Psychology of Aging - Gerontology Lesson 1 PDF

Lesson 1 Themes and Issues in Adult Development and Aging  How useful and meaningful is a person’s age? Age for retirement? People of the same age can be substantially different People of different age can be more similar. Chronological age has some value...

Lesson 1 Themes and Issues in Adult Development and Aging  How useful and meaningful is a person’s age? Age for retirement? People of the same age can be substantially different People of different age can be more similar. Chronological age has some value in describing a person Social meaning attached to it that matters more. Is there any problem in using age to define people? Maturity hard to measure and determine Physical? Psychological? Social attributes? Or law? Controversial definitions & cut-off Chronological age and the expectations and privileges of a given society Are you satisfied with concept of chronological age? If not, what alternatives can be used as indices of aging? Functional age how people actually perform more accurate harder to determine. Biological age Functioning of organ systems Abilities to perform vital functions Help to improve physical fitness Getting sophisticated but no reliable measures yet Psychological age Functioning on psychological tests Reaction time, memory, learning ability, intelligence Social Age social roles Family or work roles What is the Cut-Off Age for Older Adulthood? 65 years of age has been viewed as the entry point for “old age” Arbitrary number In 1889, German Chancellor set this age when people could receive social insurance. Too broad a category Subgroups Young–old (65-74) Old-old (75-84) Oldest-old (85 or above) Centenarians (100-109) Supercentenarians (110 or above). Usually 114-116 is the limit. How old is the oldest documented? 122 years and 164 days (died 1997) Why do we adopt a biopsychosocial perspective? Development is a complex interaction What is Gerontology? the scientific study of aging process and problems of the elderly an interdisciplinary field Which aspects do you think it might study? Biological Cognitive Psychological Social Cultural Economic Political Myths about Older Adulthood and Ageing (Misconceptions which are not true/not right) It’s OK to treat an older adult as if they Older adults are all alike were a young child Elder speak is patronizing More diverse than other age groups A person becomes old when he/she Older adults have no capacity or interest becomes 65 years old for sexual relation Some older adults are still active and Many are still sexually active productive, enjoying lives It is not age but health All older adults are sick or disabled, or Personality changes with age both Remains fairly stable See above You can’t teach an old dog new tricks Many older adults live in nursing homes Only needs extra time and practice Only a minority Old age is a time that most people tend to Old age is accompanied by memory loss feel most depressed in their lives and dementia Paradox of wellbeing Ageing impact everyone differently but some I don’t need to know about aging if I am types of intelligence and memory tend to not going to be a gerontologist remain Dementia is not a part of normal aging Everyone is impacted by ageing personally and professionally while the country, economy and society are impacted too. Key Social Factors in Human Development Sex vs Gender Sex: inherited predisposition mainly through sex hormones Gender: identification as being a male or female a certain role in society Key Social Factors in Human Development Race vs Ethnicity Race based on physical characteristics differences in genetic inheritance e.g. risk factor for certain illness Ethnicity cultural background reflecting predominant values, attitudes, and expectations of families and societies e.g: greater respect for older adults Cultural habits, traditions and discrimination may influence physiological functioning This term is gradually replacing the term race in social research. Key Social Factors in Human Development What is socioeconomic status, SES, or “social class”? How could you determine and calculate it? position in the educational and occupational ranks of a society usually calculated through a weighted formula of : educational Occupation income Health, social class and occupation are closely related. Key Social Factors in Adult Development and Aging Religion vs Spiritual Quest Religion individual’s identification with an organized belief system influences development in adulthood increased attention partly connected with race and ethnicity Influence and Support Coping strategies Social support in times of crisis A systematic basis for interpreting life experiences Relatively little research on the role of organized religion (and even less on spirituality) in the lives of aging adults Middle Aged and Older Populations in Our Country and the World The age-sex structure is a useful way of looking at the population How should a “young” population look like ? Pyramid How about an “old” population？ Upside-down pyramid How about a stable population? A rectangle Different generations Greatest Generation（those fought the WWII) Silent Generation(those in their teens in 1950s) Baby Boomers (born after WW II, born 1946-1964) Generation X (Children of Baby Boomers) Gen Y (Millennials, born around the year 2000) Changes in the Population Structures In the World When Baby Boomers Grow Up USA 4% (3.1 million) of people aged 65 or above in 1990 with about 37,306 centenarians 13% (40.3 million) of people aged 65 or above in 2010 with about 53,364 centenarians 21% (83.7 million) projected in 2050 with 442,000 centenarians Malaysia 5% of people aged 65 + in 2010 7.2% estimated in 2020 14.5% projected in 2040. Japan Highest rate of older adults worldwide The graying of Japan 5% in 1950 Nearly 25% in 2011 Reasons Life expectancy is increasing better medical conditions. Lower death rate among infants Lower death rate in all age groups, especially among older adults Low fertility rate Fertility Rate in Malaysia The world fertility rate was 4.894 births per woman in 1960 and 2.448 in 2015. Malaysia population was 29.9 million in 2014. Thus, the fertility rate is decreasing in Malaysia, and in the world Life Expectancy At Birth Over the Years  Ratio of older men and women >65 was 0.9 : 1 (2016 statistics) Life Expectancies At Birth 13 “super-aged” nations by 2020: 6. Switzerland 7. U.K. 1. Japan 8. U.S. 2. Germany 9. Australia 3. Italy 10. China 4. South Korea 5. France Challenges Faced By An Aged and A Youthful Population Aged population, such as Japan and U.S. More resources required More reliance on economically active people health care service will be taxed Youthful population, e.g. Philippine, African countries 36% < 15 years old in 2011 High birth rate, 2.98 births per woman in 2014 Relative lower life expectancy (68 years old) Consequences: May not have enough jobs in the future Put strain on education and health care systems More reliance on economically active citizens As a conclusion Life expectancy is increasing Fertility rate is decreasing The world is graying at a break-neck pace and that's bad news for the global economy In fact, Malaysia’s median age was 26.3 years in 2010 and is projected to reach 38.3 years in 2040. We are projected to become an aged nation by 2030 and a super-aged nation by 2054 What are the impact of aging population? What are the preparations required?