Theories of Ageing

Theories of Aging
Activity theory
This theory assumes a positive relationship between activity and life satisfaction. One theorist suggests that activity enables older adults to be able to adjust to retirement. The critics of this theory state that it overlooks the inequalities in health and economics that hinders the ability for older people to engage in such activities. Also, some older adults do not desire to engage in new challenges.
Activity theory reflects the functionalist perspective that the equilibrium that an individual develops in middle age should be maintained in later years. The theory predicts that older adults that face role loss will substitute former roles with other alternatives.
The activity theory is one of three major psychosocial theories which describe how people develop in old age. The other two psychosocial theories are the disengagement theory, with which the activity comes to odds, and the continuity theory which modifies and elaborates upon the activity theory and though in recent years the acceptance activity theory has diminished, it is still used as a standard to compare observed activity and life satisfaction patterns.
In relation to my individual, when they reach the Elderly life stage they will probably stay active and socialize with other individuals instead of hiding away as they are a confident person with a large group of friends and family members around them to keep them interacting. However, there is a chance that this might not be the case because there could be a knock to their self-esteem because there will be things that they aren’t going to be able to carry on doing as they get older. For example, if they aren’t able to get around as easy as before to socialize then they might disengage from society.
Disengagement theory
The theory was formulated by Cumming and Henry in 1961 in the book Growing Old, and it was the first theory of aging that social scientists developed. Therefore, this theory has historical significance in gerontology. Since then, it has faced strong criticism since the theory was proposed as innate, universal, and unidirectional. This theory of aging states that "aging is an inevitable, mutual withdrawal or disengagement, resulting in decreased interaction between the aging person and others in the social system he belongs to". The theory claims that it is natural and acceptable for older adults to withdraw from society.
The disengagement theory is one of three major psychosocial theories which describe how people develop in old age. The other two major psychosocial theories are the activity theory and the continuity theory, and the disengagement theory comes to odds with both.
Continuity theory
This theory of normal aging states that older adults will usually maintain the same activities, behaviors, personalities, and relationships as they did in their earlier years of life. According to this theory, older adults try to maintain this continuity of lifestyle by adapting strategies that are connected to their past experiences.
The continuity theory is one of six major psychosocial theories which describe how people develop in old age. The other two psychosocial theories are the disengagement theory, with which the continuity theory comes to odds, and the activity theory upon which the continuity theory modifies and elaborates. Unlike the other two theories, the continuity theory uses a life course perspective to define normal aging.
The continuity theory can be classified as a micro-level theory because it relates to the individual, and more specifically it can be viewed from the functionalist perspective in which the individual and society try to obtain a ‘state of equilibrium’. The major criticism for the theory is its definition of normal aging. The theory distinguishes normal aging from pathological aging, neglecting the older adults with chronic illness. However, Feminist theories attack the continuity theory for defining normal aging around a male model. One weakness of the theory is that it fails to demonstrate how social institutions impact the individuals and the way they age.
Since this theory is just an extension to the Activity theory, this also applies to my individual. They would hope to carry on/continue with the same activities and social events they were involved in when they were younger.
Physical changes of Ageing
Skins, bones, joints & muscles: When a person ages, their skins become thinner, less elastic and an obvious sign; they wrinkle. Also, their bones become less dense which means they are more likely to fracture. An ageing person’s joints can become stiffer which also may make their movement more painful as the cartilage on the end of their bones becomes thinner and the ligaments also start to become looser. Also, their muscles will start to become weaker.
Senses: A person’s sense of balance can become impaired and their ability to taste and smell can deteriorate as they age. Also, other deteriorations can be vision and hearing. Hearing deterioration results in the failure to hear high-pitched sounds.
Organs: During the ageing process, it isn’t only the skins, bones, joints, muscles and senses that are affected, the organs are affected too. The muscles in a person’s digestive tract start to become weaker which causes a risk of constipation.
Cardiovascular system: The cardiovascular system is affected in which, the heart becomes less efficient when it comes pumping blood which results in a rise of blood pressure. During the ageing process a person’s arteries which start to become narrower due to the high cholesterol levels but also the buildup of fatty deposits which can also lead to a rise of blood pressure but also an increased risk of a stroke and heart attack. The fatty deposits which might build up in the arteries could break away which might result in one of the important arteries becoming blocked which can result in coronary heart disease where the victim will have the symptoms such as breathlessness and chest pain.
Respiratory system: Changes in a person’s respiratory system will occur too as their respiratory muscles will decline in strength as they age. As a person gets older their lung also might be less efficient. As someone ages they are more likely to develop chronic respiratory disease, for example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema and bronchitis.
Nervous system: There are changes in the nervous system to throughout the ageing process, for example there will be a loss of nerve cells that activate muscles and a decline in the efficiency of neurotransmitters which will increase a person’s risk of developing motor neurone disease, experiencing sensory less and changes to their cognitive function. When there are changes to the nervous system there is a chance they might impair an elderly person’s sense of taste and smell and can also make them less sensitive to the cold, therefore increasing the risk of hypothermia.
Effects of smoking
Since my individual is a smoker and has been since adolescence/young adulthood and is still a smoker in his adulthood there are many risks to his ageing body as smoking can lead to lung and various other cancers. Also it is associated which cardiovascular disease (it causes the arteries to harden and narrow), damage to the respiratory system (especially the lungs) in the form of COPD and emphysema and also damage to the skin.
Psychological changes of Ageing
It is hard to generalise the psychological changes that are associated with ageing as each individual is psychologically different, their experiences are unique. However, there are psychologists who have observed some common patterns. An example of this is, those psychologists who use the disengagement theory have suggested that older people gradually disengage/separate from society as a result of the ageing process. The psychologist Erik Erikson (1968) stated that once a person has reached old age they are in the final stage of psychosocial development where they develop a sense of “ego integrity”. Ego integrity comprises an individual making sense of their life. Therefore holding onto a clear but also meaningful sense of who they are which basically shows that those who have a sense of ego integrity are just individuals in old age trying to protect and keep their independence. Alice Heim (1990) was a psychologist who used her own experiences with ageing in her own study along with the experiences of 160 of her friends and colleagues. In her study it showed that even though she had people within similar cultural and life experiences groups, there were variations in how those people experienced later life. When concluding her study, Heim advocated that confidence in participating in practical tasks decreases in old age, however social confidence increases. This decrease/increase conclusion is one of the contradictions in the ageing process.
Ageing process and theories influence on Health & Social Care provision
Most of the older generations are now deciding to remain in their own homes. They either look after themselves independently or look after themselves but with the support of friends and family and/or social services. There are some older people who choose to move into sheltered accommodation due to the rising costs of maintaining a house because of gas, electricity, food prices etc. Therefore because of the rising costs, the average pension payments wouldn’t cover utility bills and food. Also, there are day centres that provide a social setting where the elderly can socialise with others and meet some of the health authorities that assist with physiotherapy and various other health needs. There is a small proportion of the older generation that decides to go into residential care where they have 24 hour care available. These services seek to endorse choice and they are respectful towards an older person’s preferences and wishes.