Chapter 13 The Elderly

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The Elderly

Charlie Ann

Osborn

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Different cultures and the elderly

Opening Vignette talks about “covering up” elderly woman – (371)

Abkhasians live long lives in groups and work well into their 100s (372)

Some industrialized nations depend on systems like social security

Some of the least industrialized nations have no SS and families are expected to take care of elderly

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Industrialized nations have higher percentages of elderly – page 373

Industrialization and the Graying of the globe

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Life Expectancy - the number of years that an average person at any age, including newborns, can expect to live.100 years ago the average American could not

expect to see age 50!

Graying of America – refers to the growing percentage of older people in the U.S. population. Today there are 7 million more elderly Americans than

there are teenagers!

The Graying of America

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Page 375

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Uneven distirbution of elderly in the United States…Social Map, page 376

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Life Span – the maximum length of life of a species; for humans, the longest that a human has lived

________________________________Your perception of “OLD” changes

as you age4 factors (377)

Biology (signs, wrinkles, ect.)Personal history (grandma at 34?)Gender age (relative value that

culture places on men’s and women’s ages)

Timetables (signals society uses to inform someone they are old, ex: retirement)

When are you OLD?

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Yone Minagawa from Japan, page 377Born in 1893…Celebrating her 114th birthday

.

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Is prejudice, discrimination , and hostility, directed against people because of their age.

It can be directed against any age group, including youth.

Page 380…Does the Mass Media neglect to represent the elderly in a positive light?

AGEISM

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Disengagement theory - examines retirement as a device for ensuring that a society’s positions of responsibility will be passed smoothly from one generation to the next

Active theory – examines how people adjust when they disengage from productive roles

Continuity theory – focuses on how people adjust to growing old by continuing their roles and coping techniques

How is retirement functional for society?

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The Conflict Perspective

Social Security Litigation one generation making demands on another

for limited resourcesAs the number of retired people grows there

are relatively fewer workers to support themOrganizations like the gray panthers and the

AARP supposedly watch out for the interests of the retired

Approximately 60,000 members of the AARP have quit between July 1 and August 18, 2009, in a controversy that arose over AARP's support for U.S. health care reform

Osborn-Adolescent / The Elderly

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Recurring ProblemsWomen are likely to live alone and be poor

About 4% of the elderly live in nursing homes that are understaffed and patients are neglected and dehumanized

The most common abusers of the elderly are members of their own family

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The Sociology of Death and Dying

Like old age, death is much more than a biological event.Industrialization brought with it modern

medicine, hospitals, and dying in a formal setting surrounded by strangers

Kubler-Ross identified the five stages of the dying process (Denial, Anger, Negotiation, depression, Acceptance)

Hospices are a cultural device designed to overcome the negative aspects of dying in hospitals

The highest suicide rate is that of people age 85 and over

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Looking Towards the Future

A major change is to view old age as a time of creativity

If this trend continues, it will transform the image of the elderly

Technological breakthroughs may stretch the human lifespan If so, is it difficult to see how younger workers

will be able to support retired people for 100 years or so

*note that our book is a little outdated and the new healthcare bill and rationing of healthcare for the elderly were not taken into consideration yet

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The End

If your grandparents are still alive, do you really know them? To know them is to really know your true history. The elderly have some of the best stories you will ever hear, don’t be afraid to ask.