The concept of social exclusion has considerable potential to explain and respond to disadvantage in later life globally. However, in the context of ageing populations the construct remains ambiguous, and questions about what, if anything, makes old-age exclusion unique as a form of disadvantage, and specific to ageing, still remain. Further, there is growing recognition that old-age exclusion is both multidimensional, impacting on a range of different areas of life, and relative, implicating the institutions, policies and values of particular global contexts. Old-age exclusion is thus likely to be a function of exclusionary mechanisms arising from: the ageing process itself; from different, but interconnected, life domains; and from the regional and country settings that older people are resident within. Compounded by scientific knowledge gaps, reducing old-age social exclusion therefore represents a significant global challenge. With current efforts lacking direction and impact and with consequences for individuals, families and social systems, old-age exclusion also represents a substantial barrier to realising positive outcomes in global ageing and health. Drawing on work from a new innovative research and policy collaboration, involving 34 European and international countries (Reducing Old-Age Social Exclusion in Europe - ROSEnet), this session will focus on emerging and engrained forms of disadvantage. It will unpack cross-domain and cross-national ageing-related exclusionary mechanisms in the areas of economic, social, services, community and spatial, and civic rights exclusion. The session will present new empirical and conceptual directions with a view to charting new pathways to reducing old-age exclusion.
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