Competence centre
Resource-orientated age(ing) research

On the art of letting go and the beauty of quitting

The power of touch - between well-being, vulnerability and fear

Alone, but not lonely?
Interdisciplinary reflections

Can you be alone or do you feel lonely when you are not socialising? And is it enough to advise lonely people to socialise more?

Being alone, as a voluntary decision to calm down, gain distance, recharge one's batteries or even as self-chosen independence, can be seen as an invaluable resource for coping with the demands of everyday life.

Involuntary loneliness, on the other hand, which is not just temporary but permanent, causes people to suffer, not only mentally but also physically. Lonely people sleep worse, experience more pain, have a weaker immune system and a lower life expectancy.

In a recent extrapolation of the German Ageing Survey to the total population in Germany, it was estimated that more than 3.5 million (9%) in the 40 to 84 age group were affected by loneliness in 2017.

Being connected with others and maintaining good relationships is an innate need for all people. However, the feeling of loneliness is a painful experience for many people and is associated with considerable health risks.

Dealing with this issue is highly topical. "Loneliness is not a private matter, but also the result of precarious developments in our society," wrote the Rheinische Post in May 2019. Loneliness is therefore not just an individual problem, but also a social one.

In the lecture series in the 2019/2020 winter semester, we will take a look at different perspectives on the tension between being alone and loneliness and enter into an exciting discourse with academics and representatives from the field.

Thursdays, 14.15 - 15.45
Start: 17.10.2019

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Thu, 17.10.2019 // 14.15 - 15.45 // S 304
The silent topic of loneliness: current research and practical implications
Susanne Bücker, M.Sc.
Ruhr-Universität Bochum, psychologist, Faculty of Psychology, Psychological Methodology

Loneliness has become a major issue of our time. But how widespread is loneliness really? What do we know about the causes and consequences of loneliness? And what can society and politics do to combat loneliness? Susanne Bücker, a psychologist at Ruhr University Bochum, researches loneliness and its development over the course of a lifetime. In an introduction to her lecture, she will provide information on the current state of research and the resulting practical implications.

Thu, 24 October 2019 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm // S 304
Loneliness - from a psychological perspective
Prof. Dr Dieter Wälte
Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, Clinical Psychology and Personality Psychology

From a psychological perspective, loneliness mainly describes the feeling of discrepancy between desired and actual social relationships (in terms of trust, common goals, commitment and quality of the relationship). This feeling also explains the apparent paradox that people still feel lonely despite having multiple social relationships. This lecture will focus on clarifying three questions: 1. how do people become lonely? 2. is loneliness dangerous? 3. what leads psychologically out of the feeling of loneliness?

Thu, 31 October 2019 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm // S 304
"I think the sheep likes me ..." - Loneliness as an issue in nature- and animal-assisted counselling and process support
Dr Dipl.-Pädagogin Nicole Justen
Specialist for animal-assisted interventions, "Waldraum" - nature- and animal-assisted systemic counselling and process support

Some people, regardless of their age, experience personal crises in the course of their lives in which they feel deeply lonely and alienated from other people. Some have lost trust in other people or have already had negative experiences with educational or therapeutic support services. Others are consciously looking for alternative ways to deal with their issues and challenges and find new paths for themselves. In such cases, animal-assisted interventions can be helpful in (re)engaging with relationships and issues through access to the animal. "I think the sheep likes me, can I come to you more often now?" (Statement of a 9-year-old boy with attributed ADHD and refusal of therapy).

Thu, 07.11.2019 // 14.15 - 15.45 /// S 304
Lonely? As a couple? Together! - Ideas and practical examples for overcoming loneliness in old age
Silke Leicht
Sociologist, Head of the International Elderly Policy Office of the Federal Association of Senior Citizens' Organisations (BAGSO)

Together with the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ), the Federal Association of Senior Citizens' Organisations (BAGSO) organised the competition "Lonely? Together? Together!" competition at the end of 2018 and was looking for innovative and compelling initiatives that combat social isolation and promote the social participation of older people. The 600 or so projects submitted impressed with their wide variety of ideas. The lecture presents selected practical examples of how to prevent and reduce loneliness in old age and looks beyond the horizon: What can we learn from other countries? And what can politicians do?

Thu, 14.11.2019 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm // S 304
Recognising and overcoming loneliness
Thomas Hax-Schoppenhorst
Non-fiction author and educator at the LVR Clinic in Düren

The phenomenon of loneliness and social isolation is becoming increasingly common in our times, which are characterised by selfishness and excessive individualisation. The elderly are particularly affected, but people between the ages of 20 and 30 also complain about this. There are many reasons for this.
The speaker will provide a detailed insight and show ways in which an exacerbation can and should be counteracted and how healthcare professionals can understand, support and integrate lonely people.

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm /// S 304
Does loneliness lead to mental illness?
Priv.-Doz. Dr Hanns Jürgen Kunert
Qualified psychologist, Median Klinik am Waldsee

Loneliness has different meanings in everyday language, both negative (e.g. a state of undesired social isolation) and positive (e.g. as a conscious strategy to withdraw from social relationships for certain purposes). If we now consider loneliness under the negative aspect of social seclusion or isolation, this can be seen as a generally chronic psychological crisis and stress situation. This condition in turn is associated with neurobiological reactions that can lead to the development of illnesses. In extreme cases, for example, this can lead to serious mental illnesses such as psychotic conditions, depression or suicide under solitary confinement conditions. The lecture will take a closer look at these connections, focussing on the fact that the brain is a "social organ" and its functioning is dependent on positive and development-promoting interpersonal contact, even in old age. Therefore, overcoming "loneliness" also has a health-promoting character.

Thu, 28.11.2019 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm // S 304
Nobody is alone in old age without a reason
Erich Schützendorf
Qualified educationalist, expert on ageing and geriatric care, author

People do not become difficult in old age, but a difficult person grows old and remains difficult. Dominant, opinionated, exclusionary, argumentative, mean-spirited, envious, selfish, complaining, dissatisfied people soon find themselves alone in old age. They have alienated friends, acquaintances, well-wishers and even family members over the years and feel left alone when they need help in old age. But even then, they reject well-meaning visitors and carers or insist on having their way.
The speaker poses the question of how to deal decently with these people who are difficult to live with and whether they can be left alone if their basic needs are met.

Thu, 05.12.2019 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm /// S 304
Living alone in old age - facts and figures, life courses and design potential
Arthur Drewniok, M.Sc.
Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, nursing scientist

Living alone in old age has a clearly negative connotation in social discourse. It is associated with a state that must be prevented at all costs! "Man is a social being, being alone contradicts his nature" - this is the common argument. In this presentation, I would like to introduce you to different approaches to the phenomenon of living alone (in old age). Firstly, I will define living alone. Statistics differentiate here, for example, between people living alone and single people, between single, widowed and divorced people, etc. In the second step, we will take a look at the ways of living alone and the effects of being alone on people's lives (in old age). Is there such a thing as the typical person living alone? What characteristics do we actually associate with people who live alone and how do people who live alone actually see themselves? Are they very lonely and do they suffer from it? In the last part, I would like to discuss with you the potential for shaping a needs-orientated, self-determined and dignified life alone in old age (despite the need for care and dementia, for example).

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm // S 304
Aloneness as a resource
Prof. Dr Michael Borg Laufs
The Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, Theory and Practice of Psychosocial Work

Being alone has a bad reputation, as attachment is a basic psychological need. But do we really always want to be in contact, always among people? Psychological studies show that being alone is also a resource from which we can draw strength, calm and creativity

Thu, 09.01.2020 // 14.15 - 15.45 // S 304
Is the world just my dream? How alone I really am in the world
Benedikt Eisermann, M.A.
Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences, philosopher

Couldn't it be that only my own self exists in the world? My self and the world would then be identical. In such a world, I would rightly feel very lonely. And in fact it is impossible to say whether there is a world outside my own consciousness. But how can I then know that I am not completely alone in the world? What can I even know about the other person - and about myself? How close can I even get to another person? The lecture will not only provide answers to these questions, but also show how you can use the answers to successfully interact with other people - and thus have at least one remedy against loneliness at your disposal

Thu, 16.01.2020 // 14.15 - 15.45 // S 304
The social meaning of loneliness: results of a comparative cultural study of the biographies of lonely people
Dr rer. pol. Janosch Schobin
Sociologist, University of Kassel, Faculty of Social Sciences, Head of BMBF junior research group DeCarbFriends

Loneliness, understood as the combination of a prolonged loss of contact with relevant loved ones and intense feelings of loneliness, is increasingly becoming a political issue. It is being stylised as a kind of new "widespread disease" that needs to be combated. However, only rough information is known about the social situation and living conditions of lonely people. This raises simple questions: how do they live, how do they interpret their loneliness and how do they make sense of their existence? A cultural comparison of the biographies of lonely people shows that there are considerable differences in the way loneliness is interpreted and given social meaning.

Time for time ...
Interdisciplinary approaches to dealing with time

// Thursdays, 14.15 - 15.45
// Faculty of Applied Social Sciences
// Building S / Room S 304

Experience of time, sense of time, perception of time, idea of time, time consciousness, time rhythms, time pressure, timelessness, moment, eternity - when we think about time, we can think of an endless number of terms.

Time is an important topic in scientific disciplines. It is the subject of physics, biology, philosophy and theology, sociology, psychology, gerontology, literature and history. While philosophers enquire into the nature of time, psychologists investigate the perception and feeling of time. Other sciences, such as biology and physics, see time as a measurable quantity, linguists use time as a grammatical form and musicologists as an element that sets the beat.

The concept of time is characterised by different time perspectives: the past, the present and the future. With the increasing life expectancy in our society, we are gaining more time and so the question of how we can fill and organise this extra life remains. Is there enough time left or do we lack time? We simply cannot escape time; time is our most precious commodity. Time is irreversible. In this series of lectures, we want to get to the bottom of the phenomenon of time and examine the theories of the various sciences. We would be delighted if you would take time for time!

Thu, 18 October 2018 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm // S 304
Live Fast, Die Young?
Time culture from the beginnings to the present

Prof. em. Dr Hermann Strasser PhD
University of Duisburg-Essen, Institute of Sociology
Dipl.-Soz. Wiss. Martina Geisler
Managing Director of ProSeCo, Professional Seminars and Coaching, Consultant for Resilience, Burnout and Meditation

The expectations and demands placed on us humans are increasing massively. There is no upper limit, no enough! But life in the fast lane takes its toll. Stress is increasing, stress reactions are on the rise. We often only realise the importance of our lifetime when it seems to be at risk. Have we created a world for ourselves that we were not made for? The individual experience of time is embedded in the culture, the way of life that surrounds us.
A journey through time from the beginnings to the present day shows how differently time can be experienced and how important it is to establish forms of time that do not allow acceleration.

Thu, 25 Oct 2018 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm // S 304
Music and time

Prof. Dr Ulrich D. Einbrodt
The Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences
Chair of Cultural Work with a Specialisation in Music

Time passes, but music remains. How does that happen? Music cannot exist without time. A piece of music begins, builds up, encompasses climaxes, comes to a conclusion. It lasts a few seconds, usually minutes, hours, or even many years. The two belong together. Inseparable. Or do they not? Professor Einbrodt invites you on a musical journey through time and a musical journey through time.

Thu, 08.11.2018 // 14.15 - 15.45 // S 304
Ageing and time

Prof. Dr Claudia Kaiser
The Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences
Chair of Gerontology

As a dynamic process, ageing is inextricably linked to time. Every biography, every life course spans the past, present and future. Increasing life expectancy is also accompanied by an increase in individual lifespan. But do more years automatically give us more time? What does it mean when we have more "free time" when we retire? How is this extra time used? Is it true that the clocks tick differently, even faster, in old age? Or is it just a change in perception? What influence does the confrontation with the finite nature of life have on this? The lecture will explore these and other questions.

Thu, 15 Nov 2018 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm /// S 304
Narrated time - time of history(ies)

Prof. Dr Andris Breitling
The Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences
Chair of Ethics, Social Philosophy, Cultural Theory

We encounter time on the one hand as "world time", i.e. as the time of objectively observable or measurable processes, and on the other hand as the subjectively experienced "time of the soul", in which past, present and future intertwine. Both appear connected in historical time as the simultaneously experienced and datable time of human action. According to the thesis of the French philosopher Paul Ricœur, this historical time, the time of history, can only be grasped in a diversion via a theory of narration, the representation of actions and events in stories. This thesis will be explained and discussed in the lecture. On the one hand, the focus will be on the organisation of temporal processes in historiography and, on the other, on imaginative variations of the human experience of time in fictional literature.

Thu, 22 Nov 2018 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm // S 304
Children of time: the '68 generation turns 50

Prof. em. Dr Klaus Hansen
Social scientist and writer
Former holder of the Chair of Political Science and Political Education in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Hochschule Niederrhein

It is claimed that the Federal Republic of Germany, now almost 70 years old, has produced two "political generations". The sixteen-year-old "flak helpers" of 1945 have become the "sceptical generation". The eighteen-year-old students of 1968 have become the "sixty-eight generation"
. Our main question will be: Did 1968 really produce a new generation? Today, 50 years on, this question should be answerable. Political generations are always only recognisable in retrospect. If we can answer the question in the affirmative, then we must also be able to identify typical generational dispositions that apply to a large number of German citizens. We will therefore look for patterns of thought, reaction and behaviour that characterise the sixty-eight type. All those present will then be able to check for themselves to what extent the "68 gene" is part of their personality - or not.

Thu, 29 Nov 2018 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm /// S 304
How long does a second last?

Prof. Dr Walter Ebner
The Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Chair of Physics and Computer Science

Time as a quantity of physics is measurable, with ever greater accuracy over the course of history. The "duration" of a second must therefore be revised again and again.
On closer inspection, however, the passage of time itself is subject to a wide variety of conditions and is by no means absolute, even in physics.
There are also questions: How is it that time always increases, i.e. that it has a certain direction? And when did time begin?

Thu, 06.12.2018 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm // S 304
At the heart of time - eternity in the moment

Dr theol. Wolfgang Siepen
Theologian, psychotherapist, meditation teacher

One of the outstanding characteristics of human beings is their relationship to "time". This can be experienced time and again in the feeling that the time given to us is racing by and that people are simultaneously looking to slow down and hold on to time.
Stretched out between the awareness of the moment and the sense of an eternity inherent in man, 'being in time' is a grandiose experience in which man can realise himself and the transcendent as an awareness of immersion in the flow of time. Such a profound experience can, of course, only be felt by being mindful of oneself and one's own time.

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm /// S 304
Doing Time - On experiencing and acting in time in contemporary society

Prof. Dr Nadine Schöneck-Voß
The Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences
Chair of Sociology and Empirical Social Research

Our contemporary society is characterised by the experience of acceleration and the feeling of being driven - despite statistically increasing lifespans. Time stress is a very common phenomenon. Why is this the case? And why do women, who on average live longer than men, often suffer particularly from time stress? The lecture sheds light on these and other similar questions - both theoretically and empirically.

Thu, 03 Jan 2019 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm // S 304
Life on time - everyday time and life time in dealing with chronic illness

Dr Iris Schubert
The Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences
Teacher for special purposes, specialism: Clinical Social Work

Chronic illness changes ... simply everything! Time, identity, relationship structures. The organisation of time becomes a primary concern. Dealing with chronic illness demands time from the affected system (the chronically ill person, relatives, those treating them) - and draws attention to the distinction between everyday time and life time. The central coping task in the context of everyday time is the permanent control of the latently threatening crisis: to prevent/prevent a medical crisis, to promote a gentle lifestyle. If the control is out of balance, the acute crisis exceeds the everyday framework with consequences for life. Chronically ill people also have to redesign their identity and biography as well as their role and position within existing relationships.

Thu, 10 Jan 2019 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm // S 304
Time from a neurological perspective: sleep and stress

Professor Carl-Albrecht Haensch, MD
Chief Physician, Specialist in Neurology, Sleep Medicine, Special Pain Therapy, Clinic for Neurology, St. Franziskus Hospital in Mönchengladbach

Sleep, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and time are closely linked both functionally and anatomically. Sleep is associated with pronounced changes in the functions of the ANS, such as stress. Sleep directly influences the autonomic functions of respiration and circulation and modulates their interaction. For clinically active neurologists, disorders of the autonomic nervous system and sleep regulation are becoming increasingly important, with REM sleep behaviour disorders attracting widespread interest as an early sign of Parkinson's disease. In humans, the internal clock controls our sleep times and ensures that we not only remain adapted to the external light-dark cycle, but also that all internal biological processes remain in sync with each other. For many people, however, the sleep-wake rhythm is not aligned with the activity phases of our society.

Thu, 17 Jan 2019 // 2.15 - 3.45 pm // S 304
Timelessness in changing times using the example of Leibniz's reflections on the reunification of denominations

Prof. em. Dr Wilhelm Klüsche
Hochschule Niederrhein, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences
Former holder of the Chair of Clinical Psychology in the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences at Hochschule Niederrhein

If, despite changing circumstances, one searches for the unchanging in human existence, one quickly touches on the field of religion, because there one is confronted, among other things, with truth and its power of interpretation, with tolerance of different views, with ways of understanding, with forms of expression of transcendental needs. Leibniz's approaches to understanding between the denominations can be used to work out such timeless primal questions.

2024/25
Health and well-being in old age - interdisciplinary perspectives

2023/24
On the significance of spaces, places and regions

2022/23
On the art of letting go and the beauty of stopping
Interdisciplinary reflections

2021/22
The power of touch - between well-being, vulnerability and fear

2019/20
Alone, but not lonely!?
Interdisciplinary reflections

2018/19
Time for time ...
Interdisciplinary approaches to dealing with time

2017/18
Happiness and unhappiness - how plannable is our life?
Interdisciplinary reflections on a subjective feeling

2015/16
Love and lust without age limits -
Sexuality in old age

2014/15
Opening doors to people with dementia -
Interdisciplinary perspectives

2013/14
What keeps people healthy?
Physical, mental and social aspects of health

2012/13
"The goal-free path" -
Spirituality of ageing

2012
With each other - for each other.
Intergenerational solidarity between aspiration and reality

2011/12
Images of age(ing)

2011
Technical progress and new media

2010/11
Age and the future

2010
Giving shape to responsibility

2009
Giving shape to needs.
Interdisciplinary topics and working methods for socio-cultural transformation processes

2007
Rediscovering a sense of community -
the opportunities of dialogue between young and old

2006
Age(ing) has many faces

2004
Living old age consciously ... Ways and goals

2003
The living environments of people with dementia -
Backgrounds, problems and perspectives from research and everyday practice

2000
And tomorrow it will go on ... -
Development processes in old age

1994
Competence in old age between routine and new beginnings

2026

Oeben, Melanie; Krewer, Ann-Marie & Heß, Moritz (2026): What are baby boomers planning for retirement? In: ZWISCHENTÖNE, 53, 6-8.

Oeben, Melanie; Krewer, Ann-Marie & Heß, Moritz (2026): Perceptions and needs of the baby boomer generation in the post-employment phase - A qualitative study. In: ProAlter, 58(1), 47-50

2025

Ehlers, Anja; Berg, Pia-Saskia; Frewer-Graumann, Susanne & Hess, Moritz (2025): Sociotechnical systems in old age - A critical contribution to realising the possible. In: Heckes, Kolja T.; Lorke, Mariya; Siegler, Marcel and Wrona, Kamil J. (eds.): Sociotechnical transformations in social and Health Care: collaborative, diverse, barrier-free and socio-spatial. Beltz Juventa, 388-401.

Gerdes, Frederike; Naegele, Laura; Hess, Moritz & Ordemann, Jessica (2025): Ageism in German higher education. In: Educational Gerontology, 51(12), 1353-1360.

Grates, Miriam (2025). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health-related digital inequalities. Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 58, 477-482.

Grenz, Adele; Weinhardt, Michael; Hess, Moritz; van Hoof, Joost; Dikken, Jeroen & Boerner, Kathrin (2025): How age-friendly are cities and communities? German version of the Age-Friendly Cities and Communities Questionnaire (AFCCQ). In: Journal of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 58(8), 668-673.

Klingel, Markus; Garten, Claudius; Grates, Miriam; Quashie, Nekehia T., & Brandt, Martina (2025): Distancing and Changes in Intergenerational Support in Germany During the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. In: Journal of Intergenerational Relationships 23(4), 387-410.

Naegele, Laura; Schmitz, Wiebke; Staniczek, Selina & Hess, Moritz (2025):Continuing Vocational Educational Training, Self-Directed Ageism, and Extending Working Lives: Evidence from the German Ageing Survey. In: Cologne Journal of Sociology and Social Psychology [Online First].

Stiemke, Philipp; Pink, Sebastian & Hess, Moritz (2025): The voluntariness of retirement-transitions: A European cohort-study. In: Ageing & Society, 45(11), 2280 - 2295.

2024

Hess, Moritz; Zörlein, Nicolas; Grates, Miriam & Wanka, Anna (2024): Caring students. Challenges and burdens. Results of a survey. In: Journal for Social Reform, 70 (3), 249-270

Vanella, Patrizio; Wilke, Christina & Heß, Moritz (2024): Long-Term Care in Germany in the Context of the Demographic Transition-An Outlook for the Expenses of Long-Term Care Insurance through 2050. in: Econometrics, 12(4), 28.

Wanka, Anna; Lasser, Nathalie & Hess, Moritz (2024): The in/visibilisation of education and care: University staff's perceptions of, experiences with, and reaction to the needs of care-giving students. In: Access: Critical Explorations of Equity in Higher Education, 12(1), 48-60.

2023

Grates, Miriam & Brandt, Martina (2023): (How) did self-rated health status shape Internet use among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany? In: New Media & Society, 27(2), 1073-1092.

Hess, Moritz, Schmitz, Wiebke; Naegele, Laura & Stiemke, Philipp (2023): You will take care of me when I am old: Norms on children's caregiver obligations - An analysis with data from the European Values Study. In: Journal of Family Research, 35, 196-211

Wiegelmann, Henrik; Hess, Moritz; Domhoff, Dominik; Heinze, Franziska; Schmidt, Annika; Seibert, Kathrin; Stolle, Claudia; Preuß, Benedikt; Rothgang, Heinz & Wolf-Ostermann, Karin (2023): The situation of family carers under the age of 65 in the Corona pandemic - results of an online survey in Germany. In: Federal Health Gazette 66: 265-274.

2022

Knopf, Lea; Wazinski, Karla; Wanka, Anna & Hess, Moritz (2022): Caregiving students: A systematic literature review of an under-researched group. In: Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(6): 822-835. (IF: 2.3)

Mäcken, Jana; Präg, Patrick, Hess, Moritz & Ellwardt, Lea (2022): Educational Inequalities in Labour Market Exit of Older Workers in 15 European Countries. In: Journal of Social Policy, 51(2): 435 - 459.

Stiemke, Philipp & Hess, Moritz (2022): Determinants of (in-)voluntary retirement - a systematic literature review. In: Journal of European Social Policy 32(3): 348-358. (IF: 3.06)

van Hoof, Joost; van den Hoven, Rudy F.M.; Hess, Moritz; van Staalduinend, Willeke H.; Hulsebosch-Janssene, Loes M.T. & Dikken, Jeroen (2022): How older people experience the age-friendliness of The Hague: A quantitative study. In: Cities, 124: 103568.

Wazinski, Karla; Knopf, Lea; Wanka, Anna & Hess, Moritz (2022): Invisible caregivers: The 'hidden lives' of German university students with care responsibilities. In: Journal for Higher Education Development, 17(4): 217-233.

2021

Naegele, Gerhard & Hess, Moritz (2021): Social Inequalities in the Late Employment Phase and at the Transition to Retirement. Results of the EXTEND project. Springer VS.

Schmidthuber, Lisa; Fechter, Charlotte; Schröder, Heike & Hess, Moritz (2021): Active ageing policies and delaying retirement: comparing work-retirement transitions in Austria and Germany. In: Journal of International and Comparative Social Welfare 37(2): 176 - 193.

2020

Ehlers, Anja; Heß, Moritz;Frewer-Graumann, Susanne; Olbermann, Elke & Stiemke, Philipp (2020): Digital participation and (digital) exclusion in old age. Expertise on the Eighth Ageing Report of the Federal Government. Edited by C. Hagen, C. Endter and F. Berner. Berlin: German Centre of Gerontology.

Hess, Moritz; De Tavernier, Wouter & Naegele, Laura (2020): Culture Matters - Norms, employment and informal care of older women in Europe. In: Social Progress, 69: 667-685.

Hess, Moritz; Naegele, Laura & Mäcken, Jana (2020): Attitudes towards working in retirement: a latent class analysis of older workers' motives. In: European Journal of Ageing 18: 357-368.

Volume 5
Happiness and unhappiness - how plannable is our life?
by Sigrid Verleysdonk-Simons & Claudia Kaiser
2020 | ISBN 978-3-933493-47-7 | 191 pages | €10.80

Volume 4
What keeps people healthy?
Physical, psychological and social factors of health
by Sigrid Verleysdonk-Simons & Franz-Christian Schubert (ed.)
2015 | ISBN 978-3-933493-42-2 | 184 pages | 10,- Euro

Volume 3
The goal-free path.
Spirituality of ageing
by Sigrid Verleysdonk-Simons & Josef Kopperschmidt (ed.)
2015 | ISBN 978-3933493-36-1 | 163 pages | 10,- Euro

Volume 2
Das Erzählcafé
Erlebte und erzählte Geschichte(n)
by Sigrid Verleysdonk-Simons & Christian Loffing (ed.)
2012 | ISBN 987-3-933493-33-0 | 184 pages | 9.90 EUR

Volume 1
Technological progress and new media -
more participation or more exclusion for an ageing society?
by Sigrid Verleysdonk-Simons & Christian Loffing (ed.)
2012 | ISBN 987-3-933493-32-3 | 80 pages | 5.00 EUR

The publications of the competence centre are published in the series of the Faculty of Applied Social Sciences at The Hochschule Niederrhein and are available directly from the faculty or from bookshops. From 2012 to 2020, the publications were published in a separate series under the title "Schriften des Kompetenzzentrums Ressourcenorientierte Alter(n)sforschung - REAL".

• Volume 63 (2020)
  Happiness and unhappiness - how plannable is our life?
  by Sigrid Verleysdonk-Simons & Claudia Kaiser
• Volume 61 (2015)
  What keeps people healthy? Physical, psychological and social factors of health
  by Sigrid Verleysdonk-Simons & Franz-Christian Schubert (eds.)
• Volume 58 (2015)
  The goal-free path. Spirituality of ageing
  by Sigrid Verleysdonk-Simons & Josef Kopperschmidt (Eds.)
• Volume 56 (2012)
  The storytelling café. Experienced and told stories
  by Sigrid Verleysdonk-Simons & Christian Loffing (Eds.)
• Volume 55 (2012)
  Technological progress and new media - more participation or more exclusion for an ageing society?
  by Sigrid Verleysdonk-Simons & Christian Loffing (eds.)
• Volume 52 (2011)
  Giving shape to needs. Giving shape to responsibility
  by Christian Loffing & Sigrid Verleysdonk-Simons (eds.)
• Volume 51 (2010)
  Vielfalt & Inklusion: Herausforderungen an die Praxis und die Ausbildung in der Sozialen Arbeit und der Kulturpädagogik
  by Sabine Krönchen (ed.)
• Weg-Weisungen. On dealing with closeness and distance
  Engelbert Kerkhoff, Theodor M. Bardmann, Asgar Fabri (eds.)
• The good Lord sees everything. A reading and picture book on time and educational sayings
  Engelbert Kerkhoff, Silvia Beck, Sigrid Verleysdonk-Simons (eds.)
  with illustrations by Anja Groten and Wienke Treblin
• CityKirchenArbeit. Foundation courses, models and impulses for social and church work
  Engelbert Kerkhoff, Anke Dittrich, Stephan Dedring, Martina Baur-Schäfer (eds.)
  Tolerance between the worlds of young and old
  Engelbert Kerkhoff, Sebastian Erkens, Albert Verleysdonk (eds.)
• Age: Individuality and Participation
  Engelbert Kerkhoff and Sigrid Simons (eds.)
• Cutting in. Excerpt. New Old - New Media - New Challenges
  Nicole Gegner, Suela Sylla, Katrin Uecker, Engelbert Kerkhoff, Rolf Sachsse
• Back - Mirror - View. Perspectives on ageing - not just for the elderly: Biography - Experience - Experience - Future
  Engelbert Kerkhoff and Katrin Rohmann (eds.)
• Self-determined age(ing). Food for thought and perspectives from research, development projects and practical applications
  Engelbert Kerkhoff (ed.)
• Impulses for cultural work with the elderly
  Engelbert Kerkhoff, Claudia Kewitz (eds.)
• Expertise in old age between routine and new beginnings
  Engelbert Kerkhoff (ed.)

The Belting-Treff is a community centre in the Venn-Beltinghoven district of Mönchengladbach. It has been run by the Competence Centre for Resource-Oriented Age(ing) Research (REAL) at The Hochschule Niederrhein in cooperation with WohnBau Mönchengladbach since 2007.

Theaim of the research and development project is to maintain and improve the quality of life in residential neighbourhoods. To this end, measures to promote intergenerational solidarity and intercultural exchange, to create help and support systems in the neighbourhood and to promote identification with the neighbourhood are being tested, implemented and continuously developed together with the residents.

Address
Bertolt-Brecht-Platz 12
41068 Mönchengladbach

Since December 2013, the activities of the Belting-Treff have also been supported by the non-profit organisation "Wir in Beltinghoven" (WiB e.V.). The association was founded by committed citizens to strengthen social interaction in Beltinghoven, promote dialogue between the generations and also provide support with everyday needs.

Get involved! The association is still looking for committed citizens who would like to play an active role, e.g. in the planning and organisation of events, or who would like to support us with membership fees or donations.

Contact:
Nicole Klösges
Phone: +49 (0)2161 186-5637
E-mail: nicole.kloesges@hs-niederrhein.de