The process of aging has been around as long as life itself. All living organisms pass through three broad stages from conception to death, which are maturation, maturity and aging. Aging affects everyone because nearly everyone has the potential to grow old and all the societies in which we live have older members (Macdonald, 1997). Gerontology is the use of reason to understand aging. The term was used to refer to the scientific study of aging, but nowadays it includes the study of aging using views from other disciplines such as humanities, social policy and human services. To correctly understand aging, knowledge from a variety of sources is needed, therefore gerontology includes the results of research on aging from all academic disciplines and fields of professional practice. There are four interrelated aspects to the study of aging, which are, physical, psychological, social psychological and social. The study of physical aging examines the causes and consequences of the body’s declining capacity to renew itself and the means for preventing, treating, or compensating for illness or disability caused or related by physical aging (Atchley, 1997). Psychological aging focuses on sensory processes, perception, coordination, mental capacity, human development, personality, and coping ability as they are affected by aging.…
It is important to understand how roles and perspectives have changed over time. The alterations can be an effect caused by societal and economical developments. Understanding the evolution of roles and perspectives provides a clearer picture on how aging may affect you in the future. In this report we will focuses on aging population from World War II to present day. I will describe the changing role of older adults, and describes the differences in perspectives on aging in America. I also will explain each cause of the changes in the role and perspectives of the aging population.…
Note:The following material is excerpted from Appendix A in Moody's book, Aging: Concepts and Controversies, published by Pine Forge Press, 3rd edition, 2000. This material is reprinted with permission from the author and publisher.…
à In order to have a healthier and better aging process, we should incorporate behaviours and activities designed to maintain high levels of functioning well into the later decades of life…
Five strategies for age-proofing include: challenging one’s mind, staying active, eating wisely, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking. In attempts of avoiding Alzheimer’s and dementia one who continues to remain mentally active through puzzles, learning a language, or writing can lessen their risk and protect themselves against mental aging factors. The negatives of not maintaining mental active consist of losing sense of situations, and forgetfulness due to not challenging one’s brain. While staying physically active can keep one’s physical well-being intact as exercise can strengthen one’s body through aerobic and intensive exercise and this helps people avoid loss of functionality with aging, then the decision to eat healthy provides…
Play bridge, Mah-Jong, cards with their group of friends who they have card parties with. My grandpa likes to golf. Go to the dog park with their dog. Also enjoy going to the movies and their favorite tv shows.…
Wiener, J. M., & Tilly, J. (2002). Population aging in the United States of America: Implications for public programs. International Journal of Epidemiology, 31(4), 776-781.…
Many people in our society view older adults as senile and weak. Some even treat them like children, and insist on making decisions for them as if their decision making abilities are totally lost. We tend to put a “caution” label on our elderly. In reality, senility only affects five percent of the population. According to Aesoph, some age related declines in mental functioning can be either prevented or reversed. Something as simple as taking multi-vitamins could possibly prevent symptoms of senility.…
Late Adulthood is a time in people’s lives when they come to terms with their lives and reevaluate what they have done or accomplished in the lieu of what they still would like to accomplish for the remainder of their lives. During this stage of life adults around the ages of 65 begin to experience a variety of changes in their physical appearance and a decline in their health. The process of aging in an individual occurs at different speeds and during this stage older adults are being treated as second-class citizens especially by younger adults. The skin begins to wrinkle at an accelerated rate, the senses lose their acuity, and the voice becomes less powerful. Other physical changes occur like the loss of teeth, bones become brittle, joints become stiff, and the graying of hair.…
Aging, the process of growing old, begins the moment that a person is born; it is inevitable. All cultures deal with the ageing process. However, with the older population growing more rapidly, societies have to deal with it in larger number than before. ‘Baby boomers’ have a significant impact on society in when it comes to the economy, social structure and healthcare system. As the baby boomers represent 20% of the American population, it is clear that as they age, current societies are going to need to reconstruct in order to be accommodate the aging population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the world population is rapidly ageing and it is expected that the number of people aged 60 years or older should increase from 605 million to 2 billion by 2050. While North American societies tend to view aging in a negative light and dread the prospect of aging, other societies on the other hand, embrace their aging population. Understanding the difference between the treatment of the elderly in East Asia and North America is important as it allows for the public to…
Older adults often work with their spouses who need to be cared for due to long term illnesses up until their death, as well as grandchildren and foster children. Many older people take care of their grandchildren because their own children have to go to work or because they have been granted custody due to abuse or incarceration of their children. Many older people who have been given the responsibility of raising another child so late in their life are faced with additional health issues, psychological stress, and social isolation. It is often very stressful for someone who is older to have to be a caregiver because they are already dealing with other stresses of old age such as losing their spouses, not having a lot of energy, and worrying about their own health.…
Eschtruth, Andrew, Steven Sass and Jean-Pierre Aubry. "Report of the Aging Taskforce." 8 February 2008. Center for Research. 2 April 2012.…
The aging population seemed like one of the most important populations suffering in our world today. The aging society has a: Declining birthrate, Increase in the life expectancy of Americans, and consist of 13% (35 million) of the United States population. (Stanley, Baca, & Eitzen, 2008) When I think of the aging population in the United States I cannot let go of the thought that their future is going to be harder as a population to survive because of the statistics rising against them. The aging population includes many different people from all over the world, which brings in the concern of sex ratio and racial composition. The sex ratio today is three elderly…
Aging populations are the most significant factor in population change in MEDCs. How valid is this view? (30)…
Aging drives the occurrence of several debilitating diseases including, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and diabetes mellitus (DM). Recent experiments indicate that young plasma rejuvenates old mice and reverses age-associated pathologies. However, the systemic anti-aging factors remain poorly identified. Here we demonstrate the role of apelin (apln) in mammalian aging and identify it as a novel anti-aging factor. We show that apln and its receptor (aplnr) undergo an age-dependent decline in multiple organs. Declining apln levels perturb organismal homeostasis, as mice harboring genetic loss of apln (apln-/-) or aplnr (aplnr-/-) exhibit an age-dependent enhancement of their cardiovascular, renal, metabolic…