10.3: Phases of Aging

Figure 10.3.1: Can you guess the ages of older adults you see out in public in your daily life? (Unsplash license; SHIRAZ HENRY via Unsplash)

In modern U.S. society, appearance is not a reliable indicator of age. Hair dyes, Botox, and the like make traditional signs of aging increasingly unreliable. While enhancing our appearance can be personally rewarding for lots of reasons and is a very personal choice, how many older people try to look younger in order to feel more accepted in society? Why do we, as a society, shame the aging process and make attempts to hide the fact that we age? An old saying goes like this: "Do not complain about getting old. Some people are denied the privilege."

The Young-Old, Middle-Old, and Old-Old

In the United States, all people over eighteen years old are considered adults, but there is a large difference between a person who is 21 years old and a person who is 45 years old. More specific breakdowns, such as “young adult” and “middle-aged adult,” are helpful. In the same way, groupings are helpful in understanding older adults who are often lumped together to include everyone over the age of 65. But a 65 year old’s experience of life is much different from a 90 year old’s.

The United States’ older adult population can thus, be divided into three life-stage subgroups: the young-old (approximately 65 to 74 years old), the middle-old (ages 75 to 84 years old), and the old-old (over age 85). Today’s young-old age group is generally happier, healthier, and financially better off than the young-old of previous generations.

In the United States, people are better able to prepare for aging because resources are more widely available. Many people are making proactive quality-of-life decisions about their old age while they are still young. In the past, family members made care decisions when an elderly person reached a health crisis, often leaving the elderly person with little choice about what would happen. Older adults are now better able to choose housing, for example, that allows them some independence while still providing care when it is needed. Living wills, retirement planning, and medical power of attorney are other concerns that are increasingly handled in advance.

Caring for the Aging around the World

Figure 10.3.2: Cultural values and attitudes can shape people’s experience of aging. (Flickr license; Tom Coppen via Flickr)

As healthcare improves and life expectancy increases across the world, elder care will continue to be an expanding field. Worldwide, the expectation governing the amount and type of elder care varies from culture to culture. For example, in Asia the responsibility for elder care lies firmly on the family (Yap, Thang, and Traphagan, 2005). This is different from the approach in most Western countries. In the United States, by contrast, many people view caring for the elderly as a burden. Even when there is a family member able and willing to provide for an older family member, 60 percent of family caregivers are employed outside the home and are unable to provide the needed support. At the same time, however, many middle-class families are unable to bear the financial burden of “outsourcing” professional healthcare, resulting in gaps in care (Bookman and Kimbrel, 2011). It is important to note that even within the United States not all demographic groups treat aging the same way. While most people in the United States are reluctant to place their elderly members into out-of-home assisted care, demographically speaking, the groups least likely to do so are Latinos, African Americans, and Asians (Bookman and Kimbrel, 2011) who tend to embrace the multi-generational household idea, which cab benefit everyone in the home in numerous ways.

In 2002, the Second World Assembly on Aging was held in Madrid, Spain, resulting in the Madrid Plan, an internationally coordinated effort to create comprehensive social policies to address the needs of the worldwide aging population. The plan identifies three themes to guide international policy on aging: 1) publicly acknowledging the global challenges caused by, and the global opportunities created by, a rising global population; 2) empowering the elderly; and 3) linking international policies on aging to international policies on development (Zelenev, 2008).

The Madrid Plan has not yet been successful in achieving all its aims. However, it has increased awareness of the various issues associated with a global aging population, as well as raising the international consciousness to the way that the factors influencing the vulnerability of older adults (social exclusion, prejudice and discrimination, and a lack of socio-legal protection) overlap with other developmental issues (basic human rights, empowerment, and participation), leading to an increase in legal protections (Zelenev 2008).