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Defining Old Age

Employment Aging of Population Life Expectancy

Marital Status Sources of Income

Inequality

Death Staying Active

How do we define old age?

• Chronological Age:– In the United States, 65 is

considered old because people can receive Social Security benefits and Medicare; however, the eligibility age has risen for some to 67

– Does this mean old age now begins at 67?

– In order to join the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), a member has to be 50.

– Should 50 be considered old age?

• Older Age is divided into 3 categories based on chronological age:– Young old: ages 65-74

– Middle old: ages 75-84

– Oldest old: ages 85-older

Defining Old Age

• Functional Age:– One is defined as being old

based on how he/she looks and what he/she can do

– Does this mean a women (age 75) who can swim five laps in a pool is younger than a man (age 40) who can swim only one lap?

– Cosmetic surgery can alter the way people look, thus, altering their appearance

– Three categories of functional age:

• Well Elderly

• Somewhat impaired

• Frail Elderly

• Subjective Age:– Is concerned with how the

individual defines themselves

– How one perceives themselves in age is greatly dependent on one’s functional age

– The two most important factors in determining subjective age are:

• One’s activity level• One’s health

How has the population aged over time?

Aging of the Population

• 1900:– 3.1 million older adults– About 1 of every 25 people– Approximately 4% of population

• The United Nations Typology of Aging:– Young Country– Mature Country

• Between 4%-7% of the population is 65+

• Less than 4% of the population is 65+

– Aged Country• More than 7% of the

population is 65+

• Population Pyramids:– http://www.census.gov/ipc/ww

w/idbpyr.html– Is the United States a young,

mature, or old country?

• 2000:– 15% of whites 65+

– 8.2% of blacks 65+

– 7.8% of Asians and Pacific Islanders 65+

– 6.0% of American Indians and Native Alaskans 65+

– 4.9% of Hispanics 65+

• 2002:– 35+ million older adults– About 1 of every 8 people– Approximately 13% of population

Who lives longer?

• Increase in population of those 65+ is due to an increase in life expectancy

• Life expectancy is defined as the average number of years people in a given population can expect to live

• Who lives longer, men or women?

Life Expectancy

• Leading causes of death in 1900:– Pneumonia and influenza– Tuberculosis– Gastritis, enteritis, colitis

• Leading causes of death in 1998:– Cardiovascular disease– All cancers– Chronic obstructive

pulmonary disease

• Today, more older adults suffer from chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and osteoporosis due to improvements in medicine/technology and the decline in parasitic diseases

• Who do you think suffers from more chronic illnesses, men or women?

Who spends more time in widowhood?

• A larger percentage of women are widows due to the shorter life expectancy of their male partners

• In addition, widowed men are seven times more likely to remarry than widowed women

• Why are women less likely to remarry after the death of a spouse than their male counterparts?

Sources of Income for Older Adults in 2000

Social Security

Savings/AssetsPensions

Inequality in Old Age

• Theory of Cumulative Disadvantage:

– A theory that people who begin life with greater resources continue to have opportunities to accumulate more of them while those who begin with few resources fall further behind

• What group/s are at a an economic disadvantage in old age?

1. Women

2. Minorities

• Gender Inequality:– Women have lower incomes

than men, thus receiving less in Social Security Benefits

– Women have unstable work histories due to child labor

– Women are less likely than men to receive money from pensions:

• 30% of white women

• 10% black women

• 13% Hispanics women

– Women work in jobs that lack pension plans

Inequality in Old Age

• Race/Ethnic Inequality:– 2001 poverty level:

• 8.9% of elderly whites

• 21.9% of elderly blacks

• 21.8% of Hispanics

– African Americans:

• due to discrimination, have experienced higher rates of unemployment and are payed less

• Work in more blue-collar, service industry jobs

• Hispanics:

– 1995 Poverty Statistics• 31.7% of Puerto Ricans• 23.1% of Mexicans• 12.1% of Cubans

– Mexicans have the lowest rates of health insurance due to migrant work

– Many are unable to receive Social Security Benefits because they are illegal aliens

• Native Americans:– Have this highest unemployment

rates of all minorities– Most poorly educated of all

minorities

How do older adults stay active?

• Volunteering

• Exercising

• Religious Participation

Employment• Employment:

– In 2001, 13.1% of Americans 65+ were in the labor force

• 2.5 million men

• 1.8 million women• Age Discrimination in

Employment Act of 1967:– Banned discrimination against

workers aged 40-65 and forbade employers to fire, demote, or reduce the salaries of older workers without good cause

• Bridge Jobs: – are jobs which span the period

between full-time employment and permanent retirement

• Contingent Work:– An arrangement under which

workers do not become a part of a firm’s permanent workforce, but are hired only to do a specific job on a part-time or temporary basis

• Retirement:– Duties:

• Avoid full time employment• Sometimes provide free

services• Live within income• Do not become a burden to

family and society– Crisis theory – views the

occupational role as the major source of personal validation

Stages of Dying• Elizabeth Kubler- Ross:

– Stages of Dying1. Denial2. Anger3. Bargain4. Depression5. Acceptance

• Hospice:– Goal is to allow the

terminally ill to die easily and in peace, without pain, in their own homes, special units of hospitals, or hospice facilities

• Active Euthanasia:– Occurs when a physician,

close friend, or relative helps an ill or disabled person terminate his or her life

• Passive Euthanasia:– Withdrawing medical

treatment from the hopelessly ill