Lesson 13: Aging and the Elderly Attention
This is the trailer of a documentary on Public Television called "Age of Champions" that follows several athletes training and competing in the National Senior Games Can presentations like this change our expectations for the elderly? Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:
Teaching Aging How does the saying go? "The only things we can rely on are death and taxes." Well, this lesson is not about dying , but it is about aging, which is something that we all go through. As we venture through the study of Sociology we can see that how old we are impacts our experiences in our social world. Aging changes our status in the world. As medical technology extends the average lifespan our society is challenged with new norms, values, and expectations. Literally, the aged are changing our culture. Gerontology Gerontology is the study of human aging and the elderly. Many of you may be going into the medial or helping profession and realize that the majority of patients you are going to encounter in these fields are in the latter half of life. This is an important area of understanding for all in the helping professions. Changing Demographics The age variability of the United States is changing. More people are living longer and this is having an impact on both the duration of someone's working life and the amount of expenses they incur late in life due to medical problems. The study of demographics in the United States reveals patterns related to world history and technology that characterize different cohorts of individuals. Click HERE to visit the link in Wikipedia that describes the following generations:
Of importance right now is the pending retirement of Baby Boomers. This is a relatively large number of people and their retirement will have an impact on productivity, gross national product, workforce, and retirement. Read this article: They Graying of America: An Economic Time Bomb? Cultural Expectations of Aging While aging is a physical and biological process it is also embedded in a social culture. What expectations do we have (of others and of ourselves) of what SHOULD be happening at different ages? Consider the following questions:
These expectations impact both our own transitions across the lifespan and reveal issues and problems associated with aging. Issues related to Aging in America Poverty Click HERE to review a PDF regarding the economic status of aging people in the US from the National Council on Aging. Ageism and Elder Abuse Ageisms is a form of prejudice and discrimination based on age. It impacts ALL ages (young people can be discriminated against because they are young as well.) Here are some interesting links associated with the website Argentum
Click HERE to download the Elder Abuse Fact Sheet Assessment Lesson 13 Discussion A Reviewing the content in this Lesson and the reading, describe how the changes in our demographics may impact political and economic factors in the United States. Be sure to cite your sources of information from the lesson, outside sources, and the text. Lesson 13 Discussion B Review and reflect on the challenges facing the elderly today including poverty, ageism, and abuse. Lesson 13 Quiz
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