The Policy Brief examines the well-being of disabled older persons living in European countries, by analyzing various social dimensions such as satisfaction with present situation and living standards, future optimism, respect and social contacts.
Multivariate modelling techniques are adopted so as to show how disability alone affects social well-being of older persons. The empirical results are derived from the 2006 European Social Survey. Results show that disability has a strong negative impact on various aspects of older people's social well-being, even after controlling for other pertinent factors such as education, gender, marital status and the income class.
The analyses provide insights about the heterogeneity of older population in general, but particularly the fact that the experience of ageing will be strongly influenced by disability factors. The strategies to improve social well-being of older persons will entail building a supportive environment in which older people have opportunities to participate in the society even for those with a significant disability.
