Cognitive health in aging society - The role of context for cognitive functioning and related policy implications in Europe

Europe is a leader in population aging but living longer does not imply aging well for all. As a key source of inequality, the retirement-health nexus has gained importance for both research and health policy planning. Still, existing studies oversee the interplay of individual, family and contextual factors in shaping healthy aging. In this respect, maintaining cognitive functions is a recognized central aspect. Thus, providing a clear understanding of healthy cognitive aging is the goal of this interdisciplinary project. Conceptually, we focus on the link between labor market participation and healthy cognitive aging. Analytically, we investigate inequalities across time and space, where gender and education are central individual dimensions. Using quantitative methods on high-quality survey data (SHARE) we aim to answer four research questions: - Is there a link between labor market participation and cognitive aging? - Do cognitive aging inequalities and their association with labor market participation vary across European countries/regions? - Do cognitive aging inequalities and their association with labor market participation vary across life course and cohorts? - Which policies/initiatives exist in different countries/cities that (directly or indirectly) promote healthy cognitive aging? Our research is key for the current older population but also for health policies aiming at more equal opportunities of healthy aging for all and for the generations to come.