Chapter 13

baby boomers

cohort born between 1946-1964; the first group with own spending and marketing power

secondary aging

controllable factors such as lack of exercise and diet

filial piety

deference and respect to one's parent and ancestors in all things

the graying of America

describes the phenomenon of a larger and larger percentage of the population getting older and older

selective optimization with compensation theory

energy diminishes as we age and we select personal goals and get the most for the effort we put into activities in this way making up for the loss of a wider range of goals and activities (symbolic interactionism)

subculture of aging theory

focuses on the shared community created by the elderly when they are excluded (due to age), voluntarily and involuntarily, from participating in other groups (symbolic interactionism)

primary aging

molecular and cellular changes

dependency ratio

number of nonproductive citizens (young, disabled, elderly) to productive working citizens

elder abuse

occurs when a caretaker intentionally deprives an older person of care or harms the person in his/her charge

age stratification theory

people are stratified by age just like RCG (conflict)

Supercentenarians

people living to 110 years or more

Centenarians

people living to be 100 years old

social gerontology

refers to a specialized field of gerontology that examines the social aspects of aging; it focuses on broad understandings of experiences of people at specific ages

senescene

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

modernization theory

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

disengagement theory

suggests that withdrawing from society and social relationships is a natural part of growing up (functionalism)

exchange theory

suggests 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)

continuity theory

the elderly make specific choices to maintain consistency in internal (personality, structure, beliefs) and external structures (relationships), remaining active and involved throughout elder years (functionalism)

gerotranscendence

the idea that as people age, they transcend the limited views of life they held in earlier times (symbolic interactionism)

thanatology

the systematic study of death and dying

hospice

type of healthcare that treats terminally ill people when cure-oriented treatments are no longer and option

denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance

what are the five stages of grief?

old

"____" is a socially defined concept

young-old

65-74 year olds

middle-old

75-84 year olds

old-old

85+ year olds

ageism

a discrimination based on age

gerontology

a field of science that seeks to understand the process of aging and the challenges encountered as seniors grow older

cohort

a group of people who share a statistical or demographic trait

gerontocracy

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

active theory

activity levels and social involvement are key to the process of elderly people finding replacement roles for those they've lost and key to happiness (functionalism)