The main theme of this work is the use of social networks by people aged 60 and over, with a particular focus on Facebook, utilizing data collected through a survey conducted via advertisements on the Meta platform. A fundamental methodological aspect is the weighting of the data collected through the questionnaire, necessary to address selection bias that often emerges in surveys on platforms like Facebook. Three weighting methods were applied: post-stratification, raking, and quasi-randomization, incorporating sociodemographic variables and online skill indicators. The research highlighted the importance of including online skill variables in weighting to achieve accurate representation and reduce sampling bias. The study revealed WhatsApp is the second most popular platform among older internet and Facebook users (72%), followed by Instagram (30%). Primary motivations include communicating with friends and family, staying informed, and connecting with younger generations. Key findings indicate age plays a role, with users aged 60-74 less likely to use Facebook for communication compared to those over 75. Learning methods, timing of downloading Facebook, self-perception of digital identity, and use of alternative messaging apps like Telegram also influenced Facebook usage patterns. Visual representations showed most respondents view social media to connect with younger family members.

Recent national and international research has focused on developing theoretical and practical knowledge, methodologies, and tools to create welcoming and affirmative sporting environments for LGBTQ+ older adults. The increasing recognition and agency of LGBTQ+ individuals across various contexts have led to a greater focus on healthy aging initiatives for LGBTQ+ older adults, a demographic historically among the most marginalized. This study aims to understand the factors that promote and ensure healthy aging for this population, specifically by overcoming barriers to inclusion. Notably, based on a comprehensive literature review, we identify and explore four key themes: (1) Double Stereotypes: The intersection of age and minoritized identity; (2) Discrimination and Invisibility: The challenges faced by LGBTQ+ older adults. (3) Access to Sporting Services: Barriers and facilitators to participation; (4) Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Gender Identity: Understanding specificities within this population. Through the recognition of main theoretical themes, the present research will present some proposed interventions that follow three main directions: (a) awareness, (b) training, and (c) situated action. Recognizing the unique experiences of older LGBTQ+ people allows us to recognize and redefine social spaces, such as sports and physical activity contexts, which are crucial in promoting aging well.

Background: In an ageing population, the topic of how care needs and care provision can be best matched has been gaining an increasing importance. Hence, the necessity to meet all care needs and guarantee the inclusion in the care system of vulnerable social groups emerges as one of the key policy priorities. Among these groups, LGBTQAI+ older adults can have specific health, social and long-term care necessities, partly due also to the overlapping of ageism and discrimination on the grounds of their gender identity/sexual orientation that may have an impact on how they can access to and fully benefit from existing care services and interventions. One possible strategy to facilitate LGBTQAI+ older people to experience inclusive and protected care contexts is the provision of LGBTQAI+-specific training and education to care workers in this field.

Methods: To understand how this strategy should be ideally pursued and performed, a systematic review of reviews has been carried out with a focus on the needs of LGBTQAI+ older adults and the education provided to care workers on gender identity and sexual orientation issues. The objective was to identify gaps in the literature, future indications for research on these topics and possible measures. Moreover, this review seeks to answer the following research questions: 1) what are the targets of literature reviews in this field?; 2) what type of care needs do these reviews focus upon?; 3) what contents, practices, and educational and training methods are addressed for care workers assisting LGBTQAI+ older adults? The search strategy included the use of three databases: Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. A list of inclusion criteria was created, including the following: typology of study design (including: systematic, scoping, integrative reviews, meta-analyses, and review of reviews); period of publication: reviews should be published in the period from 2014 to 2024 without geographical limitations; focus: reviews should be on either LGBTQAI+ older adults or on LGBTQAI+ care workers and related care dimensions.

Results: Initially, 46 articles were identified, of which after a full-text screening 13 articles were deemed eligible for quality evaluation; this last step did not identify any reviews to be removed. Some literature gaps were found in the literature, as none of the reviews were focused on informal caregivers attending to LGBTQAI+ older individuals or caregivers/careworkers identifying themselves as LGBTQAI+. Other gaps in the literature concerned the prevalence of studies included in the reviews, conducted mainly in Western countries, especially Anglophone and Scandinavian countries. None of the studies selected in the reviews were conducted specifically in Italy.

Main implications: The results highlighted the main themes addressed by the literature (concerning care needs and interventions for care professionals), provided suggestions for future research and gathered a series of evidence-based measures to better meet the needs of this specific target population and promote socially sustainable care in their regard. These include in particular the need to better address the role played by discrimination and its impact on access to and provision of health care services.

The research developed as part of the Age-It programme (Task 1.4, WP1, Spoke 9) aims to define an innovative model of a Social Day Care Centre (SDCC), useful for combining architectural quality, social interaction, and health care. Envisioned as a widespread urban system, the SDCC is primarily intended for elderly people but is also open to intergenerational users. The proposed model is flexible and adaptable to its context, being a neighbourhood hub that integrates social and health-related functions.

Among its innovative features, the introduction of digital health monitoring – both in-person and remotely – stands out as a tool to extend support to elderly people living alone. The research outcomes consist of two pilot projects developed in the Tuscolano neighbourhood in collaboration with Roma Capitale. One (the 'small' system) stands within the Villa Fiorelli public park; the other (the 'large' system) concerns a former ATAC bus depot located in Piazza Ragusa. Involving zero land consumption, both designed scenarios demonstrate the real applicability of the proposed architectural model.

This way, the shortcomings related to traditional elderly centres have also been overcome, by integrating social and health services and promoting a new network of urban proximity. The research has multiple implications: typological (flexibility and scalability), urban planning (creating new centralities), social (promoting the generational mix), technological (prevention and health monitoring) and institutional (strengthening of the synergies between universities, municipal administrations and citizens). In short, the design proposals represent a significant evolution in the definition of spaces for active aging and social inclusion, with clear application potential in different urban contexts.

Backgound. Multimorbidity, defined as the coexistence of two or more chronic conditions within an individual, poses a significant challenge for healthcare systems. Understanding how diseases interact is essential to improving prevention, treatment, and quality of life for affected individuals. This study aims to explore the differences in multimorbidity between men and women, to provide insights into sex-specific health dynamics in older adults.

Methods. We analyzed administrative healthcare data from 213,689 individuals aged 65 years or older, collected by the Local Health Unit of the Province of Padova (Italy) for the period 2016–2017. Graphical models were used to construct multimorbidity networks, where nodes represent diseases and edges denote conditional associations between them. Sex-specific differences in network parameters were assessed to identify variations in the structure and manifestation of disease associations between men and women.

Results. The results reveal notable differences in network structure between the sexes, both in terms of disease prevalence and conditional associations between conditions. In particular, we observed associations between diseases that are present in the female network but are absent in the male network. Furthermore, the strength of several associations differs between men and women, underscoring sex-specific patterns in the structure of disease relationships.

Conclusions. Our study reveals significant sex-specific differences in the structure and strength of multimorbidity networks. These findings emphasize the importance of incorporating gender perspectives in healthcare to develop more targeted prevention and treatment strategies. Understanding these distinct disease association patterns may lead to improved personalized care for both men and women.

In recent years, much attention has been devoted to the social determinants of health and the interdependence between social and health systems, particularly the acute hospital setting. Social care can play a critical role in preventing avoidable hospital access, supporting safe discharges, and reducing length of stay (LOS). However, the link between social care and hospital outcomes remains understudied and social care underfunded.
This paper investigates the impact of municipality social spending (MSS) on hospital-related outcomes for Italy’s elderly population, focusing on avoidable hospitalizations (AHs). Using national-level hospital discharge data from 2012 to 2019 and publicly-available municipality data, we construct standardized outcome measures (admissions, readmissions, LOS, and in-hospital mortality) based on patient’s demographic and clinical traits and hospital characteristics to investigate outcome variability across municipalities net of the effects of municipality-unrelated factors. Then, we estimate the effect of MSS through a random effects model, controlling for observed and unobserved municipality characteristics.
Results show that higher MSS is associated with fewer hospital admissions, shorter LOS, and lower mortality. Effects are stronger in municipalities with larger elderly and high-income populations, revealing income-based disparities. Also, MSS shows no significant effect in rural and southern municipalities. Finally, the impact is greater where out-of-hospital care is more available, highlighting the importance of integrated and coordinated community care.
From a policy perspective, these findings suggest that investing in social services can improve hospital outcomes and reduce costs. Policymakers should prioritize social spending in disadvantaged and rural areas to promote equity and system efficiency.