Preview

American Cultures Ethnography Project: The Elderly

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1832 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
American Cultures Ethnography Project: The Elderly
American Cultures Ethnography Project: The Elderly
Introduction:
Throughout my career as a paramedic, I have encountered countless different cultures and sub-cultures. However, those I have encountered most would include the elderly by a huge margin. Due to their age, they routinely must request assistant from emergency services because of falls, medical emergencies, or just assistance getting through a certain task; such as getting up the stairs to their home. “The Elderly” is a subjective term that refers to a broad age range of people spanning multiple generations. This paper will employ that same loose definition and reference examples from ages 65 and up; an age milestone that many refer to as Seniors. The reader will first get an in-depth look at the sub-generations included in this group to help gain a better understanding of who they are and where they came from. Further understanding of the elderly will then be explored through their forms of entertainment and pop-culture from past to present. This paper will then begin to focus on current life through examining the multitude of ways the elderly stay active and engaged. Most importantly, this paper will examine the multitude of problems and **** the elderly encounter as the aging process
…show more content…
It is important to distinguish between the two as each requires a different approach in terms of emergency care or in regards to the readers own encounters. While this paper discusses the two as being intertwined within the same culture, they could certainly be viewed and discussed as separate sub-cultures. It is also important to note that many Baby Boomers are the children of Traditionalist. This will **** the complications many seniors encounter, as discussed later, as these children are not only taking care of themselves as they enter their senior years, but their increasingly reliant

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    In most societies, older people are generally viewed as a group of with common characteristics and needs. Older age is usually viewed as a state, a stage or an event. In reality, older people are not a homogenous group, but rather highly diverse individuals. The factor that is common to all older people is the accumulation of more numerous life experiences over a greater period of time than those of younger people (Bowling & Dieppe, 2005). Aging is defined as the process of becoming older, a process that is genetically…

    • 1672 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Acbe100

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages

    According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), the number of elderly people in NSW has exceeded 1.02m in 2012. The trend of the population is rapidly increasing. This topic is interesting because aged is something everyone is going to experience. There is no escape. The…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Inevitably so, we all experience aging in a way where serious illness or infirmity will occur. That being said, our self-reliance begins to fade and we become dependent on others. Whether we are taken in by our family and loved ones, or institutionalized in a nursing home, we sacrifice who we are as independents. Nonetheless, we give up the things we have worked so daringly hard for in life; our home, occupation, and relationships. In our times of old age, we face the most grueling of incidences. After reading “Being Mortal”, it becomes apparent that the employment of geriatricians and proper geriatric care is unmet. The attraction for many medical students is to get their parents’ satisfaction or earn a substantial income. Moreover,…

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    ts evident that the elderly are starting to become fragile and weak , this is evident in their movement as they become moreclients. slower while they move around and they find it difficult, so this requires help from staff and other aid to enable them to get to one place to another . This is why it is extremely vital that they are no hazards around in the place which could cause harm or injury to any of the Physical environment…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The moral lesson of this paper is possibly we can sympathize more with our elderly on what they go through every day. Maybe we should not be too impatient if they are taking too long to get in and out of the car or urinate too much. Perhaps this assignment will help us understand them more, and cherished every moment with them.…

    • 2537 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    hcs 490 Demigraphic Paper

    • 649 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The demographics of the aging population is changing. In the year 2009 persons 65 years old or older were numbered at 39.6 million. They represent 12.9% of the U.S. population. In 2007 people over the age of 65 had an average life expectancy of an additional 18.6 years. Also the mortality rate decreased. The baby boomers will reach the age of 65 between the years of 2010 and 2030 (“Admistration of aging”, 2011). By the year 2030 28% of the American economy will be spent on healthcare. Seniors will likely live outside of Urban areas and change their living arrangements. Seniors are finding themselves living alone and are more dependent on formal and informal support of care. The aging population has become a huge influence of health care costs. As the older population live longer they are likely to spend most of their savings and assets to afford their medical needs (“Finger Lakes Health Systems”, 2004).…

    • 649 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The social theories explain how certain people age well. There are three main theories that explain successful ages in older life which are as follows: Activity theory, the social clock theory, and the disengagement.…

    • 216 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    As adults enter the stage of later adulthood, many changes will begin to develop for each person. The aging process includes transitioning from work life to retirement, changes to roles, social positions, social policies, determining living accommodations with healthcare needs, and relationships with families and peers. The stage known as the golden years comes with great challenges while adjusting to the many changes in a person’s life. (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). Transition from work to retirement…

    • 1514 Words
    • 44 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Chinese Americans make up the largest subgroup of Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs), one of the fastest growing ethnic groups, currently representing 4% of the total U.S. population [4] (Parikh, Fahs, Shelley, & Yemeni, 2009, p. 7). This cultural assessment will describe elderly Chinese Americans in Flushing, New York, their ethnic and cultural health practices, religious belief systems, language, nutrition, literacy, education, and census data. Management of their health and illness issues is also discussed. Cultural assessment theory and an assessment tool are used for the study, and their usefulness, strengths, and…

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Elder Justice Act 2009

    • 1228 Words
    • 5 Pages

    What would a society look like without healthy elderly individuals? The elderly compose a large portion of the population, and many people do not realize how vulnerable and unsafe old age can be. It is difficult for elderly people to live out the later stage in their lives without protection and prevention of certain problems. An act that I will discuss is The Elder Justice Act of 2009. This act has helped support elders by combating elder abuse, and helping prevent it as well. Another act I will focus on is The Older Americans Act, which has provided an array of helpful resources for elderly people in need.…

    • 1228 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Television shows and commercial advertisements, news and magazines are three types of media outlets that depict older Americans. Television definitely stereotypes the elderly as it relates to their mental capabilities as well as their physical capabilities. Television shows and movie roles feature senior citizens through a lens of less value placing emphasis on the burdens of growing old. These roles show seniors as passive, weak, simple minded and incapable of doing things on their own and not being able to take care of themselves. For example an older movie called “The Cocoon” depicts older adults as dying and withering away until they found the fountain of youth and things that was done in their younger years, which now is a memory suddenly becomes everyday fascinations. It is not that seniors cannot function; it is more like they chose not to.…

    • 796 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Elderly Gambling

    • 1417 Words
    • 6 Pages

    As the number of elderly adults ages 65 and up continues to increase within the United States, the outpouring of abuse, neglect, and financial struggles hurt this population. With the lack of support from their families, the elderly are taking it upon themselves to survive in a world that looks down upon them. According to ElderlyAdults.org, it is this time of life elderly individuals suffers from poor health, slower reaction times, and even their life partners (2011). As of 2012, over 40 million elderly are living within the United States; accounting for nearly 13 percent of the total population. With the rate statistically to increase, by the year 2030, studies show that the population will go up to over 50 million (AOG.org, 2011). Furthermore, California has fifty-eight counties, with 42 seeing an increase of over 150 percent increase in its elderly population (Aging.ca.gov, 2013). Social Workers across the nation will have their work cut out handling the cases of the elderly, as sources of Social Security is becoming dire each passing year. It is in the interest of future and current Social Workers to advocate for funding, and looking for resources that will provide the quality care that will meet the needs of the elderly. So how do elderly adults respond to the stresses of life, the local casinos that…

    • 1417 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Aging is portrayed as a time of manifestation, rest and an opportunity to do things that one was unable to do during their vigorous years due to occupations and family responsibilities. For example, the elderly experience a loss of financial wealth, control of their own lives such as disabilities in comparison to hearing, loss of sight or any other physical abilities. These issues lead to negativity, depression or anxiety and how social society perceive the elderly. These elderly misconceptions or stereotypes are glimpse as feeble, greedy, cranky, and acting like children. Variety of people depict the elderly as useless and helpless victims that are unproductive. These misinterpretations are often taken for granted and displayed in the media…

    • 171 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Living Old

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages

    With the population of adults 65 and over steadily climbing, medical professionals and the healthcare system are struggling to keep up. One major issue concerning the healthcare system is that it is not set up properly provide care for these older adults. The physicians today, who regularly see patients, focus mainly has been; diagnose—usually in a 15-20 minute office visit, treat, and cure. Many of these senior citizens have multiple chronic illnesses or diseases, which require time to manage and treat. The problem is that they may not be able to explain what the real problem to a doctor in that time.…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Vulnerable Populations

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages

    continues to have economic difficulties and the population continues to age, there are a number…

    • 497 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays