Crash Course: Age & Aging

What is aging?

A biological, psychological, and cultural experience.

What is a gerontocracy?

A form of social organization in which the oldest members of society have the most wealth, power, and prestige.

What is the total fertility rate?

A projected estimate of the number of children an average woman of childbearing age will have over her lifetime.

How much has the median age of the world population risen?

A report from the United Nations shows that it has risen from 23 in 1950, to 30 as of 2015. And by 2050, the median age for the entire world will be 36.

What percent of caregivers to the elderly are a spouse?

About 42% - it's more likely a wife taking care of a husband than the other way around, partially due to women's longer lifespans. Caregiving is a demanding job and can contribute to the social isolation that many older members of society feel.

What are programming theories?

Also known as aging-clock theories, it focus on how the body switches on or off certain biological processes as you reach a certain age.

What are error theories?

Also known as wear-and-tear theories, it focus on ways in which damage to cells and tissue accumulate over time, and explore how aging is a result of damage to or deterioration of key cells in the body.

How has chronic disease became the leading cause of death?

As infectious diseases like smallpox or tuberculosis become a thing of the past in high-income countries, chronic diseases have become the leading cause of death in those countries. As life expectancy increases, the age at which people first experience chronic illnesses is often also postponed.

What percent of adults suffer from memory loss or more serious mental deterioration?

Only about 7% of adults over the age of 70.

Where does the aging of the world population come from?

People are living longer, and they're having fewer babies.

What is ageism?

Prejudice and discrimination based on age.

What is the last step of social scientists model of demographic transition?

So their country reaches the final stage of demographic transition: low birth rates and stable death rates. And if there are fewer babies, that means there are fewer young people to pull down the average age.

How are decisions made about death in healthcare settings?

The ethics of how doctors and patients navigate medical choices as someone nears the end of their life is a topic that's fraught with difficulty. Some patients leave living wills that explicitly state their preferences for treatment. But oftentimes these decisions end up in the hands of family members and doctors who may disagree on the best decision to make.

What is an example of programming theory?

The immune system is at its peak during puberty and slowly declines as you age, meaning that it's harder for your body to fight off new diseases when you're older.

How did the elderly fare, as nations industrialized?

The main source of income shifts from land ownership to income from work. And many older people move out of paid labor - whether it's by choice or because it becomes more difficult to find a job as you age. Only about 18% of Americans over the age of 65 report being employed either full or part time.

How much has the median age of the United States risen?

The median age has increased from 23 in 1900 to 30 in 1950 and finally up to 37 by the time of the 2010 Census.

What is senescence?

The process of becoming old - which includes all the physical or mental deterioration that comes along with age.

What is age stratification?

The unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege among people at different stages of life.

What is the second step of social scientists model of demographic transition?

Then, agricultural and technological advances improve the standards of living. Access to food, water, housing, and medical treatment all improve, which reduces the number of people who are dying at a young age. People are still having a lot of children, but they're living longer, so this leads to a larger and older population.

What is the third step of social scientists model of demographic transition?

Then, in the next phase of the model, as the probability improves that a child will live into adulthood, families begin having fewer children.

What changes are there as you get older, other than physical changes?

There are also psychological changes. Older adults are at a higher risk for dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, and other types of cognitive impairment than younger adults.

How do social scientists explain the process of growing up?

They use a model of demographic transition to explain that the process of moving from a young, growing population to an older, stable population is tied to the economic and technological development of a society.

How vulnerable are the elderly to poverty?

They're much more vulnerable to poverty, with 8.8% of Americans over the age of 65 living in poverty. Retirement from the labor force is, of course, voluntary for many people in high-income countries, and for some it's a welcome break from the workforce. But for others, it's a difficult transition for both financial and cultural reasons.

How much is the elderly American population supposed to grow?

This population, those 64 or older, is expected to more than double by 2060, going from about 46,000 as of 2014 to 98,000 in 2060.

What variation is there in illness and mortality rates across demographic groups?

Wealthier elderly people are less likely to face health challenges than the poorer elderly. Woman tend to live longer than men, but that also means they're more likely to suffer from chronic disabilities like arthritis.

Why is retirement not an option for some elderly people?

While many wealthier countries provide some kind of income support for the elderly, like social security in the US, retirement is generally only feasible for those who save enough during their working years to live comfortably after they've stopped working. In economic downturns like the Great Recession, the value of people's retirement savings will often plummet, forcing people to work further into old age than they intended to.

How do the elderly fare in today's society?

Nowadays, rapidly changing technology means that many workers are finding it harder to compete with younger workers. Some of this is simply due to changes in what types of jobs are available, which may make the job experience of older workers less relevant in today's economy.

How does death play out in modern society?

Nowadays, rather than dying at home surrounded by families and friends, many people die in healthcare settings like hospitals.

Who answers why and how we age?

Biology, genetics, and medicine.

What is caregiving in this context?

Caregiving here refers to informal, unpaid care provided to a dependent by family members, other relatives, or friends.

What are the five stages of grief? And how are they used today?

Denial, anger, negotiation, resignation, and acceptance. Though psychologist Elizabeth Kubler Ross originally developed this as a model for how people confront their own death, it has come to be seen as a model for how people deal with the death of those they love as well.

Why would companies be less likely to hire older workers?

Employers may unfairly generalize about the abilities of older workers, thinking that all older workers will be less productive or less up to date on the skills needed for the job. This is partially why we see so much stratification among older Americans.

What are the two main schools of thought in modern biological theories as to why senescence happens?

Error theories and programming theories?

Why can retirement be a difficult life transition?

Especially in the US, many feel that their identity and self-worth is tied up with their profession. When work plays such a central role in society, retiring can result in less social prestige as well as a loss of purpose. For some retired people, work in the labor market ends up being replaced with caregiving work.

What is the total fertility rate of America?

For the United States, total fertility rates were at a peak of 3.7 births per woman in the late 1950s, but are now at only 1.8 births per woman. It has been declining for most countries for a while now.

How were the elderly seen in hunter-gathers societies as compared to agrarian societies?

Historically, if we were to compare hunter-gatherer societies - where survival relied on physical strength - with agrarian societies - where food could be stored up - the elderly may be more likely to be seen as a burden in the former than the latter. But once it's possible to build wealth, some people may be able to accumulate money and power over time, leading to greater privilege for an older person than a younger one.

What is the first step of social scientists model of demographic transition?

In this model, a country starts with really high birth rates and really high death rates, resulting in a population with a lot of very young people, but not much overall population growth.

How does observing death help us?

It helps us understand the values and beliefs of a society. Death in modern society tends to be culturally removed from our day-to-day life, partially due to our longer life spans.

What are the risk factors involved with aging?

It increases risk factors for many diseases, particularly chronic diseases such as arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes. 78% of Americans age 55 and older have at least one chronic condition.

What is the compression of morbidity?

It's a term coined by doctor and professor of medicine James Fries, it means that most people in high-income countries live healthy lives for the majority of their lives, and then experience rapid health declines compressed into the end of life.

What are reasons that older Americans cite for feeling lonely or isolated as they age?

Limited time due to caregiving, lower mobility due to the aging process or chronic health problems, and the loss of aging friends and family members.