Chamber Singers and Percussion Ensemble to Hold a Joint Concert

The expected increasing demand for informal care in aging societies underscores the importance of understanding the psychological implications of caregiving. This study explores the effect of providing regular help with personal care to a partner on different aspects of psychological well-being. We use cross-sectional data from the Norwegian Life Course, Ageing and Generation study (n. ~15,000; age 40-84) and two-wave panel data from the Norwegian study on Life Course, Ageing and Generation (n. ~3000; age 40-84). To separate the effects of providing care from those of the partner’s disability, caregivers are contrasted with non-caregivers with both disabled and nondisabled partners. We separate outcomes into cognitive well-being (life satisfaction), psychological functioning (self-esteem, mastery), and affective well-being (happiness, depression, loneliness). Findings show that caregiving has important cross-sectional and longitudinal detrimental psychological effects. These effects are fairly consistent across all aspects of well-being, demonstrating that caregiving has a broad-based negative impact. Among women, however, these effects are similar to if not weaker than the effects of a partner’s disability. Caregiving effects are constant by age, education, and employment status, but stronger among caregivers with health problems. Providing personal care to a partner is associated with marked adverse psychological effects for men and women irrespective of age and socio-economic status. Hence, no sociodemographic group is immune from caregiving stress, so programs should be targeted generally. The results also suggest that the health needs of caregivers demand more attention.Norges forskningsråd 196425 Norges forskningsråd 18778

The strains and gains of caregiving: An examination of the effects of providing personal care to a parent on a range of psychological outcomes

This study explores the effect of providing regular help with personal care to a resident or non-resident parent or parent-in-law on different aspects of psychological well-being. We use cross-sectional data from the Norwegian Life Course, Ageing and Generation (LOGG) study (N ~ 15,000, age 18–79) and two-wave panel data from the Norwegian study on Life course, Ageing and Generation (NorLAG) (N ~ 3,000, age 40–79). We separate outcomes into cognitive well-being (life satisfaction, partnership satisfaction, self-esteem), affective well-being (happiness, positive and negative affect, depression, loneliness) and sense of mastery. Caregiver status is largely unrelated to these aspects of well-being, both in cross-section and longitudinally. One notable exception is that caring for a resident (but not a non-resident) parent relates to lower affective well-being among women, also longitudinally. This effect is more marked among unpartnered and lower educated women. In addition, caring for a non-resident parent is associated with a positive change in sense of mastery among women. The results reviewed and presented indicate that caregiving has less detrimental effects in the Nordic countries than in other countries, highlighting the role of social policies and care systems in shaping the impact of caregiving on well-being.This research is supported by grants from the Norwegian Research Council (project EqualCare 196425/V50 and NorPAN 187783)

Birds use structural properties when selecting materials for different parts of their nests

Bird nests can have various roles but all act as the location for incubation, so at least have to serve to hold and support the incubating bird and its clutch of eggs. Nest construction is species specific and the use of materials varies between different parts of the nest. At present we know very little about the role that these materials play in the structural characteristics of the nest. This study examined materials from deconstructed nests from four species of thrush (Turdidae) and two species of finch (Fringillidae) that all constructed nests made of woody stems. It was hypothesised that structural properties would vary within the different regions of a nest, with thicker and stronger materials being found in parts of the nest needing the most support. Secondly, it was predicted that structural properties would vary little between nests of members of the same family, but would be quite different between nests of different families. Nests were deconstructed to quantify the materials used in the cup lining, and the upper and lower parts of the outer nest. The 20 thickest pieces of material were selected from each nest part and for each piece, and their diameter and mass quantified. Each piece was then subjected to a three-point bending test using an Instron universal testing machine to determine its rigidity and bending strength. Placement of materials in the nest was non-random in all species. The materials used in the outer part of the nest were thicker, stronger and stiffer than those materials found in the cup lining. The extent to which these structural properties varied between families depended on where the material was taken from the nest. Both strength and rigidity strongly positively correlated with the diameter of the piece of material. We hypothesise that birds are not directly aware of the structural properties of the material per se but rather assess diameter and mass of the material when they pick it up by the bill. Using this information they decide on whether the piece is suitable for that appropriate stage of nest construction

Welfare and level of living among the very frail elderly, 2000

This dataset is from the study "Welfare and level of living among the very frail elderly". The data are collected through questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. The study deals with service receivers over 70 years of age from 16 municipalities. The elderly people in the sample live either in nursing homes, retirement homes, houses which are adapted or in their own homes. The aim of the study is to give a comprehensive account of the information gathered about this group's living conditions and welfare. Furthermore the study has three main goals: 1. To describe living conditions and welfare among elderly people who are very depedent on being helped. The study gives a simple description of who the most frail service users are, what kind of help and services they receive and what needs they have and how they are. 2. To study the connections between boform and living conditions/welfare among very help-dependent elderly people receiving services. 3. To find relevant and useful indicators of living conditions and welfare for very help-dependent elderly people receiving services. In the file information provided by the elderly people themselves is indicated with "2" in the end of the variable name. Variables with names without a number in the end contain information provided by each user's primary nurse/care giver. Two types of questionnaires were developed. One to each user's primary nurse/care giver. One to the elderly person him/her-self. Only the elderly who were able to give their consent were interviewed. Those interviewed: - in nursing homes 37,7 % - in retirement homes 66,7% - in adapted houses/housing 66,0% - among elderly living at home 58,6% Somewhat different versions of the questionnaires were developed for those living in retirement homes, adapted houses and at home respectively - all in all 2x3 questionnaires. Most of the questions were identical, but some questions are only posed to those living in retirement homes, for instance. Researcher Britt Slagsvold at Norwegian Social Research (NOVA) was the leader of the project and Marit Lauvli project co-worker until autumn 1998. The study was financed by the Research Council of Norway with funds from the Mininstry of Social Affairs and Health

Eldre er tilfreds med livet - eller er det bare noe de tror? : alder og livskvalitet

Artiklene i Samfunnsspeilet er tilgjengelige fra SSBs nettsider: http://www.ssb.no/ssp/Det er en vanlig antakelse at det psykiske velværet synker med alderen, men dette kommer helt an på hva vi legger i ordet velvære. De positive følelsene synker relativt sterkt fra midt i livsløpet, og flere er deprimerte, spesielt i veldig høy alder. Likevel er de fleste fornøyd med livet og opplever tilfredshet på ulike livsområder frem til de er rundt 80 år

Refleksiv frivillighet i en norsk kontekst – om eldres deltakelse, motivasjon og potensiale

Hvor aktive er eldre i frivillig arbeid, hva motiverer dem, og hvor motivert er de for å bidra mer? Spørsmålene er sentrale for eldrepolitikk som sikter mot økt frivillig deltakelse. Artikkelen bygger på data fra vel 4000 personer i alderen 50–80 år i Den norske studien om livsløp, aldring og generasjon (NorLAG) fra 2017. Vi finner at seks av ti har gjort en innsats i løpet av det siste året, men andelen som bidrar minst 1–2 timer i en vanlig uke, er bare det halve. For de fleste er innsatsen både egen- og altruistisk motivert. Halvparten av ikke-frivillige sier i telefonintervju at de kan tenke seg å bidra, men svarene fra skjemaet de har fylt ut, tyder på at bare om lag halvparten av disse faktisk er potensielle rekrutter. Videre er få villige til å forplikte seg til frivillig innsats, og halvparten vil delta bare hvis de selv kan bestemme omfang og tidspunkt. Alt i alt synes potensialet for økt frivillig innsats betinget. Det kan bli en utfordring å forene eldres preferanse for fleksibilitet og meningsfullt engasjement med oppgaver som lokalsamfunn og frivillige organisasjoner kan tilby og har behov for

The East-West divide in late-life depression: Results from the Generations and Gender Survey

This study explores Europe’s country differences in depressed mood among older men and women and the role individual-level socioeconomic status, health, and social variables play in these patterns. We use cross-sectional, nationally representative data from the Generations and Gender Survey. The sample comprises 27,543 Europeans aged 60 to 80 from 10 countries. Depressive symptoms are measured with a sevenitem version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Findings show considerable between-country heterogeneity in depressed mood, especially among older women. An East–West gradient is evident, with rates of depressed mood up to three times higher in Eastern European than in North-Western European countries. Rates are about twice as high among women versus men in all countries. Among older women, the rate of depressed mood is 25% to 41% in Eastern European countries versus 14% to 25% in North-Western Europe. For men, these rates are 14% to 21% and 7% to 10%, respectively. The high prevalence of depressed mood among seniors in Eastern Europe, and women in particular, is explained by the high prevalence of health problems, poverty, and widowhood in countries of this region. Macro-level factors such as welfare provision and pension spending may moderate the exposure to, and impact of, some of the determinants. They may thus contribute to buffering against, or postponing, the risk of late-life depression in stronger welfare states

Hva betyr utdanning for vår helseatferd? : helseatferd gjennom livsløpet

Artiklene i Samfunnsspeilet er tilgjengelige fra SSBs nettsider: http://www.ssb.no/ssp/Nordmenn med høyere utdanning røyker mindre, trener mer og har større alkoholforbruk sammenlignet med lavt utdannete. Hvorfor er det slik, og finner vi de samme utdanningsforskjellene i helseatferd gjennom livsløpet? Endringene kan variere med alder og livsfase. LOGG-data peker blant annet på at røykeforebyggende tiltak særlig bør rettes mot og tilpasses unge middelaldrende med lav utdanning

Hva betyr utdanning for vår helseatferd? : helseatferd gjennom livsløpet

Nordmenn med høyere utdanning røyker mindre, trener mer og har større alkoholforbruk sammenlignet med lavt utdannete. Hvorfor er det slik, og finner vi de samme utdanningsforskjellene i helseatferd gjennom livsløpet? Endringene kan variere med alder og livsfase. LOGG-data peker blant annet på at røykeforebyggende tiltak særlig bør rettes mot og tilpasses unge middelaldrende med lav utdanning

Eldre er tilfreds med livet - eller er det bare noe de tror? : alder og livskvalitet

Det er en vanlig antakelse at det psykiske velværet synker med alderen, men dette kommer helt an på hva vi legger i ordet velvære. De positive følelsene synker relativt sterkt fra midt i livsløpet, og flere er deprimerte, spesielt i veldig høy alder. Likevel er de fleste fornøyd med livet og opplever tilfredshet på ulike livsområder frem til de er rundt 80 år