Exploring the politics and policy surrounding senior center gambling activities

Active Ageing: Mapping of Scientific Coverage

Population ageing is one of humanity's greatest achievements with the elderly who offer valuable resources and make an important contribution to the structure of our societies. At the same time, this ageing population poses great challenges, as it requires greater economic and social needs. Institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO) are promoting policies that aim at promoting active ageing, which is understood as the process of optimizing health, participation and security opportunities in order to improve people's quality of life as they get older. The main objective of this study is to identify scientific production related to the area of Active Ageing. The work methodology used is the bibliometric analysis of the articles indexed in the multidisciplinary databases WoS and Scopus. There were 171 articles in WoS and 234 in Scopus that were selected, with a time limit in 2017. In the analysis carried out it is observed that active ageing is a topic that has aroused interest among researchers in recent years, proof of this is the increase both in the number of articles published in scientific journals and in the citations received. The Scopus database presents a greater coverage of the subject. The Overlap Index shows that Scopus covers 90.06% of the WoS articles and its Single Documents index is 34.19% versus 9.94% of WoS.

Senior Centres in Canada and the United States: A Scoping Review

Les centres pour personnes âgées ont été identifiés comme des points focaux pour la prestation de services pour la population vieillissante, qui est en forte croissance au Canada et aux États-Unis. Malgré ce rôle important des centres pour personnes âgées, peu de recherches leur ont été consacrées. Cet examen de portée a ciblé les études empiriques en langue anglaise portant sur les centres pour personnes âgées qui ont été publiées dans des revues scientifiques depuis 2000. Un total de 58 études ont été repérées (n = 51 pour les études américaines, n = 7 pour les études canadiennes). La majorité de ces articles était centrée sur des thèmes liés à la participation d’individus dans les centres pour personnes âgées, et quelques études seulement traitaient du milieu associé aux centres pour personnes âgées. Ces résultats suggèrent que les recherches futures devraient cibler les avantages de la programmation des centres pour personnes âgées, avec une attention particulière sur les besoins des baby-boomers, sur les facteurs clés liés au financement, aux espaces et au personnel, ainsi que sur les caractéristiques et les rôles des centres pour personnes âgées dans le contexte canadien.

A free ride? An analysis of the association of casino bus tours and problem gambling among older adults

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Little research has examined the relationship between incentives used by gambling venues to attract customers and the experience of gambling-related harm. Organized and subsidized bus tours are a common example of such incentives. The aim of this study was to examine whether bus-tour patronage was associated with increased odds of problem gambling among older adults. This study also compared rates of bus-tour use by socio-demographic characteristics and gambling behaviours.

DESIGN

Pearson's χ² tests and Mann-Whitney U-tests were applied for bivariate analyses. Multivariate generalized mixed-effects regression modelling was used to examine the relationship between bus-tour patronage and problem gambling while controlling for possible confounding factors.

SETTING

Seven gambling venues located in Central and Southwestern Ontario, Canada.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 1978 gambling venue patrons over the age of 55 years.

MEASUREMENTS

Problem gambling as indicated by the Problem Gambling Severity Index, bus-tour patronage in the 12 months prior to the survey, spending per gambling visit and past-month slot machine participation.

FINDINGS

Regression analyses showed that bus-tour patronage was associated with higher odds of problem gambling [odds ratio (OR) = 1.71, confidence interval (CI) = 1.06, 2.76] after controlling for several demographic characteristics, type of gambling and gambling expenditures. Bivariate analyses showed past-year bus-tour patronage was associated with more frequent slot machine play (χ² = 48.16, P < 0.001), more past-year gambling venue visits (P < 0.001) and lower spending on gambling per casino visit (P < 0.001). Compared with non-patrons, bus tour patrons were more likely to be female (χ² = 21.92, P < 0.001), born outside Canada (χ² = 113.18, P < 0.001), above the age of 75 (χ² = 24.02, P < 0.001) and retired (χ² = 16.60, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

When adjusting for potential confounders among older adults, using bus tours to access Canadian gambling venues is associated with increased risk of problem gambling. Bus-tour patrons are more likely to be female, born outside Canada and above the age of 75 years.

Senior centers: traditional and evolving roles

The first senior center in the United States, the William Hodson Community Center in New York City, opened its doors in 1943. Its purpose was to reach out to people who had retired but needed a place to gather to stay connected to others. Senior centers serve as an entry point for the aging service network and protect against social isolation. One popular perception-that senior centers are welfare programs-has inhibited many elders from seeking services, and it needs to be dispelled. These centers do not just offer low-cost meals, nor provide institution-like services; they are diverse and vital institutions. Recent studies indicate that participation in senior centers has been declining, and center personnel are looking for new ways to reach the "young-old" who have yet to participate and the "old-old" who may face challenges getting to the center. Pharmacists are in the ideal position to offer health and wellness programming and caregiver education in this setting. Senior centers are also good places to train students, who are often surprised at the range of seniors' interests and cognitive abilities.

Gambling behavior and problems among older adults: a systematic review of empirical studies

OBJECTIVES

With the rapid aging of the population and the increased availability of gambling facilities over the past three decades, older adults may gamble more and may be increasingly at risk for problem gambling (PG) or pathological gambling disorder (PGD). To facilitate a better understanding of gambling behavior among older adults that will inform preventive strategies, this article systematically examined empirical studies on issues related to older adults' gambling.

METHOD

This article reviewed 75 empirical studies including data on the distribution and determinants of PG and PGD and the outcomes of gambling.

RESULTS

This review used the broad term of "disordered gambling" as a means to explain a continuum of problems caused by PG and PGD. The analyses covered seven topics concerning older adults' gambling behaviors: Participation rates for gambling, prevalence rates of disordered gambling, motivation for initially beginning to gamble, risk and protective factors for disordered gambling, and negative and positive health outcomes from gambling.

DISCUSSION

Based on research gaps identified in the review, this article proposes six recommendations for future studies focusing on well-being of older adults who gamble, research method issues, and taking into account older adults' inspirations and adjustment to the aging process in the 21st century.

Pathways to problem gambling in seniors

Little is known about problem gambling in older adults, particularly when gambling problems only commence late in life. Knowledge of pathways to later life problem gambling can assist prompt and effective interventions for vulnerable older adults. This study builds on a generic Pathways Model. It proposes routes to problem gambling for individuals aged 55 years and above, with a particular focus on late-life, rather than lifetime problem gambling. Gambling-related risk and protective factors/correlates were extracted from the literature based on the extent to which the studies were senior-specific. Common themes were then identified and classified into 3 main clusters: 1 concerning individual vulnerability factors, a 2nd concerning social and environmental factors, and a 3rd concerning factors affecting behavioural regulation.