To Örebro University

Older adults 75 and above are a fast-growing segment of the population. However, few studies have investigated what it means to age successfully from their perspective. This group of older adults face challenges that might characteristically differ from younger older adults. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the perspectives of older adults aged 75 and above regarding what it means to age successfully and to summarise the findings through a narrative synthesis. We also aimed to provide a snapshot of inhibitors and facilitators to achieve successful ageing. A systematic review of the 75+ older adults’ perspectives was conducted across PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and PsycINFO. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed-methods original peer-reviewed studies were included. After reviewing 4,661 articles, 15 articles met the inclusion criteria and 15 themes were identified. They ranged from biomedical components such as physical functioning to psychosocial components such as relationships, reflections on life and past experiences, preparations for death and environmental factors. The findings revealed that as people age, their definition of successful ageing changes, expanding the current conceptualisation of successful ageing by including additional factors that can act as facilitators and/or inhibitors, such as death and environmental factors. The findings also highlight the need for further research on theory development by considering age-related differences and the perspectives of under-studied populations.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to estimate the prevalence of self-reported hearing difficulties, vision difficulties and combined vision and hearing difficulties in a Swedish adult population that varies according to migration status, sex, age, disability measured by ADL and IADL and educational attainment level.

METHODS: The study utilised data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, which consisted of 2257 individuals aged 60 and above that were interviewed in Sweden in the 2019/2020, SHARE wave 8. To determine the prevalence of sensory difficulties (hearing, vision and dual-sensory difficulties) among various subgroups of the population, a multinomial logistic regression was used. The results of these analyses are presented in terms of predicted probabilities.

RESULTS: The study findings indicate that foreign-born older adults experience a lower prevalence of visual difficulties (6.2% [3.3-11.5] in comparison to their Swedish-born counterparts. Moreover, older adults with higher levels of education tend to report a lower prevalence of sensory difficulties overall. Furthermore, sex differences are apparent, with males reporting a higher prevalence of hearing difficulties (18.9% [15.5-22.8] vs. 12.8% [10.7-15.3]) and females reporting a higher prevalence of vision difficulties (12.7% [10.7-15.1] vs. 8.5%[6.8-10.5]).

CONCLUSION: The findings highlight disparities in the prevalence and type of perceived sensory difficulties experienced by older adults, by factors such as age, sex, education and migration status. It is important to consider these demographic factors in healthcare planning and interventions aimed at mitigating sensory difficulties in the older population.

OBJECTIVES: Improvements in educational attainment, cognitive and sensory functions, and a decline in the prevalence of disabilities have been observed in older adults in Sweden and Denmark. In the present study, it was investigated whether better cognition, higher educational attainment, and improved sensory function among older adults aged 60 and older in these countries have contributed to decreasing rates of old-age disabilities.

METHODS: The analyses were based on repeated cross-sectional data from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe, for 2004-2017 period. Descriptive data was used to benchmark the declining prevalence of disabilities, improving cognitive and sensory function, and increased educational level. The association between time and disabilities was analyzed with logistic regression models and the contribution of the improved cognitive, education and sensory function to the declining prevalence of old-age disabilities was estimated using the Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) method for mediation analysis.

RESULTS: The analysis suggests that the declining prevalence of old-age disabilities in Sweden and Denmark between 2004 and 2017, can largely be attributed to improved cognitive function and vision, and to a lesser extent by education and hearing ability.

DISCUSSION: These findings raise important questions about the causal mechanisms producing the associations between cognition, education, and sensory functions and disability in older age. Future studies should explore the causal nature of the associations between these mediators, and old-age disabilities. In addition, they should explore whether these findings differ across regional and cultural contexts and over different time periods.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to explore the bidirectional, longitudinal associations between self-reported sensory functions (hearing/vision) and cognitive functioning among older adults in Sweden and Denmark during the period 2004-2017.

METHODS: The study is based on data from The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and consists of 3164 persons aged 60 to 93 years. Within-person associations between sensory and cognitive functions were estimated using random intercept cross-lagged panel models.

RESULTS: The results indicated that cognitive and sensory functions were associated within their respective domains over time. The results on the bidirectional associations between sensory functions and cognition over time showed weak and statistically non-significant estimates.

CONCLUSION: Our study showed no clear evidence for cross-lagged effects between sensory functions and cognitive functioning. Important to note, however, is that using longitudinal data to estimate change within persons is a demanding statistical test and various factors may have contributed to the absence of conclusive evidence in our study. We discuss several of these factors.