Readings

Question 1

Calasanti

Answer 1

1. old people are seen as burdens and leaching off welfare and this is used to justify cuts to their welfare
2. ageism exists both overtly and implicitly in welfare
3. dependency ratios are used to justify seeing old people as burdens but aren’t used to justify seeing children as burdens

Question 2

Foner

Answer 2

1. social forces related to age ward off age conflict; micro affects macro factors (ex. mutual economic interests in elder programs among all family members of all ages, and intergenerational bonds unite families around needs of all members)
2. more age integration = easier to reduce age conflict

Question 3

Moody

Answer 3

1. boundary problem– what do we consider appropriate for life extension (seen as medical advancements and health promotion) vs inappropriate (seen as “playing God”)
2. we should respond to anti-aging tech the same as global warming– don’t blindly deny something already happening, must adapt

Question 4

Joy et. al

Answer 4

1. myth: age-friendly cities will serve as the most effective approach in improving life-quality
2. age-friendly policies and design only solve micro issues and don’t have enough budget to implement solutions to macro issues

Question 5

Weldrick and Grenier

Answer 5

1. macro and meso factors (community/neighbourhood and broader levels) of social isolation must also be considered in addition to micro (individual, family and household)
2. three aspects of social isolation are time and duration, place and space, and inequality and exclusion

Question 6

Simard and Olazabal

Answer 6

1. we often make assumptions that older people vote conservative and that the only explanation for that is biological age
2. there are other factors to take into consideration when making conclusions about voting patterns based on old age such as social context, lived experiences, and generational affiliation

Question 7

Minkler and Holstein

Answer 7

1. civic engagement is often operationalized and limited to volunteerism (a narrow definition), but should be expanded to include more activities
2. one function of pushing volunteerism among older adults is to reduce government responsibility