Precarity and Aging: A Scoping Review
The concept of precarity holds the potential to understand insecurities and risks experienced by older people in the contemporary social, economic, political and cultural context.
At present, there is little information about how precarity and precarious conditions carry out into late life. Our position is that policymakers and program managers require information that is grounded in empirical results, including feedback from practitioners/stakeholders and the narratives of older people. Research data on precarity & aging from this project will provide insight into the life trajectories of older people, outline the service barriers that exist for people ‘aging precariously’ with regards to low-income, ability and status in order to broaden existing understandings of these trajectories in scholarly research and social programming. An improved awareness of older adults’ experiences and the needs that occur at the intersections of precarious aging, can for example, help find solutions for better access to and or suggest changes with regards to institutional resources in health and social care. Research results will inform the fields of social gerontology and social work as well as provide suggestions to better equip policy makers and practitioners to address the unique needs of Canada’s older population.
A variety of research findings / outcomes from the project can be found below, including blog posts, tool kits, journal articles, conference contributions, project success stories, and more.
New materials are uploaded regularly, so be sure to check back often for updates.
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The concept of precarity holds the potential to understand insecurities and risks experienced by older people in the contemporary social, economic, political and cultural context.
Publication: De nouvelles approches pour comprendre l’agentivité et le renforcement du pouvoir d’agir au grand âge Citation: Phillipson, C. (2018). Vieillissement ‘actif’ ou vieillissement ‘précaire’: De nouvelles approches pour comprendre l’agentivité et le renforcement du pouvoir d’agir au grand âge. Gérontologie et société, 157(40).
Over the last 15 years, frailty has become a dominant discourse on late life. Taken-for-granted knowledge and practice can be seen in initiatives such as the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics’ White Book on Frailty. This paper begins with an overview of key themes on frailty from the biomedical literature, followed by critical literature in the social sciences and humanities.
Publication Name: Precarity and Ageing: Understanding Insecurity and Risk in Later Life Abstract: What risks and insecurities do older people face in a time of both increased longevity and widening inequality? This edited collection develops an exciting new approach to understanding the changing cultural, economic and social circumstances facing different groups of older people. Exploring…
Population aging and longevity in the context of declining social commitments raise concerns about disadvantage, inequality, and the well‐being of older people.
Publication Name: Precarity in late life: Understanding new forms of risk and insecurity Abstract: Population aging and longevity in the context of declining social commitments, raises concerns about disadvantage and widening inequality in late life. This paper explores the concept of precarity as a means to understand new and sustained forms of risk and insecurity…
Read the latest publication released in the February 2017 issue of Sociology of Health and Illness.