Global Social Issues on Ageing

The IAGG Global Social Issues on Ageing was created in 2011 by a group of social gerontologists from all world regions:  To foster collaboration and critical thinking about ageing at the interfaces of regional issues and global trends  To create understanding and fill gaps in knowledge of key global contexts of ageing: People, Place & Policy  To build capacity in global discourses and analysis among emerging and established scholars The GSIA is embedded in a global ecological frameworki that has contributed to and reflects the World Health Organization framework for healthy ageing (Officer et al, 2018ii). Its basic premise is that healthy ageing is the process of developing and maintaining a good person-environment fit. The WHO uses ‘intrinsic capacity’ to describe the physical and mental capacities of an individual. Environments are factors in the extrinsic world that form the context of an individual’s life. The GSIA’s lens for research, policy and practice is environments. Policy, Place and People environments are chosen for their relevance to well-being of older adults. They focus GSIA research efforts on a defined set of global issues and are positioned to contribute to increased visibility contributions of IAGG to the creation and transfer of knowledgeiii. Policy environment comprises societal values and beliefs including ageism; legislative structures and regulations. Research themes (need to) include sites at which public policy/values are enacted; and the differential impact of national policy/values on older persons. Place environment comprises locations such as home, neighbourhood and community. Research themes include age-friendly communities; ageing in place; belongingness and exclusion. People environment comprises family and social relationships. Research themes include generational relationships and family care; loneliness; social embeddedness and social isolation.