Aging Activity Theory Report

Activity theory of aging suggest that when elderly people interact with the community and include activities in their daily routine they are their happiest (Baird, 2011, p. 187). Ariel stated that “everyone need some form of release” (Lemmon, 1995).

Gerontology as a field of scientific study can be traced back to the late 1800s; a time when research primarily focused on the negative attributes of aging, such as health decline. It wasn 't until the introduction of social gerontology in 1983 that researchers began to more rigorously study the psychological and social aspects of aging. In recognizing that “successful aging depends not just on the prevention of disease and disability, but also on the attainment of peak physical and psychological functioning,” (Quadagno,

During the aging process, the elderly may take different approaches to aging and may apply to different theories of aging such as the disengagement theory and the activity theory. All elderly individuals will deal with aging in different ways, they may wish to stay active or they may wish to disengage themselves due to depression or they may be unable to deal with the processes of becoming older. Both of these theories of aging have completely different thoughts and views of the aging process.

The Activity Theory was originally an idea that was proposed by Lemon Bengtson &Peterson this proposal was seen to have a much more hopeful and positive view on ageing in comparison to the disengagement theory by Cumming and Henry. The activity theory suggests that as people get older their ageing process will be more successful if they maintain their roles and responsibilities as they did when they were younger this is if they

In Aging in the Land of the Young, Sharon Curtin talks about the old men and women in society and how they are seen through people’s eyes. She argues that aging means you no longer have the feeling of growing and goes into the Scientifics of aging. Curtin puts herself in their shoes to get the feel of how elderly get around. Getting her readers to understand how aging works, she puts in detail how it feels like to be at that age where every day it gets harder to walk feeling like the ground doesn’t match up with your steps and how tiring it can be. As upsetting as this sounded, she makes a good point that as you grow older you lose loved ones and the energy you have to do things. Although this aging process is different for ever one of us due

Largest among the growing populations is the age group 65 and older. This course required us to complete Dr. Woolf’s myths of aging quiz. This quiz has 25 questions all about aging issues. In our textbook, “Adult Development and Aging,” Cavanaugh and Blanchard-Fields (2011) state, “Everyone does not grow old in the same way. Whereas most people tend to show usual patterns of aging that reflect the typical, or normative, changes with age, other people show highly successful aging in which few signs of change occur” (p. 16). An analysis of Dr. Woolf’s myths of aging quiz will show several different areas to consider in regards to the

The term “aging” refers to a complex process of biological, physical, psychological and social changes in a person as he/ she ages over their lifetime. Typically, the term refers to older adults and takes on the meaning of the process of “getting old” and “being old”. It relates not only to how individuals live, act and perceive themselves, but also to society’s culture and perceptions, society’s policies and support systems designed for their needs - be it health care, social,

The source of the activity theory lies on the need to stay occupied in actions persists into older life, but the connotation and the focal point alters. Older individuals have the similar requirements, desires, and motivations as with the individuals in their

As humans grow older, both muscle mass and bone density decrease. This deterioration of muscle mass, also known as sarcopenia, is often accompanied by a loss of function and strength. This significant loss of muscle that occurs with aging can impair functional ability for the elder population, which can include everyday tasks such as opening a jar, walking down stairs, or bending down to pick an item up. The most practical approach to combat deteriorated muscles is to incorporate some type of strength or resistance training into the daily schedule. One of the strength methods tested was explosive-type heavy resistance training, which may alter kinetics and neuromuscular activity during stair ascent in elderly women (Holsgaard-Larsen, Caserotti,

Another supporter of changing the way aging is conveyed is author, Margaret Cruiksbank, of the book, Learning to be Old. In her book she is a proponent of changing the way the aging process is described. Her position is that the underlying meaning of popular terms to describe aging weakens its value. She denotes that the term “successful aging” is a false phrase for the elderly as it “masks both the wish to continue mid-life indefinitely and the white, Middle-class, Western values of researchers, causing them to emphasize productivity, effectiveness and independence” (Cruiksbank, 2009, p. 2). She also concludes that the term “productive” aging symbolizes “economic usefulness and social conformity” (Cruiksbank, 2009, p. 2), especially for the female gender. More importantly, these terms can be used to measure. This ability to measure is subjective to the questioner and an individual’s self-worth. She suggests the term “aging comfortably” as it signifies easiness, and a “faint hint” of pleasurable self-indulgence which may not have been possible in younger years (Cruiksbank, 2009, p. 3).

Throughout this semester we have come across many psychological and social theories. From Vaillant’s aging well, to Erikson’s life stages, to Leont’ev’s activity theory, there is a lot to learn and to understand. For the purpose of this paper, I am going to focus on the Activity Theory of aging. After some thorough research on this topic I was able to come up with some great information about

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

Knowing and having an understanding of what ageing stands for, remains an important step, growing-up or growing older and ageism are theories about older individuals. Ageism includes preconceptions that elderly are categorized for their age and perceived as weak, and incapable of performing tasks and needy of others (Quadagno, 2014). Another view about elderly individuals is the way they are looked down on by the younger society, i.e. elderly are not as intelligent as their younger competitive working force. People fear what they do not know and do not understand. Age transpires as something that must be lived through in order to understand what ageing means; looking back on one’s life and seeing accomplishments made,

The continuity theory of aging is the belief that older adults will usually maintain the same relationships, behaviors, and activities as they did in their earlier years. Kali and Cavanaugh (2016) identify that people tend to cope with daily life when growing older by applying familiar strategies learned from their past experiences (Kali and Cavanaugh, 2016). This means that as an individual adjusts to changes associated with the normal aging process, the individual’s past decisions, experiences, and behaviors will form the foundation for his or her present and future behaviors and decisions (Minhat, Rahmah, & Khadijah, 2013). Maintaining the same activities, habits, and patterns of thought is the most common strategy for adaptation as people begin to age as this maintains existing internal and external structures (Minhat, Rahman, & Khadijah, 2013). In a study that involved elderly aged adults, they found that they were more likely to actively be involved in a leisure activity if the activity had been performed at a young age (Minhat, Rahman, & Khadijah, 2013). This study confirms that older adults typically strive to continue doing as much as possible what

1) The article from The Gerontologist supports the activity theory of aging. This states that as people age, it is very important for them to be engaged in various activities and social roles. As described in the lecture, studies have shown that those who stay involved have less signs of depression and have a lesser decline in mental health. In addition, they are considered more competent than others in their age group by the general population since they are actively participating in society. The research described in the article proved that those who had moderate or high participation in activities such as working, volunteering, and caregiving had a better psychological well-being. It is not necessarily just taking part in these, but the level in which one does so is also crucial. It appears that moderate participation is the best way to a better psychological well-being, as one does not want to be overworked, but should still be involved.