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Gerontology 300 IntroductionProf. Worsfold

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Introduction

I would like to introduce myself, your Instructor and my graduate assistant-TM- Melissa- and then to get you to tell us a little bit about yourselves and why you are taking this course.

Information on the Gerontology Department, library and support services

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Topics of Discussion

In this lecture we will introduce the course, go over the outline and the assignments and some of the administrative arrangements to complete the program.

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Topic One

Healthy aging: What is it? What are the ongoing processes in

response to aging events and transitions?

What are the areas of concern for the aging Adult in our society?

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Healthy Aging

Areas to address are: Health both mental and physical

Independence and functional loss Life satisfaction across the aging

spectrum-Attitudes towards aging Finances and Economics Housing Social Integration

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Health Aging

Gerontology is the study of aging in its bio-psycho-social manifestations. We must also add the spiritual component

Social Gerontology draws on research from the social sciences and medicine to identify successful aging and to address areas of concern-physical and mental frailty

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Healthy Aging

Successful aging has social and individual implications: areas of public policy, lifestyle, interpersonal relationships and community development.

In Canada this is done with a back-drop of both individualistic, capitalistic and socialistic structures in our society

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Healthy Aging

Studying aging processes requires both scientific and descriptive analysis. Ageism as a social attitude-Introduction and Chap. One

Chronological age has definitive markers-age breaks: young-65-74, middle-75-84 and old/old 85 +

Studies on cohort aging gives us valuable information (Stats Can)

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Healthy Aging

Studies also include: social roles and role changes in the aging process, and attributes of attitudes and beliefs, cultural and gender issues, social and economic status.

This reviews such issues as retirement, changes in marital status, extended parenting, end of life issues

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Assessing Population Aging

There are three measures of pop aging: 1. The percentage of population 65 and over. If 10% of pop is over 65 it is considered old.The the percentage increases the pop ages.

Why 65? Look at Course Fact Book Reader and page 27 Textbook

2. Median age-median-one half pop is older and one half is younger. When median age increases pop is considered aging. Stats Can-2000-36.8

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POP AGING

3. Dependency Ratios-social burden-aged dependency ration-no of people 65 and over as a ratio of persons 15-64. Stats Can 2000 183/1000. These numbers are affected by fertility and mortality rates. Dependency ratios are also only tied to paid labor.( pages 28-29 Text)

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How has Canada’s pop aged?

Factors which influence aging-1. Baby Boomers-born1946-1962. They will enter old age in 2011-2027 2. Aging of current pop-In 2000 3% of pop were 80+ whereas in 1961 it 1.4%

Fertility-when it declines the pop ages-urbanization, cost of raising a family, women’s participation in the labor force, effective measures to control reproduction.

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POP AGING

Look at pop pyramids-Fig 1.2-Course Reader-Fact Book

Mortality decline and increased life expectancy which impact longevity and life-span.

Two kinds of life-expectancy-dependency free and chronic disability-the concept of Compression Ratio is more people are able to postpone chronic disability. This is gender related given the life expectancy data.

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Healthy Aging

Functional Age: This looks at issues such as appearance, capability, movement from independence to frailty

Subjective Age: This is influenced by social class and self-identity and media influences. Discuss examples

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Cohort studies

Cohort studies examine aggregations of data gathered for like groups of individuals who are experiencing the same events in the same time intervals

Cohort aging is the continuous advancement of the cohorts own life span

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Cohorts

There are five distinct cohorts in the 20th Century: 1910-1926-Swing Generation, 1927-1945-Silent Generation, 1946-1964-Baby Boomers, 1965-1976-Baby Bust and 1977-1994-Echo Boomers

Cohorts vary in race, gender, ethnic composition and size

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Structural Change

Here we must look at issues that affect aging such as: Culture and Institutions

Contexts in which we age Social units such as families and

kinship structures Educational systems, health care,

social welfare programs

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Ageism

New ageism presents itself in the form of patronization, lack of autonomy, denial of emotionality and media presentation on how the elderly are portrayed and represented or what they are excluded from.

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Ageism

Lets look at Print: Novels, Newspapers and Journals both popular and scientific

Film: About Schmidt, On Golden Pond, Notebooks, Life with Ivy etc.

Examine the positive and negative presentations

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Ageism

This the issue of stereotyping the elderly and affects attitudes, policies, media, interpersonal relationships, attributes, categories and power.

Lets review some examples from personal experience

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CAUSES OF DEATH

As the pop ages, the causes of death change and most death occurs in Canada in old age.

Epidemiological Transition Theory-historical transitions-plagues, pestilence and famines to pandemics, chronic diseases and infectious diseases. This is also impacted by socioeconomic development

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CAUSES OF DEATH IN CANADA

Chronic and Degenerative disease-heart disease, stroke, neoplastic diseases, respiratory diseases.

Gender related-females have lower mortality rates, but this decreases with age and begins to even out with some exceptions-stroke and suicide-read pages 16-21 in the Fact Book

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What This Means

Gerontology is a broad area with both social and psychological concerns as well as medical and biological studies of the aging process. This is then pasted into an economic and cultural background and modulated by education and experience.

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Next Steps

Our next lecture will look at the Theories of Aging and will examine how we approach the study of aging within certain frameworks