Perspective on Aging
Facts
Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world's population over 60
years will nearly double from 12% to 22%.
By 2020, the number of people aged 60 years and older will outnumber
children younger than 5 years.
In 2050, 80% of older people will be living in low- and middle-income
countries.
The pace of population ageing is much faster than in the past.
aging, progressive physiological changes in an organism that lead
to senescence, or a decline of biological functions and of the organism’s
ability to adapt to metabolic stress.
the process of becoming older, refer to the passing of time for an
individual—
At the biological level, ageing results from the impact of the accumulation
of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time. This leads to
a gradual decrease in physical and mental capacity, a growing risk of
disease, and ultimately, death.
Population aging refers to changes in the age composition of a population
such that there is an increase in the proportion of older persons.
ways to define ageing
Functional age measures age by capability and takes into account social,
psychological, and physiological age.
Chronological age is based on the calendar year, from an individual's birth
date to death date
ageing through two types of functional definitions
The first describes how varying types of deteriorative changes that accumulate in
the life of a post-maturation organism can leave it vulnerable, leading to a
decreased ability of the organism to survive.
The second is a senescence-based definition; this describes age-related
changes in an organism that increase its mortality rate over time by negatively
affecting its vitality and functional performance
Age Identification
• A central concept in the meaning of age itself
• Refers to both how many years have passed since we were born, and
various social/psychological areas of our lives
• Age differentiation– certain roles and behaviors are considered
appropriate based on chronological age
• Age grading– refers to the way people are assigned different roles in
society based on their age
• Age stratification– theory that a person’s position in the age structure
affects behavior or attitudes
The Life Course and Aging
• Aging is increasingly viewed from a “Life Course” perspective
• The term “span of a lifetime” = total number of years we live
• The term “course of life” = the meaningful pattern seen in the passing of
time
• Life Transitions
• Rites of passage – special events marking the transition from one role to
another
• Many behavioral or psychological problems come about because of the
difficulties in preparing for life transitions without help from society
“Aging” and the “life course”
(1) age is a salient dimension of individual identity and social organization;
(2) a reconfigured life course brings reconfigured aging;
(3) old age is a highly precarious phase of life;
(4) difference and inequality are not the same, but both can accumulate
over time;
(5) aging is gendered;
(6) aging is interpersonal, and “independence” is an illusion;
(7) “choice” and “responsibility” can be dirty words;
(8) much of aging is in the mind—it is imagined and anticipated; and
(9) history leaves its footprints on aging
YOUNGING: A Completely New Perspective
On Aging.
“We are not living longer, we are living younger. Our biological age is more
important than our chronological age. This is a major breakthrough in the
evolution of humankind.“
“Younging” is a paradigm shift away from the conventional view of
growing older.
People don’t accept the “inevitables” of growing older the way they once
did. For individuals over 70, this is a remarkable time of vitality, choice, and
freedom.
Age Isn’t A Number Anymore
, “younging” means living youthfully and smart; and it represents a sea
change in the way we think about growing olde
advances in health care, diet, cultural imperatives, individual choices, and
the growing awareness of the value of fitness, engagement and
community, age no longer matters
Retired But Not Retiring
carefree but still connected, do fun, new things, and they’re looking anew
at their future. They’re optimistic and excited about opportunities opening
up to them
It’s Not Your Grandparents Old Age Anymore
outstanding food shared with friends, having fun, and celebrating family
milestones like anniversaries, birthdays, a grandchild’s wedding, a great
grandbaby’s birth or a resident’s new puppy. It’s the freedom to explore
new interests
It’s laughter, music, dancing, learning, and doing. It’s younging.
Dimensions of Aging
Age is only a way of marking human events and experiences; these events
and experiences are what matters, not time itself.
Time’s passing is of concern only because it is connected, however loosely,
with other changes: physical, psychological, and social.
Physical Aging
The passage of time for human organisms is related to maturation; there are
developmental timetables for the predictable changes that take place --gray
hair, wrinkling of skin, and changes in reproductive capacity, immune system
response, and cardiovascular functioning
Rowe and Kahn (1998)- successful aging did not focus solely on physical aging,
but health status and functional capacity are two of its major components,
along with active engagement with life
“Optimal” aging is characterized by minimal loss of physical function and a
healthy, vigorous body;
“pathological” aging is aging accompanied by multiple chronic diseases
and negative environmental influences.
“Usual” aging refers to the typical or average experience, somewhere
between pathological and optimal
Psychological Aging
Psychological aging processes include changes in personality, mental
functioning, and sense of self during our adult years. Some changes are
considered a normal part of adult development, some are the result of
physiological changes in the way the brain functions, and some
psychological dimensions show little change at all in later years
Several generalizations :
human beings do continue to develop and grow throughout their lives.
personality does not undergo profound changes in later life; most personality
traits, self-concept, and self-esteem remain fairly stable from midlife onward
Social Aging
age is significant primarily because of the social meanings, structures, and
processes attached to it.
Much of the social meaning of aging is tied to erroneous beliefs about the
effects of aging on physical and mental capabilities. Aging does not
inevitably cause us to become rigid in our thinking, forgetful, or unable to
carry out our favorite physical or intellectual activities.
Gray hair and wrinkles, perhaps the most visible signs of aging, and the
chronological age of 65—the most often-used criterion of old age—have
no effect on physical functioning or cognitive capability. They do, however,
have profound effects on social interactions and opportunities for
individuals in the social worlds of employment, family life, and community
engagement.
Social aging, then, refers to the ways in which society helps to shape the
meanings and experiences of aging.
Social aging includes the expectations and assumptions of those around us
about how we should behave, what we are like, what we can do, and
what we should be doing at different ages.
The concept of social aging also refers to the ways in which those
expectations influence what opportunities are open to us as we grow older
Perspectives
Aging, the process of people growing older, can be better understood through
three perspectives that examine the process from a social point of view.
1. The structural-functional perspective views society as a complex system that
has singular parts within that system that work together to meet individuals'
needs. According to this perspective, social structures meet social needs. These
structures promote stability and cohesion necessary for society to exist over
time.
Within the structural-functional perspective, there are three differing theories of
aging:
The disengagement theory
The activity theory
The continuity theory
2. Symbolic-Interaction focus on how society is created through the day-
to-day interaction of individuals, as well as the way people perceive
themselves and others based on cultural symbols.
assumes that if people develop a sense of identity through their social
interactions, their sense of self is dependent on those interactions.
stress that the changes associated with old age, in and of themselves, have
no inherent meaning. Nothing in the nature of aging creates any particular,
defined set of attitudes. Rather, attitudes toward the elderly are rooted in
society.
throughout the aging process, the elderly become less self-centered and
feel more peaceful and connected to the natural world. Wisdom comes to
the elderly
Theories
Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC) model (P. B. Baltes & M. M.
Baltes, 1990). This approach acknowledges that at all stages of the life span,
there are things that we are good at, and things that we are not so good at. ,
we select particular areas of our lives, optimize our performance in those areas,
and compensate in those areas where we lack ability or motivation
gerotranscendence: the idea that as people age, they transcend the limited
views of life they held in earlier times.
subculture of aging theory This theory suggests that elders will disengage from
society and develop new patterns of interaction with peers who share common
backgrounds and interests
3. social-conflict - view society as inherently unstable, an institution that
privileges the powerful wealthy few while marginalizing everyone else.
According to the guiding principle of conflict theory, social groups
compete with other groups for power and scarce resources.
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.
three classic theories of aging
Modernization theory
age stratification theory
exchange theory
Biblical perspective on aging / growing
old
Aging is a universal part of life. The Bible often associates growing old with
gaining wisdom
Proverbs 16:31 says, "Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous
life.“
Ecclesiastes 1—7. As we age, our desire to leave a legacy—to establish
some way of people remembering us after we die—
Growing old is meaningful, and even joyous, when we realize and accept
God's greatest bestowment to us: His Son Jesus Christ (John 3:16).
Myths about Aging
“The majority of elderly persons are senile or demented.”
“The elderly do not desire, and do not participate in, sexual activity.
“Most elderly people are set in their own ways and are unable to change.”
“The elderly are unproductive and uncreative, they cannot work as
effectively as younger people.”
“The elderly are slow to learn, less intelligent and more forgetful.
“Elderly people are crabby and hard to get along with.
getting older—and sicker
Older people aren’t as digitally savvy as younger people.
