Perception of Aging & Challenges in Society - Essay Sample

Introduction

Research question on aging and society could be that of how do society perceive the aging people and challenges facing them ?. Aging refers to the changes that occur with maturation; these changes include physical changes and physiological. The topic of aging and society is relevant as it shows the interrelatedness between the two and shows the challenges that aging poses to society at large. Aging refers to the process in which a person becomes older. Aging is a process that is normal and is related to time; it starts from birth and goes through the entire life span till death. Changes associated with aging include feeling and functioning of a person about competences of mind and physical attributes. Aging in human may be a representation of the accumulation of changes over time. For example, reaction time may decrease as a person grows old and the information concerning events in the world and intelligence may be expended.

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Findings

Individuals need to enlarge their understanding and information about aging to prevent mistreatment of seniors and also discrimination in society. Aging is an essential aspect of society since younger people can get wise teaching from older adults in the community. According to Roberts ( 1970), the people who have survived a certain age are referred to as old people.they are the same as other people in society only that they have attained a certain age. Aging is among the many social challenges that are affecting United States citizens. Aging can be caused by exposure to the sun. There are several types of aging which include hormonal, cellular metabolic and accumulated damage aging. Example when an individual is past the adolescent age there are several body organs that begin to age ,tissues of the lung begin to lose its elasticity ,deterioration occurs in the muscle that is closer to the cage of the rib, and there is slow production of enzymes hence reducing the absorption of nutrients in the body. Similarly, there is a decrease in the amount of air inhaled.

In many nations, for instance, Russia or Japan the population of average people are the older adults. Most people view aging as having a negative impact in the society also provides room for opportunities.when some individuals mature some roles in the organization usually have changed (Riley & Foner, 1968).firstly,there is a breakdown in relationships of the family since the number of young people taking care o the old people are few. Secondly, the older people will require to be nursed at home, so this means that if the family is not in a position to employ caretakers for their beloved ones, then some of them may be forced to leave their works and stay at home and provide care for the elderly. With the increase in the number of older people in the society, there will be a reduction in the name of workers in the labor force, and this may force a county to employ workers from outside countries to fill the gaps that are usually left by the older people.

There are various misconceptions that are made in the society concerning the aging population in relation to their health.firstly,with an increase in age the rate of fragility and disability rate is high thus with an increment in the number of aging people in the society is seen as a more significant burden both socially and economically to the community. Secondly, aging is usually associated with diseases. This misconception .these conditions may influence the care given to the older people may include deafness, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and even osteoarthritis. These diseases usually occur when the person is above the age of 65 years.

Aging in the society results to low crime rates in the society since there will be no high level of competition of resources among the people in the community since the few resources and job opportunities in the organization can be shared among the members who are not older in the society hence engaging the mind of people and result in a decrease in number of crime rate (East, 1992). Companies can be successful by absorbing the older people in society to provide the companies with advisory services since the majority of them have worked for many years and have more experience and are knowledgeable.

The population of aging people in the United States has been on increment, and this may lead to the health system being affected since the seniors need special care, and all the medical attention will be shifted towards the aged people, and some other aspects may be neglected and be given little attention. The perception of productivity of an individual is affected by the position one have in the hierarchy of workers and also his or her age. Older people tend to be isolated when the management is doing promotion, and this may affect the productivity of these older adults. According to research that was conducted in America recorded that adults or seniors in society are seen as an integral part of the community. The old people have many economic and social impact on American culture. The experts elaborated it well that adults are a representation of an enormous source of economic productivity and consumer spending. Even though the old people are not given recognition by society, they are a vital source of productivity socially.

The older people have been perceived in ways that are not pleasing, and this may result to fear on those people who are approaching these ages.in our today society seniors are seen as less critical their ability to depend on themselves have been altered and can no longer be self-dependent (Holman, 2010). Adults that are old are given labels using negative statements such as feeble, stuck in the past, fragile, forgetful among others; this terms may make the older adults feel oppressed and not valued in the society. The functionalist theory is concerned with how different aspects of the culture combine to ensure the smooth running of the nation; hence they view the seniors as an essential element of the community. The modernization theory which was established by Donald Cowgill and Lowell Homles posits that modernization and industrialization are the primary cause for the elder to lose power and influence in society (Cowgill and Holmes 1972).

Conclusion

In conclusion, in the society where there are seniors, there are various misconceptions on how the old people are perceived some of which include the old people cannot live independently, oldness is determined by chronological age, they have reduced the intellectual ability, and the old people cannot be active or productive. The factors that are responsible for how the society perceives old people range from the age of the individual, level of individuals knowledge, gender, how frequently an individual interacts with these seniors, modernization, influence from culture and media.

References

Conard, R. A. (1976). Summary of thyroid findings in Marshallese 22 years after exposure to radioactive fallout (No. BNL-21924; CONF-760939-1). Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA).Retrieved from https://www.osti.gov/biblio/7333982

Cowgill, D.O. and L.D. Holmes, eds. (1972).Aging and Modernization. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

East, J. (1992). Community planning for neighborhood change in an aging society.Retrieved from https://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca/bitstream/handle/1993/18029/East_Community_planning.pdf?sequence=1

Holman, K. (2010). Five reasons why people devalue the elderly.Retrieved from https://alexschadenberg.blogspot.com/2010/05/5-reasons-why-people-devalue-elderly.html

Riley, M. W., & Foner, A. (Eds.). (1968). Aging and society: An inventory of research findings. Russell Sage Foundation. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=IVWZAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP8&dq=aging+and+society&ots=BuCMW7WquB&sig=O9MPjzcLcMNazSjPc38rscdFdO