Publications by ILC Centers 2008
Aging and Spirituality
(Dec. 08, ILC-India)
The book “Aging and Spirituality” authored by Dr. S.D. Gokhale, Hon. President, ILC-India was released at the hands of Dr. Joseph Troisi, Director, UN INIA, Malta during the International Conference held at Tirupati.
A Continued Survey on a Daily Life of Older People
(Dec. 08, ILC-Japan)
In a super-aging society Japan it is predicted that people aged 75 or older living alone and elderly couple-only households will go on increasing. The project aims to clarify what is essential for them to sustain an independent life. This is the report of the 4th year of the 5-year consecutive survey project. After the completion of the 5th year survey analysis, the results will be translated in English and presented across the world.
Driving, cessation of driving and well-being in old age
(Sep. 08, ILC-Israel)
Data collection for the study on “Driving related adaptation patterns among elderly drivers in Israel: Description, antecedents and well-being outcomes”, which was supported by the Ran Naor Foundation, was completed. Altogether 861 persons took part in the study. The final scientific report was submitted and the main findings were presented at a scientific conference organized by the foundation on November 27th, 2008, at Kfar Hamaccabia. Currently, we are in the process of writing papers.
The major causes of functional dependency -F.Forett- (Chap 5 - "The major causes of functional dependency” p 139-148- in the book “Prevention of functional dependency”- Publisher : Wolters Kluwer/Lippincopt, Williams & Wilkins)
(Aug. 08 ILC-France)

Dependency is primarily due to age-related diseases. The second cause of dependency is considered to be “frailty”. The third of these causes is inactivity or, more generally, lifestyle.
Global Information Journal on Longevity and Society vol. 8
(Jun. 08, ILC-Japan)
The quarterly Journal publishes articles, book reviews and other materials about  ageing in Japan and other countries.  Every issue focuses on a particular theme. The theme of summer 2008 (No 8) issue was "Human Rights of Older People Perspectives from Overseas.”And the one for the fall 2008 will be "Emerging New Potentials of Local Communities in Japan.” While these quarterly journals are published only in Japanese, ILC-Japan issues an annual version in English.
A Life Course Approach to Tackling Obesity
(Jun. 08, ILC-UK)
This policy brief is the third and final publication of a series focusing on policies addressing obesity in the UK.
Ultimately, `obesity policy' is about behaviour, and the ability of policymakers to influence the choices and behaviour of individuals. Although a focus on particular sub-groups has informed such policy, the effect of life course transitions and changes on behaviour in relation to obesity needs to be exploited.
This report deploys a life course approach to review factors influencing behavior and choices relating to balanced diets and physical activity. The `life course approach' views the action and behaviour of individuals in the context of the continuum of their lives from birth to death, and transition through various life stages and transition points. These key life stages and transition points can render individuals more susceptible to negative health outcomes. However, they also present opportunities for intervention, for example with healthcare services, educational institutions and employers.

This report was made possible by the generous support of Pfizer.

Author: Primrose Musingarimi, ILC-UK
Longevity-21st Century Revolution
(Jun. 08 ILC-India)
This is a book published by ILC-I covering the various dimensions of ageing including among other issues, the international initiatives, the science of ageing, the use of technology for elder care, age associated biological changes, issues of spirituality, the demographic changes in the population, the anti-ageing intervention research and the social, health and economic aspects of population ageing. The book may be used for teaching by academicians and scholars as the articles are based on the original training programme modules on Gerontology and Geriatrics conducted by ILC-I and the University of Pune.
Navigating the Age of Inheritance
(May. 08, ILC-UK)
A discussion paper accompanying 'The Age of Inheritance' and exploring what this research means for public policy including inheritance tax, the property market and debate on how to pay for an ageing population.
Both this report and 'The Age of Inheritance' research were made possible by the generous support of Norwich Union.
As 'The Age of Inheritance' shows, the UK has entered a new era, in which the unprecedented wealth of those at the peak age of mortality is resulting in inheritance transfers across the population of a level that has never been witnessed before.
This major social change has important implications across a range of policy areas. For the Government, it creates a set of difficult dilemmas. Family wealth transfers can have hugely beneficial effects on an individual and therefore society. However, as average inheritance receipts increase, the implications for equality of opportunity are negative. As this discussion paper argues, there is also a risk that these transfers may stoke property inflation over the long-term as families direct much of the wealth they inherit back into property.
This discussion paper also seeks to ask the question: why are individuals able to leave such large inheritances? Why are individuals not consuming their wealth in their lifetime? The paper explores whether, given the dominance of property in the wealth portfolios of older people, there is a role for a new type of financial product - a 'housing equity annuity' - that lets individuals access this wealth but overcomes some of the barriers to traditional equity release products. Author: James Lloyd, ILC-UK
The Age of Inheritance
(May. 08, ILC-UK)
Research exploring changing patterns of inheritance transfers in the UK. The research looks at how receipt of inheritance varies by age and socioeconomic group, and analyses the expectations of older cohorts for leaving an inheritance in the future.
The Age of Inheritance explores patterns of inheritance transfers in the UK over time, and among different age and socioeconomic groups.
The ILC-UK is extremely grateful to its partners in this project:

* Norwich Union whose generous support made this research possible.
* NatCen, who undertook the analysis for this research.

Key findings of the research include:
* Around 2.5% of the population receive an inheritance each year, and the average amount of inheritance received has doubled in less than a decade.
* Older age groups are both more likely to receive an inheritance and for it to be of higher value.
* Higher socioeconomic groups are more likely to receive an inheritance and there is some indication that the amount they receive is also larger.
* Among older groups, wealthier individuals also report a higher expectation of receiving an inheritance in the future.
Media coverage of this research includes:
"Care needn't cost all the family silver" by David Brindle, The Guardian
Property prices fuel inheritances by BBC News Online
To accompany this research, the ILC-UK published simultaneously Navigating the Age of Inheritance, which explored the implications of the research for public policy.
Authors: Andy Ross, James Lloyd, Michael Weinhardt
Obesity and Public Health Policy: Lessons from Tobacco Control
(Apr. 08, ILC-UK)
Two of the most challenging public heath problems that account for significant morbidity and mortality are smoking and obesity. Over the last 20 years, while smoking prevalence rates have declined, obesity rates have increased sharply.
Obesity is high on the policy agenda in the UK as evidenced by the recent publication of the obesity strategy in England. It is widely acknowledged that bringing down rates of obesity will be a major challenge for public health and policymakers in coming decades.
The successes achieved with tobacco control offer valuable lessons for how this challenge may be addressed. This report reviews those strategies that have been effective against tobacco use and explores the scope for applying them to combat obesity.
These measures include:
* Information and Communication Strategies,
* Community-based Programmes,
* Regulatory and Legislative Measures
* Economic Approaches
* Medical Interventions and Management
This report was made possible by the generous support of Pfizer. Author: Primrose Musingarimi, Senior Researcher, ILC-UK
A National Care Fund for Long-term Care
(Feb. 08, ILC-UK)
This discussion paper puts forward a radical new vision for funding older people's long-term care - one of the UK's biggest public policy challenges.
The future funding of long-term care for older people is widely recognised as one of the biggest public policy challenges confronting the UK Government. The cost of long-term care is set to increase in coming decades as a result of demographic change, increasing longevity, as well as the widely acknowledged need to spend more on care to raise quality.
Proposals for state-funded universal free care have thus far dominated debate, but are becoming increasingly problematic in light of the unprecedented transfers of wealth from younger to older cohorts that have occurred during a period of rising property prices.

This report sets out a new approach based around the model of a social insurance fund. The `National Care Fund' proposed would have several key features:
* A risk-pool limited to older cohorts only.
* Auto-enrolment to achieve high levels of participation.
* Total flexibility for older people in when and how they pay their contribution, including the option to defer until after death in the form of a charge levied on their estate.
* Poorer individuals would have their contribution paid for by the state.
* A fully-fledged market in complementary long-term care insurance products from the private sector is also proposed.

Media coverage of this paper includes:
"Despite the baby boomers ageing, we can afford to care" by Polly Toynbee, The Guardian
"Got a few quid for the old rich folk?" by Alice Miles, The Times Author: James Lloyd, Head of Policy & Research, ILC-UK
Sustainable planning for housing in an ageing population
(Feb. 08, ILC-UK)
A guide for use in the development of regional housing strategies, published jointly by ILC-UK and CLG. The ILC-UK has published a new guide in partnership with the Department for Communities and Local Government, and the Care Services Improvement Partnership at the Department of Health. This guide is intended as a complementary resource to 'Lifetime homes, lifetime Neighbourhoods: A National Strategy for Housing in an Ageing Society', unveiled on February 26th 2008 by Secretary of State Hazel Blears MP.
The guide aims to assist regional strategy makers in understanding the relevance of housing and the built environment to health, social care and wider social and economic sustainability in the context of an ageing population. It will also be of interest to those who wish to lobby regional or local strategies to take better account of the impact of housing on older people's wellbeing. In a joint foreword, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Baroness Andrews OBE and Baroness Greengross call for all those involved in regional and local strategies to 'understand and plan for demographic change and our ageing society.
Obesity in the UK: A Review and Comparative Analysis of Policies within the Devolved Regions
(Feb. 08, ILC-UK)
Obesity is a major public health problem in the UK. This report provides a comprehensive review of innovations and problems in tackling this challenge in light of devolution. Increasing human longevity represents a scientific and public health triumph of the modern era. However, threats to this advancement have emerged in the form of new diseases resulting from modern technology and patterns of living. Chief among these threats is the rapid rise in the prevalence of obesity.
Tackling population-level obesity is complicated by a number of factors including: * The existence of multi-level governance structures on issues related to obesity ranging from the global, to European, national, regional and local. * The reluctance to adopt interventions that could be seen to be impinging on the rights of freedom of choice of individuals, particularly on their lifestyles.

In most of the existing literature on obesity, what is written about UK policies tends to reflect policies that exist in England and there is very little mention of policies that may exist in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The purpose of the research was to review and comparatively analyze the existing national policies targeted against obesity in the four regions in order to gain a better understanding of how obesity is being tackled throughout the UK.

This report was made possible by the generous support of Pfizer. Author: Primrose Musingarimi, Senior Researcher, ILC-UK
2007 Annual Report: Who Cares?
(08, ILC-USA)
We are in the middle of a revolution: the longevity revolution. A new generation of older Americans is forming. Yet, with each year we gain in life, society falls further behind in preparation. Who Cares? The answer is central to the mission of the ILC-USA and is the theme of our 2007 annual report. Along with reviewing our yearly highlights, our annual report profiles six leading advocates for aging issues. Dr. Marie Bernard, Hugh Downs, Jane Fonda, Bill Novelli, Lawrence Schmieding and Dr. Phyllis Zee all work tirelessly to bring focus and clarity to issues of aging and longevity. Truly, they care, and we commend them for it.
Global Information Journal on Longevity and Society 2007
(Jan 08, ILC-Japan)
An English edition of a quarterly information journal focusing on longevity society in the world, first published by ILC-Japan in July 2006.Out of information in the four issues for the year, the articles of round-table discussion by opinion leaders in Japan are summed up.
Included are 4 topics: ` "Present” Life of Older Persons and International Information,' `Older persons in the 21st Century ―Thinking about Living with Dignity,' `Health and Longevity Linked to Future' and `Thinking about Life and Death.'