Preview

Later Adulthood

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1371 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Later Adulthood
Later Adulthood

Aging in our society can be a very stressful time regarding our elderly. They are going through tremendous changes not only physically, emotionally, but also socially. It is in our best interest to help them make the proper adjustments during what can be a difficult time for some. Retirement is not always the best thing for our senior citizens. It can be a trying time as they no longer feel useful. We need to insure they remain productive by maintaining relationships with friends and family, volunteering, finding a hobby, and most important maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Because our society is so obsessed with youth, many of our senior citizens feel left out. In Japan, they treat their elders with the utmost respect. (Maslow, Kirst 2010). It is our turn to treat our senior citizens with the same respect instead of shunning them from society. At times their living accommodations are not suitable and the amount of healthcare they may need can cause stress in their lives. Their relationships with their spouses, children, friends, and coworkers change dramatically. It can be a difficult transition and is up to us to make sure they can ease into later adulthood with positive attitudes and a foundation of hope for their future.
In their later adulthood years, the elderly experience changes in their roles and social position. Upon retirement, many aging individuals may withdraw from their social network circle. This may happen when the individual is not ready to retire and resents being forced to retire. They begin to feel unwanted and feel they no longer have anything in common with their friends. Our society does not incorporate the elderly desires of remaining productive which may cause them to disengage in socializing with their peers. Their social status changes from teacher, pharmacist, and store manager to perhaps a regular Joe in the neighborhood. This can impact their mentality and their ability to maintain a positive

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Travel and technology, some older people do not have access to a car, the internet, or a mobile phone, this may limit their opportunities for social contact.…

    • 971 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    unit 4 P4 and M2

    • 1314 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Disengagement theory - The disengagement theory, proposed by Cumming and Henry in 1961, suggests that older people make a positive effort to withdraw from life as a response to their decreased physical, intellectual, emotional and social skills. It suggests that they are willingly retire from work; willingly withdraw from relationships and disengage from roles, preferring to follow inactive, solitary activities; and willingly give up their normal ways of behaving, becoming more less friendly and companionable and sometimes hostile in their interactions. Cumming (1975) argued that older people would experience a decrease in social contact as they grew older and become increasingly 'individual' and isolated (less concerned with the expectations of others). He argued that it was appropriate and healthy for older people to withdraw from others - disengagement was a natural part of ageing. Zimbardo (1992) argued that ‘The disengagement view of social ageing has been largely discredited for a number of reasons’. The majority of older people do remain socially involved with family and friends and many older people become more involved with their family as they get into…

    • 1314 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When people retire If they are lucky enough to be financially stable and can travel or perhaps take up something they have always loved to do such as art or other projects; becomes active in their community then they build on that self esteem. Some people when retired are plagued with ill health and unfortunately are limited to what they can do and become depressed or bed-ridden, but vast majorities are still very active. Men in particular generally work three quarters of their life so it is difficult for some men to settle in to being around home more and this includes the wife having her husband around more often. Some retired couples may do other activities and enjoy being around their home, perhaps gardeners or golfers, but often the males or females may go back to work part-time because they miss work life or their friends or colleagues. Often times society neglects to understand the wisdom of many of the seniors and that they are still very useful in society if given a chance and has a tendency either to treat them like they have had a lobotomy or dismisses the fact they are even surviving and therefore it is the younger aspect of society that takes away the dignity and oppresses the elderly. The elderly still want to remain independent; keep their dignity and be useful both in the family and in any aspect of Society. It is Society that can be ignorant to the fact that just because a person is over the age of 60 they are no longer useful. The fact that the younger generation can sometimes stereotype the elderly as not being useful anymore can seriously affect an individuals self-confidence and if they keep being told this, then after awhile they will start to believe it and act on it, meaning they just give up on their independence and what should be the last happy moments of their…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Unit 28

    • 1233 Words
    • 4 Pages

    This theory highlights the importance of on-going social activity and believes older people should be encouraged to stay involved whilst suggesting that people will be more satisfied with their lives if they remain active as well as ensuring friendships and relationships are intact by interacting with others just the same. It also suggests that someone who remains an active member of society will increase their health and wellbeing and that own-age friendships should be developed. The only criticism of this theory is that some people are more than happy as they are and want to live alone not to mention the fact that not everyone is able to be as active as they would like.…

    • 1233 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “You’re a liar” said one of Trump’s supporter. Since after Donald J. Trump sworn into the office, many of his supporter are outraged because Trump did not his promises during the campaign. During the 2016 election, Donald Trump’s campaign fought fiercely against Hilary Clinton’s campaign. To win the election Donald Trump promised “to build a great, great wall on our southern border” and “have Mexico pay for that wall.” Because of his strong promise, he gets people in electoral college to vote for him, but soon after he got in the office he disappointed them by making us (the taxpayer) pay for the wall. The second promise that Donald Trump made during his campaign is bring the coal mining jobs back; he said “I’m going to be the greatest jobs…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    As adults enter the stage of later adulthood, many changes will begin to develop for each person. The aging process includes transitioning from work life to retirement, changes to roles, social positions, social policies, determining living accommodations with healthcare needs, and relationships with families and peers. The stage known as the golden years comes with great challenges while adjusting to the many changes in a person’s life. (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2010). Transition from work to retirement…

    • 1514 Words
    • 44 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    This theory also suggests that when the elderly become withdrawn, they will have feelings of unhappiness and directionless until they adopt a role to replace their accustomed role that is compatible, such as using their time to go to bingo where they would meet different people who they could talk to, or going out on trips organised for the elderly in which they can refresh their minds and enjoy the company of other people. The disengagement theory mansions that aging is an inevitable, which results in decreased interaction between the elderly individual and others in the social system they belong to.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Activity 1 2

    • 1294 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Society plays a big part of this theory as it contributes to the behaviour portrayed towards the elderly. The younger generation may look down the elderly, which has a major influence on the idea of society having adverse expectations and behaviours of the elderly due to the degrading health and disabilities. Instead, Cumming and Henry suggest that older people will prefer passive, solitary activities, and will be willingly give up traditional or normal ways of behaviour. Disengagement is socially constructed and a product of our cultural beliefs about the nature of ageing. What we define as being disengaged may, from the point of view of the elderly, be very engaged are spending time with grandchildren, travelling, volunteering, or even playing bingo passive and empty ways to spend time, or ways of engaging with others around common activities. This can lead to negative emotional development as a senior may feel that they are no longer have any value to roles in society because gradually, the power of older people will decrease and will be overtaken by the younger generation, which can lead to depression and isolation.…

    • 1294 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    With a lot of free time on their hands, the aging adult needs to build some sort of structure and purpose into their lives. If they are new to retirement, boredom can have a negative major impact on their lives. Socialization is very important: joining a church, clubs, and organizations are very good for socialization and family. Grandparents and great grandparents can become caregivers to the children. My Aunt, that will be 90 in December, watches two of her great grandchildren several days a week. The bonding and the sense of purpose are so very important to the aging adult as well as the importance of memories create for the…

    • 1402 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “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…

    • 1625 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Analyzing late adulthood and the death of an individual as a culmination of the life span development process one must understand late adulthood consists of. This paper will give a brief overview of ageism and stereotypes associate with late adulthood. This will explain how health and wellness techniques in the late adulthood stages can mitigate the negative effects of aging. As people age the social views and experiences changes in relationships and interactions with individuals, as he or she nears end of life. When closely approaching the end of life, a person has cultural and personal attitudes about death and dignity in late adulthood.…

    • 1446 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    During our life time it is inevitable that we will grow older. People 65 an older are living longer lives. This age group has been increasing over the years with the help of new technology. During this stage in life we will go through many life transformations. First we will change not only physically, but mentally, and emotionally, and socially. Our roles in life will change drastically and if not prepared it will not be a smooth transition. If a person was once very independent in their younger years and now will need to be dependent on others for assistance it could become a big problem. They may need help with basic daily health needs such as bathing, cooking or may need help getting around town. There are many assistant living facilities that will assist them if needed. Another issue in…

    • 1174 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Aging, the process of growing old, begins the moment that a person is born; it is inevitable. All cultures deal with the ageing process. However, with the older population growing more rapidly, societies have to deal with it in larger number than before. ‘Baby boomers’ have a significant impact on society in when it comes to the economy, social structure and healthcare system. As the baby boomers represent 20% of the American population, it is clear that as they age, current societies are going to need to reconstruct in order to be accommodate the aging population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the world population is rapidly ageing and it is expected that the number of people aged 60 years or older should increase from 605 million to 2 billion by 2050. While North American societies tend to view aging in a negative light and dread the prospect of aging, other societies on the other hand, embrace their aging population. Understanding the difference between the treatment of the elderly in East Asia and North America is important as it allows for the public to…

    • 1525 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Late Adulthood

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In this paper I will be looking at ageism and stereotypes that associated with late adulthood, evaluating how people in late adulthood can promote health and wellness to help prevent the negative effects of aging. I will also be analyzing the importance of relationships and social interactions towards the end of a person’s life and identifying the cultural and personal attitudes about death and dignity in late adulthood.…

    • 1276 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Disengagement Theory

    • 1747 Words
    • 7 Pages

    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…

    • 1747 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays