Gerontology and the Global Impact of Aging

The subject of aging is both multifaceted and complex when viewed from the perspective of global assessments and forecasts. With mounting disparities on the social issue of aging from culture to culture the projections for the twenty-first century are that global populations are now living longer than even a half century ago, and this reality creates a number of dilemmas for nations both economically and socially. Traditionally, many cultures have venerated the elderly in their society and yet these attitudes have undergone a dramatic shift in many westernized nations. A youth consciousness whose motives and designs are both economically and socially centered has emerged over the last fifty years, particularly in the United States and European nations. The notable increase in life-expectancy has fomented a number of concerns about caring for aging populations and the sustainability of the care that is discussed. To compound this problem are long-held customs that come into conflict with a youth-oriented culture that has the cumulative effect of isolating the aging demographic in societies and dismissing them as irrelevant. With the collision of perspectives about aging and population management, a coherent policy is demanded that addresses the needs and concerns associated with populations living longer than at any pervious point in history.

According to recent projections over sixty nations will have populations which exceed two million citizens who are over sixty-five years of age by 2030 (Kinsella & Philipps, 2005). These are unprecedented projections that call for revolutionary containment and management solutions and consequently force local and state governments to discuss workable solutions for housing and caring for an ever-increasing aging population. This problem did not arrive overnight, and is the cumulative outcome of medical and lifestyle technologies that have often entailed results that were not entirely expected. Extending human life-expectancy is a unique accomplishment, however it also brings with it a set of challenges and measures that demand to be addressed and solved. Although there is a perception that these indices are found only in industrialized first-world nations, this could not be farther from fact; over sixty percent of aging populations reside in less developed nations around the world. In fact, such considerations as traditional diet and pastoral activities contribute to longevity in undeveloped nations, as opposed to an increasingly more sedentary lifestyle in first-world countries such as America. The paradox is that in spite of the medical advances to prolong life, the opposite influences common to consumer oriented first world nations are undermining these advances to an extent that is not present in less developed nations, where traditional vegetable and fish diets and activity offset many of the health issues related to industrialized Western nations (Wilmoth & Ferraro, 2013).

One facet of the issue of aging in today’s world is the negative or restrictive generalizations that often conflate diverse groups of people into convenient and disposable age-categories. Age discrimination, known as ageism, is also a consequence of the prevalent youth culture that emerged in western nations over the last sixty years. Perceptually there is a distancing away from aging populations that suggests at least some degree of self-recognition and anxiety. Curiously enough, the countries boasting the largest percentages of populations over the age of 65 are all European nations, with Italy topping out at close to 20% of the population aged 65 or older. By contrast the United States has a modest aging population just over 12% (Kinsella & Phillips, 2005). The subject of gerontology is unique because it entails so many aspects of modern cultures, and the traditions and attitudes toward human mortality and the later phase of life. Beyond the statistics and external social and economic questions attached to managing and caring for the aging demographic, are the spiritual and philosophical considerations that ultimately tether the aging generation to the emerging one. In many unrecognized ways the older generation bequeaths a cultural imprint for the younger one.

Critical differences in management and care for aging populations vary from culture to culture; however, today in many western nations nursing homes have become a more popular alternative for caring for elderly family members whose specific needs cannot be met by family alone. Because the needs of the elderly population are radically different from the needs and general autonomy of the younger or middle-aged demographic, there is a strategic disconnect somewhere in the mix. It is not an uncommon complaint that aging family members eventually become an unwelcome burden, and there are a set of psychological and emotional issues that come to the surface. The social and economic needs of the aging population gradually go through a transition in which the sense of independence and self-sustainability is lost. At this point there is a collision between more traditionally accepted family responsibilities toward aging family and the alternatives now available for care facilities (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2010). These adjustments are often painful and disorienting for individuals who were active and fiercely independent in their younger years, and dealing with the emotional and psychological issues of aging is an emerging component of elderly care.

An inclusive approach to meeting the social and economic/situational needs of the aging population would involve a balance of interpersonal care and structured living as may be available through the nursing home alternative (Robnett & Chop, 2009). Part of the trepidation of nursing homes is the presumption that the individual is somehow being exiled from their family and ‘warehoused’ for the remainder of their lives. For many older people the experience is not only distancing but also debilitating in the sense that they feel abandoned by their families. The dispensations for the older population also vary from culture to culture, however the demands placed upon family to care for the older members of their family are relatively common. While many families opt to care for their parents or grandparent until the end of their life, others opt for nursing homes or full-time in-house aides. The process is daunting because of the associations and implications involved. To an extent younger people see a distant reflection of themselves in the older generation and the effect is unsettling (Goldsmith, 2011). No one wants to see themselves gradually become physically and economically dependent upon family members, or consigned to a full-time care facility because they can no longer care for themselves after a lifetime of doing so.

Gerontology is an evolving field of study simply due to the extended life-expectancy over the last several decades, and the unique set of challenges presented by this phenomenon. Meeting the specific clinical, social, economic and situational needs of aging populations demands innovative approaches that take into consideration each stage of the challenges and offer common sense prescriptions for a smooth transition into the final stage of life. Another important consideration are the changing definitions of “old” that are an outcome of increasing longevity, or how aging is understood in societies that are undergoing rapid advancement in medical technologies and adaptive models for caring for the aging populations (Hamilton, 2011). Age is consciously conflated with mortality and this association is a significant factor in the debate over extended life-expectancy and the specific means for addressing the challenges it brings. Although lifestyle and medical refinements are part of the explanation for increased aging populations, decreased fertility rates over the last forty years throughout the industrialized nations have resulted in a proportionally increased older population (Holstein, Parks, & Waymack, 2010). These changes resulted, in many respects, from the abandonment of traditional gender roles and the entry of women into the workforce. Even in societies where gender roles were rigidly adhered to, such as Japan, increasing numbers of women opted for college and entered into professions that were once the exclusive domain of males.

As global societies ponder the social, political and economic impact of exponentially increasing older populations and the departure of outdated models for addressing their needs, innovative and humanistic strategies and alternatives will be developed and tested. Gerontology is an active process for providing these crucial answers and offering feasible solutions for the challenges and expenses entailed by dramatically increased life expectancy in the twenty-first century. In any civilized culture or society the measure of collective ethics might be determined by exploring the methods for meeting the needs of the older population, and preserving their dignity up to the end of their life (Cavanaugh & Whitbourne, 1999).

References

Cavanaugh, J. C., & Whitbourne, S. K. (1999) Gerontology: An interdisciplinary perspective (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.

Goldsmith, T. (2011) Introduction to biological aging theory. Azinet Press.

Hamilton, I. S. (2011) An introduction to gerontology. Cambridge University Press.

Holstein, M., Parks, J., & Waymack, M. ( 2010 ) Ethics, aging, and society (1st ed.). Springer Publishing Company.

Hooyman, N., & Kiyak, H. A. (2010) Social gerontology: A multidisciplinary perspective (9th ed.). Pearson.

Kinsella, K., & Phillips, D. R. (2005). Global aging: The challenge of success, 60(1). Population Reference Bureau.

Robnett, R. H., & Chop, W. C. (2009) Gerontology for the healthcare professional (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Wilmoth, J., & Ferraro, K. (2013) Gerontology: Perspectives and issues (4th ed.). Springer Publishing Company.