social aspects of ageing Flashcards
What is the dental transition?
People are keeping their teeth into older age
Ages 65-74 years not edentulous-
1968- 31%
2009- 85%
What does the adult health survey 2009 say?
Age is the single biggest reason for a decline in sound and untreated teeth
Edentate older adults-
1978- 30%
2009- 6%
What is old age?
Historical and cultural variations for a given society 
European social survey-
~Turkey- 55
~Greece- 68
What is ageing?
The combination of biological, psychological and social process that affect people as they grow older
~physical changes to body
~shifts in mental processing capacity
~changes in society and social context in which people are ageing
What are the dimensions of age?
Chronological- years Biological- physical Social- norms Personal- own aims Subjective- feel
What is age strata?
People who share similar social rights and duties by virtue of age
What is age cohort?
People born at a particular time show have common experiences
What is the life course?
Consideration of people’s social surroundings and stories of peoples lives over time
What affects experiences of dentistry and oral health?
Legal rule changes
Ongoing research
Social campaigning
Changes to beliefs
What are the different cohorts?
Oldest old Old old New old Heavy metal gen Baby boomers
What is the point of theory?
Helps guide our thinking of ageing
Provides a range of frameworks to examine ageing
Should be challenged by data and interpreted in light of data
What is the disengagement theory?
Growing old- inevitable mutual withdrawal or disengagement
Decreased interaction between an ageing person and others on the social system he belongs to
Irreversible process
What does the adult dental health survey 2009 show about disengagement?
Attend at least every 2 years-
65-74 yrs- 84%
75-84 yrs- 82%
85+ yrs- 74%
What challenges the disengagement theory?
Theory and evidence from ongoing research-
Older people in UK want to keep their teeth and consider oral health a ‘life course project’
What is the structured dependency theory?
People aren’t free to act in any way they see fit
Focuses on ways in which social institutions shape people’s lives
Eg. Retirement, poverty, institutionalisation, restriction of community and domestic roles
What are barriers for older people accessing health care?
Limitations to care Lack of knowledge Training Lack of equipment in care homes Inadequate training in care homes
What is cultural gerontology?
Focuses on role of culture
Culture= varied and complex systems of meaning that constitute everyday life
Multiple cultures of ageing w different representations of old age
- third age
- challenge of individualisation
- fourth age
What is the third age?
Life after child bearing/employment
Social- rest upon social practices
Cultural- given symbolic meaning
Varied experiences of ageing process- older people as active citizens and consumers
What is the challenge of individualisation?
Social identity less of a given
Individual responsibility to perform task and faces consequences of their performance
What is the fourth age?
Social imaginary- set of unstated but powerful assumptions concerning dependencies and indignities of old age
Nothing but the body
Beauty work and distancing to avoid appearing old
What is critical gerontology?
Critiquing and changing society - structural pressures/constraints - meaning - empowerment Ageing negotiated by individual but considering economics/politics in shaping power arrangements and inequalities
What does the life course project involve?
Goals- plan to keep teeth Values- good teeth are important The good dentist Practices- tooth brushing, attendance Outcomes- DMFT
Social project supported by social institutions inc dentistry, regulatory bodies and consumer oral care
