10/8 Flashcards
anxiety about aging subscales
1st subscale: Fear of old people subscale
2nd subscale: psychological concerns
3rd subscale:physical appearance
4th subscale: fear of losses
1st subscale: Fear of old people subscale
measures associations of fear with being around older people):
I enjoy being around old people
I like to go visit my older relatives
I enjoy talking to older people
2nd subscale: psychological concerns
I fear it will be very hard for me to find contentment in old age
I will have plenty to occupy my time when i am old
I expect to feel good about life when i am old
3rd subscale:physical appearance
I have never dreaded the day i would have grey hairs
4th subscale: fear of losses
I fear that when i am old, all my friends will be gone
Non governmental organization and UN members states are pressing for development of a united nations of rights of protection for older people
In contrast to existing frameworks (ie international plan on aging, united nations principle for older persons, madrid international plan of action on aging) A united nation’s convention would provide a legally binding instrument to standardize and uphold the rights of older adults across member states
why were previous frameworks not working?
All previous frameworks are soft laws
International plan on aging is a soft laws, simply acknowledges basic rights for older people
United nations principle for older persons: emphasized principles (self-fulfillment, dignity)
Madrid international plan of action on aging:
1)lifelong development
2)population aging and development of societies in response to population of aging
3)multigenerational contact (people of all ages should look out for each other)
4)act of participation of older adults in society
A united nations convention would
advocate for the protection for older adults
According to helpage international (2024), A United nations convention would:
Establish worldwide legal standards that challenge stigmatizing and dehumanizing ageist attitudes and behaviors
Clarify application of human rights in older age across member states
Enable older adults in member states to better understand and assert their human rights
Ensure that member states understand human rights obligations towards older adults
Improve accountability among member states in fulfilling human rights obligation towards older adults
Provide a framework for policy development and decision making among member states
Fortunately in canada, older adults are protected by the
Canadian Human Rights Act, the canadian charter of rights and freedoms, and provincial human rights codes
Canadian human rights acts (federal act in 1977)
ensures people freedom from discrimination and equal treatment if employed by federal government or receive services from federal government
Canadian charter of rights and freedoms
equal treatment under the law in respect to sex, ethnicity, age, etc..
Freedom or assembly, freedom of religion, freedom of speech
Provincial human rights:
we are protected from discrimination when employed by or seeking services by provincial bodies (ie school or police)
Why is there a need for a UN convention on older folks
here is a Motivation to recognize older people as a distinctly vulnerable group. Need for specific interventions for older adults
why are older adults a vulnerable group
Older adults are often unjustly stripped of their rights
Older adults should have the right to age in the place of their choice
Some older adults live in isolation or inappropriate homes bc of inadequate transportation and housing
Income security measure for canada’s poorest older adults are not meeting their basic needs
Supports for caregivers are insufficient
Canada faces challenges in health and social human resources, as doctors, nurses, and social workers are aging
The unequal rate of population aging across the country challenges the provinces to provide the necessary range of services
Inappropriate care decisions are made because the canadian government does not provide the right service at the right time
Technology provides a new opportunities to deliver care
The canadian government is both a leader and laggard in providing care to older adults under its jurisdictional responsibility
Older adults need to be recognized as active,engaged citizen in canadian society
The aging population should be viewed as an opportunity for Canada
All canadians need to place
Reviews of research on optimal aging have found little consensus in the terminology for this construct or its definition and measurement
1)different terminology is used instead of optimal aging: active aging (adopted by WHO), optimal aging, successful aging, healthy aging, positive aging, etc
2)different definitions of optimal aging: the definition proposed by Rowe and Kahn, adopts the term successful aging
According to Rowe and Kahn’s definition, successful aging is characterized by:
1)Avoiding disability and disease (freedom from disability and disease)
2)high cognitive and physical functioning
3) and engagement with life (social engagement)
Where successful aging occurs is when the above 3 components overlap
Criticisms for the rowe and kahns model
does not account for older adults subjective experience of aging
Misery perspective characterizes older adults in terms of four D’s
dependency, disease, disability and depression
1st criticism of rowe and kahns model
1st criticism:Its focus on “success” suggests that there is an absolute standard that must be achieved in order for individuals to age well
Rowe and kahn argue that the model is a hierarchy: one must avoid disease and disability-> allows for maintenance of high cognitive and physical function ->which leads to active engagement with life
Those who do not exhibit the first factor of avoiding disease and disability cannot maintain high cognitive and physical function or engagement with life can not have successful aging
2nd criticism rowe and kahns model
the focus is narrow, has a strong focus on health, resulting in a definition that omits key components
Ignores the fact that people can have successful aging even with onset of natural aging diseases
People begin with different configurations of vulnerabilities and resources that affect how they age that is a process that unfolds over time
Onset of disease and illness onset varies between people(ignores the heterogeneity of older adults)
Does not acknowledge the process of aging and aging well
other criticism of rowe and kahn
Controversy of using the Concept of physical functioning to define successful aging in older adulthood
Reliance on physical functioning is discriminating against disabled individuals (ableist)
The model simply assumes that maintenance of middle-aged function indicates successful aging and ignores positive attributes that may be unique to late life
~Other factors besides physical functioning that can lead to successful aging
rowe and kahns model should include
psychosocial resilience resources and self-attributes of successful aging
~Instead of relying physical functioning we should focus on autonomy and independence
rowe and kahn Fails to incorporate the multiple meaning of age related losses and dependency
It is through losses that we learn about ourselves and our loved ones
It is a balance of gains and losses that enriches our lives
Rowe and kahn fails to acknowledge the losses that we go through that benefit our lives
Rowe and kahn captures western ideology and generalizes this ideology to all cultures and fails to acknowledge other cultures definition of successful agings
