Chapter 13: Aging and the Elderly

Baby Boomers (significance? current impacts/problems on society?)

Americans born between approximately 1946 and 1964 (the baby boom generation was the first group of children and teenagers with their own spending power and therefore their own marketing power Health care is one of the areas most impacted by this trend)

Thanatology

the systematic study of death and dying

Social/Psycological changes with aging (3)

1. Retirement 2. embracing integrity over despair (from ones life) 3. Death of spouse

What is the approximate median age of the United States?

37

Conflict theory on aging (theories)

Applied to society's aging population, the principle means that the elderly struggle with other groups—for example, younger society members—to retain a certain share of resources. At some point, this competition may become conflict. 1. modernization theory 2. age stratification theory 3. exchange theory

Functionalism on aging (theories)(who adjusts better to old age?)

Functionalists find that people with better resources who stay active in other roles adjust better to old age 1. Disengagement theory 2. Activity theory 3. Continuity theory

Age Stratification Theory (perspective)(criticism)

Theory which states that members of society are stratified by age, just as they are stratified by race, class, and gender (conflict theory) criticized for its broadness and its inattention to other sources of stratification and how these might intersect with age.

Age Discrimination in Employment Act

U.S. workers no longer must retire upon reaching a specified age

Gerontology (what do geronologists study/investigate?)

a field of science that seeks to understand *the process of aging and the challenges encountered as seniors grow older*. (Gerontologists investigate age, aging, and the aged. Gerontologists study *what it is like* to be an older adult in a society and *the ways that aging affects member*s of a society)

Gerontocracy (where?)

a type of social structure wherein the power is held by a society's oldest members (preindustrial societies)

3 phases of aging for older population in USA

the young-old (approximately 65-74), the middle-old (ages 75-84), and the old-old (over age 85)

Symbolic Interactionism on aging (theories)

Symbolic interactionists believe that nothing in the nature of aging creates any particular, defined set of attitudes. Rather, attitudes toward the elderly are rooted in society. 1. Subculture of aging theory 2. selective optimization with compensation theory

Selective optimization with compensation theory (perspective)

According to this theory, our energy diminishes as we age, and we select (selection) *personal goals* to get the most (optimize) for the *effort we put into activities*, in this way making up for (compensation). *the loss of a wider range of goals and activities*. (symbolic int)

Cohort

a group of people who share a statistical or demographic trait

Geriatrics

a medical specialty focusing on the elderly

Social gerontology

a specialized field of gerontology that examines the social aspects of aging. focus on *developing a broad understanding of the experiences of people at specific ages*, such as mental and physical wellbeing, plus age-specific concerns such as the process of dying.

Secondary aging

aging that occurs due to controllable factors like exercise and diet

11. Today in the United States the poverty rate of the elderly is ______. a. lower than at any point in history b. increasing c. decreasing d. the same as that of the general population

b

15. Veterans are two to four times more likely to ______ as people who did not serve in the military. a. be a victim of elder abuse b. commit suicide c. be concerned about financial stresses d. be abusive toward care providers

b

Primary aging

biological factors such as molecular and cellular changes. uncontrollable factors

13. Which factor most increases the risk of an elderly person suffering mistreatment? a. Bereavement due to widowhood b. Having been abusive as a younger adult c. Being frail to the point of dependency on care d. The ability to bestow a large inheritance on survivors

c

2. America's baby boomer generation has contributed to all of the following except: a. Social Security's vulnerability b. improved medical technology c. Medicaid being in danger of going bankrupt d. rising Medicare budgets

c

Who wrote the book On Death and Dying, outlining the five stages of grief? a. Ignatz Nascher b. Erik Erikson c. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross d. Carol Gilligan

c

Ageism

discrimination based on age

Hospice

health care that treats terminally ill people by providing comfort during the dying process

Filial piety

respect to one's parents and ancestors in all things (above all else in China; burden in US)

Senescence

the aging process, including biological, intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual changes

gerotranscendence

the idea that as people age, they transcend the limited views of life they held in earlier times. the elderly become less self-centered and feel more peaceful and connected to the natural world.

Activity theory (perspective)(criticism?)

the more active and involved an elderly person is, the happier he or she will be (functionalism) 2. not everyone finds fulfillment in the presence of others or participation in activities.

Dependency ratio

the number of productive working citizens to non-productive (young, disabled, or elderly)

Life course

the period from birth to death, including a sequence of generalized but predictable life events

Physician-assisted suicide

the voluntary use of lethal medication provided by a medical doctor to end one's life. The right to allow patients to die with their dignity

Subculture of aging theory (perspective)

theory that focuses on the shared community created by the elderly when they are excluded (due to age), voluntarily or involuntarily, from participating in other groups. suggests that elders will disengage from society and develop new patterns of interaction with peers who share common backgrounds and interests. (symbolic int)

Continuity Theory (perspective)

theory which states that the elderly make *specific choices to maintain consistency in internal and external structures*, remaining active and involved throughout their elder years (functionalism)

Disengagement Theory (perspective)(criticism?)

theory which suggests that *disengaging* from society and social relationships is a natural part of growing old (functionalism) Criticisms typically focus on the application of the idea that seniors universally naturally withdraw from society as they age, and that it *does not allow for a wide variation in the way people experience aging*

Modernization Theory (perspective)

theory which suggests that the primary cause of the elderly losing power and influence in society are the parallel forces of industrialization and modernization (conflict theory)

Exchange Theory (perspective)

theory which suggests that we experience an increased dependence as we age and must increasingly submit to the will of others, because we have fewer ways of compelling others to submit to us (conflict theory)

Elder abuse (5 kinds)

when a caregiver *intentionally deprives* an older person of care or harms the person in their charge 1) physical 2) sexual 3) psychological 4) neglect 5) financial