Discussing adults aged 65+, it discussed the growing average life expectancy, challenges that seniors face, and dying. The life expectancy is becoming longer and longer due to medical advances, but the effects of aging are inevitable. A decline in sensory and motor abilities, bone density, muscle mass, skin elasticity, senses become less acute. In short, as our bodies age they decay and lose abilities and properties they once had. Some of the challenges senior citizens face are the risk of Alzheimer (a disease that causes the death of brain tissue), losing their sense of meaning, sexual/arousal issues, and depression, just to name a few.…
In Western societies the process of aging is seen as a bad thing to happen, and most people do not respect their elders like other parts of the world. Alice Waters states, "I have been many different places around the world where getting older is something you look forward to. You have an opportunity to be someone who is respected, someone who is contributing to life in a very important way." If you take care of your body throughout life, then in old age you have a better chance to be able to care for yourself better. Living longer means you gain more knowledge, you can spend longer time with your family, etc. With the stigma older people face in Western societies it can also be hard.…
These angles add to changing a characteristic procedure into a social issue with the individual carring the majority of the fault and unpalatable results. Ageism ought to be depicted as huge to individuals of any age. Taking note of how age both empowers and constrains our existence all for the duration of our lives supports a vivacious verbal confrontation about the perplexing issue of ageism. At last we see and characterize the idea of ageism as an all inclusive marvel that worries individuals of any age and in a wide range of ways.…
According to the World Health Organization, the number of people aged 60 years or older will rise from 900 million to 2 billion between 2015 and 2050. This means that the number of elderly people in the world’s population will move from 12% to 22%. As we age, we gain the privilege of many years of experience and the wisdom that follows it at the cost of time and youth. Often this creates a rise in income and the potential to retire, although aging also comes with several drawbacks. Among these drawbacks include the loss of physical strength, coordination, fluid memory and community status at retirement.…
When I see the word elderly, I think of someone who is wise and has real world experience. Someone who views the world differently than what they once did through the molding of the society around them. Someone who has possibly accepted fate through the loss of loved ones. Someone who has, or is subject to become physically weaker. Someone whos morals and values are not easily influinced by others, especially by others of perceivable lesser…
There are many studies, research and discussions regarding happiness within the older adult cohort. Why are they so happy? What decisions did they make in their earlier stage of life to be happy or content in the latter? Have they found the proverbial Fountain of Youth? It may not be all that mysterious when considering the elder’s perspective of life, their attitude about life and its challenges. Many studies on the aged have shown happiness when physical and mental activity, health, social support, and financial security are met.…
Throughout the process of aging, different cultures perceive aging in their own individual ways. Culture can play a huge role in which one ages and how society is to view those who age. However, each culture has its own beliefs about growing old and what specific roles older people play in the society they are a part of. With a rapid increase in the older population, society has changed to meet the needs of the elder population. The rapid increase in the older population is due to the fact that people are living longer.…
The healthy aging class lectures, weekly discussion posts, and elderly project videos helped me to engage more in learning. To be honest, I have never thought about the struggles of being an elderly and I did not know much about the elderly because I have never lived with elderly over age 65. However, being in this healthy aging class helped me to understand the struggles of being elderly and it also gave me some idea how to deal with elderly. As this class focus on issues that related to aging, I also have learned how to enhance elders’ well-being physically, socially, and mentally.…
Article Summary The article written by Paterson, D. H., & Warburton, D. R. (2010), entitled “Physical activity and functional limitations in older adults: a systematic review related to Canada's Physical Activity Guidelines” describes and discusses the results of sixty-six (66) independent research studies; thirty-four (34) of which had results based on cognitive functions, on the relationship between physical activity, functional independence and cognitive function outcomes in adults older than sixty-five (65) years of age but younger then eighty-five (85) years of age. The article also discusses the relationship between physical activity and any pre-mature causes of mortality and/or morbidity in older adults. The authors were looking for…
In North America, the media tends to portray negative cultural attitudes toward the elderly, as our society tends to glorify physical signs of youth by associating youth with beauty and sexuality (Little & McGivern, 2013). Many people in our society struggle to fully understand the aging process until they reach old age themselves, which may be related to stereotypes associated with the realities of life as an older adult (Little & McGivern, 2013). However, other cultures embrace the aging process. For example, in Greek and Greek-American culture, the older adults are not only honored, but they are also central to the family dynamic (Healthy Living, 2014).…
I completely agree with Nelson that there is a cultural bias in the modernized, American society in that youthfulness is jubilantly celebrated, while aging is frowned up. This viewpoint is the highlight of the article because it depicts the root cause of the cultural bias: our own fear of aging (Nelson, 2011). In my opinion, humans, especially Americans, cherish the freedom to choose the paths they follow and the lives they live. However, death is a concept no human can control; this lack of control causes us to feel fear of the unknown, of the impending doom, of the end of our life. Like a beast backed into a corner, humans will lash out at this fear and its representatives i.e. the elderly (Nelson, 2011).…
Both concepts however promote active and healthy aging. Older adults with better social network experience better emotional, mental and physical health; those who guide and nuture the younger generation derive satisfaction and motivation which also enhances the aging process. Both concepts are also useful in understanding grandparenting today as they underline the approaches and styles of grandparenting. Transition to grandparenthood now occur in midlife resulting in variation in age of grandparents, grandparenting approach and motive although it has been reported that the prime significance of grandparenting is biological renewal and/or continuity and emotional self fulfillment (Hooyman & Kiyak, p.361). While younger grandparents tend to use the involved or authoritative style of grandparenting, older grandparents use the remote and individualized…
It would seem logical that people would embrace the later years and ensure that elders receive the respect and proper care that they deserve, since every human expects to go through this passage of…
Aging: Youth’s Serial Killer Everyday we walk around, enjoying the life we built and the people we have met, pretending that life will forever be frozen in a state of perfection, but what we don’t tend to realize is that life happens with every breath we take. Every second and every breath we take in our expected perfect lives, we age and many people choose to ignore it because it is something we cannot change. Even though we have the free will to choose not to acknowledge our inevitable aging, the problem is that we ignore it because we perceive aging as bad due to society deeming old age as an illness and instead glorifies youth, leaving the only hope we have to solve this nationwide epidemic is to embrace the change with positive influence.…
Social gerontology is a relatively young field of studies that is involved in the study of the social aspects of aging and their impact on both the elderly people and social structures. In the scientific field, it is widely believed that the social context, which varies for different people, impacts the meaning of aging and helps to determine whether the aging process is perceived as positive or rather negative (Hooyman & Kiyak 5). With respect to the changes in social structure caused by aging and their impact on the elderly people, the field of social gerontology is important for sociologists. In relation to the importance of social gerontology, one of the aspects of high value to sociologists is the research addressing different dimensions…