Introduction

 Aging is not only a biological and physiological process but it is also a social process-meaning that it is shaped by social factors such as social class, race, and other factors. Even though aging or maturing into adulthood is something that people should feel good about, society holds many stereotypes and negative attitudes toward older adults. The explicit and implicit assumptions shape human aging and failure to understand and appreciate the process of aging leads to ageism. The latter means that the society especially the middle-aged group discriminate the older people by holding negative attitude and practices toward them. The most awful thing about ageism is that society views older people as a minority group in society since they have lost functioning and abilities. This paper also finds that older adults are not only affected by ageism but they go through other life events that if they are not managed, may lead to negative impacts on their lives. For example, older adults experience health, economic, and social problems. Focusing on the case scenario, the paper will analyze each life event and give a response on how the events can be controlled or managed with the help of sociological concepts.

Scenario 1

 My name is Advika Kapoor, and I am 70 years old. I and my husband migrated to Canada 25 years ago for career prospects.  I had a knee surgery which has contributed to immobility.  Difficult in walking has affected my life since I cannot climb stairs.

 

Health life events

Rantanen (2013) assert that aging is associated with serious health events such as hip fracture, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, among other life-threatening illnesses. They also experience functional changes such as a decline in walking speed, mobility disability, falls, and more. For instance, Advikar Kapoor is experiencing a health life event since she has difficulties in walking. She has limited mobility and this is an issue that needs to be managed to prevent her from developing depression. Focusing on the sociological understanding of mobility and disability, Rantanen (2013) assert that the decline of physical functions affects almost all aspects of life in that as the older person develops the limited functional ability, he or she becomes unable to maintain social ties. According to Rantanen (2013) people desire to live a healthy and productive life but as they approach an older age, mobility declines due to impairments and functional limitations. They are restricted from participating in meaningful activities that may bring life satisfaction and promote functional independence.  Rantanen (2013) asserts that since the population aging is increasing, it is important to implement evince-based policies and approaches to prevent disabilities in older people. For on Advika's case, it is apparent that she had knee surgery and now she has a mobility decline. The first sign that shows she has a mobility decline is the inability to climb stairs.

 Focusing on response to the health life events and in particular, the health condition of  Advika Kapoor,  Rantanen (2013)  states that to better manage or cope with the client's health status,  the community, as well as individuals, should be in the forefront to plan and implement strategies. The author says that the community, the health care providers, the leisure service providers, as well as the facility members should work together to plan and implement strategies to eliminate social barriers and ensure equal access to social benefits. They should establish physical exercise classes and gave older people an equal opportunity to participate in those classes (Rantanen, 2013). They should also eliminate the negative attitude and negative portrayal of older adults and create a positive attitude and allow them to participate in physical exercise.

 

Scenario 2

 I studied PhD in Biomedical engineering in India. However, biomedical engineering is not accredited in Canada.  Due to the loss of accreditation status, I applied for assistant health care worker.  Since I came to Canada, I been working as an assistant health worker in a long-term care facility where my monthly income is $850.00.  Due to the low income and tight budget, I spend all have and nothing remains.

 

Economic life event

 Focusing on an economic life event, it is important to note that according to the sociological concepts of aging, the structural-functionalism framework states that society is an orderly system. Also, society is made up of various parts and each part should contribute toward building the society (Morrow-Howell et al. 2001). For example, focusing on the case of Advika Kapoor, it is important to ask ourselves questions like 'how come that Advika has a Ph.D. in Biomedical Angering but her degree is not recognized in Canada? The structural-functionalism framework explains that even though the order of society expects the interrelated parts to work together to create a social system, older people are viewed as dysfunctional. Society believes that older adults are waiting for death and therefore they should allow young people to perform various functions or to occupy roles to benefit society (Funk, 2015). Under structural-functionalism, the theory of disengagement explains that as people grow old, they are withdrawn from society. Following the withdrawal, other social groups must replace their positions. It is important to note that the economic states or in other lack of financial stability effect aspects of older people's life.  For example, when older are disengaged from the society or in other words as they are withdrawn from the work of labor, their social relationship, as well as healthy, are affected. They also lose satisfaction and morale as they are unable to meet their daily needs.

 However, despite the economic life event due to disengagement, Taylor & Palacios, (2017) says that the Canadian government is working toward promoting the financial stability of older people and eliminating their economic issues. The authors state that the Canadian population is aging and for this reason, the Canadian government has set aside resources to improve economic growth and raise revenues. It is important to note that in Canada, there is slower population growth but higher life expectancy (Taylor & Palacios, 2017). The life expectancy of women is 74.2 while that of men is 84.1. The increasing life expectancy is an indication the Canadian government must increase the seniors' share. In general, what Canadian government is doing to address the issue of financial stability is increasing the share and spending in health care and income transfers to seniors. In Canada, it is noted that older people spend much on health care than youth since they are vulnerable to illnesses that require regular medical attention (Taylor & Palacios, 2017). Since there is an increase in life expectancy, it means that the health care costs will increase and therefore a reform to the health care system is needed. Secondly, my case scenario or the case of Advika Kapoor qualifies for both health care spending, and spending on seniors. Note that in the case scenario, Advika Kapoor is only paid $850.00 as a monthly income and she spends all. The Canadian government is addressing this problem of financial instability by establishing programs such as Old Age Security (Taylor & Palacios, 2017). The purpose of spending on the older population is not only to achieve financial stability but also to improve economic growth and productivity.

 

 

Scenario 3

 I was widowed at the age of 45. My husband died in Canada after a battle with a severe heart attack. It was a double tragedy since I experience the absence of my husband and children.  The death of a spouse affected my life since I lived alone without supportive network members.  I lacked social companion but I thank the community for creating a social network and engaging me in community activities.

Social network event

 From the case scenario, social network event is a factor that affects the lives of older adults. In our case, social networks mean social connectedness and it is an important aspect of social life as they allow the elderly to address stressful environments and difficulties. According to Cornwell et al. (2008), old age is associated with loneliness as a result of social isolation and social disengagement. For example, in the case scenario, our client is not married and does not have children. This can lead to loneliness and effects on her well-being due to lack of social connectedness. Unfortunately, the author states that research and studies do not pay interest on the issue of adult integration and only a few outdated sociological sources talk about the issue.  However, this article gives a comprehensive review of social network connectedness to solve the issues of social isolation. The authors emphasize that social network connectedness contributes to successful aging since they act as the main source of social support. The article says that the solution to the case scenario or in general the social networks that can help the elderly avoid loneliness and depression are interpersonal social networks and community involvement (Cornwell et al. 2008). On interpersonal social networks, social ties to people create high-quality relationships and more importantly, they give the elderly a sense of belonging, self-esteem, and ultimately unconditional social support, and unique health benefits (Funk, 2015).   Secondly, older people can gain connectedness of social networks from the community. The article states that the community can promote social integration by involving the elderly in social activities such as religious participation. This may help deal with loneliness and other health issues (Cornwell et al. 2008). Rather than viewing them as disabled individuals, the community, as well as the family members and friends should act as the source of support and this will lead to the general well-being of the elderly.

 

Scenario 4

 I value my culture so much because  the culture helped me  define who I am,  it  benefited  me socially and economically,  it gave me an opportunity to interact with people, and  it  improved my quality of life and well-being. However, being an immigrant, I experienced culture issues such as lack of language proficiency.  Language difficulties affected my life economically and socially.  I could not engage in social interaction and I was forced to look for a social group.  In other words, I found a small group of Indians and I gained a sense of contentment since the members had common goals.

 

Social support event

According to symbolic interactionism, social groups create a sense of identity and a sense of self through interaction. Social groups communicate cultural norms and values and this helps individuals understand the social worlds (Funk, 2015).  However, there is another sociological theory of aging known as a subculture of aging theory. This theory states that older people are disengaged from society and they are forced to create patterns of interaction with a small community who have common backgrounds and interests (Morrow-Howell et al. 2001). For example, in our case scenario, Advika Kapoor interacts with a small group of friends from India. The sociological theory of aging explains that individuals such as Kapoor find a strong sense of community when interacting with people with common social interests. However, it is important to note that older people create new communities because other groups neglect or reject them. For example in the case scenario, Kapoor does not understand the Canadian language and this means that the Canadians have not integrated her into their ways of life including language. This situation forces her to join a group where she can feel comfortable. Also, the symbolic interactionism theory states that elderly abuse occurs in that social groups have different attitudes and perspectives toward others (Funk, 2015). In domestic and institutional settings, older people in Canada are abused in terms of financial abuse, mistreatment, and neglect. All forms of abuse affect the elderly's quality of life as they suffer from emotional distress, poor self-esteem, loss of autonomy, and social isolation.  In 2015, research from the peer-reviewed sources on the aging population and abuse was conducted and it was found that older people in Canada are socially isolated and disrespected. Disrespect means that they are denied quality care since they are old and lack mobility (Yan et al. 2014). They are also isolated by family members and friends due to financial dependence and poor English language proficiency. As a result, abuse and neglect affect the elderly's mental and physical health and over 20% suffer from depression.

 Yan et al. (2014) asserts that older adults and ethno-cultural minorities continue to suffer from abuse and neglect due to lack of appropriate services and supports. They face cultural and familial barriers in reporting the cases as they fear shame, pressure, and stigma from the community, and also want to maintain harmony and honor with their families and society. Also, older adults lack awareness about the informal supports and depend on their families due to a lack of support alternatives. Immigration factors such as social isolation, language and immigration issues act as the stumbling block as they hinder the older people from realizing the informal sources of support such as community and cultural organizations (Yan et al. 2014). The article states that programs, education and outreach to address the issue of abuse and social neglect should first focus on cultural norm and practices since are they are the root cause of abuse and neglect. From the case scenario, the community can help older people cope with social isolation and integrate them into Canadian culture by improving cultural and linguistic services. Since immigrants and in specific older adults require cultural and language needs, the community should provide cultural competent services that are designed to shape the negative attitude from other social groups and also encourage older people to report the abuse and neglect (Funk, 2015). The community should also implement collaborative interventions to strengthen the bond between cultural communities. The collaborative networks will act as the best strategy in connecting older adults with social networks such as faith communities, and religious institutions. In general, the community should not only address abuse and neglect but it should look for all forms of marginalization such as sexual orientation, poverty, and more, and implement effective prevention and best practices to maintain the wellbeing of the elderly populations.

 Conclusion

 From the research paper, case scenario, and journal entry, older people go through various cognitive changes such as a decline in memory, learning, and attention.  In trying to understanding the aging process, there are various sociological theories about aging. Concerning the case scenario, theories such as disengagement theory explain that as people get older, they are withdrawn from society and they accept withdraw since it is a social order. Note that society needs people with energy and skills or people who can work towards creating a strong social system.  An important point noted is that one event impacts other events in that as older people are withdrawn from society, they find other alternatives to maintain psychological well-being.  Symbolic interactions explain this concept by saying that older people interact with people with the same goals to find a sense of identity and a sense of self. The paper has shown that aging is associated with social and power dynamics. These dynamics explain that aging is not just a natural process but it is something that has a social meaning.

 

 

References

Funk, L. (2015). Sociological perspectives on aging. Oxford University Press

 

Rantanen, T. (2013). Promoting mobility in older people. Journal of Preventive Medicine and

Public Health, 46(Suppl 1), S50.

 

Morrow-Howell, N., Hinterlong, J., & Sherraden, M. W. (2001). Productive aging: Concepts

and challenges. Baltimore, Md: Johns Hopkins University Press.

 

Taylor Jackson, J. C., & Palacios, M. (2017). Canada’s Aging Population and Implications for

Government Finances. Retrieved from: https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/canadas-aging-population-and-implications-for-government-finances.pdf

 

Cornwell, B., Laumann, E. O., & Schumm, L. P. (2008). The social connectedness of older

adults: A national profile. American sociological review, 73(2), 185-203.

Yan, E., Lai, D. W., Daoust, G. D., & Li, L. (2014). Understanding elder abuse and neglect in

aging Chinese immigrants in Canada. The Journal of Adult Protection.