What is Social Gerontology? Why Study Aging? 

Ken Dychtwald, Gerontologists and CEO of "Age Wave" notes that: "In years to come . . . hordes of baby boomers will flood into the upper age brackets.  The Age Wave is coming, faster and faster and the wisest people will not only see it coming but will put themselves in front of it and be leaders".

I.  Why Study Aging?

1. Along with the demographic transition theory ( read about it in your text), improvements in sanitation, public health, and technology has created a generation (now alive) that are among the first in history to be raised with the expectation of old age. Look at the increase in life expectance over the years. http://www.grg.org/resources/extro/sld022.htm

This increased longevity is not just happening here. The population of the world is increasing. Just for fun, Check out the demographic clock http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html . Once there check out the detail link at the bottom of the page.

Did You Know? 
At the turn of the century the average life expectance was just 45- 50 years ( today in the U.S. it is nearing 80).  The development of public health and sanitation decreased  both infectious and communicable diseases and is one reason that population aging is occuring. The flush toilet actually helped increase life  expectancy (it was part of the population movement so to speak :-) ).

The development of the toilet took many years. Want a chuckle? Check this out http://www.thomas-crapper.com/history05.asp

Did You Know?
Some people confuse average life expectancy  with life span and think that humans are extending their life span? We have not! 

1. The life span of humans has not changed in more than 10,000 years. 

2. What has changed is our average life expectance. 

3. The average is obtained by adding up all our ages and dividing that number by the total number  
    of people living. Because birth rates have decreased, and more people are living into old age, it 
    is our average age that is increasing.

4. More older folks and less younger ones increases our average.

2. Boomers- When the boomers were born (after the end of world war II and the return of soldiers to America) the world had never seen such a revolution of births. This boom of births continued from 1946 to 1964. The boom stimulated the entire economy.

The world suddenly needed more doctors to deliver babies, more pediatricians to care for those infants, more baby products and furniture.

As they grew the world needed more schools, more teachers; and when the Boomers went on to college, we built more colleges, and trained more professors. 

When Boomers  graduated  high school, America needed more products and jobs to support the growing number of families . Now as the Baby Boomers begin to age the focus turns to products and needs of the elderly.

The 1980 census noted that,". . .  the rapidly expanding number of older people represents a social phenomenon without historical precedent [that] has various economic implications for individuals, families and public policy-makers." 

Those who are old now are literally pioneers of a new stage of the life-span and the life course. Many authors call their expanded years the "third half" of life. They are the forerunners of a longevity revolution that will be felt for centuries to come. At least until the year 2050.

If you took someone from Shakespeare's time and deposited them onto a beach in contemporary America, perhaps the most striking thing, to this individual, would not be the jet airplanes overhead but rather the larger number of older individuals in the society.

Their trailblazing will determine in part your passage throughout time.

How will they pass through time? Will older people tomorrow look and act just like today's older population?

Read what some authors are saying about these new 
trailblazers. http://lists.village.virginia.edu/lists_archive/sixties-l/3407.html

Here is a counter piece by an "X genner" .  I Like Any "net genners" out there want to send me one?

3. Although in this country we tend to think of age 65 as the start of old age, there are no physiological or psychology events that happen the day we turn age 65. Aging is Not a Singular Process.

Not all of our bodies age at the same rate. Some may be infirmed at age 65 while others are still very active and engaged in life.  Some adults are more emotionally fit while others  find it hard to navigate a social system that seems to favor youth (small print, tiny airplane bathrooms, steps and poor lighting to name just a few societal issues for aging adults). 

These factors affect our aging process.  It is therefore more accurate to explain aging as a process of chronological, biological, psychological, and sociological process. 

1. chronological - is aging based on the number of years a person has lived since their birth. We use chronology to determine  many major life events. 

For example, we start school at age 5, are able to drive at 16, can vote at age 18, drink alcohol at 21, and retire at age 65.

However, there is a wide variation in abilities of adults at different ages. Do you know adults who you would describe as old at  age 50 and others still young at age 80?  Chronology alone does not explain aging. 

2. biologically- biological age is measured by the functioning of an individual's organ systems. It is because of biology that  our  bodies age differently. However, each part of an individual's body also ages at different rates. For example, one might have a weak heart, but fully functioning memory and eyes. Biology alone does not explain aging.
   
3. psychological - Most of us need to  make changes in our motivation and  adaptation  to new situations as we age (changing hair and dress styles for social acceptance, using politically correct terms and phrases, or by adapting to  modern techniques and technology). 
   
   These folks stay intellectually active. Others are unable to adapt to the changes in society and seem rooted in the past. We often speak of some as being "old fashioned" or "set in their ways". This can make one seem older than their chronicle or biological age. So, psychological factors alone still do not accurately determine ones age. 
   
4. sociologically- A society and the values of its members add to the meaning of old age.  As we age our roles and relationships change within our social structures (family, friends, work, organizations, political groups).  For example you may no longer hold the title of sister, brother, wife or husband as a result of death or divorce. Likewise you may lose the title of your job (like teacher, nurse, judge or lawyer). 
   Society's (yours and mine) assessment regarding the  importance of aging determines if older people are valued by our culture or seen as a burden and worthless when roles in life change. 

Some societies value the experience of age and find more opportunities for its members, while others find little value in aging and limit the roles for it's aging members. 

So it might be more accurate to say that the aging experience is determined by the unique interactions between chronology, biology, psychology, and sociology as we age in years from birth. A balance of these factors is said to represent "successful aging".

 

II. So, back to the basic question: Why do we study aging?

1.  Perhaps it is so that we know what to expect and how to prepare for our own aging

• Most of us are aware that some day we will get older and we wonder what it will be like.
• Many of us are concerned with which changes are considered normal, and which changes
   are not normal.
• Most of us would rather live long and die short (avoid prolonged illness and infirmity) 
  rather than live short and die long (suffering from debilitating illness and lengthened infirmity). 
  Studying aging gives us some choices. 
• Many people wonder which advertised products we should buy,
  or which newspaper stories about longevity we should believe.

2. Many of us need to be prepared to help those who are close to us and who are increasingly frail and ill.

• More of us are caregivers or will be to our older parents and family members.  
  We are concerned about their ability to care for themselves.

Did you know?
Just 5-8 % of frail older adults in America live long-term in nursing homes? The majority of older adults, around 80-85%, are cared for at home by their family members. The image that Americans "granny" dump  or avoid their responsibilities of caring for their aging members is not a reality.

Did you also know?  
Many of  institutionalized elderly could be maintained at home if support were available? Often when an elder needs help walking (especially at night to get to the toilet) the only 24/7 assistance available is through institutionalization. 

So, many people who just need help getting to the toilet are cared for in nursing homes at a cost of $3,000-$5,000 per month. Some argue that this system is a costly solution to Long-Term Care. 

• Often we are faced with making decisions about whether our older family member can 
  continue to drive a car, live independently, have enough money to live comfortably, 
  getting the care that they need or if they are receiving the services and products they have paid for.
    We might need to be concerned about their being (being swindled or taken advantage of).

3. We need to know what is considered normal aging. 

• We study aging because scientists are learning a great deal about what happens normally 
  with age, and what is not normal (disease related) aging. Much of what we stereotypically 
  associate with aging is not due to aging at all, but to diseases from live-style 
  (more about this later on in the course).
• Aging is a subject that is increasingly visible and everyone needs to have some familiarity 
  with its various points.

4. We need to train people to work with the elderly. 

• Gerontological knowledge is increasingly needed and used by professionals and paraprofessionals 
  who work with older people or expect to do so.
  
• In 2020 nearly 20% or 1-5 persons will be over the age of 65 in the U. S.. 
  No matter what your chosen field, your work will most likely involve older adults.
  Older people increasingly comprise a client base for persons who work in areas such as,
  investments, banking, children's toys, (grandparents raising grandkids is a big movement in this country) 
  cruise services, recreational tours, law, education, or any of the service sector professions.
  
• Professionals realize that they are increasingly encountering more and more older people and 
  they need some preparation in order to successfully serve them.
  
• Education in aging is a way to prepare you to adapt your professional skills to help yourself and
  other people with disabilities.

If you want to see a list of the fastest growing occupations in the United States    http://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_table_103.htm
Or to see jobs in the field of aging point to http://stats.bls.gov/ and type in "Jobs in aging".

III. Population Aging and Individual Aging? What is the difference?

People are often fearful about the future of the U.S. when they look at population aging. For example current worry is about how will we pay for Social Security and Medicare? Everyone knows that some cuts are inevitable.  The question arises "How do we create generational equity"? That is, how do we divide resources to adequately take care of all our citizens, at any age? 

Confusion about these issues comes from a stereotypical focus on aging as degradation and illness and not focusing on solving the dilemma by considering the opportunities of increased longevity. The notion that old age sets in at age 65 limits our thinking about population aging. Successful aging involves staying active until just the last year or two of life. Our current stereotype of aging does not allow for this view. 

Unlike the 1900's when life expectancy was 45, many elderly are now active until their 80's, 90's or beyond. As a society we need to address what the role of this "new old'"  should be. How might they continue to contribute to society? Many feel that the longer they contribute the less they draw from dwindling resources. 

• Should these elderly continue to retire at age 65, when 50 or 60 years may be spent in retirement?
  
• What can older people contribute to the economy or how can their productivity lower the 
   cost of social programs ( like Social Security)?

1. Individual aging

Individual aging results in an aging body. Along with the aging body there is usually a reduction of the value of the older person, especially in western societies. Because people are living longer there is fear of a longer period of physical decline. Many of us question where and when the dependency will begin.

Many elderly persons are prematurely made to depend on society because the opportunities to stay productive currently are not a societal priority. 

• Your author believes we should question  how to maintain a valued place in society until the 
  physical decline of the oldest old appears, normally not until the last year or two of life. 
  That is, successful aging is thought of as remaining in good health until the last year or two 
  of life and promoting the idea that aging is  not a disease. 

The many years of confinement that we so often see in old age,  is considered by Gerontologists to be abnormal aging, or aging with disease. If old age were a disease then everyone would develop these diseases at about the same age. As we noted above, some are diseased at age 50 while others stay active much longer. 

• How should older people adjust their lifestyles and  place in society to accommodate bodily 
  changes as they occur? Because they can’t jump off cliffs, or do physical heroics, does that 
  mean they are worthless in society? What will be their role? 
  What will your role be in life when you are 80 years old? Ever think about that?

2.  Population aging brings different issues and needs.

Population aging means an overall increase in the median age of society. The point where half of society is younger and half is older. 

This is a common result of advanced industrialization;  less births with the advent of birth control (society does not need as many kids to work on the farm), and with technology there is  less infant mortality. You have seen age pyramids changes indicating the changes in the average age of society . Here is the population pyramid link again if you have not seen it. http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/

 

How should we structure society to accommodate the influx of older people into our social structures? 

Consider this: I was standing at a bus stop in San Francisco trying to make sense of the bus map tacked up to the stop.  I could barely see it because the type was small and the contrast was not good for my aging eyes ( I was 50 at the time). An 80ish year old lady approached me and asked if the next bus coming stopped at a certain place. She said the map would tell me. The problem, we laughed, was that neither of us could read the map. 

How can we keep the "young old" (ages 65-75) and "healthy aging" involved in society? What is their value to society? Will the older woman in San Francisco and I have to stop riding the bus?

As population ages we will need to make changes in: banks, products, road signs, transportation, housing designs, health care and available resources.

IV. What Is Social Gerontology?

1. Social gerontologists are concerned with the social and cultural affects  on the process of aging and the consequences of these process.

They are interested in how aging or growing older, and the varieties of aging experiences both affect and are affected by social structure (laws, institutions and resources). Gerontologists study the economic, social and psychological forces of aging. 

2. What are America's social structures? 

America's social structures are the businesses and services that make up our society. Things like libraries, banks, government agencies, businesses, schools, highways, stores, street signs. You can probably think of many more. 

As the number of older people increase, there will be far reaching  consequences for these social structures. Notice for example how your own aging brings needs for different social structures. If you are a young adult you now want very different services than when you were playground age. Swings and slides probably are not as interesting as cars, jobs and opportunities. If you have started a new family housing, promotions and health care are of more interest to you. And, if you are a more mature adult retirement and health opportunities become more important. 

 Can you imagine how these social structures might be affected by population aging?

• health and long-term care
• workplace pensions
• retirement practices and laws
• politics and aging policy
• community facilitates
• patterns of government spending
• new specialties
• retirement housing
• nursing home laws and costs
• ADHC (adult day health care)
• leisure industry i.e. travel and hotels

Every fabric of society is expected to be affected by the aging revolution. 

3. Changes in the social structure in turn affect the characteristics of an older populations. Consider for a moment  how advertising affects our image of older adults. 
   
   Do you see positive role models? Mostly I see adds depicting older people seeking remedies for their multitude of physical complaints (i.e. heartburn, constipation or loose teeth).
   
   Newly made laws, popular books, movies, even medical research or lack of research affect older adults and thus our image of aging . This in turn affects our values and impressions of older people.

Did you know ?
Our language (the words we choose) has a big influence on our values. Words can shape our opinions.

Researchers say that if  you want to change a behavior, first you change how one talks about the subject. For example, people who succeed in college say "when I graduate, not if I graduate"

This is one reason why the women's movement ( or any ethic group) does not tolerate jokes about them. These jokes have the potential, through language and words, to shape people's opinions . Could jokes about aging have the same effect? What does our language say about older people?

4. Social Gerontology is also concerned with the messages older people receive from society . This differs from "geriatrics" which is concerned with the medical needs of the elderly.

III. Macro versus the Micro View:

Gerontologists look at both the macro view of aging which is a larger view that includes the social structures we just learned about, laws and society.  They also look at the micro view or a smaller view which includes both an individual's needs and their responses to aging. 

In an article entitled "What is Social Gerontology" Hooman explains that  as a society we are afraid of aging. We try to stop it, or defy the normal process through the use of foods, skin creams vitamins, surgery and more.

He explains that as a society we have confused normal changes that can be expected in the aging body with  ageism ,discrimination on the basis of age. Ageism has been called the third "ism"  after racism and sexism]. These  stereotypes of older people, he argues, are socially constructed.

Hooman feels that as social structures and environmental demands change so will our accuracy of what happens to us as we age. And surely with the advent of the Boomers the image of aging is sure to change. 

Summary: We all age individually with individual differences and thus each will develop an individual picture of what we will be at old age.

Assignment: Go to the Assignment page for this week's web assignment and discussion topic. After you post your web topic and respond to your classmates posts you have completed week two. Congratulations. 

Are you feeling more comfortable navigating the course yet?    Most students new to the on-line course environment feel somewhat frustrated the first few weeks. That's normal.  As you lean the routine, things feel more settled. 

If  you haven't yet, spend time surfing the site until you feel comfortable. Read the Assignment Link for each week's requirements. 

Each week's work includes: reading the assigned reading and  lectures, complete the web postings and quizzes (no quiz this week however) . In addition start looking at your text "Annual Editions" to begin to look for  a subject for your FINAL- Research Social Policy Presentation. That's all there is to it!

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