Aging and the Elderly

1
Aging and the Elderly
2
Graying of United States

• Seniors now 12.4 percent of the population
• Soon, baby boomers (born after WWII-mid-60s)
  will number 75 million
• The elderly populations of rich nations is
  increasing most rapidly
• By 2030
• 20 percent will be over age 65
• About half the population will be over the age of
  40

3
Aging Population Increase

• Birth rate going down
• Decreased infant mortality
• Children are a major expense
• Advances in birth control
• Life expectancy going up
• Improved housing, nutrition and increased wealth
• Medical advances
• Almost eliminated infectious diseases
• Treat cancer and heart disease

4
Sociological Impact

• Cultural change
• Elderly more visible
• Young-old and old-old
• Younger elderly 65-75
• Independent with good health and financial
  security
• Older elderly past age 75
• Dependent on others
• Over age 85 fastest growing segment
• Women outnumber men

5
Biological Changes

• Gerontology
• Study of aging and the elderly
• Attitude toward aging depends on societal values
• In America, a dim view of such changes is taken
• Physical changes
• Predictable graying of hair, wrinkles, loss of
  height and weight, decline in strength and
  vitality and sensory changes
• Odds of chronic illnesses and life-threatening
  conditions rise steadily
• Reality we overestimate physical problems
• A majority of those over 65 report good health
• Well-to-do people have it better since they can
  afford preventive care

6
Psychological Changes

• Advancing age does not mean certain impairment of
  mental abilities
• Some research reports increases in math and
  verbal skills
• Personality changes
• The elderly can become more introspective
• More self-awareness
• Major shifts in personalities do not normally
  take place

7
Aging and Culture

• The significance of growing old varies according
  to culture
• Age stratification
• Unequal distribution of wealth, power and
  privilege among people at different stages of the
  life course
• Hunting and gathering societies
• Pastoral, horticultural and agrarian societies
• Industrial and postindustrial societies

8
Transitions and Challenges of Aging

• Finding meaning
• Social isolation
• Retirement
• Aging and poverty
• Care giving
• Ageism
• The elderly a minority?

9
Finding Meaning

• Erikson resolve a tension of integrity vs.
  despair
• Neugarten studied people in their 70s
• Personality type
• Disintegrated and disorganized
• Passive-dependent
• Defended
• Integrated
• Successful aging lies in maintaining dignity and
  self-confidence and accepting advancing age

10
Social Isolation

• Isolation is common among elderly
• Retirement, limited mobility, and negative
  stereotypes close off sources of social
  interaction
• Death of significant others
• Three-fourths of widows and widowers cite
  loneliness as serious problem
• Older people value independence
• Family members are major source of social
  support
• Daughters more than sons

11
Retirement

• Work is an important part of personal identity
• To minimize loss of prestige
• New activities and interests
• Volunteer work can fill time voids
• Part-time work can offer additional monies
• Retirement is a recent idea in industrialized
  societies occurring within the last century
• When or whether we retire
• While not mandatory, 83 of men and 91 of women
  are no longer in the labor force at age 65 in the
  united states

12
Poverty

• Home mortgage is usually paid off, some costs
  rise for the elderly
• Medical care, household help and utilities
• Social security is the major source of income
• Those elderly who fall below the poverty line at
  age 65 equals 9.8 of U.S. Population
• Median individual income for women is 11,789 and
  men 20,527

13
Care Giving

• Informal and unpaid care provided to a dependent
  person by family members, other relatives, or
  friends
• 80 of caregivers are family members, daughters
  make up 75
• Married, with children and a job
• Elder abuse

14
Elder Abuse

• From passive neglect to active torment
• In many forms verbal, emotional, financial and
  physical
• More than one million a year, severe abuse
• Major causes
• Sandwich generation stress
• Caregiver works fulltime, cares for young
  children and is poor
• Caregiver feels little affection for elder, finds
  them difficult and has little support from others

15
Ageism

• Prejudice and discrimination against the elderly
• Blatant ageism
• Deny people due to age
• Subtle ageism
• Ways which culture perpetuates stereotypes of the
  elderly
• Negative images and jokes
• Should the elderly be given minority group
  status?

16
Theoretical Perspective

• Structural-functionalism
• Disengagement theory
• Society enhances its orderly operation by
  disengaging people from positions of
  responsibility as they reach old age
• Symbolic interaction
• Activity theory
• A high level of activity enhances personal
  satisfaction in old age
• Social conflict
• Inequality based on age categories
• Different opportunities and access to social
  resources, creating a system of age stratification

17
Death and Dying

• Historical patterns of death
• Modern separation of life and death
• Ethical issues confronting death
• Death occurs when an irreversible state takes
  place
• Right to die debate
• Living wills
• Euthanasia

18
Stages of Death

• 1. Denial
• 2. Anger
• 3. Negotiation
• 4. Resignation
• 5. Acceptance

19
Bereavement

• Time of profound grief and social disorientation
  that persist for some time
• Experts agree that how a family and friends view
  an impending death affects the person who is
  dying
• Hospice movement
• Bereavement is less intense for someone who
  accepts the death of the loved one and their
  relationship has reached a satisfactory resolution

20
The Future

• Increasing numbers
• By 2050, more elderly than people in the U.S.A.
  In 1900
• Need to review support services for the elderly
• Availability and sufficiency
• The elderly should experience a better quality of
  life
• Medical technology
• Financial strength
• Changes in how death is viewed
• Death will again become a natural part of the
  life cycle no longer social taboo