enabling technologies for pervasive healthcare and sensor-enhanced health information systems offer new opportunities for care. In order to identify, implement and assess such new information and communication technologies (ICT) the 'Lower Saxony Research Network Design of Environments for Ageing' (GAL) has been launched in 2008 as interdisciplinary research project. In this publication, we inform about the goals and structure of GAL, including first outcomes, as well as to discuss the potentials and possible barriers of such highly interdisciplinary research projects in the field of health-enabling technologies for pervasive healthcare. Although GAL's high interdisciplinarity at the beginning slowed down the speed of research progress, we can now work on problems, which can hardly be solved by one or few disciplines alone. Interdisciplinary research projects on ICT in ageing societies are needed and recommended.

The balance of intergenerational exchange: correlates of net transfers in Germany and Israel.

The aim of this study was to examine the net balance of transfers between persons aged 50 and older and their family, taking into account both the exchange of money and the exchange of practical assistance (time). Toward this end, a unique net balance outcome measure was computed by costing the value of time transfers into wage equivalents. The study made use of data from the first wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), and focused upon intergenerational exchange in two specific countries: Germany and Israel. The descriptive findings show that-up to an age of about 80 years-the elderly are net providers of help. The outcome variable was next regressed on a set of relevant predictors identified in the literature on intergenerational transfers and support-among them, sociodemographic background, health, social policy, social network and motivation variables. Holding these variables constant, the balance pattern by age remains valid: respondents aged 50-79 in both settings contributed to their family more than they received. These trends in net transfer exchanges were largely similar across both countries and across regions or population groups within both countries. Women were more likely to have a positive net exchange balance and poorer health was associated with net receiving. However, differences also emerged: social capital was more clearly associated with a positive exchange balance in Israel, transfer motivations shaped transfer behaviors in Germany but not in Israel, and socioeconomic variables seemed to work in opposite directions in the two countries. In sum, the results underscore the generally positive contribution of older people to intergenerational exchange in the family. This outcome holds for both Germany and Israel despite their very different conditions of context.

Senior citizens and Internet technology: Reasons and correlates of access versus non-access in a European comparative perspective.

If offline older citizens remain offline they will become increasingly disadvantaged from a socio-ecological point of view, as the Internet's societal pervasiveness progresses. We study reasons for non-use and the frequency, intensity, and, the socio-demographic correlates of Internet use of older citizens in Europe. Theoretical relationships on the individual and societal level are ascertained. The Eurobarometer of 2003 offers a range of variables to explore the diffusion of Internet technology among 55+ year-old people in Europe. Descriptive statistics and population average models are used to identify the correlates of Internet access. Within the population segment of older citizens, age continues to have a differentiating effect, net of marital, occupational, and educational status for Internet access. Model replications show that only a few of the net coefficients differ in size. Decisions to remain offline are mainly based on private access possibilities, motivational indifference, and deficient knowledge. Existing socioeconomic inequalities regarding Internet access crystallise within the older population, particularly in the Southern regions of Europe. A claim is made for a necessity to maintain efforts to close the digital age gap.

Do intergenerational transfers from elderly parents increase social inequality among their middle-aged children? Evidence from the German aging survey.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the consequences of private intergenerational transfers from elderly parents to their middle-aged children with respect to social inequality within the children's generation. METHODS: With use of the nationally representative cross-sectional sample of the German Aging Survey, descriptive analyses as well as multivariate logistic regressions are used to identify the effects of three different types of private intergenerational transfers in the middle-age group (40-54 year olds, n = 1,719 for inter vivos and n = 1,446 for mortis causa transfers). RESULT: Transfers from parents or parents-in-law during the last 12 months-many of them smaller ones-are not significantly related to children's income. Separated and divorced children have significantly higher probabilities of receiving such transfers, indicating a need-directed family transfer process. Larger transfers before the last 12 months are need directed as well and moreover positively related to income position. Bequests, finally, are positively related to income position while having no need component at the time of observation. DISCUSSION: Whereas larger monetary transfers and bequests may increase social inequality in the children's generation, a substantial part of the regular monetary flow from elderly parents to their adult children buffers situations of need. Public policy should take into account these different effects. Reducing the general level of public pensions would weaken regular transfer giving and thus lead to more inequality in the children's generation. Higher taxation of very large transfers and bequests would have the opposite effect.