Issues Of Aging: Article Analysis

I will be presenting part of what I am thinking to write about in the chapter, at the Aging and Society's 6th Interdisciplinary conference in October. If the presentation would not violate the terms of the chapter submission, I would be very happy to contribute to the book.

The well-being and safety of your aging loved one is important to you. Since you cannot be with them every day, you want to make sure they are receiving the best care possible. Although, you know that your senior loved one needs assistance at home they might not be as open to the decision. There are things that you can do to communicate your worries and concerns with your aging senior.

The importance of studying the process of growing old from a life course perspective is that it allows you to see all the variables and factors that affect how a person will age. This framework entail the mental, physical and socioeconomic well being of aging individuals, including their entire lifetime. This means that your past affects your future health. This perspective views aging as the last stage of a lifespan. “We cannot understand what old age means unless we understand it as a part of the entire course of human life,[...], the last stage of life shaped by a lifetime of experience.”(Moody, Harry. and Sasser, Jennifer. Aging: Concepts and Controversies. Sage Publishers, London, 2018.) The advantages of studying aging this way prevents

It is difficult to accept that a senior in your life is no longer able to perform the same tasks they used to. Most likely there have been small signs seen that have raised concern, and in some cases a blind-eye might have been given to the fact. Or, maybe there were signs all along and no one recognized them until they got worse. Regardless, of the reason getting the senior help now will increase their safety at home, increase longevity, and keep them living happy at home. There are many early signs that can be linked to seniors aging and need assistance at home. Here are some of the early signs that homecare is needed that may surprise.

Aging to me represents a normal cycle of life and normal part of my life path. However it’s up to me how I age. Trying to lead a healthy lifestyle will hopefully allow me to age well.

What if there was a cure for aging? Never get old and living for a long period of time? What if there was a medical technique for you to inject yourself and add 50 years or so to live. The only way you could die would be either a disease, car accident or by your own choice. You would get a chance to detect how much the world changes over time. An unlimited time to earn as much money as you want. Even get a great education! You could be 20 when you get the “never aging” shot and stay 20 while you can attend to a 4 four college and be someone important at the age of 20. Doesn’t that sound great?

The American Society on Aging (ASA) is located at 575 Market St., Suite 2100 San Fransisco, Ca 94105-2869 USA. The purpose of this group is for individuals to come together to help expand upon their knowledge and skills needed to care for the aging population. ASA provides top-notch, nationally recognized training, publications, and education to those who are seeking further knowledge on elderly individuals and caregiving. Every year they host a conference in which people from different professions, including healthcare, philanthropy, and social service come together and expand upon their prior knowledge of aging individuals. Online web seminars are also available and provided by experts from a variety of areas within the study. Becoming a

Boyd, D., & Bee, H. (2006). _Lifespan Development_ (4th ed.). New York: Allyn & Bacon.

mental health professional, which in turn would benefit the elderly patient. The reader also could further knowledge by seeking to understand the developmental stages of geriatrics. The reader could also delve into discovering and understanding her own personal fears about aging, and death.

Summarize the article. The elderly population continues to increase and they are living longer. According to Chernew, Baicker, & Hsu, by 2030, the proportion of the US population aged 65 years or older will exceed 20%, creating an imminent need for strategies that improve person-centered care while reducing costs. Hospitals are having to take a hard look at how to provide care for this growing population. Many organizations are looking at Acute Care Units (ACE) to care for its geriatric patients. As explained by Shephard, an ACE unit uses an interdisciplinary team approach to care for geriatric patients, with increased recognition and management of geriatric issues. While the concept is more than twenty years old, there are only about 100

Satisfaction with one’s past and present life for example, has been the most commonly proposed definition of successful ageing. Nonetheless, it is also the most commonly investigated. While its components include fortitude, morale, autonomy and independence, self-efficacy and overall wellbeing, the outcome of one’s development over their lifespan is done so by utilizing past experiences to cope with present circumstances. Therefore, it is also seen as a multidimensional, particularized dynamic process.

Quadango, J. (2011). Aging and the life course: an introduction to social gerontology. (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill

Late Adulthood is the stage of the human life cycle after the age of 65, where an individual begins to realize they are nearing the end of their life. The stage of late adulthood has been viewed through society by ageism and the stereotypical "old" person but, the normative development of the life stage depicts a more in depth view on what is expected. The life expectancy in the United States has slowly increased over the years, therefore allowed many to further analyze the development of the person during late adulthood. The “old” experience dramatic changes in their development as they face loss, death, and illness, as well as having to focus on their purpose and well-being through their physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development.

The movie Last Vegas (2013) thoroughly presented the concept of the embodied aging and experience by creating a storyline based on the character, Billy, shared the good news of him finally proposing to his much younger girlfriend with his dearest friends and wanted them to be supportive in his decision-making. All four friends decided to escape from their daily lives a couple of days in order to throw a bachelor party together for Billy in Las Vegas (Last Vegas, 2013). They have been best friends since childhood, yet have experienced a different aging journey (Last Vegas, 2013). In the film, seniors are perceived as dominant and powerful characters because of their life experiences and wisdom.

Out of the many informative chapters in Paul Irving’s book, The Upside of Aging: How Long Life Is Changing the World of Health, Work, Innovation, Policy and Purpose, I choose to write my summary on chapter 3: The Bold new world of healthy aging. In this chapter Irving speaks of his experiences in working to “unlock the secrets to a long life” (Irving, 2014). Living a longer life is beneficial in all aspects of aging. Especially, in redefining the negative stereotypes of aging. Over time we begin to direct more attention to our healthy habits throughout our daily lives. Because of this the life expectancy has increased. Scientific studies only help to prove that life expectancy has and will continue to increase. However, the same studies also go to show that, through higher life expectancy comes many more issues such as population, competition, and quality of life.