I chose to do chapter one, Aging in America because it is so
relevant to how America as a whole is treating their elderly today. I had never
heard of gerontology until I read this chapter and it’s so important. It’s the
study of our lives in all of its aspects. Hillier and Barrow (2011) state,
“Gerontologists believe that ageism can be ameliorated through education and
the changing health and lifestyle of the “new” elderly, who are more healthy
and vigorous then the population of elders proceeding them”. This is amazing
news to me. There is hope for our elderly population and just in time for the
Baby Boomers to reach those ages. This population as a whole is becoming more
healthy and vigorous and living longer. Women already live longer than men,
which is interesting. Hillier and Barrow (2011) state, “Women seem to have a
genetic makeup that “programs” them to live longer. Some scientists think that
longevity gaps may be due to chromosomal or hormonal differences. Whatever
reasons, older woman outnumbered their male counterparts n 1994 by a ratio of 3
to 2—20 million to 14 million—and the difference grew with advancing age”. This
makes me proud to be a woman but also sad because most women lose their
husbands before they are ready to. Old age can either be a scary time, for
those who are not at peace with their lives, or it can be an exciting time full
of relaxation and family. I don’t believe ageism will ever be completely gone
from our society, however I think it will dramatically improve as life
expectancy continues to climb.
I like how you stated that old age could be a scary time or and exciting time because it I see it that way too. It all depends on how we view people and how they view us. I am not sure in which chapter it was, but I remember reading that in a research most 70-80 year old people said that their most happy stage had been in there 50s and 60s and others said right now (their 70s and 80s). Someone once told me, "you are the age you feel" and I personally think it is true.
ReplyDeleteI also responded to Chapter 1, I thought it was a perfect combination of the definition of "ageism" as well as the changes we've seen aging take over time. I like how you stuck primarily to statistics and the biology of aging. For instance, in today's society, our elder population are living healthier, more active lifestyles than those of previous generations. You're right, that this population could and should start having more fun with their age. Growing older is inevitable, so why not make the most of it?! I believe we should strive to make old age an exciting time rather than a depressing, negative part of life. It will be interesting to see how aging continues to evolve over time, and to see if these more positive ideas can be implemented into society's prejudices to form a new definition of "old".
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