Frail, vulnerable and inactive: how the aged see themselves

Older people in Malta are more likely to think of themselves as being frail and vulnerable, and less likely to think of themselves as active citizens, a study by sociologist and active ageing expert Marvin Formosa shows.  And while older people believe that older people are less likely to partcipate in volountary organisation over half those participating in NGOs are over 50.

Prof. Formosa came to this conclusion on the basis of responses to an international questionnaire adjusted to Maltese realities, where 372 elderly people living in their own homes in the community were presented with a Facts on Aging Quiz (FAQ) consisting of 25 true-false statements.

One of the aims of the study published on the Journal of Health Studies was to explore the perceptions and knowledge of Maltese older persons on ageing in general and ageism in particular.

Significantly it was questions related to civic participation and the risk poverty among the elderly that garnered the least correct responses.

Respondents were specifically asked whether participation in voluntary organisations declines or increases among healthy older persons, whether most old people live alone, with spouses/ families or in homes and whether the rate of poverty among older persons is lower or higher or the same among than among those under 65.

Surprisingly these questions were answered correctly by only about one-tenth of respondents. Formosa said the incorrect results illustrated a strong degree of “internal ageism” amongst respondents as they believed that volunteering decreases with ageing when 50.1% of registered volunteers in Malta are aged 50 and over.

Moreover, while the majority believed that most old people live either alone or in residential long-term care facilities, in reality 59.6% of persons aged over 60 live in the community together with their spouses.

The third incorrect result related to the risk of poverty was even more unexpected since the fact that the high poverty rates amongst older persons is a frequent news item in the local mass and social media.

One possible explanation given by Formosa is that the sample in question was limited to old people living in the community, a category which includes a higher percentage of physically and cognitively healthy individuals in higher socio-economic status brackets. Secondly, older persons may engage in ‘denial’ as far as their financial situation is concerned, to lessen potential levels of distress and anxiety following the negative impact of mandatory retirement on their income security.

In contrast the three quiz items that received most accurate responses related to ‘law abiding’, ‘injuries at home’, and ‘fear of crime’.

Respondents were specifically asked whether fear of crime among older persons is higher than among younger persons, is about the same as among younger persons is lower than among younger persons or whether there are no significant differences. They were also asked whether the most law-abiding adults are those in their 20s, those in their 30s, those aged between 45 and 65, or those aged over 65.

Another question was whether compared with younger persons, older people have more injuries in the home. In reply to these questions, the replies were largely correct. But according to Formosa this also implies that respondents hold “an unrealistically high perception of later life as a period of excessive frailty and vulnerability.”

In the case of the likelihood of incidents at home and the likelihood of being a victim of crime, such positive responses, although correct, are much higher than actual incidences of medical care attention due to falls at home and being a victim of crime in later life.

Indeed, in a national study on frailty held in 2019 amongst Maltese persons aged 60 and over, 85% replied in the negative when asked ‘did you fall in the past six months?’ with the remaining 12%, 0.8%, 1.3% and 0.5% replying ‘once’, ‘twice’, ‘three times’ and ‘four times’ respectively.

Moreover, the latest Crime Annual Report for Malta found that the main age cohort that is most victimised pertains to people in the 40-59 age bracket, followed by persons 20-29 years, 30-39 years, and finally, the 60-plus cohort respectively.

Conversely, questions related to civic participation and poverty among the elderly garnered the least correct responses.

Respondents were specifically asked whether participation in voluntary organisations declines or increases among healthy older persons, whether most old people live alone, with families or in homes and whether the rate of poverty among older persons is lower or higher or the same among than among those under 65.

Surprisingly these questions were answered correctly by only about one-tenth of respondents. According to Formosa the incorrect results illustrate a strong degree of internal ageism amongst respondents as they believed that volunteering decreases with ageing when 50.1% of registered volunteers in Malta are aged 50-plus.

Moreover, while the majority believed that most old people live either alone or in residential long-term care facilities, in reality 59.6% of persons aged 60-plus live in the community together with their spouses.

The third incorrect result related to the risk of poverty was even more unexpected since the fact that the high poverty rates amongst older persons is a frequent news item in the local mass and social media.

One possible explanation given by Formosa is that the sample in question was limited to old people living in the community, a category which includes a higher percentage of physically and cognitively healthy individuals in higher socio-economic status brackets.

Secondly, older persons may engage in ‘denial’ as far as their financial situation is concerned to lessen potential levels of distress and anxiety following the negative impact of mandatory retirement on their income security.