M2 – case study 1
Alan is a 76 year old man who has recently lost his wife. He is completely disengaged. He does not try to socialise as he is still grieving from the loss of his wife and can’t seem to pull himself around.
Firstly the social
Robert Havighurst shuns disengagement theory and states that we fight shrinking into our own little world. He believes that a person who manages to remain optimistic and stay active in their old age won’t retract from society for example they will remain in employment longer. He also stated that people choose what they want to do, for example regardless of age they might choose to go skydiving because they are active enough to do so. Research has shown that, if we remain active in our old age we are more likely to be mentally healthier and are less likely to suffer from depression, for example older…
Michael is 76 years old and lives alone following the death of his wife six months ago. Michael has lived in the house that he shared with his wife for the past 40 years. He has no family or friends to help him although a neighbour has been food shopping for him once a week as since his wife’s death Michael has found it difficult to leave the house. Michael has found it difficultly getting up the stairs unaided…
Unlike the Disengagement theory the Activity theory by Havinghurst and colleagues in 1963 is the idea that the more active an older person is the greater their life satisfaction. Within the Activity theory there is the idea of role changes, for example you once worked but now retired you have filled the time with volunteering, family and socialising. The activities the older people decide…
In 1966 Bromley argued that older people also need to remain ‘active’ to prevent disengagement going too far. Bromley said ‘It is not sufficient merely to provide facilities for elderly people. They need to be educated to make use of them and encouraged to abandon apathetic and fixed habits.’…
The disengagement theory of ageing controversially explains how as we get older, we naturally withdraw from society and it is an inevitable part as a person gets older resulting in decreased interaction between the ageing person and the social system. This could be because older people maybe exclude themselves from social activities, although this could be due to the person’s ability to get around to participating in such activities, leaving restricted opportunities for them to interact with people causing the elderly’s social skill to deteriorate because they are using them less and less. This theory was originally proposed by William Henry and Elaine Cumming in 1961, however this theory is very controversial and many people just don’t agree with it because it all depends on the individual. Some people argue that the loss of socialising is enforced rather than voluntary. For example, if someone needs to go into a nursing home, they will tend to make fewer friends when they are confined in a small space, and even if they do make friendships in the social circle of the care home, then they unfortunately might die off from illness or just old age, leaving their friends with less connections.…
During the ageing process, the elderly may take different approaches to aging and may apply to different theories of aging such as disengagement theory and the activity theory. All elderly individuals will deal with aging in different ways. They may wish to stay active or they may wish to disengage themselves due to depression or they may be unable to deal with the processes of becoming older.…
The activity theory is the needs of staying active in older age and continue being involved in activities. People transitions from midlife to the older age and will remain at the current level of activities. This theory is the focus changes the old age people also have the same motivation, wants, and needs as the middle life counterparts.…
P1) During old age individuals start to consider retirement, this means that most of the elderly become less social in the community, however it gives them more social time with individuals who care about them such as friends and family. If the individual had strong connections with family and friends this would be the stage where an individual can feel they are losing bonds. This is because people around your own age or older will start to lose their lives which will end up leaving you with a loss of a close friend or a family member is can lead to heavy depression and upset.…
which illustrates co-operation of the elderly individual in the process of disengagement between them and society…
While some of her friends have passed away or gone on to nursing homes, she continues to maintain an independent, high functioning lifestyle. However, she knows a time will come when she is not going to be able to continue to live the way she has been living. She described those in her age cohort as varying tremendously in function as they all proceeded into late adulthood. As the research attests, for those in late adulthood, age is not a true indicator of functioning. Research has confirmed that, the better that older people function, the younger older people they feel. Function and development are directly correlated with one another. Thus, it is important to assess the indicators that aid or hinder development in late adulthood. These areas of interest and concern lie in cognitive and physical functioning, ability to have a sense of autonomy, access to social support and economic provisions…
Planning and Henry would process the disengage is meant theory as a way of explaining different behaviour and development in old age. They would suggest that when people reach their 60s they begin to disengage from active role in society for a variety of reasons:…
“Everyone wants to get older, but no one wants to be old” so the saying goes. Many people approaching retirement age look forward to having more time and fewer responsibilities. Yet, they are afraid of becoming aimless and useless. They also fear isolation, unhappiness and diminishing health. What then, is the secret of a happy life? Good friends and a loving family help to bring happiness to young and old alike. However, what others contribute to an elderly person’s life is not all that counts. A long-term study of 423 elderly couples indicated, “making a contribution to the lives of other people…
Aging, the process of developing or growing old; the progression of changes in appearance (American Heritage Dictionary, 2007). The role of the media is to educate and inform as well as other masses; the senior population suffers greatly from negative stereotyping than any other age group. Some media outlets portray aging in a stereotypical way relating old age to death or disease. This essay reflects on how older Americans are portrayed through the different media outlets.…
Remaining active into older adulthood has been shown to increase quality of life by preventing or reducing the risks of diseases that seem to be inevitable with age. People aged 65 and over are more likely to die from heart diseases, cancers, lower respiratory diseases, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s,…
Two major theories explain the psychosocial aspects of aging in older adults. Disengagement theory views aging as a process of mutual withdrawal in which older adults voluntarily slow down by retiring, as expected by society. Proponents of disengagement theory hold that mutual social withdrawal benefits both individuals and society. Activity theory, on the other hand, sees a positive correlation between keeping active and aging well. Proponents of activity theory hold that mutual social withdrawal runs counter to traditional American ideals of activity, energy, and industry. To date, research has not shown either of…