Social aspects of aging
Why Babies from the baby boom time have now grown older?
-> After 2nd World War, between 1946 and 1964 There was observed a dramatic increase in the number of births -> The increase is attributed to economic growth
Decrease in mortality rates
-> Better life conditions -> Advances in modern biomedcine has turned diseases into chronic conditions -> Decreased mortality resulted in higher life expectancy in modern societies
The dynamics of the lifecourse
-> The dynamics of the lifecourse are characterized by the interlocking of multiple role trajectories -> People may have multiple social roles which are not fixed, they are dynamic experiences. -> Social roles are important because people maintain their self integrity and have meaning in life
Decrease in fertility rates
-> The number of births has dropped in recent time -> People get married later in life -> Women delay childbirth to attain higher education and pursue a career -> Children are not labour hands as they used to be, but they stay with their parents until their late 20s after they finish their university studies
Why are Societies ageing?
->Babies from the baby boom time have now grown older -> Decrease in fertility rates -> Decrease in mortality rates
The sociological concept of the lifecourse
1. Age is not standardised, chronologically or biologically fixed - age is a dynamic experience 2. Lifecourse focuses on both the variations and continuities of individuals' social roles as they mature 3. Lifecourse focuses on an individual's participation in various life 'domains' from birth to death
Health consequences of ageing
1. Chronic illness 2. Disability 3. Co-morbidities 4. Dementia => Health consequences can have a great impact on people's social roles
Why is knowing about lifecourse important?
1. The elderly are not a homogeneous group 2. Knowing the multiple roles the elderly used to have or currently have can better understand the impact of aging 3. Better understanding of the impact of ageing => better management => Taking full social history is even more imperative when treat older people
What are the advantages of lifecourse?
1. The lifecourse concept is a critique to the concept of lifespan 2. Lifespan structures ageing in terms of a predictable and universal series of biological stages through which people must inevitably pass 3. The concept of lifecourse moves away from seeing ageing largely in static terms
Summary Points
1. The population in western societies is ageing due to decreased fertility and mortality rates and the baby boom phenomenon 2. We should understand age as a course (lifecourse) and not as a staged line 3. We should understand older people as a heterogeneous group 4. People may have multiple roles in older age 5. The elderly could benefit from being mentally, social and physically active
Life expectancy (in 1840 Vs 2001)
In 1840: -> Life expectancy at birth was 40 for men & 42 for women -> Probability of survival to age 55 was 40% -> Probability of survival to age 75 was 15% In 2001: -> Life expectancy at birth is 75 for males & 80 for females -> Probability of survival to age 55 is 95% -> Probability of survival to age 75 is 65%
How can we help older people to stay as healthy as possible and keep enjoying their social roles?
Research evidence shows that the elderly could be protected on the following grounds: 1. Physical activity (Laurin et al, 2001) 2. Social interactions 3. Religion and spirituality associated with good health (Powel et al, 2003) 4. Work (Luoh and Herzog, 2002) 5. Use their knowledge and expertise to educate younger generations => In general, be mentally, socially and physically active
Socialogical concepts of the LifeCourse
School age: Education, Work, Career Employment+ Family: Education, new social roles (setup a business) Retairment and third age: Education, work, Career, new social roles (setup a business)
Dependency ratio
This indicator is defined as the number of persons aged 65 and over expressed as a percentage of the number of persons aged between 15 and 64 (Eurostat :2012) Dependency ratio has increased dramatically in recent year in western societies
Age as social experience (Two aspects that relate to time)
Two aspects that relate to time: 1. Biographical time: a person's experiences: career, retirement, chronic illness, restrictions, isolation, carer, new life etc. 2. Historical time: the experience of a particular generation: war, economic crisis, change of retirement age.
The sociological concept of the lifecourse (Two interconnected concepts)
Two interconnected concepts: 1. Trajectories: the duration of social participation or a social stage 2. Transitions: the duration between trajectories (Transitions are typically of shorter duration than trajectories).
