Transcript Ch. 13- The Elderly

Ch. 13- The Elderly
Aging is socially constructed
 The Tiwi
 The Abkhasians
 Attitudes towards the aged differ from one
social group to another
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Gerontology- the study of aging and the
elderly in this/other societies
Effects of Industrialization
More people reach older ages
 Social security taxes
 Life expectancy- the # of years one can
expect to live (1900->1950->2000)
 The Graying of America
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 The
increasing percentage of older people in
the U.S. population (4%-> 13%)
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Global perspective (life expectancy)
Elderly populations differ by states
 Elderly populations differ by race-ethnicity
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Maximum length of life possible is LIFE
SPAN
Symbolic interactionist perspective
The label “old”
 Factors that lead people to apply the “old”
label to themselves
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 Biology-
signs of aging
 Personal history- biography
 Gender age- the relative values of men’s and
women’s ages in a particular culture
 Timetables- signals to inform old age has
begun
Gerontocracy- society or group run by the
elderly
 Ageism- prejudice, discrimination, and
hostility directed against people b/c of
their age
 Senior advantage?
 Mass media
 Media influence our ideas of the elderly
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China: Changing sentiment about the
elderly
 High status of elderly Chinese
 One child policy
 No national social security
 Support agreements
Functionalist perspective
Age cohorts significantly affect our lives
 Disengagement theory
 Society prevents disruption by having
the elderly disengage from their
positions of responsibility so the
younger generations can step into their
shoes
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Activity theory
 Satisfaction during old age is related to
a persons amount and quality of activity
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Continuity theory
 How people adjust to change by
continuing some aspect of their lives
Conflict perspective
Competition, disequilibrium, and change
applied to age groups
 Social security legislation
 Intergenerational conflict
 Social security
 Shift in dependency ratio
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Problems of dependency
Isolation and gender
 Nursing homes
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 Only
4% of nation’s elderly in homes
 Residents typically 85+, memory loss
 Expensive!
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Elder abuse
 40%
of staff admit psychological abuse
 10% admit physical abuse
 Most abusers are family members
The elderly poor
 Gender and poverty
 Decline in poverty
 Anti poverty programs
 Larger social security checks
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Sociology of death and dying
 Culture shapes the way people experience
death
 Industrialization and the new technology
 Death as a process- denial, anger,
negotiation, depression, acceptance
 Hospices (home care)
 Suicide and age
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