Aging is a phenomenon that affects all human beings. Aging and Gerontology are the branch of science that deals with old age, the ageing process, and the problems faced by old people in society. It is important to know the aging process, its impact on the individual and on society. Gerontology provides students with knowledge and critical understanding of the processes of aging and adult development. Gerontology prepares students for career opportunities working with healthy and independent older adults, with older adults who have health problems and other age-related limitations. Gerontologists study what it is like to be an older adult in a society and the ways that aging affects members of a society.
Legal and Ethical Issues and Aging;
Disability and Functioning in Aging;
Images of Aging in the Humanities;
Grandparent-grandchild relationships;
Molecular Biology of Aging;
Cognitive Function and Aging;
Activity and Successful Aging;
Assistive Technology and Aging.
What are the problems of an aging society?
What is aging from a developmental or life course perspective?
What is the social and economic outlook for an aging society?
Longevity Increased by Positive Self-Perceptions of Aging - Becca R. Levy and Martin D. Slade, Suzanne R. Kunkel, Stanislav V. Kasl. This research found that older individuals with more positive self-perceptions of aging, measured up to 23 years earlier, lived 7.5 years longer than those with less positive self-perceptions of aging. This advantage remained after age, gender, socioeconomic status, loneliness, and functional health were included as covariates. It was also found that this effect is partially mediated by will to live.
What is Sociology of Aging and the Life Course? - Sociology of Aging and the Life Course provides an analytical framework for understanding the interplay between human lives and changing social structures. Its mission is to examine the interdependence between (a) aging over the life course as a social process and (b) societies and groups as stratified by age, with succession of cohorts as the link connecting the two.
Sociology of
Aging
A. Lobo, C. De la
Cámara, P. Gracia-García.
Abstract: Aging is certainly related to physiological changes the body goes through during the life course but is also influenced by the social norms and expectations pertaining to different periods in the individuals’ life. The purpose of this chapter is to address both empirical data and theoretical background studied in the sociology of aging. This discipline seeks to understand the social aspects in the process of aging and the challenges encountered as seniors grow older.
The aging in the population is approached to explain demographic changes, including those related to marital status, migration, educational level, or socioeconomic status. This chapter reviews some specific challenges for the elderly, including the ageism, abuse, and stereotype, and analyzes classical sociological theories of aging. This chapter ends by portraying potential guidelines for actions on aging.