1. Marc Freedman's assertion that old persons commonly feel a lack of purposeful relationships after retirement got me thinking about ways in which they can recapture this sense of purpose. A student-initiated club at Stanford, Generation to Generation, brings Stanford students to senior centers where senior citizens and students can spend time together through conversation, games, arts activities, etc. Aside from public service (i.e. Habitat for Humanity, etc.), might such a form of intergenerational bonding infuse a renewed sense of purpose into the lives of the aged? Sharing experiences with younger people could inspire comfort in older people through the knowledge that their stories will survive through generations.
2. Freedman also mentioned Jung and Mead's notions of aging as an evolutionary adaptation, contending that the aging society is evidence that longevity is meaningful and critical for the survival of the human community. Given that those who are "old" are past their reproductive years, the value of longevity is clearly beyond just Darwinian evolution or genetics. The value of longevity, then, might come from the wisdom and cultural knowledge that is passed on from generation to generation rather than the physical production of new members of society -- i.e. even though a 60-year-old woman cannot produce more offspring, the stories she passes on to her grandchildren are valuable in and of themselves.
3. McInnis-Dittrich defines Ageism as "prejudices/stereotypes attributed to older persons based solely on their age." This definition made me wonder whether ageism should also include prejudices attributed to younger persons as well. Perhaps McInnis had intended to define Ageism only as relevant to the subject of her article. Either way though, could the fact that most of us immediately think of Ageism as associated with the old (as opposed to associated with the young) point at deeper societal biases against the old that are linguistic reinforced? If aging is continually portrayed as a painful and debilitating process, then it is no surprise that the term "ageism" is so commonly assumed to be negatively directed towards the old, and not the young.
Prime Time:
1 – Will poor seniors be able to take part as fully in Freedman’s “new evolutionary class” or will Maslow’s hierarchy of needs relegate them to a less purposeful, dare call it valuable, existence?
Aging and the Life Course:
2 – What are the implications of a leveling dependency ratio between the elderly and children? Might the need to take care of more seniors vs the more steady “child load” mean that we develop a more hopeful and dynamic view of aging where the slogan “Seniors are our future” sits alongside “Children are our future?”
So Funny I Forgot to Laugh:
3 – Laws and changes in public opinion against racism and sexism came to the fore as minorities and women became “relevant” by making notable contributions to arenas dominated by the privileged group. Said differently, as women and minorities ventured beyond their “place” in society they became powerful because they became “apples” to “apples” thus making it less acceptable to make disparaging remarks or fall victim to systematic bias. What stands in the way of ageism going the same way as boomers enter their senior years? And are Americans truly so short-sighted that we can construct an ism even when we will all ideally become a part of the underprivileged group?
1.) What are some criticisms about the way that Trafford presented the study’s conclusions? What are some criticisms about the study itself?
2.) What are the various methods for measuring population demographics? What are some challenges associated with getting accurate measurements? (Quadagno paper)
3.) What are the most important challenges that result from the aging population of baby boomers? (Freedman paper)
1. Quadagno mentions the statistic that women live longer than men in most countries. I?ve heard this before, but is there an explanation for why this is the case? In most social contexts, women have not had the dominant role in society, which makes me wonder if they did, would they be living even longer?
2. Reading all of these articles made me think of how many questions I haven?t asked my grandparents and other relatives of mine. That said, what I have talked to them about is very different than what I learned from these articles, with the exception of the information about social security. One thing I?ve talked to my grandmother about a lot is how lonely she feels at times. My grandfather passed away 5 years ago and dealing with the death of someone that she lived with for over 2/3 of her life has been very difficult for her. Are there any articles written on the psychology of this kind of loneliness that often occurs in elderly people who have lost loved ones? What about the psychology of facing death so often? My grandmother says she probably attend at least 1 funeral per month, if not more.
3. In discussing whether the elderly population will be willing to jump into public service or not, Freedman write, ?We just need to be patient.? I was a bit confused by this because if we are ?patient,? than a new generation of elderly people will emerge and that other generation that we were ?waiting on? will die. Does he mean that we should wait for a new generation to emerge, or wait for this current generation?
Why does our society continue to encourage/enforce retirement at age 65, when life expectancy is significantly higher now than it was when that retirement age was instituted?
How does a person keep their preconceptions about the elderly from interfering with their interactions with elderly people?
Given that life expectancy is longer for women and for men, what social structures are in place to deal with this discrepancy?
1. Reading the introduction to Prime Time, it occurred to me that maybe what retired adults want most is flexibility. Because they don't want to start punching the time card again, perhaps they stay away from "employment" of any form. But why shouldn't we be able to create a sort of "career center" for retired adults just like "Nifty after Fifty" started a gym for older people... The center could help retired people find employment that is the right level of engagement for their taste and gives them back a sense of purpose.
2. Ageism is woven in to the fabric of our culture; after all, we're the nation of opportunity for the young, self-made man. Our country is not like China or Georgia where elders are valued and respected. How do we go about changing that? How do we make an entire nation change its notion of aging?
3. As our life expectancy nears our life span the body necessarily deteriorates. "So funny I forgot to Laugh" points out not remembering your wife's name is a sign of disease, not old age. But disease increases with age --- how do we prevent people from linking the two?
** Another thought (not necessarily from the reading): I find the study of aging fascinating and believe there is tremendous value in it. However, playing the devil's advocate, I wonder how to reconcile the fact that many of the problems elders face now will be different from those the younger generation will face when they grow old. The two generations have grown up with some significant environmental differences e.g. vaccines, seat belts, chemotherapy, et.c etc.
Social Work with Elders:
Countertransference is mentioned in both the positive (helping too much, oversympathy) and negative (dislikes) ways. How could we tell when one of them is happening and how to avoid countertransference when working with or designing for the elderly?
So funny I forgot to laugh:
This article really challenge our idea of ageism and jokes that contain these connotation. However, I am hesitant on the author's quick conclusion from Levy's study. Can such strong conclusions be drawn? For example, has this same test been replicated on younger adults to see if this effect is purely a negative priming effect or rather an effect that has to do with aging.
Prime Time:
The article raises the fact that the elderly is a vast untapped resource. We have all been taught as children to respect our grandparents and that they have a lot of experience that we can learn from. In the chinese culture, we were taught that the elderly person in the family is like a treasure chest. We may all have been taught that way but do we really treat them as our resource rather than a dependent burden? What attitude changes need to be made to make enable us to truly tap into this resource?
1. In dealing with countertransference issues of the benevolent sort, what defines inappropriate caregiving? Do you think the majority of the caregiving attitudes stem from compassion and a true desire to help the elderly? If so, how then does one decide whether it is the caregiver or the care-receiver who is in the "wrong"?
2. Where do you draw the line between encouraging an elderly person to stay active (active aging) and taxing them until they are exhausted? Can you describe some examples that straddle this fine line?
3. What are some good ways to create awareness about post-retirement activities for soon-to-be-retired employees? For example, could employers dedicate a portion of an employee's last few weeks to letting them know about public service options that are in line with the kind of work the employee is accustomed to?
1. Based on Social Work with Elders
Must it be detrimental to express benevolence or sympathy to an Elder who faces very real challenges? Wouldn’t the same argumentation have to apply for human beings of all ages?
2. Based on Social Work with Elders
Based on the previous question, what is the optimal personal treatment that Elders should receive (i.e. what interactions with workers, friends, family, etc. would be most enriching and rewarding)?
3. Based on So Funny I Forgot to Laugh:
Trafford suggests the need for a more positive and inspiring image of the aging process. How should the joys and potential hardships of aging (physical or otherwise) be portrayed such that they reflect a positive and realistic image of the Elderly?
1) Ageism does not receive nearly the amount of attention that sexism or racism do, and our language is filled with ageist statements. Why is discrimination against the elderly still seen as acceptable?
2) Bangladesh, South Korea, and Japan have very different age pyramids. What are some examples of cultural norms in each of these countries that reflect these age profiles?
3) As a result of the rapid growth of the US's elderly dependency ratio, what laws, if any, will need to be revisited? How does this impact our society?
The older people in my life are the most civically-minded people. They read the newspaper every day, and importantly, they vote in every election. If this is a general trend, why aren't more of the issues raised by Prime Time central features of the current political debates in this country?
Why do we isolate our older citizens in nursing homes and assisted living facilities? Is that really the best type of "community" for older people? for younger people?
Many cities have worked to integrate low-income housing into mixed income neighborhoods. What can we learn from these experiments about building housing and neighborhoods that support people of many ages?
Is it fair to look at ageism as a stand-alone phenomenon? It seems to me that aging may be experienced very differently by men and women. For example, women still tend to bear the largest burden in child rearing, as well as elder care. It doesn't surprise me at all that it was a woman in Freedman's preface who called and expressed exhaustion. Another gender-based aging difference is in appearance: the acceptance of men's gray hair versus women's hair dye and make-up to look eternally young and wrinkle-free. Yet another is our culture's rule that one never ask a woman's age (my sense is that men celebrate milestone birthdays more often than women). And of course, the sex ratio described in Quadagno's chapter is bound to impact our expectations for aging.
What are the implications of planning for "a large pool of healthy and publicly minded senior citizens"? I am excited at the thought that expertise be valued by society, but concerned that it be expected to be given without pay. Only seniors who are 1) professionals and 2) financially secure have the luxury of providing the volunteer services he describes. How to harness their wisdom without taking advantage? How to provide flexibility to the seniors and still make their work contributions central? And again, how does this proposal interact with gender, given that women of the boomer generation are less likely to have worked outside the home? I guess I'll need to read the book.
Again on the topic of work: it is currently difficult for even well-credentialed workers to change jobs after the age of 50. Once nearing the end of expected productivity, the 50+ can now reasonably expect to be productive for another 20 years. Yet convincing employers can be difficult, in part because they are more likely to experience health-related difficulties (and health insurance premiums are often age-banded). How can society support employers in hiring workers with higher risk of health issues? Shouldn't we, given that appropriate employment might in and of itself lower risk of poor health, and that there are other segments of society also might benefit through policies increasing universal access to gainful employment?
1. Abigail Trafford, So Funny I Forgot to Laugh
Abigail notes that in China, where there is a more positive view of the elderly, that older people did just as well as their younger counterparts on memory exams. Do they also maintain better general health because of this societal view? Does a family unit that often includes grandparents enforce activity which in turn aids memory? Can memory exercises have any influence on physical well-being?
2. Abigail Trafford, So Funny I Forgot to Laugh
Is ageism viewed as acceptable precisely because we?re all getting older so we feel like part of the population? The same reason that blonde jokes can be told by blondes and nerd jokes told by computer scientists?
3. Marc Freedman, Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America
How do we balance the desire of seniors to have a sort of employment that could potentially have non-regular hours with the need for organizations to have consistency? To what degree should leadership be expected? This question isn?t challenging if the older volunteers or ?paid volunteers? can handle the work but rather what would the dynamics be between the populations.
1. Does an ageism exist that is biased against younger people in society? If so, is this an opportunity for different age groups to potentially relate to one another, work together, and fight against the “us against them” attitudes that may exist?
2. How will our attitudes towards ageism change of time? The readings mentioned that several other biases such as racism and sexism are no longer considered acceptable, but ageism persists. How might the Baby Boomers and the “new era of aging” change societal views on the way we treat age as a category of difference?
3. One ageist attitude that is very common in the media is the contribution of older adults to the rising health care costs in our country. Thus, it is interesting that the reading documents the affects of ageism on health. In what ways can we effectively change these notions that tend to blame the victim and promote ideas that support and reinforce health and healthy living across the life course?
Social work with elders: Do seniors prefer the "independence" of nursing homes, or would they prefer to live with their extended family?
Prime Time: What role can the elderly play in our society to reduce the strain on social security?
Prime Time: It seems that retirees are not motivated to work for financial gains. Therefore, would they be willing to help the younger generation reduce the enormous work load (by sharing the work load)?
1. Quadagno: Why is the gap between life expectancies of men and women larger for developed countries than for developing countries?
2. Quadagno: As developing countries age, how will cultural traditions influence how much care is given to the elderly?
3. Freedman: It is noted that one's identity and social life are derived from work. Would it help the future elderly if they developed more varied social networks before retiring?
1. As the population ages, has ageism decreased / is it expected to decrease naturally. One would think that as the elderly becomes more ubiquitous, that the stereotypes will be pushed back. Has this been occurring?
2. Do Georgian elderly score as high as Georgian young on memory tests similar to China? If negative ageism cultures are the cause of the gap in memory between the elderly and young, then shouldn’t Georgia mirror China?
3. The “revolutionize retirement” article assumes that the elderly will want to retire at the same times they have in the past despite lengthier lives. Assuming that the work is not draining and over and above the national average, it seems that continuing to work longer is also a viable alternative if people are worried about purpose and relationship ties built at work (although this does not necessarily sound appealing to me). Anecdotally people working longer seems to be occurring, but is this an actual trend?
1. In "So Funny I Forgot To Laugh" the study shown shows only the short-term affects of negative attitudes towards aging on ability to perform certain tasks. What does repeated exposure over long periods of time do to people? I can think of two potential problems: First, if you think getting older is "the end" and there's nothing you can do to stop it, do you have any incentive to take care of yourself growing older? Second, as an older person, does your belief and the belief of those around you that older people lose cognitive abilities take a long-term tole as you sit out of conversations, arguments, and decision-making opportunities to let younger people in?
2. In stories about past ages there is always a "wise old man" who provides advice, is a sage, or a prophet. In the last article the author talks about there existing a reason people can live to old age. If there really was more respect for elders in ages past - if people did listen to them more - could it have been a result of the pyramid structure of age dispersion? Someone surviving to old age would have to be more able than the rest of the population to survive, relying on wit, know-how and the tricks they'd learned. Young people could see that that older person had good life lessons to pass on to them - his knowledge helped him survive. In current times age dispersion is a rectangle. Do youth respect the elderly less now that anyone can survive to old age, now that an old person is not rare? Could the non-scarcity of older-people contribute to the younger generation not heeding their advice?
3. And this is a very general question. At what point does an "adult" become "old" in the eyes of children, peers or the random guy on the street. How much of it is something society defines (i.e . you retire when you're 60, because that's the norm) or is it something that the individual defines (i.e. someone feels like she's worked and saved up enough to retire, making her "old")?
1. What for-profit businesses exist today that provide retirees with the ability to "share" their experiences (pass on the information they have) with younger age groups and earn an income. In other words, what opportunities exist for them to .
2. How has the demand for products that reduce pain related to aging evolved as life expectancy has increased?
3. Are ethnically"diverse" ads targeted at retired populations received well by the age group?
4. How do the elderly spend their money? For example, what % goes to "entertainment" and what does it consist of; what % goes to personal care and what are the "hot" items? How does it change by age group? What is the average amount of cash that the retired spend on a monthly basis? What does it go to? How does this change by class?