Late Adulthood Many people in the United States and other industrialized countries are living longer. The life expectancy at birth now is 81 years old. Although this is an important achievement, it is important for social workers to understand the affects that increase longevity have on the individual, family life and social work practice. (https://www.nia.nih.gov). There are many negative stereotypes associated with older adulthood. These negative stereotypes arise from the assumption that late adulthood is considered to be the closing period of life span. Some of the commonly held beliefs about late adulthood include the belief that older adults are less active, do not have goals, are retired and are unable to learn new things. Social workers …show more content…
Although we are more educated now about older adults this has not changed our perception of the elderly. Ageism continues to exist. Ageism is the prejudice or discrimination against an individual based on their age; this is usually experienced by older adults. Negative stereotypes are widely spread and accepted by our society and culture. In the United States older adults are more likely to be discriminated because society encourages older adults to be marginalized, institutionalized and restrained from responsibilities, control, and power. Society needs to go back in history and make significant changes. Before the industrial revolution and development of printing press, older adults played an important role in communities. They were seen by society as teachers filled with wisdom. This continues to be true in many cultures were older adults are held in high regards. (Todd Nelson Pg 208). It is important for social workers to be aware of the effect the negative stereotypes can have on older adults. According to Jocelyn and Patricia (2006) gerontologists have argued strongly that negative and often ageist attitudes may be at the root of the worst problems that can affect older people. Social workers need to develop self-awareness of their own views on aging and how these negative stereotypes can affect their practice. Research shows that …show more content…
We need to do everything in our power to protect their rights and well-being. Offering resources that meet the needs of elderly persons is our responsibility. It is important to not make assumptions when dealing with older adults because they all have different needs and each case is unique. According to Elizabeth the type of support and assistance that elderly persons receive can be categorized as either formal or informal resources. Informal resources are mainly provided by the family. Family members can provide great emotional and social support. Gender roles are very much present when taking care of an older adult. Females tend to provide most of the nurturing and caregiving. Daughter are involved in the housekeeping and household chores. The male is the provider. They are more likely to provide assistance with financial matters and household repairs. However, Social Workers need to be aware that not all family networks are functional and other uniformly available resources and support need to be available. Formal resources are services provided by formal services providers. Some of these formal services include Social Security, hospital insurance trust fund, senior centers, hospice programs, and senior housing. Both formal and informal services are key to the well-being of older
Ageing is something that can be split up into many groups like aa variety of things in society. Older people can be categorized into the young-old, the middle-old and, the old-old. That last one seems ridiculous to me. People in each of these groups are generally happier in this time period rather that the previous one because the United states has given the resources for us to be more prepared for aging. Also nowadays people can start planning for their retirements before they even think about getting old.
Ageism is a massive issue that is a part of our everyday lives. This form of discrimination can occur to any individual in any age range. Ageism is usually mentioned when expressing the prejudice older adults experience. The article, “What is Ageism?,” states that, “researchers have suggested that stereotypes about older people often relate to how younger people expect them to behave.” (Have You Experienced Ageism?2022)
Elderly are put into negative stereotypes without knowing the individual. Once you get to know the person you can clearly see that these stereotypes are not the
Discussion 5- Advocacy According to recent data, the baby boom generation will have all retired by 2030, (AARP), which is only 15 years from now. The population in this generation will include 77 million more 65 and older individuals, not including the 54 million already in retirement and receiving Social Security and Medicare benefits. Please note that many seniors also receive some form of federal benefits such as military pensions, survivor’s benefits, annuities, investments income or an awarded settlement (Quad Agno, 14). Unfortunately, in our society driven many times by greed, this has placed our seniors in vulnerable positions, particularly when health and cognitive functions have declined; a slight disadvantage of becoming older (Quadagno,
A. Ageism- prejudice towards people based on their age (Moody, 13). With the life expectancy nearly doubling over the past 100 years, more and more Americans are surpassing the 65-year age landmark. In a survey of people age 60 and above, 80% reported experience with ageism (Dittmann, 2003). Ageism has harm on the mentality of the aging American.
The result shows that 46 or 92% of the elderlies wished that they had more respect to themselves. Forty or 80% of them said that they sometimes pity themselves while 34 or 68% of them perceived that they have little or sometimes nothing to help their family and friends. In addition, 33 or 66% of elderlies said that they are not happy with their accomplishments in life while 32 or 64% of them perceived that they do not have capabilities and good qualities that they can be proud of and shared that they find it difficult to accept the changes happening in themselves at the present moment. Moreover, 28 or 56% of the elderlies shared that they often think and wish that they are in other people’s condition while half of them (50%) think and feel that they are useless. Further, despite of the adversities experienced in later life, 32 or 64% of elderlies didn’t think that they
What is stereotyping? Stereotyping is when a person will make assumptions based on another person’s age, skin color, religion or sex. The most of the stereotypes have very negative impact towards the people. Stereotyping may cause problems such as people discriminating towards others.
Common Stereotypes Everyone at one time or another will stereotype a person or persons based on other opinions and statements about individuals, through their lifetime. The elderly are associated with negativity and that they are not part of society as functioning. The stereotype of the elderly are that they are senile, have memory lapses, irritable, cranky, boring, grumpy, physically and mentally weak, debilitated and cognitively impaired. Stereotypes of Color, Race, or Ethnicity-Related Because cultures are different, individuals of color, race or an ethnic background are thought to be the same and value the same things. Stereotypes of race seem to belittle the population no matter the age or accomplishments.
For example, if older adults worry about gossip around them, they are more likely to experience high levels of stereotype threat (Barber, 2020; Thomas, Smith, & Mazerolle, 2020). In contrast, they may only experience low levels of stereotype threat when in a courtroom under circumstances where they do not feel that their age has been made apparent (Barber,
This type of prejudice still exists today because older people are viewed as less energetic and less
The media often reinforces two extreme stereotypes of older adults. One extreme stereotype shows the negative aspects by highlighting that old age is plagued by illness and a high dependence on others. The other extreme stereotype highlights the seniors that are doing exceptionally well by showing that they are completely independent, finally stable, and maintained a youthful look and persona. These portrayals do not represent the life challenges and successes of the mass majority of aging adults. Older adults are rarely represented in the media, so how they are represented truly matters to their overall image and approach to aging.
PREPARATION OUTLINE Title : Care for the elderly Organisational Pattern : Monroe’s Motivated Sequence Visual Aid : Power point slides General Purpose : To persuade Specific Purpose : To persuade my audience to care for the elderly with respect and dignity Central Idea : The elderly are often neglected and are vulnerable so we must care for them to prevent untoward incidents.
I hope to provide support and medical social services to the elderly population. I realize that senior citizens sometimes struggle with unique age-related health issues and debilitating diseases that make it hard to pursue fully functioning lives. As a social worker I’d help elderly individuals and their families examine their needs, and determine how to make those things happen. The elderly sometimes also endure loss of family support, lack of mobility, depression, abuse and loneliness. I hope to address the daily battles facing our elderly by helping them maintain their independence and dignity.
I believe that the solutions are effective because a lot of people are not able to afford care services for their parents or grandparents although they wish to take care of seniors. Also, some people do not understand the importance of giving attention and listening to elderly’s views. This book parallels with the course objectives of our HSM 220, “Aging in America” class. We learned that aging population is growing rapidly, and there is a need to promote well-being for age-wise citizens in our society. The Age of Dignity book helps us understand the aging process and encourages us to appreciate the multi-disciplinary approach to health of the elderly.
A connection between elderlies and diverse stakeholders such as the local government, church and school can be developed to create opportunities for elderly involvement. Through this interdependent connection, they can suppress negative thoughts and refocus their attention on more positive thoughts and images. In addition, meaningful social engagement can be established, reducing instances of social isolation and loneliness and the quality of life of elderlies can be improved which can lead to enhancement of their overall well-being. This can be supported by Ni (2015) who stated that elderlies can be motivated when feeling of usefulness is encouraged through the provision of small tasks or opportunities. Specifically, collaboration with the following various stakeholders can be