Abstract Against the calls for the development of ‘a more than human’ gerontology, this article challenges the assumptions behind this move by positing that its dependence on post-humanist epistemologies and ontologies risks making age a matter more of the imagination than of human mattering, of assemblage more than of meaning. The ‘decentring’ involved in such approaches of what is distinctly human about ageing has led to an imaginary ontology of flattened ‘assemblages’ of age. While these post-humanist developments might seem to offer an imaginative leap into a ‘more than human’ world, the radicalism implied can equally be understood as being largely rhetorical, designed to impress rather than inform our thinking. If the distinctly human experience of age and finitude is absented from our thinking, the mattering of ageing risks being reduced to no more than the universal flux of an impersonal vitalism. We would conclude that it is still critically important for gerontology to maintain its privileging of the human and more generally of humanism in thinking about and researching the tasks it sets itself.

Abstract Social integration is a critical predictor of health and wellbeing for older people, yet limited research examines how older people experiencing homelessness navigate social integration and what their needs are. This study explores how 20 older adults with lived experiences of homelessness and housing precarity perceive and experience social integration in an independent housing setting with on-site support. Additionally, it aims to identify the factors that facilitate and promote social integration for this population. Drawing on semi-structured lifecourse interviews and photovoice sessions, reflexive thematic analysis identified four key themes: (1) From isolation to inclusion: narratives on social integration; (2) Space, place and social integration; (3) Unlocking pathways to deep and meaningful social interactions; and (4) Navigating social integration: the vital role of autonomy and choice. The findings reveal that social integration exists along a continuum. While some participants valued solitude and independence, others actively sought meaningful connections, or occupied a middle ground, engaging in casual interactions. Social integration was influenced by three factors: the built and natural environment, opportunities for deep and meaningful interactions, and individual autonomy and choice. These findings add to the knowledge and debate surrounding the definition of social integration and its contributory factors, especially for older adults with experiences of homelessness and housing precarity. The study underscores the need for different housing models and environments to accommodate and cater across the social integration continuum, ensuring that everyone can find their place within the community and engage in a way that feels comfortable and fulfilling for them.

Abstract There is increasing attention to ‘being present’ and ‘being in the moment’ in the context of living with dementia, challenging narratives of decline. Keady and colleagues have situated this within a ‘continuum of moments’ including ‘creating the moment’, ‘being in the moment’, ‘ending the moment’ and ‘reliving the moment’. They call for further conceptual work on moments and dementia, examining how moments fit together as part of everyday life. At the same time, literature on care aesthetics draws attention to moments of beauty, creativity and multi-sensory engagement as part of care practice. Building on this literature, this article explores daily life as a ‘series of moments’ in an autoethnographic account of caring for my mum who is living with dementia, exploring shifts between moments that are difficult, sad, challenging, beautiful, joyful and/or caring. It offers new insights into challenging moments as well as positive ones and the relation of moments to reciprocal emotion work. The article considers tensions between supporting my mum’s continuity of self and constant adaptation, and challenges involved in creating, being in, ending and reliving moments. The discussion explores implications for care practice, highlighting how a focus on moments can help make sense of experiences of caring, and the need for further support with the emotion work associated with care aesthetics.

Abstract Rapid population ageing and the digitalization of daily life have created a dual challenge: ensuring cognitive health while preventing digital exclusion among older adults. While the ‘use it or lose it’ hypothesis suggests that environmental stimulation protects against cognitive decline, international evidence regarding the causal impact of internet use on cognition remains mixed, particularly in developing contexts where digital adoption is uneven. This study addresses this gap by investigating the causal impact of internet use on cognitive abilities among middle-aged and older adults in China, while also exploring the heterogeneity of effects and potential underlying mechanisms. Utilizing three waves of panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) with 40,438 observations, we employ instrumental variable (IV) estimation to address endogeneity and generalized random forests (GRFs) to estimate heterogeneous treatment effects. The results demonstrate that internet use significantly enhances cognitive abilities, with the IV estimates confirming a strong causal link. Notably, the GRF analysis reveals that these cognitive benefits are larger for rural residents, individuals with lower education levels and those who adopt the internet in middle age. Mechanism analyses indicate that these benefits are primarily driven by increased social interaction and reduced stress levels rather than changes in health behaviours. We conclude that digital inclusion serves as a critical non-medical intervention for healthy ageing, particularly in developing countries where it can help bridge cognitive disparities caused by socio-economic inequalities.

Abstract Demographic changes in rates of living alone, migration, and having no living partner, spouse, or children are leaving more older adults without the typical uncompensated familial and non-familial care partners that are the backbone of long-term care provision. We aimed to understand the precarities and outcomes specifically experienced by older adults without care partners to inform future intervention development. Using the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and PRISMA-ScR protocol, we conducted a scoping review of nine databases to map the current peer-reviewed evidence regarding these indivdiduals’ precarities, outcomes, and interventions using the Health Equity Promotion Model (HEPM) as our guiding framework. Our comprehensive search strategy resulted in 5,100 unique articles, 33 of which met our inclusion criteria. Three independent reviewers screened and extracted data, and the first author used deductive content analysis with the pre-specified HEPM framework. Fifteen studies reported precarities related to environmental/structural forces, and psychological, social, behavioral, and biological processes. Twenty-four studies reported adverse health and well-being outcomes with more focus on health than well-being outcomes (19 versus 8). Four studies tested interventions, and reported environmental/structural, social, and behavioral processes and health and well-being outcomes. Only 13 of the 33 reviewed studies set out to explicitly study older adults without care partners, and no studies focused on marginalized sub-groups. This scoping review highlights our lack of understanding of older adults without care partners’ distinctive precarities and outcomes, and the vital research needed to develop and test interventions that effectively address their unique needs.

Abstract Childlessness in late male adulthood is increasingly prevalent in rural China, indicating a need to understand the factors contributing to it. This group is often overlooked in gerontological and childlessness research. While existing studies have explored individual-level predictors of childlessness over the lifecourse and implications of broader societal conditions at the population level, little is known about how lifecourse and structural factors interact to shape pathways to childlessness. This study aims to investigate structural factors contributing to childlessness among older men in a rural area of northern China. It focuses on the life stories of 13 childless older men and the effects of history, timing and life-domain interdependencies, finding that some participants experienced intense disruptive life events or critical turning points – early-life care-giving responsibilities, disability or withdrawal from school – that altered their life trajectories. These events often intersected with structural factors, including unstable and low-paid employment, lack of social protection and prevailing social norms, which reinforced one another and jointly constrained prospects for marriage and parenthood. These trajectories unfolded within shifting policy contexts; institutional arrangements across different historical periods shaped and often produced disadvantages in the marriage market. This study advances theoretical understanding of the structural factors contributing to male childlessness by recognizing life trajectories, structural shifts and social relations as linked factors shaping cumulative disadvantage in union formation and childbearing. Its policy implications surround supporting individuals who intend to form families during critical life transitions and addressing the broader structural barriers that shape male childlessness in rural areas.

Abstract While ageing in place emphasises autonomy and the preference of older adults to remain in familiar environments, and ageing and place shifts attention to their movement across multiple locations, both frameworks have paid insufficient attention to the role of social networks in shaping the spatial practices of ageing. In this article, we propose ageing in networks as a complementary approach that foregrounds relationality. Rather than supplanting place-based models, ageing in networks highlights how older adults navigate spaces—both near and far—through their social ties, and how these ties mediate access to emotional and practical support. Drawing on original survey data from 1,199 residents aged 60–92 in two Singaporean public housing areas (Hougang and Taman Jurong), we examine how older adults mobilise both strong and weak ties—including friends, co-workers, and digitally mediated contacts—across everyday sites such as hawker centres, markets, malls, and churches. These connections often span neighbourhoods, suggesting that older adults are not merely attached to their residential areas but are actively sustaining dispersed, networked geographies of care and companionship. Crucially, we find that expansive social ties can buffer the challenges of living alone. We argue that social isolation , more than spatial isolation , poses the greater risk to older adults’ well-being.

The global population is ageing rapidly, emphasising the need to understand the decision-making processes of older adults regarding potential care transitions. Gerontological research has focused on healthcare decisions, with less information on living situation choices of older adults. This review explored older adults' experiences with their involvement in decision-making processes related to transitioning into care facilities in the United Kingdom. From a systematic search of articles, nine were reviewed using thematic narrative synthesis. Four themes with nine subthemes were identified: Involvement in decision-making (Exclusion of older adults, Usefulness of involvement), The necessity of moving (Triggers for moves, The role of family), Timely planning (Helpfulness of planning, Planning avoidance), and Factors for choosing a care home (Non-quality factors, Quality factors, Continuity of life). These themes highlighted the issue of inadequate involvement of older adults in decision-making, often resulting in negative consequences like regret and difficulty settling into new care settings. The necessity of moving arose from sudden events or increased support needs. Some older adults acknowledged the necessity due to declining health or to spare family burden, while relatives grappled emotionally, postponing the choice. Timely planning was found to be beneficial practically and emotionally, facilitating smoother transitions. However, participants would rarely plan and discuss such matters early. Older adults focused on personal experiences and trusted sources rather than publicly available information when considering Factors for choosing a care home. The findings show the need for greater inclusion of older adults in decisions related to their care and the importance of early planning and providing preferred types and formats of information to aid decisions. Future research should focus on a better understanding of older adults' preferences for successful involvement in care decisions, with support and guidance for others involved in the decisions.

Abstract The present study relied on internet memes as a tool to possibly fight ageism and shape public views in a positive manner. Data collection took place between May and June 2024, recruiting 160 Israeli Arabs, aged 13 to 16, from 3 different schools. In total, 105 memes addressed ageism towards older people. Visual and written contents were described, followed by more interpretative analysis. The memes were classified into two main themes. The first concerned negative ageist stereotypes of older persons (n = 66). The second theme concerned attempts to combat ageism (n = 39). Even though students received explicit instructions to fight ageism via their meme production, most students produced memes which depicted older age and ageing in a negative stereotypical light. The study highlights the relatively high levels of ageism in this group of participants and points to areas needing further attention in future interventions to alleviate ageism. The present findings are important as they question the current thinking of the Arab population as characterized by familistic values of high levels of respect towards older persons.