Continuity Theory Vs Disengagement Theory

It is a known fact that people are living longer today and with older age comes many obstacles for which the elderly overcome. Such obstacles as; physical changes, mental changes, changes in income, friends, family, and at times their way of life. As the baby boomers are getting older, some find that their social life has declined because most of their friends have died. Moreover, some of the boomers are maintaining their lifestyles as though nothing has changed, while others are in the midst of significant changes in their lifestyles and their way of life. The purpose of this discussion board is to compare and contrast two social theories about aging and how it relates to the role of the caregiver. Furthermore, I will discuss the one new

As defined by Crossman (Disengagement Theory n.d.) “Disengagement theory states that in every society, the elderly undergo a process of adjustment in which they leave important public roles and narrow their social world to family and friends”. Thus, the

In the U.S, one in four will be aged 60 years and older by 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau). This represents an overwhelming number of people who will either be in the caretaker role or be the ROC. Like today, most of the care will be provided by informal unpaid caregivers. The number of informal unpaid caregivers is expected to rise from 20 million in 2000 to 37 million in 2050 (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation [ASPE], 2003). Because of the burden of care giving, many caregivers will experience depression, poor health and quality of life (Etters, Goodall, & Harrison, 2008). Their well-being is an important public health concern.

Aging is very complex and highly individualized process which begins at conception and end with death. Variables such as physical or cognitive impairments, socioeconomic aspect, cultural values, and beliefs make an aging process unique to each individual. I interviewed an elderly woman using a set of guided questionnaires on the topic to further explore her aging experience. For the purpose of this assignment, I will refer to the client interviewed as a D.L., a changed name for a reason of privacy and confidentiality. During the interview, we explored a D.L. strategy to stay healthy, significant accomplishments of her life, hobbies and activities, retirement, and finally the goals for the future.

Psychosocial development throughout the Life Cycle theory (sometimes known as individual development theory) proposes that each individual has the ability to master their environment at all stages of life (Coady & Lehman, 2008; Hutchison, 2008). The theory had its

The decision of whether or not to place an aging parent into a long-term care facility, or to try and to keep them in their own home or yours is one that many American families are facing each day. Factors in dealing with this decision are too numerous to count but we will address a few of them in the following paper, like the financial aspects, psychosocial, and meeting the overall needs of our ever aging parents.

One thing every living organism has in common on this planet-- age. No one wants to age or face the fact that aging is inevitable. However, since it’s impossible to beat the never ending time clock that is life; everyone wants to be as comfortable as possible when age finally does catch up with them. When the majority of people think of comfortability in old age, they think of living in their own homes and being surrounded by their loved ones. Not many individuals want to be placed into a nursing home type facility because they can’t imagine themselves being comfortable that way. Nonetheless, even though being placed in a home does take away some of an elderly person’s independence, usually the independence lost is in activities that person can no longer do for themselves. Indeed, nursing homes do have their own set of scary stories behind them; life lost, independence lost, and privacy lost, yet many of those stories are outdated. Upon investigation, it would be easy for anyone to scare themselves out of a nursing facility due to the stories that are out there. Yet, upon even further research people would be able to see how far the United States has come in their development and evolution of nursing care facilities. The care of the elderly in the form of nursing homes has faced a tough evolution starting off with a harsh past, to what nursing homes are like now, and what people can expect for the future of these homes.

All of these activities are positive provisions put in place to help individuals, who according to the activity theory are adjusting to age related changes. These provisions act as a strong positive influence/aid to elderly individuals who are seeking for fulfilled well-being. The outcomes include increased self esteem, satisfaction of participation and feeling like there unselfish goals are being met.

An example of disengagement theory is when a pensioner quits his job or does not take up any hobbies. They may just stay at home and not even socialise with friends and family.

However, in the 21st century, people are not only living longer than ever before, but are continuing to lead productive lives well past the age where once they would have been consigned to a rocking chair. It is important to maintain this cohort rather than remove them from society’s complex systems so that those systems can continue to run smoothly. By treating seniors as functioning “organs in the body” of society instead of creating “sick roles” for them where they are deemed “sanctioned deviants” (Talcott Parsons,1951) society will benefit greatly by older adults who remain active. They remain well adjusted and society benefits from older adults who continue to be contributing, valued members of society. Models are not yet in place for the acceptance of seniors to continue in an active role in society. Prior theories, like Disengagement Theory argues that in order to enable younger people to assume important roles, a society must encourage its older people to disengage from their previous roles and to take on roles more appropriate to their physical and mental decline. This theory is considered a functionalist explanation of the aging process. A criticism of the theory asks why is there

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

The continuity theory has a correlation to Mrs. Hansen’s late adulthood and can be defined when “…aging adults strive to maintain a personal system…that promotes life satisfaction by ensuring consistency their past and anticipated future” (Berk 615). In order for me to come to the reflection that Mrs. Hansen portrays the continuity theory, I asked what her interests were and what she use to do at a younger age versus what she is involved in today. She shared with me that she used to be a part of a dance group in her late 20’s to mid-30’s and now that she has free time she says that she attends her young seven-year-old

The three theories I have chosen to discuss are all extremely relevant ideas; although I prefer Erik Erikson’s stage of psychosocial development. Erik Erikson’s theory covers a person’s entire lifespan showing the many different stages throughout one’s life. A person is always

Even when her husband and one of her grandsons passed away, she continued to push on, no matter how hard it life was for her. She carries food to her neighbors, is president of a women’s club in the area and bakes cakes for people whenever possible and so much more. This is why I believe that the Activity theory is an appropiate theory to explain how my grandmother has coped with her “lemons” in life. The “Activity Theory states that higher levels of activity and involvement are directly related to higher levels of life satisfaction in elderly people”. ( Hutchison, p.652) She recently has started having health issues and had to have emergency surgery. As always, her head strong personality and confidence in herself that has carried her through life, helped her to overcome that major sickness. She is back to taking care of her neighbors, working in the yard and even planning her class reunion. She also has a few of the traits of the “Six Traits of Growing Old with Grace”(Hutchison, p.651). She shows cheerful tolerance of the of the indignities of old age, maintaining hope, maintaining a sense of humor and capacity for

Based on Erikson’s Final Stage Theory of Psychological Development, Activity theory, Functionalism, and Continuity Theory there are more possibilities if you link and reconstructed the common and function of the theories. Refer to Figure 1, we predict that this link will lead a much deeper information and data about our participants. It can also have an attachment upon the function of the elderly on how they spend their time and the agendas they do to have a function and fulfill life’s purpose. Continuing the activities they did and exploring various recreations to stay active. The life of the elderly has depended upon the satisfactory level of their life. Some will feel depression as they grow older and older and some will feel life’s content because of how they are and what they did to fulfill life.