How Changes Throughout History Have Influenced The Person's Life Course Trajectory

This week, the lecture and additional articles were about the growing number of people reaching late adulthood and the problems that will be created for society. Society is not ready for the influx of elderly individuals needing assistance. In addition to discussing the amount of people reaching late adulthood, this week also touched on several models and theories in regards to aging. This week provided sufficient background information and vital knowledge for the introduction

The humanity of aging is a concept sometimes hard to grasp. Understanding why we are

Aging is a universal phenomenon and humans are no exception. Gerontology deals with the psychological, social and biological aspects of aging process. A recent study shows that people aged 85 years and older are expected to augment from 5.3 million people to 21 million as the world reach 2050. In today’s world Gerontology has an enormous role to play so that the senior citizens could be analyzed and their needs may be addressed with compassion and empathy.

Getting old and aging are things that have become difficult points for many and despite

As adults enter the stage of later adulthood, many changes will begin to develop for each person. The aging process includes transitioning from work life to retirement, changes to roles, social positions, social policies, determining living accommodations with healthcare needs, and relationships with families and peers. The stage known as the golden years comes with great challenges while adjusting to the many changes in a person’s life. (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). Transition from work to retirement

1. In her speech, Jane Fonda spoke about aging and the effect that it can have on a person. Fonda talked about “Life’s Third act” or the last three decades of a person’s life. Fonda explained that the advances in medicine and technology enabled the human race to live longer than before (Fonda, 2012). According to Fonda, humans are living on average, thirty years longer than past generations. The human life span has been extended and humans are spending a great deal of their lives in older age (Fonda, 2012). Fonda explains that we should not accept aging as a decline to our mental and physical capacity. According to her, our spirits do not age but mature over time which explains why people over the age of fifty are generally happier, less

As our age moves up in years and we become senior citizens we slowdown in productivity and begin to re-explore life as

After spending an afternoon interviewing my elderly father-in-law, I gained insight into how he perceives the aging process and the impact on the quality of his life. First, and foremost he viewed aging in a very positive and healthy manner. He believes that a positive attitude assists in accepting physical and psychosocial changes and enjoyed the fact that he and his wife are both physically fit and cognitively alert. He felt confident that advances made in health care and the quality of their lives would continue to be empowering. He enjoys the benefits of being a senior citizen including discounted travel, free education, and other incentives marketed towards seniors. He expressed a sense of well-being with respect to the numerous

And, society must learn to appreciate and reverence these different perspectives. Caring for the Frail and Immobile (2009) states that one of the widespread untruths of maturing is that when you get to the age of 65 or over everything goes to pieces. I believe aging is mindset, attitudes and outlook change when the mind is set to change toward creating a new routine and creating a healthier lifestyle. It is certain that growing old will produce weakness; the capacity to walk farther distances will greatly diminish. But, the truth of the matter is, growing old does not mean that life will become disappointing, hard to endure or that the life’s fulfillments and physical activities must

Late adulthood is a time many people tend to suppress in their minds. Late adulthood is often considered a time of physical and mental decline, but in reality for many older adults it is a time of mental and spiritual growth. During late adulthood, people tend to start reflecting on their lives and what is really important. During younger ages, people tend to focus on things that may not matter in the future, and spend time worrying about things that are unimportant. Through interviewing older adults, younger people can learn several important life lessons and begin to appreciate the things that really matter in life.

The key component of aging discussions is the physical, mental, social, and spiritual health of elderly individuals. In the process of extending mortality we have also extended morbidity. 39 percent of 65-75 year-olds and 66 percent of over 85 year-olds suffer from chronic disabilities (Committee on the Aging Society, 1985). For many elderly, retirement years are far from "golden." Physical debilitation, embarrassing illnesses, and dementia leave many elderly frightened, lonely, and disengaged. Disengagement theory holds that elderly should withdraw from societal responsibilities and relax in their final years. However, this withdrawal often causes elderly to feel useless and removes responsibilities that keep their minds sharp and bodies healthy. If modern medicine provides more years, it is the responsibility of modern society to facilitate quality years (Callahan 1995).

Many researchers have shifted the focus of aging research from the older generation to a process of greater human development throughout the course of their life. This point of view underscores an unmistakable yet perfect conceptualization of the productive aging:

According to Cavanaugh and Blanchard-Fields (2015), aging is a process that will be accompanied by physical, emotional, cognitive, and social changes. I believe that my family understands

Aging and being old was dominated by negative characteristics and conditions such as illness, depression, and isolation for a long time (Eibach, Mock, & Courtney, 2010). At first glance the terms “success” and “aging” seem to be in conflict to each other. When asking people about aging, their answers have many facets that are also found in psychological definitions: successful aging is seen as health, maturity and personal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generativity, coping, and acceptance of age-related limitations. In the psychological sense successful aging is also often seen as the absence of age-associated characteristics (Strawbridge, Wallhagen, & Cohen, 2002). It seems that successful aging means is not aging.

Normal aging brings about inevitable and irreversible changes. These normal aging changes are partially responsible for the increased risk of developing health-related problems within the elderly population. I associated being "old" with decline, disability, disease and death. However, reflecting on realities of ageing and my grandfather's health, I realized that ageing does not imply only declining health, but it is also associated with wellness. My grandfather is 88 years old. I had always been lucky to have my grandparents healthy. However, this changed about 10 years ago when my grandfather had a heart problem and had to get coronary angioplasty, which caused him to require extra care from my grandmother and family.