Participation and Independence in Old Age - Aspects of home and neighbourhood environments

The current trend in Sweden is to support older people to remain living in their own homes as long as possible. Older people spend much of their daily life within the home and neighbourhood environment. It is well known that participation and independence is important in experiencing well being in old age. Thus from a health-promotion perspective it is interesting to uncover aspects within the home and neighbourhood environment that might relate to participation and independence in old age, in particular in very old age since resent research within this area is rather unexplored. Thus the overarching aim of this thesis was to explore old and very old people's participation and independence, focusing on aspects of home and neighbourhood environments. Public facilities in the neighbourhood important to visit were reported and a majority of problems in the neighbourhood environment were perceived along walking routes. Home was experienced as the locus and origin for participation and a signification of independence. Two dimensions of participation; Performance-oriented participation and Togetherness-oriented participation emerged and were statistically validated and objective as well as subjective home and neighbourhood variables were related the two dimensions of participation. The concept of independence was found to be a complex construct and there is a need of further explorations as regards the differentiation between independence and autonomy. The results of this thesis have further deepened the knowledge about very old peoples? own experiences of participation and independence as well as their relationships to the home and neighbourhood environment. The results are useful in future research on interventions on individual and societal level foremost in community-based occupational therapy

Performance and variability of thirteen winter wheat composite cross populations (CCP) with differing cultivation histories.

Alternative breeding approaches in organic agriculture have started to address pressing issues such as the lack of appropriate plant varieties particularly suited to cope with higher biotic and abiotic stresses, generally found in low-input and organic production systems. This challenge, coupled with the additional pressure of loss of plant genetic diversity, has driven novel breeding approaches such as Composite Cross Populations (CCPs) and other genotype mixtures, thereby increasing both intra- and inter-varietal diversity. This High genetic Diversity (Hi-D) approach is relevant to organic agricultural systems for two reasons; firstly the availability of diverse germplasm improves chances of finding germplasm suited for low-input conditions as found in organic agriculture. Secondly, the comparatively large environmental variability in organic systems needs to be buffered with higher levels of in-field diversity. COBRA (Coordinating Organic plant BReeding Activities for Diversity) aims to support and develop plant breeding and seed production in Europe by increasing the use of plant material with High genetic Diversity (Hi-D) through coordinating, linking and expanding existing breeding and research in cereals (wheat and barley) and grain legumes (pea and faba bean)

Exploring Housing Policies in Five Swedish Municipalities: Alternatives and Priorities

IntroductionHousing shortage due to population growth within metropolitan areas, combined with an ageing population has put pressure on current housing provision policies in Sweden. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop sustainable housing policies to accommodate the growing number of seniors in accessible home environments. This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of how municipalities currently address housing accessibility issues and to explore what types of policy solutions they consider for the future.Material and methodsFive Swedish municipalities were selected to represent a diversity of population, housing situations and geographical areas. Two key actors from each municipality (public officials, housing adaptation grant managers, city architects etc.) participated in semi-structured interviews (N=10). Data were analysed using content analysis, i.e. inductive category formation, described by Mayring (2014). ResultsImportant themes included how such factors as the organizational structure of the municipality and the level of collaboration between municipal and private actors impacted the goals and ambitions of current housing policies. Emerging themes concerning possible measures and policies for the future were innovative types of housing and the need for economic incentives for older people to move from housing with poor accessibility to housing designed to better meet their needs. ConclusionMunicipalities struggle with the lack of accessible and affordable housing for the ageing population. The results suggest there is a need to consider how to prevent organizational issues from hampering policy initiatives and implementation and how to improve collaboration between municipal and private actors involved in housing provision

Vergleich der Adaptation von Winterweizenpopulationen mit unterschiedlichem Anbauhintergrund

Thirteen winter wheat composite cross populations originating from one population but with differing histories over six years and three reference varieties were compared for yield, disease occurrence, as well as phenotypic diversity. The populations performed similarly and often better than the reference varieties in terms of yield and had lower incidence of disease. The populations are also phenotypically diverse and differ among each other, indicating that they have maintained a high degree of diversity over time and in varying locations, but most likely also diverged from each other

Perceived home is associated with psychological well-being in a cohort aged 67–70 years

Research on very old people has shown that perceived aspects of home are important for health, but research on such associations in younger cohorts of older people is lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate whether perceived aspects of home were associated with psychological well-being among community-living people aged 67–70. Interview data were collected with 371 individuals living in ordinary housing in southern Sweden. Statistical analyses revealed that depression was less common among participants who reported cognitive-emotional and social bonding to the home, and among those who felt that they had control over their housing situation. The behavioral, social and physical aspects of meaning of home as well as external control beliefs were associated with psychological well-being. Showing that perceived aspects of home are relevant for psychological well-being among people aged 67–70, this study adds to the knowledge on home and health dynamics during the ageing process

The "Free from housing accessibility problems" app

Publisher Copyright: © 2016 The authors and IOS Press.The present study concerns the development of a computerized tool targeting housing accessibility issues. A user-centered approach involving professionals from the housing sector and senior citizens from four European countries resulted in a fully functional prototype of a mobile application (app) including an apartment database. The app raises awareness on housing accessibility and has the potential to support decision making and strengthen all citizens regardless of functional capacity to be more active in their endeavors for a satisfying housing solution. Further refinements and additional features are needed to enhance the potential benefits; they include addressing potential challenges facing senior citizens, developing interactive features that allow users to provide input and adapting to different national contexts to make the app applicable for the European market.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Bewertung und Akzeptanz heterogener Weizenpopulationen in ökologischen Wertschöpfungsketten - Ergebnisse des BAKWERT-Projekts zur agronomischen Leistung und Backqualität (2020/21 und 2021/22).

Zwei heterogene Winterweizenpopulationen wurden über zwei Anbausaisons (2020/21 und 2021/22) auf 10 Biobetrieben im Vergleich zu einer Liniensorte getestet. Ergebnisse aus beiden Jahren werden auf der Konferenz im Jahr 2023 vorgestellt

Bewertung und Akzeptanz heterogener Weizenpopulationen in ökologischen Wertschöpfungsketten

BAKWERT war konzeptionell auf die Stärkung der gesamten ökologischen Wertschöpfungskette und die Verbreitung von Innovationen zur ökologischen Intensivierung der landwirtschaftlichen Produktion ausgerichtet. Am Beispiel heterogener Weizenpopulationen wurde eine gemeinsame Dynamik der Innovation in Landwirtschaft, Verarbeitung und Vermarktung hergestellt. Das Gesamtziel von BAKWERT war es, zur Weiterentwicklung und Verbreitung des innovativen agrarökologischen Züchtungsansatzes heterogener Populationen beizutragen. Erstes Arbeitsziel war die Etablierung und Organisation von drei regionalen ökologischen Wertschöpfungsketten für den Anbau, die Verarbeitung und Vermarktung heterogener Weizenpopulationen. Diese regionalen Wertschöpfungsketten mit insgesamt 10 Landwirtschafts-, 3 Mühlen- und 14 Bäckereibetrieben wurden kontinuierlich mit Ergebnissen aus den Analysen versorgt, um laufend Anpassungen und Verbesserungen zu ermöglichen und die Optimierung von Prozessen und Produkten sicherzustellen. Hauptaugenmerk lag auf der Identifizierung von Anpassungsbedarfen beim Anbau bzw. der Verarbeitung von heterogenem Weizen. Hierzu wurden die Praxisprozesse eng begleitet und die Erfahrungen dokumentiert. Die laufenden Datenerhebungen und Analysen (Feldbonituren, Ernteanalysen, Mahl- und Backtests, etc.) wurden ergänzt durch strukturierte qualitative Datenerhebungen (Interviews, Gruppendiskussionen, etc.). Erträge und Qualitäten der zwei untersuchten Populationen waren vergleichbar mit der Liniensorte ‚Aristaro‘. Insbesondere bei der Backqualität wies das heterogene Material dabei eine höhere Stabilität auf. Im BAKWERT-Projekt hat sich gezeigt, dass heterogene Populationen auch in der Praxis eine erfolgreiche Strategie für ökologische Qualitätsweizenerzeugung im Klimawandel sind. Der Populationsweizen kann ohne Schwierigkeiten oder Anpassungsbedarf in den regulären Warenfluss der Mühlen und Bäckereien integriert werden. Für Bäckereien mit engem Kundenkontakt und starker Nachhaltigkeitskommunikation bieten spezielle Populationsprodukte zusätzlich Möglichkeiten zur Produktdifferenzierung und Profilbildung im Bereich Nachhaltigkeit und Regionalität

Mitochondrial DNA signals of late glacial recolonization of Europe from near Eastern refugia

Human populations, along with those of many other species, are thought to have contracted into a number of refuge areas at the height of the last Ice Age. European populations are believed to be, to a large extent, the descendants of the inhabitants of these refugia, and some extant mtDNA lineages can be traced to refugia in Franco-Cantabria (haplogroups H1, H3, V, and U5b1), the Italian Peninsula (U5b3), and the East European Plain (U4 and U5a). Parts of the Near East, such as the Levant, were also continuously inhabited throughout the Last Glacial Maximum, but unlike western and eastern Europe, no archaeological or genetic evidence for Late Glacial expansions into Europe from the Near East has hitherto been discovered. Here we report, on the basis of an enlarged whole-genome mitochondrial database, that a substantial, perhaps predominant, signal from mitochondrial haplogroups J and T, previously thought to have spread primarily from the Near East into Europe with the Neolithic population, may in fact reflect dispersals during the Late Glacial period, ?19–12 thousand years (ka) ago.<br/

Cross-national user priorities for housing provision and accessibility — Findings from the European innovage project

Publisher Copyright: © 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.To develop an innovative information and communication technology (ICT) tool intended to help older people in their search for optimal housing solutions, a first step in the development process is to gain knowledge from the intended users. Thus the aim of this study was to deepen the knowledge about needs and expectations about housing options as expressed and prioritized by older people, people ageing with disabilities and professionals. A participatory design focus was adopted; 26 people with a range of functional limitations representing the user perspective and 15 professionals with a variety of backgrounds, participated in research circles that were conducted in four European countries. An additional 20 experts were invited as guests to the different research circle meetings. Three themes illustrating cross-national user priorities for housing provision and accessibility were identified: “Information barrier: accessible housing”, “Information barrier: housing adaptation benefits”, and “Cost barrier: housing adaptations”. In conclusion, early user involvement and identification of cross-national differences in priorities and housing options will strengthen the development of a user-friendly ICT tool that can empower older people and people with disabilities to be more active consumers regarding housing provision.publishersversionPeer reviewe