Health centre visits among the elderly with chronic ailments: Evidence from the Kanchanaburi Demographic Surveillance System, 2004, Thailand

This study deployed statistical and spatial (GIS) analyses to test the effects of geographic, demographic and occupational factors in predicting health centre visits among the elderly (≥60 years) with chronic ailments in Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand. Datasets from the Kanchanaburi Demographic Surveillance System (2004 baseline survey and a 2006 project follow-up) comprised five land-use landscape and occupational strata: urban/semi-urban (industrial), rice field, plantation crop, upland and mixed economy. Travel distance to the nearest health centre was calculated following transportation routes and the GPS coordinates of individual home locations, and the number of healthcare visits under the national free universal coverage (UC) scheme reported for the previous year was used as a dependent variable in regressions. Broadly, the study found that distance was not a significant predictor of the rate of elderly health centres visits for those with co-residing spouses and/or adult children (77% of sample), and for the elderly still working (48% of the sample) who were the least likely to access healthcare. Owning motorised vehicles did not encourage visits, which also varied by land-use and occupational strata.     

Korean unification: a solution to the challenges of an increasingly elderly population?

South Korea experienced below replacement fertility for the first time in 1983, which also marked the point from which fertility rates continued to decline over the next 20 years to reach a low of 1.2 in 2003. In spite of recent pronatalist policies, the fertility rate has remained near this level and has not increased appreciably. The reasons for sustained low fertility in South Korea are complex and solutions remain elusive. One option that has been suggested is reunification with North Korea, which could address the eventual decline in the population and mitigate the increasing proportion of the elderly. Although the conditions surrounding the German reunification experience were vastly different than what Korea will likely undergo, it is informative to look at Germany as a guide to the demographic parameters of reunification. Three projection models for 2015–2050 are presented; even the highest fertility models show that reunification will not be the answer to population restructuring already underway in South Korea as a result of sustained low fertility.     

迁居对单位老年人日常生活社会网络的影响

社会网络对于老年人的日常活动与生活质量起着至关重要的作用,关系到老年人的身心健康、主观幸福感以及生活满意度等多个维度。本文以单位老年人为研究对象,通过深入观察、追踪研究、结构访谈、案例剖析等质性研究方法,对比迁居前后单位老年人的日常生活与社会交往状态,分析迁居后单位老年人应对新居住空间与原有社会交往空间分离下的日常活动与交往模式的调整与变化,重点剖析迁居老年人与原单位社区之间的互动,进而归纳迁居对单位老年人社会网络的影响机制,并从老年人迁居与社会交往的互动关系的角度提出相关的老龄政策。     

日本老年护理保险制度的发展与启示

日本是世界上老年护理保险制度较为完善的国家之一。日本的护理保险制度在设立上注重开放服务领域,鼓励服务主体多元化,基本实现了护理服务的社会化;同时,它注重与国情结合,大力支持居家护理和社区护理服务,在很大程度上解决了日本老年人护理服务的问题。中国与日本有着相似的东方养老模式,在借鉴日本的经验时,要兼顾效率与公平,注重制度的建设与法律的完善,重视疾病的预防,积极为家庭护理提供支持,促进老年护理服务的社会化。     

基于群体心理特征的老年旅游产品谱系构建——以关中地区为例

将心理特征分析引入旅游产品谱系构建当中,是旅游产品开发市场导向型下人本主义思想的体现。本文从感知、情感和情绪、意志和兴趣等方面对老年心理特征进行分析的基础上,从基本层次、提高层次和专门层次的三维视角概括老年群体旅游动机,并从安全性、体验性和参与性三方面总结该群体的旅游偏好。针对旅游动机,结合旅游偏好设计了相应的旅游产品系列,并对每个系列具体旅游产品类型进行选择,得到面向老年群体的旅游产品谱系。以关中地区老年旅游市场为例,通过问题的分析,运用所构建的老年旅游产品谱系对该地区旅游产品深层开发和拓展提出建议。     

上海市区有老人家庭居住需求与居住分异

上海是我国第一个进入老年型人口结构的城市。随着年龄的增长、生理心理状况的变化,老人对住宅的需求有一定的特殊性。居家养老模式下,老人的居住状况直接影响老人晚年的生活质量。以老人与子女居住空间距离为标准,可分为共居型、网络型和分离型三种居住类型。受经济、社会、文化及健康状况的影响,上海市区有老人家庭存在居住地段、住宅类型、住宅环境、社区为老服务等方面的分异。     

Active Life Expectancy of Elderly Koreans, 1994–2011

Drawing on data from South Korea, this paper attempts to assess three dominant views on the evolution of morbidity and mortality of the elderly: expansion of morbidity, compression of morbidity, and dynamic equilibrium. The expansion of morbidity perspective argues that elongated life expectancy would comprise of, in large part, disabled life expectancy. The compression of morbidity theory suggests that increases in active life expectancy correspond to increases in total life expectancy. The dynamic equilibrium theory posits that, though overall levels of morbidity would rise, the prevalence of severe disability would decrease. The study is based on mortality data from Life Tables for Korea and the morbidity data from five nationally representative cross-sectional surveys conducted in 1994, 1998, 2004, 2008, and 2011. Sullivan's method is used to compute the active, mildly disabled, and severely disabled life expectancies. Results reveal that the total life expectancy of elderly Koreans has markedly increased, and this has been accompanied by an impressive extension of active life expectancy. In addition, results show negligible declines in the mildly disabled life expectancy but rapid drops in the severely disabled life expectancy. Collectively, these observations strongly support the compression hypothesis, and provide partial support for a dynamic equilibrium.     

基于街道尺度的南京市老年人口空间分布演变研究

基于南京市第五次和第六次人口普查分乡镇、街道数据,通过街道和圈层双尺度分析了人口老龄化的程度差异、空间差异以及空间相关性,探讨南京市街道老年人口的空间分布格局,采用热点区演化分析了街道老年人口的时空演变特征。结果显示:①近10年南京市街道老龄化系数总体上呈现"跨越式"圈层蔓延扩散的空间分布特征,处于老年人口成长阶段的街道由分布在中心城区和主城区的交界地带转变为向主城区蔓延的趋势,轻度老龄化的街道分布在中心城区,中度老龄化阶段的街道集中分布在主城区和郊区,重度老龄化阶段的街道以郊区为主。②街道老年人口密度类型为密集区,密度最高的区域位于中心城区,郊区次之,主城区内密度最低。③南京市街道人口老龄化率呈现显著的空间正相关,随着时间的推移,街道人口老龄化在空间上的差异增大,集聚效应减弱,空间上的发展渐趋不均衡。热点区分布呈现"冷-次冷-次热-热"的圈层式空间分布格局。④从历史因素、人口生命周期、城市变迁三个角度分析了影响南京市老年人口分布和演变的主要因素。     

养老旅游者与目的地居民的情感凝聚对重游意愿的影响

本文以养老旅游者安全感知为中介变量,构建了养老旅游者与目的地居民的情感凝聚对重游意愿的影响机制模型;并以哈尔滨赴海南的养老旅游者为例,运用结构方程模型进行实证研究.研究表明:养老旅游者与目的地居民的情感凝聚的3个维度均显著地正向影响养老旅游者安全感知,影响程度大小依次为养老旅游者与目的地居民的情感亲密性、养老旅游者感知的受欢迎程度、养老旅游者对目的地居民的认同感;养老旅游者与目的地居民的情感凝聚通过养老旅游者安全感知的完全中介作用间接影响重游意愿.     

女性老年人肥胖的建成环境影响因素及规划响应研究

随着老龄化的快速发展,老年人在中国已经构成重要的群体,而因肥胖导致的一系列慢性疾病严重影响老年人的寿命和生命质量。身体质量指数（BMI）是衡量肥胖的重要指标。本文以女性老年人为研究对象,运用有序多分类Logistic回归模型,分析建成环境对女性老年人身体质量指数的影响。结果表明,居住地附近是否有适宜的休闲体力活动场所、居住地到休闲体力活动场所的步行时间、一周内去商场的频率、高热量食物的可获得性等建成环境变量与因变量女性老年人BMI等级存在显著联系。根据研究结论,从城市规划的角度提出建成环境优化建议,为构建老龄友好型的健康城市提供基础。