Gerontology clinician Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gerontology clinician - Essay Example Gerontologists study how older people are treated within a society and how elderly deal with the inevitable problems of aging, particularly those involving health and income. Health problems include normal losses in hearing, eyesight, and memory, and the increased likelihood of the incidence of chronic disease. These losses are gradual and proceed at different rates for each individual. In general, the health of older people today is superior to that of previous generations- a condition that is likely to improve still further as more people receive better medical care throughout their lives. In most industrial societies, the high cost of treating chronic illness has been assumed, at least partially, by national health insurance schemes. The second major problem of the elderly involves income and economic welfare. Because most old people no longer form part of the labour force, some form of income maintenance is necessary. Industrial societies generally employ systems of pensions and social security benefits partly for this purpose. In spite of this fact, however, many elderly people live below, on, or only slightly above the poverty level; these are predominantly women and members of ethnic and other minority groups for whom economic security has always been insecure. (Le Shan, 1986) The third factor is that the vast majorities of elderly men are married and live with their wives in homes of their own. In the west generally, many widowed women are able to maintain an independent one- person household. Thus, fewer than about 20 percent of the elderly live in the household of an adult child, and around only around 5 percent are in institutions such as hospitals or nursing homes. Those who live with an adult child or who are institutionalized are typically very old or have serious health problems. Although both the elderly and their children express a strong preference for independent residence, most old people live within a few hours' travel of one of their children. The fourth factor is that the Social relationships might be difficult to maintain in old age because of health limitations, the death of family members and friends, loss of workmates, and lack of suitable affordable transport. Still, many old people invest as much time and energy as possible in friendships and family, and find companionship at special centers and day clubs for senior citizens. Historically, in the past particularly, old people commanded respect, as; indeed they still do in countries such as China and Japan, and the fate of other family members. In most modern societies, however, young people are independent; they themselves choose whom they will marry, and receive public education.(Rashkis, Harold A, 1981). Elderly people themselves, however, often display high levels of morale, satisfaction with life, and feeling of self-worth, even though recently there have been increasing instances of neglect and ill-treatment of elderly people. The important variables in this are, of course, health and income. The responsibility of modern societies in this respect is to ensure that the aged have their basic needs met and that they have the resources to continue to function usefully and happily within the community. (Butler, Robert, 1975). Ageing in biology, combination of changes in an organism that appear to occur inevitably and irreversibly with the passage of time, eventually resulting in death. Among humans they include a decrease in tissue flexibility, loss of some