Research and Practice of Health Promotion, Volume 18: The Very Old

This expert report builds on the publication “Older People: An Expert Report on the Situation of People Between 65 and 80 Years of Age” (Volume 44 of the Series “Research and Practice of Health Promotion,” BZgA 2013). It provides an overview of the life situation of men and women in Germany aged 80 years and older.

The German Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) commissioned the Institute for Gerontological Research in Berlin to do a targeted analysis of the publicly accessible data and other information available on various pertinent themes, the goal being to examine the varied life models and living situations of persons over 80 years of age. This included looking at their socioeconomic situation, the extent of their social relations and their health behavior. In addition, this publication highlights the areas of leisure activities, volunteer work, living arrangements and care-dependency in very old age.