UNIT 4222-656 Understand the factors affecting older people Outcome 1 1) As adults age, many changes occur: memory loss, bones and joints, eyes and ears, digestive and metabolic, urogenital, dental, skin and functional abilities problems. 2) Aging is inevitable and is in a sense a gradual loss of life functions. The process is unique and different for each individual. While for some aging means grey hair, few kilos or bad hearing, for others is a much more complex transformation, because the aging process brings social and emotional change and loss into their lives. Older relatives die, then loss of a spouse affects many.
Gerontology 485 March 29, 2013 Issue Paper 3 As soon as people age hit between 60s, they start dreading the R word, retirement. At 65 years is when a person is set to retire from the workforce. For most Americans looking to retire at 65 these days, it may prove to be more mirage than reality. When it comes to retirement, people need to face the realities that come with it even before they reach their retirement age. Just a couple years ago it used to be that the retirement is being free from work and just kicking back relaxing.
Position Paper PSYCH 500 March 11, 2013 Angella Eanes Position Paper Is retirement always a good experience? No, retirement is not always a good experience for everyone. Retirement involves an individual giving up roles that are usually vital to their identity and their self esteem (Berk, 2010). The process of retirement can be a very stressful process and it can contribute to the decline in the physical health and the mental health of an individual (Berk, 2010). With retirement come concerns about finances, concerns about mental health and concerns about physical health (McGarry, 2004).
Despite this, however, services for older people remain under-funded; dementia care in particular is poorly resourced, with only one-third of sufferers receiving an official diagnosis and many thousands denied early drug treatment due to restrictive NICE guidelines. This was recently condemned by a Health Select Committee Inquiry, and remains the focus of political debate. (Alzheimer’s Society, 2008) A new initiative has recently been developed by the department of health to tackle ageist practice and to promote the rights of older people, Dignity in Care. The practice guide, based on service-user experience, illustrates several key factors which determine whether or not a care experience is positive and meaningful; older people should be respected as individuals; older people want care providers who are patient, listen and do not rush them; older people require a service that is person-centred, rather than task-orientated. (DOH, 2007) The following
As nuclear families replace extended families in industrial societies, older people no longer reside with their adult children. The role of the elderly in retaining and disseminating information has diminished in industrial societies. The elderly have lost much of their economic power. Sociologist Donald O. Cowgill has hypothesized that: a. The status and role of the elderly in the future will increase because the birthrate has dropped to an all-time low.
• By lopsided margins, the public says that older adults are superior to younger adults when it comes to their moral values, work ethic and respect for others. Even younger adults share in these assessments. The only exception to this pattern has to do with attitudes toward people of difference races. Here, a plurality of the public says that younger adults have the upper hand. • Just as people don’t see much generational conflict today in society at large, they don’t see much generational conflict in their own families — at least not as much as there had been a generation ago.
In later adulthood, this role changes into other people making decisions for you and being the advocate of a person. When in later adulthood a person goes into becoming the “grandparent” to others children rather than being the “parent” to their own children, for example. One doesn’t hold much power or significance to their own life as they once did. Many people have negative views about growing older and many have their own opinions on it. “However, people in many other parts of the world think and feel positively about aging and assign a positive value and meaningful role to the aging members of their communities” (Williford, 1998, p.4).
Also, if the medical staff know for certain that this patient is terminally ill, wouldn’t it be beneficial to the rest of the patients if the terminally ill were given the chance to commit suicide. Although a physician may oppose, shouldn’t one be free to end his/her life during the final days of pain and suffering? Everyone should have the freedom to decide when enough is enough and choose how
This is the stage which is called the end of life stage. Some people at this stage may not be able to talk. Some old people give up on life at this stage because they be highly dependent on others, they be stuck in a care home, their family probably rarely comes to see them and they be in a lot of pain. Attitudes Once you turn older your attitude changes. It changes towards your life, your family and towards the society.
Social security has been a rite of passage of many Americans; it is something that many Americans look forward to as a security blanket when they are unable to work anymore due to old age or disability. It provides relief for families that are experiencing hardships due to loss of work; it can provide medical aid for those who are unable to afford private insurance. The idea of Social Security in the United States encompasses such a large range of many services that social security provides. It has become a long standing crutch for many Americans. Due to the recent downturn in the economy, this safety net is not necessarily a given anymore.