0000000000255648
AUTHOR
Heidrun Mollenkopf
The outdoor mobility and leisure activities of older people in five European countries
ABSTRACTMany gerontological studies have dealt with the leisure activities of older people and they have generated many important theories. Although outdoor activities and mobility promote good health in old age, both decrease with increasing age as people lose physical and mental functions. This paper examines the outdoor and indoor leisure activities of 3,950 older adults and their variations by personal and environmental characteristics in Germany, Finland, Hungary, The Netherlands and Italy. The main dimensions of activity were established by factor analysis, and in all countries four factors were found: home activities, hobbies, social activities, and sports activities. Both similar an…
Why do older drivers reduce driving? Findings from three European countries
The objective of this study was to find out the reasons, which lead drivers to reduce their driving in varying cultural settings. Data on the prevalence of reduced driving, the reasons for and factors associated with reduced driving were obtained from Finnish, German and Italian home-dwelling active drivers (n=710) aged 55 and older. The subjects were interviewed in autumn 1995 at their homes with a standardized questionnaire as a part of the European project Keeping the Elderly Mobile: Technology to Meet Their Outdoor Mobility Needs. In the Finnish and German samples 62% and in the Italian sample 44% of the active drivers stated that they had reduced their driving. These persons drove fewe…
Outdoor mobility and social relationships of elderly people.
Social relationships and activities are important elements in the quality of life of older people. With advancing age, they are made more difficult through the possible loss of physical functions, through societal processes of differentiation, and through unfavourable environmental and technological conditions. Therefore, mobility becomes a fundamental prerequisite for the participation in social relations and activities. This article presents some initial findings of a project which investigates the mobility needs of the elderly and the main factors hindering their desired mobility in three European countries. It became apparent that there is a clear connection between the social situation…
Akzeptanz und Nutzung öffentlicher Automaten durch Ältere: Ergebnisse einer europÄischen Untersuchung
Die Autoren dieses Beitrags stellen Befunde uber altere Manner und Frauen als Nutzer von Fahrkartenautomaten, Bankautomaten und Kartentelefonen vor. Basis der Analysen bilden Daten, die im Rahmen des internationalen Kooperationsprojektes „Keeping the Elderly Mobile“ in vier europaischen Stadten erhoben wurden. Die Untersuchungen fanden 1995 in Mannheim (Westdeutschland) mit 404, in Chemnitz (Ostdeutschland) mit 400, in Ancona (Italien) mit 600 und in Jyvaskyla (Finnland) mit 618 in Privathaushalten lebenden Befragten statt, die aus den jeweiligen Einwohnermeldedregistern zufallig ausgewahlt wurden. Die nach Geschlecht und Alter disproportional geschichtete Stichprobe setzte sich zu gleichen…
Use and acceptance of new technology by older people. Findings of the international MOBILATE survey: ‘Enhancing mobility in later life’
Technology has become part of today’s life. It constitutes a fundamental aspect of the environment also for older people who are not familiar with most of the new technologies. Is their use of technology based on certain abilities and is this related with such factors as income, lack of alternatives, past performance, or availability of equipment? Methods The MOBILATE 2000 database of a survey conducted in 5 European countries was aimed at the enhancement of out-of-home mobility of older people. The project offers data describing the use and acceptance of new technologies. Insight can be gained into the characteristics of users and non-users of more or less common technologies like ATM, tic…