Biological Theories 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,

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,

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.

The elderly population is growing rapidly and now makes up greater than thirteen percent of the United States population. (APA, 1994). With such a record growth, there are different aspects to aging that are still being analyzed. Many may think of reaching late life as a rite of passage, but many face this time with a different view. Through the movie "UP', we are granted an opportunity into view the struggles of an elderly widowed man by the name of Mr. Fredrickson and the challenges in which he faces in his later life. The movie, takes one on a journey through his sorrows and his triumphs until he realizes what the true meaning of happiness is.

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

17). The generation of baby boomers is named so due to an extremely high birth rate following the return of WWII soldiers. These people, born from the mid-1940s to about 1964, are now either a part of the older generation, or only a few years from it. People tend to believe that the historical cohort’s large population is the only reason for an increased amount of older people in society. In reality, as the article points out, increases in longevity can also be attributed to advancements in medicine, along with knowledge about the spread of disease and general health (MacArthur Foundation, 2009). This myth contributes to the negative stereotyping of aging because those who believe this myth do not see the importance of an aged population. What some individuals do not realize is that generations living longer can provide endless wisdom, experience, and advice to the younger population. Instead of utilizing the increasing life expectancy, people tend to judge older individuals as having physical and mental decline, when in actuality, this is entirely untrue. This false belief is the second myth discussed in the

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)

Growth and development is an essential part of the life cycle, which leads to the occurrence of different phases like childhood, teenage and late adulthood. Aging is the period which is characterized by the onset of personal, cognitive and social changes. They feel hard to adjust the changes. Like rest of the world, the US also falls in the list of countries which have the highest population of elderly people. According to the Population Reference Bureau report, Americans ages 65 and older has projected to increase more than double from 46 million today to over 98 million by 2060, and the 65-and-older age group’s share of the total population will rise to nearly 24 percent from 15 percent (Mark Mather). The

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

In our society today, the older population is a diverse and growing group with more and more individuals reaching the life stage of late adulthood, and even very late adulthood. According to Hutchison (2015), the late adulthood stage begins at 65 years of age and continues through 85 years of age and the very late adulthood stage begins at 85 and carries through until death. During the aging process, many changes occur within the body and mind as well as family structure and social roles. Individuals who have reached these life stages today may have lived through the Great Depression, the World Wars, the Civil Rights Movement, and many other important historic events, all of which have shaped their life experiences. For

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,

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?

Ory and her colleagues then introduce the topic of aging and stereotypes to their readers. They discuss the different types of ageism and compare ageism to sexism and racism. The stereotypes about older people being useless, crazy, or sick are discussed more and refuted in the Macarthur Foundation Study on Successful Aging, Rowe and Kahn. The pair discusses 6 myths of aging, which range from the elderly constantly being sick, learning impaired, to having a dull sex life. The pair then discusses the reality of the previously listed myths. Contrary to the “To be old is to be sick” myth, Rowe and Khan explain that the elderly are able to function and complete everyday tasks until they are very old (Ory, 165). They then explain how it is, in fact possible to “Teach an old dog new tricks” because the human brain never stops learning, this myth goes hand in hand with “The horse is out of the barn” myth, which also explains how the elderly can learn and adopt new behaviors easily. Myth number 4 “The secret to successful aging is to choose your parents wisely” is one of the most ridiculous. Rowe and Kahn explain that a person’s health is not all determined by genetics. Although genetics has a part in determining a person’s characteristics, a person can change their characteristics through the use of epigenetics, by adopting healthy lifestyles and behaviors. Rowe and Kahn they go on to explain sexual functioning through the myth “The lights may be on, but the

Young people in American society are at risk of not aging successfully. Due to the ease of access to unhealthy foods, low levels of physical activity, and generally unhealthy lifestyle choices, many Americans are not expected to age well. For example, the daily recommended amount of physical activity is 30 minutes of moderate activity, but with many American 's making the choice to watch television or choosing desk jobs with little to no physical activity the outlook for aging successful looks grim for many. In this literature review, the focus will be on answering the questions: what does it mean to age successfully and what happens to our bodies and minds as we age? Finding source material to answer these questions was difficult at times, but with vigilance, the answers were found.

Anthropologists that are most fit to study the process of aging and senescence are those that have biocultural and evolutionary prospectives. The author found that there is more of a focus on growth and development of individuals and not as much on aging of individuals, this is why he has tried to put his focus more on the aging of humans. The life expectancy of hominid evolution has increased greatly and at least doubled from 53 years for most Australopithicines to 122 years in modern day humans. It is believed to have increased 500% and this increase happened recently just within the last two centuries. The United States and many other developed countries life expectancy has increased dramatically from about 46 years in 1900 to 77 in 1997. Not all countries have such high number in life expectancy some have lower numbers such as 35 in Botswana and others have higher like 83 year old in Andorra. The authors does question if life expectancy will continue to keep growing throughout the years and there is no clear answer to it there is more of a debate to whether or not it may or may not keep