"Namćori" iz komšiluka: predstavljanje starosti u domaćoj televizijskoj reklami

Author(s): Ljubica Milosavljević / Language(s): Serbian / Issue: 3/2010

This paper is the result of a three-month monitoring of Serbian television commercials which aimed to study the way elderly people are represented in the media. Elderly people appear in only six commercials, more often as a functional part of a series than as protagonists. Yet in spite of the small number of commercials in which they appear, it is easy to identify the stereotypes which are translated from a social paradigm into the sphere of the media. The stereotypes on which commercials are based belong for the most part to the corpus of negative stereotypes of elderly people as hopelessly behind the times, feeble, lonely, irritating, cantankerous, etc. Some positive stereotypes are also evident, but they are mostly limited to a perception of elderly people as kindly givers of useful advice. It is interesting to note that the "cantankerous people next door" are as a rule anonymous elderly people, as are those "lost in time and space", who are mostly elderly women. In contrast, those who let their careers and images be associated with a certain product, in order to pass on their great experience and knowledge, are as a rule famous persons. Just as it is possible to make a distinction between commercials depending on whether or not the products advertised are targeted at the elderly – which they rarely are – and whether elderly people appear in leading or supporting roles, in order to make viewers laugh or annoy them, so it is possible to distinguish between the "real-life principle", which involves the translation of the society’s dominant attitudes into commercials, and "commercial reality", which either makes old age invisible or "masks" it so that it is pleasant to the eye. The reason that old people are absent from television commercials or are mostly represented in a negative light is to be found in the low purchasing power of this age group, but also in the fact that advertising in Serbia developed practically overnight, and therefore has not always been able to follow foreign advertising trends, which treat the elderly as a worthy target audience for commercials.

"Nisu dali gospodaru 'z ruk...“. Starost u prigorskim i zagorskim selima između dva svjetska rata

Author(s): Suzana Leček / Language(s): Croatian / Issue: 23/2000

The paper deals with the position of the elderly in the complex families of the Prigorje and Hrvatsko Zagorje regions in the time period between the World War I and the World War II. It aims at answering the questions until what age do people maintained the power within their families, how was this power expressed, and how their work and ownership over land influenced their maintenance of authority. The paper also warns about the differences between the widowers and widows, shown through the differences in the land ownership.

A gondoskodás újraszervezése

Gyakorlati válaszok a gondoskodási válságra

Author(s): Noémi Katona,Loren László,Andrea Czerván / Language(s): Hungarian / Issue: 27/2020

The starting point of our paper is that the capitalist socioeconomic system treats life-reproducing reproductive work and one of its forms, care as free resources, as individual responsibilities, placing their costs on families and households, especially women. The low level of state engagement and the emergence of for-profit market services further exacerbate the crisis of care as well as inequalities in care. In the paper, we first introduce grassroots cooperatives and initiatives in the field of elderly care and child care that revalue and reorganize care in a participatory, democratic and solidarity-based way in order to strengthen carers as well as those with care needs, and to improve the quality of their lives. These include workers’ (carers’) cooperatives, users’ cooperatives (cooperatives of people with care needs), multistakeholder cooperatives and mothers’ centers, the communities of women with small children. We then introduce political movements struggling for the systemic transformation of reproductive work and care. We argue that the institutions of care should be owned and controlled by communities, while the state should continue to play a coordinating, funding and regulatory role in meeting needs and recognizing care work.

A Senior as an Individual in the Situation of Dementia. Tom Kitwood’s Person-Centred Care Model and the Philosophy of Dialogue

Author(s): Agnieszka Smrokowska-Reichmann / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

Seniors suffering from dementia are always exposed to a reductive approach and depersonalization due to the specificity of that disease. The subjectivity of a senior is neglected or even completely negated. What remains unnoticed is the fact that, despite their disease, a senior is still a person – with the rights and needs of a person – and not just a helpless patient. The paper presents a break that has been made in the understanding and care of seniors with dementia thanks to the work of Tom Kitwood, a British psychologist. In Kitwood’s Person-Centred Care model, a person is defined as a relational, feeling, and historical being. At the same time, being a person is only possible in the interpersonal context. Hence the author's suggestion to read Kitwood’s concept from the angle of the philosophy of dialogue, which is always an affirmation of subjectivity and an opposition to tendencies that reify human beings. In the author’s opinion, Kitwood translated the main postulates of the philosophy of dialogue into the language of psychology, gerontology and senior care by operationalizing the indicators of the well-being of a patient with dementia.

Abordări privind îngrijirea de lungă durată a persoanelor vârstnice, în ţările Uniunii Europene

Author(s): Mihaela Ghența,Aniela Matei,Luise Mladen-Macovei / Language(s): Romanian / Issue: 1/2020

This paper presents an analysis of the characteristics of public policies for dependent elderly people in Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary and Portugal. The countries were selected taking into account the expertise in this field and the specifics of the socio-cultural context, so as to highlight the different solutions applied in those countries to solve certain problems related to the care of the elderly. The analysis of policies for dependents takes into account, for each country, the following: coordination of social and long-term care services; the beneficiaries and the minimum level of dependency for which it is granted, the procedure and criteria for assessing the dependency; the benefits provided (in kind and in cash); types of long-term care services providers. The analysis of this paper is based on information available in the database of the European Union - Mutual Information System on Social Protection which contains detailed and updated data on social protection systems in European countries, supplemented with information from studies, research reports conducted in within some projects financed within the Framework Program 7 of the European Commission, such as ANCIEN, MOPACT, but also public data available on the websites of the public ministries responsible with the provision of social services, as well of long-term care services for the elderly. The paper is structered as follows: the first part presents the characteristics of the policies for dependent elderly people from the selected countries, followed in the second part by a comparative analysis of the main aspects identified.

Active Labour Market Measures for Vulnerable Categories of Population: Domain of Specialisation for Social Workers

Author(s): Theofild-Andrei Lazăr / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2020

Contemporary labour markets are still unequal and discriminatory regarding gender (Fontanella et al., 2020), ethnicity (Schmaus, 2020) and age (Button, 2020). Aiming to reduce these disparities countries developed Active Labour Market Polices (ALMP) that research proves that are more effective supporting vulnerable categories of population. Even if the national expense on ALMP’s in Romania is very low compared to other European countries, the investments from the European Social Fund, both in the previous funding exercise (2007-2013), but also in the present one (2014-2020), favoured the development of projects that aimed the integration into the labour market of vulnerable categories of citizens, making a good opportunity for specialization of social workers in this domain. The present work will analyse, as a case study, the results obtained in such a project, investigating the tendencies vulnerable categories of population have as beneficiaries of active labour market measures, in the context of similar support and economic environment. The purpose is to identify the effectiveness of vocational counselling, trainings and job-search assistance services on three categories of beneficiaries considered vulnerable on the labour market: women, Roma persons and elderly unemployed.

ADAM A. ZYCH, LEKSYKON GERONTOLOGII

Author(s): Dominika Jagielska / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 5/2019

Review of: Dominika Jagielska - ADAM A. ZYCH, LEKSYKON GERONTOLOGII, KRAKÓW: OFICYNA WYDAWNICZA „IMPULS”, 2019, SS. 282, ISBN

Adjustment and early retirement intentions of the older workers in the Croatian public sector

Author(s): Ana Štambuk,Ivan Uroda,Nikolina Anđelić / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2020

Croatian population and, consequently, Croatian labour force is rapidly ageing. With ageing comes the change in abilities e.g. decreasing productivity and declining cognitive ability. In the modern world, new applications of technologies transform requirements of jobs, thus workers have to adjust to those novelties. The problem is that older workers are ‘digital immigrants’ who started using a Personal Computer (PC) later in their lives, often during employment, so they had to change their approach to work i.e., they had to adjust to different requirements of today’s jobs. Required adjustments accompanied by decreasing abilities may lead to early retirement. The authors have investigated the influence of 1) the need to adjust to the requirements of today’s jobs (approximated by requirements to use a PC) and 2) the ability to adjust to the requirements of today’s jobs (approximated by ratings of PC skills) on early retirement intentions of population aged 50+ employed in the Croatian public sector. A logistic regression model in the context of complex samples was created by the authors, whereby both analysed variables were found to be related to the early retirement intentions. Finally, those who were required to use a PC and thus to adjust to changes were more likely to want to retire early than employees who did not have the same obligation. Those with low PC skills, i.e. employees whose ability to adjust was low, were also more likely to retire early than those who have adjusted better.

Age and Technology in Digital Inclusion Policy: A Study of Italy and the UK

Author(s): Simone Carlo,Maria Sourbati / Language(s): English / Issue: 26 (2)/2020

The role of media and communication technologies in increasing the quality of life of the elderly is today a key topic in academic and policy debates. This article discusses findings from a study into the way public policy frames the role of technologies in later life. The aim of our study was to critically investigate the policy discourses on ‘old age’ and on the role of digital ICT in fixing challenges associated with ageing. Our focus was on digital inclusion policies of the UK and Italy, two countries experiencing similar trends in population ageing but different ICT diffusion patterns. We found that an age-based understanding of digital technology use was quite common, as was an enthusiastic embracing of the role of digital ICT in the implementation of Active Ageing and Information Society goals. We also found that the understanding of the role of digital technology and its relationship to (old) age has been changing over the last decade, starting to reflect social complexity as ICT diffusion increases among older age groups.

AGE AND USAGE OF TECHNOLOGY. A STRCUTURAL EQUATION MODEL BASED ON THE THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOR

Author(s): Simona-Nicoleta Vulpe,Corina Ilinca / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2020

Despite of its great disruption, users’ access to technology is limited and influenced by individual attitudes and capabilities. We take a look at how social media usage, as a form of online social capital, varies based on the theory of planned behavior. Analyzing 2018 data from the United States of America, gathered within the Core Trends Survey – Pew Research Center, we develop a structural equation model comparison between younger and older respondents. Our results show that a more positive attitude towards the Internet increases the difficulty to give up digital devices, which also determines a higher level of social media usage for both younger and older individuals. However, older people tend to have a less positive attitude towards the Internet compared with their younger counterparts, which relates to their lower engagement in social media usage. We also identify intersections between age and variables such as education, income, and gender accounting for individuals’ digital behavior. Provided that online social capital may have an important role for well-being and medical prevention, our research highlights the need to further investigate this current digital divide.

Age discrimination at work and some reflections from job ads: The case of Turkey

Author(s): Fuat Man / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2020

Purpose – to analyze the situation of age discrimination at work and to give some reflections from job ads in the case of Turkey.Design/Method/Approach of the research. This study presents a limited depiction of age discrimination occurring in Turkey by analyzing job ads. Findings. One of the most critical demographic issues for the entire world, especially for the advanced world, is aging. It is essential as it necessitates some critical regulations that have economic and social consequences. During this aging trend, job seekers over a certain age in labor markets face age discrimination. Although many countries, both developed and developing, have some legal regulations against age discrimination, it remains a crucial form of discrimination. Where we can easily see this kind of discrimination is job ads. This study examined more than fifteen hundred job ads posted by İŞKUR, state-affiliated Employment Agency of Turkey, for the cities of the Marmara Region of Turkey were examined. Nearly 20% of all job ads is indicating some statement for age limit. Research limitations/Future Research. Although just the age value indicated by employers in the ads itself does not mean an absolute age discrimination rate, 20 % is a vital implication for that kind of discrimination, and also, this figure implies the need for detailed further studies. Paper type – empirical.

Ageing from a pluralistic perspective

Author(s): Petr Slováček / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2019

The issue of old age and ageing covers only the periphery in philosophy. This may be illustrated by taking a look at the history of philosophy within which only a few texts and authors could be found taking pains to shape our understanding of old age. Among them there have been Cicero (Cato the Elder on Old Age), Plutarch (An seni respublica gerenda; Moralia 783B-797F) and, closer to us in time, Schopenhauer (Pererga and Paralipomena, Short Philosophical Essays) and S. de Beauvoir (La Vieillesse). Despite this, there has been more recent attempts at a more complex assessment of the issue of old age in philosophy. There are two essential reasons for the historical marginal positioning of old age in philosophy: Firstly, the topic of old age and elderly people is less attractive; it struggles to make its way against the great issues of philosophy and is more found in its shade when regarding the issue of death. This statement proves valid both in considering the history of philosophy and modern philosophy within which not many authors pay attention to questions of old age and ageing. From among the few, M. C. Nussbaum, J. Baars, T. Rentsch, H. Kunneman, D. Carr, M. Schwed, can be mentioned at this point. It is more often the case that important contributions that address the essence of old age and overlap into philosophy are to be found on miscellaneous research grounds; such as in psychology, literature, gerontology, or ethics of the helping professions. Secondly, it was only the qualitative development of environmental conditions, the possibilities of medical science and nursing care in the modern era, and also the low demographic increase in population, that have made the elderly an important part of the population, which, in turn, had them facing a number of challenges: self-realisation, the ideal of youth and, hopefully, the ideal of a successful old age. In other words, elderly people stopped being a minor exception or a deviation from nature, but also an important socio-political issue requiring both an inter-disciplinary and a philosophical approach. On a broad level the goal of this article is to draw attention to the connections among philosophy, the elderly, and ageing, which has been historically marginalized. Philosophy, at least since the times of Socrates, has focused, though not exclusively, on the individual, who is indeed capable of many things. This was made concrete in modern philosophy in the ideal of autonomy as the ability to be one’s own ruler. It is no wonder that marginalized groups, and we are especially interested in the elderly, have also remained on the fringe of interest for philosophers. The article approaches the topic of the elderly, old age, and ageing from what is called a pluralistic position because this can allow for the avoidance of oversimplification which is often connected with the concept of loss. It is important to mention in this connection that the possibility of loss is a structural feature, not only of the pluralistic perspective, but also from the perspective of the narrativistic conception of identity, so often used in psychology and sociology especially in the context of the broader thema of the meaning of life. The natural need for the recognition of loss in the narrativistic approach to human identity leads also naturally to the context where loss is profoundly discussed. If we look at the genealogy of this problem, the confrontation between Plato and the sophists emerges as important and the position of Aristotle as pivotal. For this purpose, to show how a pluralistic perspective uses loss as a key feature of human life, attention is paid to the difference between pluralism and monism in order to be able to capture the most significant elements by means of their confrontation, and from the point of view of our topic. A possible contribution of the pluralistic approach to the topic of the elderly and old age is also reflected. This could, in my opinion, be beneficial for the caring professions. More specifically the goals of the following text are: a) to proceed from the possibility of loss in connection with virtuous choice and indicate the way in which it has been traditionally understood; preferably in confrontation with the monistic perspective. Because of the central role of the discussion amongst Plato or sophists, attention is paid to Plato´s dialogue Protagoras; where the basic distinctions of pluralistic and monistic approach to ethical matter are presented and where we can find the crossroad of western ethical thinking; b) to relate the acquired knowledge to a chosen specific group threatened by marginalization; the elderly; c) to suggest a possible contribution of the pluralistic perspective for working with the elderly.

Ageing Map Of The Balkan Peninsula

Author(s): Ivana Magdalenić,Marko Galjak / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2016

Age structure of a population, representing the final result of all the demographic processes, tells a unique story which incorporates not only the main demographic components, but also its history, cultural and political characteristics of the population. Through its history the Balkan Peninsula has been alluring to all kinds of demographic research. The process of aging, which is intensifying in all developed countries, will increasingly be the main focus of future demographic research. Although there is undeniable general shift in the age structure, there are many regional differences in the Balkan Peninsula. Thus, for the purpose of this paper we created a choropleth map of the Balkans showing the age structure at NUTS 3 regional level. For the purposes of this paper borders of the Balkan Peninsula are defined by Jovan Cvijić in his homonymous work. Toward a more complete understanding of the ageing phenomena in the Balkans we conducted an analysis of regionalization of ageing, to serve as a backbone for the analysis of age structure at the national level. We compare ageing borders with ethnic, religious and political borders in the peninsula.

Ageism in the Age of Pandemic

Author(s): Iris Jerončić Tomić,Rosanda Mulić / Language(s): English / Issue: 18/2021

Elderly persons, in addition to their health needs, also have a need for being socially perceived as persons and for considering aging as a normal life process. Throughout history, older people have been considered a social problem, resulting in a negative attitude towards the old age group. Ageism is a term denoting discrimination of a group of people because of their old age. Discrimination occurs because of the belief that aging causes negative changes that make a person less attractive, less intelligent and, most importantly, less productive. During a pandemic, the society’s unethical actions towards this particularly vulnerabile group become evident. These include cruelties in the triage procedure in some EU countries, giving preference to those who have a better chance of survival, and the recurring impression among the younger populations that nothing significant has changed in their lives and that, accordingly, nothing should be changed in their habits and behaviour.

Ageismus, věkové rozdělení a zkušenost stáří v době krize: Zamyšlení nad společenskými dopady pandemie COVID-19

Author(s): Jaroslava Hasmanová Marhánková / Language(s): Czech / Issue: 2/2021

The increased mortality risk faced by people in older age groups due to COVID-19 became one of the key pieces of information that frames our knowledge about the virus. Chronological age is a significant factor that influences both the experience of risk and the impact of the pandemic in daily life. This articles discusses how chronological age and the category of 'older people' were addressed in social and health policies and the discourses surrounding the outbreak of COVID-19. It examines how these processes can affect the position of older people in society and the relationships between different generations. The article focuses on four main arguments. First, it points out that chronological age was established as a significant vector defining the human position in society during the pandemic. Second, it argues that the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to accelerate age-divisions in our societies and may contribute to the growth of ageist representations. Third, the way age was mobilised and depicted in debates surrounding the pandemic situation has also had an impact on intergenerational solidarity and may reinforce antagonism between generations. Fourth, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed some key structural problems in the field of elderly care and paternalistic attitudes that persist in relation to older people. The second part of the article discusses possible challenges relating to ageism, the well-being of older people, and elderly care that need to be addressed by (social) gerontology and the social sciences and that have been further exacerbated (not only) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

AGING AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ELDERLY PEOPLE

Author(s): Maria Constantinescu,Alexandru Liviu Cercel / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2019

In this study we present the characteristics of the third age, as the ontogenetic stage, the psychological state and we differentiate a series of concepts such as: aging, old age, old age. At the same time we approach the quality of life and its indicators for the population in general and in particular we analyze the quality of life of the elderly people, highlighting the specific needs of this category of persons, which can often be characterized as a vulnerable group. The quality of life of the elderly is a multidimensional concept, that encompasses both general aspects specific to the whole population (health, employment, housing, family, income, expenses, leisure, political and civic participation, etc.), but also some particularities concerning the various transformations that occurred in their life, related to health, income, social relations, social participation, social protection etc. Studies on the quality of life of the elderly had in view the objective aspects, but especially on the subjective ones, considering that the definition of the quality of life depends on the perception of each one. Older people and social problems of the third age period are increasingly topics of quality of life research. The areas of quality of life that are most important from the perspective of the elderly are: living standards, health, social protection, social participation, housing, social relationships, family life.

AGING AND RETIREMENT DIFFERENCES IN THE EU COUNTRIES

Author(s): Ivana Unukić,Sofija Turjak,Nataša Drvenkar / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Demographically, Europe is getting older. According to EPRS data published in 2019 and a comparison of the population structure in 2001 and 2017, an increase in the population over 45 is visible, which indicates an almost increase in pension beneficiaries. This paper aims to analyze aging and retirement differences between European countries from the SHARE data (Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe) project. The analysis will use secondary data from the SHARE project collected from interviews in 26 European countries, conducted in 7 waves from 2004 to 2017. The focus of this research will be on Wave 7. Data will be analyzed via IBM SPSS 23.0, using univariate and bivariate statistical analysis methods. Based on the analysis, it will be possible to compare the perception of the elderly population of the European countries, based on which it can be concluded which country is coping well with the aging of its population. The authors suggest further similar research of the same type in the Republic of Croatia.

Aging in Online Communities: A Systematic Literature Review of Design Recommendations

Author(s): Ana Isabel VELOSO,Sónia FERREIRA,Liliana VALE COSTA,Óscar MEALHA,Carlos Santos / Language(s): English / Issue: 26 (2)/2020

The increase of computer-mediated communication use and the aging population has led to a renewed interest in online communities and social networks for active aging and social support in daily living. However, a systematic understanding of the design recommendations in Senior Online Communities is still lacking in scientific documentation. The aim of this paper is to identify the design recommendations used in online communities that support active aging. In addition, this paper highlights some of the benefits of using online communities by older adults. Twenty-three papers published between January 2015 and May 2020 in English-language, peer-reviewed publications, met inclusion criteria. The review presents a set of recommendations for designing online communities to enhance older adults’ social interactions. A process that aims for “engagement” is suggested to strategically guide the design of Senior Online Communities: Interacting – Sense of Belonging (Role-playing, Storytelling, and Legacy) – Engaging.

AGING IN TURKEY

Author(s): Zafer Kiliç,Burak Kiliç / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

This study covers the services offered to the elderly, individuals who work in this field, statistical data on aging in Turkey, and similar issues. The data in this study was collected from the literature review and from written sources. In the literature, the concept of age is divided into two: biological and chronological. Although chronological age is the same in all humans, biological age varies according to individuals. Chronological age is the number of years a person has been alive. Biological age is the representation of the biological step as a unit of time. Aging is the state where individuals gradually lose their physical and psychological power. The increasingly elderly population has also caused the academic environment to focus on the field of older people. Moreover, the increasing elderly population has accelerated the process of developing national policies and plans in countries and the process of producing services in line with the developed plans and policies. According to the aging data of the United Nations, there is an increase in the number and proportion of elderly individuals in the world. As a result, in this case, Turkey does not differ, so the elderly population is increasing with each passing day.

Aging Society - Rethinking and Redesigning Retirement

Author(s): Ivan Lekić,Tatjana Bačun,Sunčica Oberman Peterka,Ivana Barković Bojanić,Bruno Budimir,Antun Biloš,Zafer Kiliç,Burak Kiliç,Ivana Šandrk Nukić,Dražen Barković,Verica Jovanovski,Anita Pavković,Alka Obadić,Katarina Marošević,Izabela Pruchnicka-Grabias,Aleksandar Erceg,Julia Perić,Biljana Činčurak Erceg,Tomislav Nedić,Jovanka Damoska Sekuloska,Milan Puvača,Ivana Vidak,Helena Štimac,Ivan Kelić,Davorin Turkalj,Nefreteta Zekić Eberhard,Zrinka Stanić / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 2020

The “Silver Tsunami” is here! According to various relevant sources such as the UN Population Division, the WHO, and the ILO, population across the world is getting older. By 2050, there will be more than 20% of the world’s population aged 65 years and over. Statistics for the European Union reveal the same - the age structure of the European population is expected to change significantly over the next decades and by 2060, the share of people aged 65 and above will increase from 18% to 30% compared to now, while the share of people aged above 80 will more than double. Thus, in addition to notions such as “Silver Tsunami”, “Age Wave”, and the like, it is not surprising that the European Union has launched a notion “Silver Economy” related to economic activities of the population aged 50 and over and their impact on various sectors of the national economy. This negative demographic transition, i.e. population aging, has shown four very distinctive features: unprecedented, pervasiveness, endurance and profound implications on human life in general. On a more personal level, what we are witnessing today as a trend, we will experience first-hand in the decades to come. Yet, times are changing. An aging population is becoming a reality that is surrounded by various myths when it comes to older people as workers or as consumers. The fact is that people today live longer and healthier lives, which requires a shift in perception of age when it comes to supply and demand sides of economics. It also holds true from the perspective of other disciplines. This, in turn, opens a new frontier in academic, practical and policy thinking about rethinking aging and redesigning retirement. This multidisciplinary edited book “The Aging Society: Rethinking and Redesigning Retirement” is one attempt not to be swept away by the “Silver Tsunami” tide. The content of the chapters reveals the multifaceted and highly complex issue of aging which brought together researchers from various fields. Aging has been initially dominant in medical research since it is primarily a physiological process, yet it has proven to be a social transformation with numerous repercussions calling for researchers from economics, communication, law and others to join the scientific discussion. The authors in this edition have tried to shed light on the potential of aging research by drawing attention to various topics such as aging as a normal process, concept and measurement of the quality of life of the elderly, financial challenges and retirement literacy of the older population, specific bioethical issues, silver architecture for seniors, protection of the rights and safety of older people in transport, social entrepreneurship and franchising, collaborative economy, an age-specific ICT use gap, media literacy and communication. The book has gathered authors from Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek – Faculty of Economics in Osijek, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Medicine Osijek / Clinical Hospital Center Osijek and Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture Osijek, as well as Faculty of Economics and Business Zagreb (University of Zagreb), Virovitica College, Croatian Education and Teacher Training Agency, University of Information Science and Technology, “St. Paul the Apostle” (Macedonia), Beykoz University, Vocational School at Department of Social Sciences (Turkey), Nisantasi University, Vocational School at Department of Logistics (Turkey), and Warsaw School of Economics (Poland). Such institutional diversity is a signal that the issue of aging is a universally attractive research topic that easily transcends disciplinary and national boundaries. As editors of this book, we feel obliged to applaud our authors for making a research effort and scientific contribution in the advent of the global COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Our gratitude is extended to our reviewers who have been affirmative towards the content and style of this work. The publication of this book will be a permanent reminder of strength, diligence, creativity and resilience of academic scholars as individuals and universities as institutions in times challenging us on both a personal and a professional level.