Midterm Flashcards
When was the term ageism coined?
1969
Ageism is dependent on what?
Time and culture
What is gerontology?
- Broad study of the aging process
- Multidisciplinary concepts and approaches
- Academic areas (Biological aging - Longevity and body changes; psychological aging - adaptive capabilities; social aging- roles and expectations)
What is geriatrics?
Speciality focusing on medical problems.
Define: Social Gerontology
Study of the social processes issues, practices, and policies associated with age and aging.
What are 3 issues that should be considered when studying aging processes and population aging?
- Aging is not an illness or a disease state - avoid this medicalization view of aging.
- Individual and population aging are linked and co-exist.
- Population aging will not necessarily weaken society.
What do older Canadian adults view as important issues?
- To be recognized as active, engaged citizens in our society
- To have the right to age in the place of their choice
- To be viewed as an opportunity for Canada
What are some negative stereotypes of aging?
- Being grumpy
- Bad Drivers
- Losing memory
What are some positive stereotypes of aging?
- Being wise
What are 3 facets of successful aging?
- Avoiding disease and disability
- Engagement with life
- High cognitive and physical function
What are 3 goals for successful population aging?
- Re-engineering core societal institutions
- Adopting a life course perspective
- Focusing on human capital
What are some examples of ageism and age discrimination at the individual level?
- Internalized ageism
- Elderspeak (Honey/sweetie; baby talk)
- “New ageism”
What are some examples of ageism and age discrimination at the institutional level?
- “senior” discounts
- Anti-aging Market
- Media
Which of the following statements regarding the anti-aging movement is true?
a. Anti-aging methods are a recent development in human history
b. The commercial market for anti-aging products is small and focused on younger age groups
c. Many anti-aging products and treatments are available in the offices of medical professionals.
d. The anti-aging movement does not promote ageism
c. Many anti-aging products and treatments are available in the offices of medical professionals.
What are three principles of symbolic interactionism? (Blumer 1969)
- People act toward things based on the meaning those things have for them.
- Meanings emerge (occur) from (and through) social interaction.
- Meanings that arise from social interaction are further modified (changed) through interpretation.
Define: Gerontophobia
- a fear of growing older and/or hate/fear of older persons.
What are some weaknesses of activity theory?
- not clear what constitutes “activity”
- Does not consider that people’s activities and interests change over time
- Does not consider the different meanings that people attributes to activity
- Ignored SES
- Leveraged to blame others for inactivity
Janet has recently turned 85 and has notices a change in advertisements for products related to aging over the past several decades. Notably, Janet observes that advertisements no longer only depict seniors as grumpy and diseased. The ads she sees today are stating to show seniors engaging in more active lifestyles (Add more from slides)
Ageing-related stereotypes are fluid and the increase in baby boomers may be driving portrayals of seniors as healthy and active.
T or F: Ageism is just an issue for older persons.
False: Ageism is NOT just an issue for older persons, but everyone in society.
Why are overly ambitious conceptions of active aging problematic?
“Overly ambitious conceptions of active aging are problematic, as they may generate a form of ‘new ageism’, in which the generalized fear of aging is replaced by fear of aging with disability and in which dependent older adults suffer from discrimination” (Boudiny, 2013: 1093)
Why is it important to understand intergenerational strain?
a. When intergenerational strain decreases, it could lead to cohort effects or social disintegration.
b. When intergenerational strain arises, it could lead to generation gaps or inequities.
c. When intergenerational strain arises, it could lead to societal harmony or equality.
d. When intergenerational strain increases, it could lead to cohort effects and social disintegration.
b. When intergenerational strain arises, it could lead to generation gaps or inequities.
Which of the following statements regarding major changes in family and kinship structures is false?
a. There has been a shift from an “age-condensed” structure to an “age-gapped” structure in some extended families.
b. There has been an emergence of truncated families in which a specific family lineage eventually disappears when the youngest generation is childless by choice or by chance.
c. The kinship system has become shorter, resulting in less complex family relationships.
d. The number of reconstituted or blended families as a result of remarriage following divorce or widowhood has increased.
e. The propensity for older adults to cohabit as partners has increased.
c. The kinship system has become shorter, resulting in less complex family relationships.
What are some factors of disengagement theory?
- mutual withdrawal of individual and society to restore balance to the system
- Rooted in structural functionalism
- Total disengagement = death
What are some weaknesses of the disengagement theory?
- Has not been supported empirically
- Justifies policies of mandatory retirement
- Ignores that different types of disengagement exist and that disengagement has different meaning for individuals
What is the legacy of disengagement theory in social gerontology?
- The process of aging is problematic for society, especially the role loss that is part of aging (e.g. retirement, widowhood)
- Adjusting to aging for individuals may be difficult
What are the ontological positions?
- Normative Perspective (functionalism) –> tried to find things out that are universal in truth
- Interpretive Perspective (inc. Symbolic interactionism) –> wha’t true is subjective; how we interpret the world is what is meaningful to us; situational
- Conflict Perspective –> The way our society changes over time is a product of groups competing
How are perspectives and theories related?
Under a perspective, there are multiple theories that try to explain it. (Ex. Under conflict perspective there are three theories: feminist, political economy, cultural)
Describe social systems theory
Looks at social systems the same way we would look at body systems (what is the function, what is the role, what does it do, is it working the way it should)
Describe Internal Continuity
As we get older we try to maintain internal continuity (trying to maintain control over what we can for ourselves- internal consistency values)
Describe External Continuity
The things that we used to do, activities, people we hang out with: we want to keep it the same (roles are similar, activities we engage in are similar.
Define: Successful Aging
Avoidance of disease and disability
What are the three outcomes of the aging process?
- Successful aging
- Usual Aging
- Disease and Decline
What are some criteria of “success” at the societal/population level? (MacArthur Research Network on an Aging Society)
- Productivity and engagement, (labour force and/or volunteerism)
- Cohesion (intergenerational and between socioeconomic classes) –> Relationships between older adults and younger adults
- Balance (pertaining to the risks and benefits of population aging)
- Resilience, (defined as the - capacity to respond effectively to stress)
- Sustainability (defined as the capacity to maintain high function over time)
What are three themes of successful aging according to the Rozanova article?
- Successful aging as an individual choice (this is forgetting things like financial means, genetics, etc)
- Individual responsibilities for unsuccessful aging (you are blamed if you don’t age successfully)
- How to age successfully by staying engaged.
What are the two main causes of population aging?
- Mortality rate decrease (we have better healthcare, better water, people are having less children)
- Fertility rates decrease (rate is currently below “replacement rate” needed to replenish the population)
The population will rapidly age until _____ - the year all boomers will be 65+ - then level off
2031
What are the three major components of demography?
mortality, fertility, and migration
In 2011, 16.5% of the population of _______ was over age 65, but only 3.2% in Nunavut
Nova Scotia
What does cohort research typically investigate?
Cohort research typically investigates the effect of cohort size and distribution in a population. This sort of analysis has become particularly important in gerontology, as the baby boomers move closer to retirement age
What age group population is growing the fastest?
80+
How does the ethnic composition of a population affect the aging process?
The ethnic composition of a population affects aging processes in a number of significant ways because of the importance of ethnic culture on attitudes, values, and behaviours (The place of birth of Canada’s immigrants has changed over the last half century. - used to be europe, now they are more likely to come from other places)