Ageing As A Negative Development

Ageism is endorsed throughout global culture and often is overlooked as a form of prejudice. However, this acceptance and ignorance towards an ageist culture, has proven to inflict severe mental, physical and emotional health implications. Although ageism is easily understood, it often goes unnoticed as a type of discrimination and unlike other prejudices, it will impact anyone who manages to make it to the sixth decade of live (Nelson, 2016). So, in hindsight it is discriminating against ones future self. Studies have identified that 80% of people aged 60 and older have experienced forms of ageism (Robbins, 2015). This figure is appalling considering the adverse health affects negative stereotyping can impose. In order to understand ageism and its affects it is vital to explore age prejudice from a multi-generational perspective. As well as understand the social-imagination contributing to a negative ideology of ageing. Only after understanding the aetiology of ageism, can interventions be put in place to eradicate this worldwide prejudice.

For instance , growth and development, beauty, good health, happiness are more likely to be listed as characteristics of being under sixty five years, whereas decline health, loneliness undesired physical appearance are likely to be listed for person’s over sixty five years. According to the Centre of Confidence and well being (n.d) reports stereotypes of the elderly as being needy,

Finally, age is another social inequality that is taking place in society. However, certain individuals in society has being restricted from certain opportunities based on their age. According to Nick Triggle from BBC News, he reported that thousands of older people are not getting their support from the state or private sector. However, according to the Age UK, they stated that 800,000 older people has being take off from the system and the figure is going to be increase in the future. Society has been unequal in relation to ageing population, the ministers are looking at making an increase in funding based on the ageing population of older people. However, they are looking at excluding older people whose savings are above £23,250. Beside

Discriminating against age and ageism is unfairly treating people and differently because of their age (Age UK, 2012). Age discrimination and ageism can lead to social exclusion, isolation, and loneliness throughout the elderly community. Age discrimination is illegal and detrimental to the elderly; however, any form of treatment whilst it may be different can be good. Bus passes and flu vaccinations are two free products that are available to be an advantage to the elderly age group, and legislation still permits these benefits to remain. Direct discrimination is when a person treats another person less favourably than they would because of

The aging population is the fastest growing population in our nation. By the year 2030, it is estimated that approximately 61 million people will be between the ages 65 -85 and 9 million individuals will be ages 85 and older (Ouchida &Lachs, 2015). Perceptions of the elderly have slightly changed for the better in recent years, but biases and discrimination are still very widespread in our society today. “Ageism” is a phrase coined by Robert Butler in 1969 and implies a preconception, prejudice, and discrimination against older adults and can come in many forms.

This assignment will be analytically evaluating the Public Health report England 2014 ‘Understanding inequalities in London’s life expectancy and healthy life expectancy’. This will include examining factors which influences health inequalities, comparing theoretical explanations and the policies put in place that potentially reduce the levels of health inequalities in London.

Describe and evaluate inequalities in access to healthcare in Britain The following essay will describe and evaluate how inequalities in accessing health care are evident in Britain. This will include an explanation regarding the current health care system in Britain, how and where to access healthcare and what difficulties leading to inequality people in Britain face. “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1948) Health means different things to different people.

Health inequalities are preventable and unjust differences in health status experienced by certain population groups. People in lower socio-economic groups are more likely to experience health inequalities than people in higher socio-economic classes. Health inequalities are not only found between people of different

The socio-economic factors are the key drivers behind the generation of health inequalities that impact on health promotion efforts in the UK (Heginbotham, C. & Newbigging, K, 2014). However, there is an association between social determinant of health and health inequalities (Diderichsen, F., Andersen.I et al, 2012). The circumstances as regards where people are born, grow up , reside, earn a living and interventions and systems put in place to counteract the preventing and treating illnesses are in turn dictated by big forces of politics, economics and social policies(Sheedy, M, 2013). There is another aspect of health inequalities that was put forward as the “inverse care law” (Mercer, S.W., Guthrie, B et al, 2012). This describes the disparities in the standard of healthcare in the population. The needy ones especially the less well off only have limited access to healthcare(Heaslip.V & Ryden, J, 2013). Morbidity and mortality rates differ within social and geographical populations(Bennett. J.E, Li, G., Foreman, K et al, 2015). The factors perpetuating the health inequalities are played out in these complex terms and definitions(Asthana, S., Gibson, A. & Halliday, J, 2013). Unless factors such as poor housing, education and employment and

This essay is looking at what the key factors most commonly regarded as being linked to health inequalities in the United Kingdom. Firstly, what does the term health inequalities mean according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) “Health inequalities can be defined as differences in health status or in the distribution of health determinants between different population groups. For example, differences in mobility between elderly people and younger populations or differences in mortality rates between people from different social classes. It is important to distinguish between inequality in health and inequity. Some health inequalities are attributable to biological variations or free choice and others are attributable to the external

In the 2006 article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Disease and Disadvantage in the United States and England by Banks et al, it was found that those residing in England are healthier than United States (US) residents. To control for racial disparities the study was limited to White individuals. 4 surveys were used to extrapolate and assess data measures. Surveys from England included the English Longitudinal Survey on Aging (ELSA) and 3 years of the Health Survey for England (HLS). US surveys were the Health Retirement Survey (HRS) and the National Health Interview Survey (NHANES).1

Research shows that increase in healthy life expectancy has been insignificant in comparison to the rise in life expectancy, and as a result, the population are living longer but with illness and disability. High costs of medical care therefore also reduce the income of the elderly to meet other necessities such as food and shelter. In addition to poverty, the older population is faced by the threat of losing independence, financial or

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,

Over the last 10-15 years, this has become an issue as Europe’s elderly population has grown substantially. In 2014, the over 65’s accounted for 18.5% of a 506.8 million EU total (Eurostat, 2015). In 1960, the share of the population aged over 80 was only 1.5%, however, it had risen to nearly 5% by 2010 (OECD, 2013).

Society holds many structures that mould human performance and produce opportunities for some, but inequalities for others (Morrall, 2009). These structures in society are organized by the hierarchies of class, ethnicity and gender (Crossman, 2016). Due to having a society based on hierarchies, social inequalities are inevitable. Social inequality refers to the ways in which a group or individual of a certain social position may receive unequal opportunities or distribution of ‘goods’ such as education, income, living conditions and healthcare (Walker, 2009). These unequal opportunities may be given to someone because of their ethnicity, gender, income, religion or social class (Walker, 2009). For example, people in a high social class will be able to pay for their children to go to a good private school for a good education, whereas lower-class or working class people will struggle to afford the same education.