A Study Of The Biological And Social Aspects Of Aging

The process of aging has been around as long as life itself. All living organisms pass through three broad stages from conception to death, which are maturation, maturity and aging. Aging affects everyone because nearly everyone has the potential to grow old and all the societies in which we live have older members (Macdonald, 1997). Gerontology is the use of reason to understand aging. The term was used to refer to the scientific study of aging, but nowadays it includes the study of aging using views from other disciplines such as humanities, social policy and human services. To correctly understand aging,

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

It is not easy to come up with a working definition of aging; different academics around the world defined ‘aging’ from different perspectives. Based on the collected information I have, I define aging –a multidimensional process of physiological, mental and social changes that occurred over the course of life. Though it is beyond human control, aging experiences may vary between individuals. “In the developed world, chronological time plays a paramount role. The age of 60 or 65, roughly equivalent to retirement ages in most developed countries is said to be the beginning of old age. In many parts of the developing world, chronological time has little or no importance in the meaning of old age. Other socially constructed meanings of age are more significant such as the roles assigned to older people; in some cases it is the loss of roles accompanying physical decline which is significant in defining old age. Thus, in contrast to the chronological milestones which mark life stages in the developed world, old age in many developing countries is seen to begin at the point when active contribution is no longer possible." (Gorman, 2000)

Aging, though it is usually defined as a biological process, it is also the gathered development of change with time. Aging is a continuous, complex and dynamic process that begins even before birth and ends with death. Unless death occurs at an early age, all humans grow old and experience the effects of the aging process. The process of aging does not

Aging is a phenomena we are all familiar with, a trait characteristic of all humankind, in fact, of all living organisms. What are the effects of aging, especially those which go beyond the biological aspects and effect the social aspects of changing roles, seniority, and treatment of the aged? What was the original human condition before high-tech medical interventions redefined death and dying, before the industrial age changed the nature of the nuclear and extended family? Going back still farther, what can the behavior of chimpanzees tell us about the origins of our responses to the aging of those around us?

Aging is an inevitable part of the lifecycle. At some point in their lifespan, every person will experience changes that occur during the process of aging. Many changes that occur, such as loss of muscle tone, decrease in vision, decrease in hearing, and decreased bone mass, can be attributed to the natural processes that occur as you age (Robnett, Bolduc, & Murray, 2015). The progression of these changes, however, can be influenced by many factors in an individual’s life. The effects of aging on an individual are not only dependent upon genetics, but also upon their physical and social environments and their cultural, personal, temporal, and virtual contexts (Brossoie & Chop, 2015).

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.

Maxine thought this question was quite basic. However, after much thought she stated that aging is simply "advancing in age." Upon further questioning she explained that her definition is a view of the "total process" of aging. She does not define aging in a biological, functional, psychological, sociologic or spiritual domain.

The article Understanding the Odd Science of Aging, characterize aging as “a progressive, generalized impairment of functions, resulting in an increasing vulnerability to environmental challenges and a growing risk of diseases and death.” In the article many theories are mentioned relating to why humans age such as the somatic mutation theory, telomere loss theory, mitochondrial theory, altered proteins theory and waste accumulation theory. Though

One might say that it is impossible to define successful aging in one word. This is because there are numerous components to an enhanced quality of life that leads to successful aging. Individuals who age successfully are healthy, energetic people who lead active lives. More specifically, by staying healthy, fit, and engaged with life, these people grow old to contribute to society, which enables them to remain socially involved with other people creating a life filled with utmost satisfaction. Unfortunately, when one nears the age of 30, their physical and mental capabilities begin to decline. However, luckily, this process can be detained. In the book “Successful Aging,”

Aging is the amount of changes in person overtime. It is a multidimensional process, which can affect a person physically and psychologically. With age, people weaken and affect their memory. There are four types of aging: intrinsic, universal, progressive and deleterious. Intrinsic aging is chronologic aging, it deals with internal factors, and it decreased fat cells size, and damaged fat cells differentiation. Deleterious aging connects with aging will only be considered as part of the aging process if it “poor” for the individual. Universal aging deals with the process of how aging occur differently in all individual of species.

How do we view aging? How does society view aging? What are common theories about aging? Societies view on aging may differ from culture to culture, in America most have a negative view on aging. Many theories have been proposed to explain the process of aging, but neither of them appears to be fully satisfactory. These theories are the aging by program theory, homeostatic imbalance theory, cross-linkage theory, autoimmunity theory, genetic theory of aging, centenarian’s theory, and other modifiers of aging. This paper will discuss some of these issues.

A: Aging is the process of life from birth to death, and all changes in between including physical (biological) and psychological. When it comes to biological aging, “Aging is the random change in the structure and function of molecules, cells and organisms that is caused by the passage of time and by one 's interaction with environment. Aging increases the probability of death (McDonald, 2013)”. When it comes to psychology, in our community the majority 's belief is the older you get the wiser you are.

Also spelled as ageing, this is generally the process of becoming old. It is the in a way the opposite of immortality. In a broader aspect, it may occur to single cells in an organism also called cellular senescence or the population of a species, known as population ageing. This process primarily affects human beings and fungi. In humans, it signifies the accumulation of various changes which occur over time. The changes include physical, social and psychological changes.

Aging, is the process of growing old, it is defined as the gradual biological deterioration of