Aging
Public Health Issues

Everything in the world changes and does not remain the same forever. Human development is also full of different phases. The three major phases of human life is birth, adulthood and death. Among these three major phases, aging is the process that a person encounters after he crosses the boundaries of adulthood.

One very important thing about aging is that it is very subjective is nature. It is contingent to various external as well as internal features. For example, the culture a person is part of, the physical health of a person, the climate in which a person resides in, the kind of environment he or she lives in etc., play a vital part in accelerating or slowing down this process.

The actual definition of aging varies in different contexts. A generalized definition of aging can be as:

Aging, the process of growing old, is defined as the gradual biological impairment….

Aging, particularly the discrimination against the elderly, is inextricably linked with the field of sociology because it affects the way in which humans behave. Moreover, it is an important social issue because societal attitudes toward aging inform the construction of social institutions. The plight of the elderly is often overlooked in favor of other underrepresented groups, but an analysis of media, politics, and other social constructs reveals that there the elderly are segregated at an analogous level to other marginalized groups. This paper explores aging as it pertains to sociology, exploring the myriad ways in which the elderly are discriminated against and why the study of aging is an integral component to sociology.
As a field of inquiry, sociology is concerned with the construction of society and the analysis of the ways in which human behavior is shaped by society. On first glance, aging may not appear to constitute a viable….

Aging
The social issue in which I am interested is how the aging of society will affect the way that we view the elderly. The idea here is that population growth via the baby boom created a generation that had the economic means -- by virtue of the ratio of working age people to elderly -- to remain at a distance from the elderly. The textbook describes how this generation (and later ones) have traditionally viewed getting older negatively. This generation pursued wealth, and because of the wealth generated it was able to either pay for caregivers for their parents as they become elderly, or that they had this covered through taxes. For example, many parents of baby boomers were in the war, so had coverage for much of their old age care as veterans. High tax receipts have also paid for generous entitlements for the elderly, as things like Medicare….

Aging and Retirement Reference Brochure
Baernholdt, M., Hinton, I., Yan, G., Rose, K., & Mattos, M. (2012). Factors associated with quality of life in older adults in the United States. Quality of Life Research, 21(3), 527-534. doi: 10.2307/41445078

Black, B.S., Johnston, D., Morrison, A., Rabins, P.V., Lyketsos, C.G., & Samus, Q.M. (2012). Quality of life of community-residing persons with dementia based on self-rated and caregiver-rated measures. Quality of Life Research, 21(8), 1379-1389. doi: 10.2307/41684673

Brett, C.E., Gow, A.J., Corley, J., Alison, P., Starr, J.M., & Deary, I.J. (2012). Psychosocial factors and health as determinants of quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. Quality of Life Research, 21(3), 505-516. doi: 10.2307/41445076

Cheung, C.-k., & Leung, K. (2010). Ways that Social Change Predicts Personal Quality of Life. Social Indicators Research, 96(3), 459-477. doi: 10.2307/40649330

Coverdill, J.E., Lopez, C.A., & Petrie, M.A. (2011). Race, Ethnicity and the Quality of Life in America, 1972-2008. Social Forces, 89(3), 783-805. doi:….

As she points out, researcher Leonard Hayflick realizes the difference, and notes that ending aging and curing signs of aging are two very different issues. According to Hayflick, even if all causes of disease and signs of aging were cured, the human being could only extend life by 15 years or less. This is because, while signs of aging may be reduced by such products as elastin Skin evitalizer™, the aging process itself is not actually altered (McCarthy, 547). Hayflick states, "Aging is an inexorable process that begins at about the age of 30 in humans and continues indefinitely" (McCarthy, 547). Clearly, then, a reduction to wrinkles and an improvement in skin does not actually alter the aging process.
So, what is the selling point of products such as elastin Skin evitalizer™, which promise only a youthful appearance? McCarthy believes the issue is related to the drive not for long….

Unfortunately, this largely casts those who have passed retirement age as having little economic relevance and, by consequence, as having little cultural or social relevance.
Impact of Individual Differences:

This suggests that the United States has a permeating cultural ageism. Ageism is a prejudicial mode of thinking that presumes the elderly have little value to offer those around them. This is a disposition that leads to the abhorrent conditions in which many of our aging citizens must live out their final days. Indeed, there are few factors in one's individual aging experience that are more determinant than one's economic status. For those with fewer financial resources to address growing medical needs, for those who lack the funds to secure comfortable living conditions or for those who live in remote, rural or impoverished areas with little access to healthcare facilities, the decline of aging is almost certain to be intensified in speed….

Aging and Periodontium
The aging process takes a toll on everybody's body eventually, whether it's from loss of memory or thinning of the hair, or reduced mobility and hearing. However, one particular occurrence as time progress onward is one's dental records, in particular, the periodontium. The periodontium affects an individual's dental and overall well being by undergoing physical, functional, nutritional, and medical modifications.

Such changes take place either in the regions of the periodontium or the byproduct of such altercations due to aging.

Physically, the periodontium is made up of various parts, which include the alveolar bone, cementum, gingiva, and the periodontal ligament. As time progresses, negative changes are seen in the aforementioned parts, which affect the individual him or herself. The features of aging found in tissues are desiccation, diminished reparative ability, reduced elasticity, and altered cell permeability. The alveolar bone may undergo osteoporosis, decreased vascularity, reduction in metabolic rate and healing….

These grants were to provide community planning and services and for training through research, development or training projects. Its 10 objectives were aligned with the major areas of federal programming. These were an adequate income in retirement according to the American standards of living; the best physical and mental health; suitable housing; full restorative care for those who would require institutional care; employment opportunities without discrimination; health, honor and dignity in retirement; pursuit of meaningful activity at the widest range; efficient community services; immediate benefit from reliable research knowledge; and freedom, independence and the free exercise of individual initiative. Title III of this Act provided grants for community planning, services and training. Amendments made in 1971 and 1974 provided the basis for establishing and operating a nationwide network, the Administration on Aging or AoA. The first implementation strategy of the AoA was to sponsor many small direct service programs….

Aging Process: Gains and Losses
The adult senior population in the United States is growing at an unprecedented rate. In fact, the general population in the country is aging and both public and private elderly care providers need to make adjustments in order to be able to serve this growing population. Furthermore, many government and private industries are affected by this growing population, due to their prevalence in virtually all markets, as they purchase a wider variety of goods and services than ever before. But before the government or private companies can implement concrete policy changes, they first need to understand what the needs of this aging population will be. To determine that, it is important to understand both the gains and losses associated with aging.

Aging Gains

There are numerous advantages to aging for both the aging person and society as a whole. These benefits take many forms and often the advantages….

To remedy this and other similar situations, ountain suggests open and honest communication, during which the adult child should be both firm, honest, and compassionate. It is important to understand the need of an elderly parent to remain an important part of the family, while also creating boundaries within which these feelings can be accommodated. Not doing this effectively can create bitterness, conflict, and an ultimate scar on the parent-child relationship. ountain (2013), however, maintains that effective communication will prevent such scarring.
The relationship between parents and adult children can also be affected by divorce or widowhood. The above-mentioned conflict, for example, can result when a woman who has taken care of her dying husband is left alone after his death. She may experience feelings not only of intense loneliness, but also a continued need to provide care. The most effective solution in such a case is to provide boundaries….

Neither is any proper information available on the cost of treatment and care giving. In the absence of old age homes and nursing centers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, there is lack of information on how to properly take care and handle those old aged people who are suffering from the Alzheimer's disease. Such patients who live with their families and relatives are unable to receive proper treatment and care because of the nature of the Alzheimer's disease. It becomes very difficult to understand the symptoms and the condition of a patient if one is not aware or does not have any prior knowledge about the Alzheimer's disease. This has been a common problem prevalent in the Saudi society for the patients suffering from the Alzheimer's.
Although, it has been quite late when it comes to a disease like the Alzheimer's, the Saudi government has taken notice and initiative….

Aging
Because of the aging baby boomer generation, a lower current birth rate, and advances in health care and medical technologies by 2020 as many as one-fourth of all Americans will be aged 60 or older. This astounding figure has huge implications for American social, political, and economic spheres. For example, the general population will be forced to confront it prejudices and biases against seniors. Currently, American culture glorifies youth to the extent that elderly people are treated poorly, neglected, and taken for granted. In many other cultures, older persons are deemed wiser due to their having accumulated life experience. In the United States, on the other hand, the senior population is often viewed with scorn, as symbols of lost beauty and impending death and decay. However, if twenty-five percent of all Americans are in the senior age bracket then it will be harder to practice biased behaviors. Similarly, an already….

(Toro, 2008) Toro states that policy makers have only recently begun to recognize the needs of these youth after aging. Statistics show that in the area of employment: (1) most respondents had worked since leaving foster care; (2) on average respondents were unemployed only 48% of the time since leaving foster care; (3) the average monthly income when working equaled approximately $598. (Toro,
Education statistics show that: (1) 41% graduated high school; (2) 16% received a GED; and (3) 25% took at least one class beyond high school. (Toro, 2008) in terms of psychopathology findings show: (1) high levels on rief Symptom Inventory, even when compared to a low income sample; and (2) especially high means on Psychoticism and Paranoid Ideation (scores approximately double as compared to normal scores). (Toro, 2008)

SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

This work has clearly demonstrated that while there are many provisions for assisting youth aging out of foster….

How is this achieved? By focusing on what one has accomplished in life and taking pleasure in it: the knowledge that one has raised strong, smart children; that the life one has lived as been one full of meaningful relationships; that one has given something to society; and, that their life has had meaning because of all of these things. This is what Erikson called "generativity," (2009) though Peck focuses more on the things that one has achieved rather than focusing on things that one is achieving on an ongoing basis (2009).
Growing older means that while we must accept our own mortality, we must also accept others' mortality as well. As we grow older, people die around us. While it is a natural process of life, it is not an easy one to deal with. Not only does it cause us to grieve for the people we have lost,….

Aging & Later Life Issues
As people age, life brings issues of economic, health, and functional concerns. Retirement for some may mean a life of freedom, but for most people, it presents a series of issues as social security payments are not enough to make ends meet. Medicare and Medicaid do not always pay all the costs that are needed for services, especially in home and community-based needs. And, living on social security, there are usually not enough funds to pay for a lot of insurance to help meet those needs. Functionality can become a problem, especially with illness, as the activities for daily living slowly deteriorate. There can also be problems of boredom and low self-worth learning to adjust from a work world to a retirement world. Many older people are forced to work as long as they are physical and mentally capable to meet basic needs.

When I am around….