It has long been debated whether the longer life span granted by the advanced technology and medic care system that came with the industry revolution is a triumph of humanity or instead, a tragedy. A number of people suggested that a longer life span has always been the wildest dream of mankind and now it’s being achieved to some extent by our advanced science and technology. Others argued that, an increasing amount of older population due to a longer life span proved to be a huge burden of the society as well as themselves.
However, as far as I’m concerned, the key to the debate whether this prolonged life span should be considered a triumph or a tragedy does not lie in the life span itself, but rather, its quality.
Since the ancient times of human civilization, mankind has always been praying for the grant of a longer life span. Even the emperors with the most wisdom would spend huge amount of time and resources trying to decipher the secret of immortality. In the famous Greek myth, when Goddess Eos asked Zeus to grant the great warrior Tithonus, her mortal lover, the gift of immortality, she forgot to ask for health and send up seeing her once pride, powerful, healthy lover getting older and sicker. His body and mind was falling apart but he could never die.
Like Eos, when humanity is doing its utmost in seeking a longer life span, a comparatively less emphasis is exerted to its quality. In eastern Asian countries where traditional agricultural civilizations are falling apart with its family based senior caring system, millions of poor disabled elder people are suffering in the cheap and tousy nursing homes, abused from time to time by the ill-paid and trained caring workers; In the more developed western world, dying senior...
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...e, these people in their 60s or even 70s could share and contribute either for payment or as volunteers. By doing so, their later life would be much more meaningful and productive.
Whether aging is a triumph or a tragedy in the future? The choice is still placed in the hands of each individual as well as our society as a whole. If we really put more resources and emphasis on the improvement of the life quality of senior people instead of simply prolonging their life spans, everyone’s later lives would be beautiful and promising.
Everyone is going to get old in the end. I don’t want to see that when that day comes to ourselves, we would need to worry about things like suffering and dignity. I wish that our society, while getting more mature and placing more effort in the life quality of last days, would be a favorable place for us to get old in the near future.
On the topic of Atul Gawande’s novel Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, an ongoing issue has brought into question what we should do with the elderly and ill that are in need of care. On the one hand, some argue that they should be put in nursing homes and seek treatment for their problems because they can no longer take care of themselves. From this perspective, the elderly have a greater chance of getting injured if they are not taken care of properly, thus are seen as unfit to live on their own. On the other hand, however, others argue that the elderly should be allowed to live on their own as long as they maintain a healthy lifestyle. Atul Gawande, one of this view’s main proponents, urges us to realize that no one is immortal
There are many environmental influences as well as human behaviors that contribute to one’s expected life span. Health and lifestyle are two major factors that play a role in determining what life would be like during the senior years of life. There are many advantages to having a strong social support network that consists of caregivers paid and unpaid. Seniors with this tend to live longer, remain independent and stay active in their later years. Citizens in today’s society are living longer due to technology, medications and an overall healthier lifestyle. Many reach the age of 100 but the maximum human life span is 120 years old. One’s personal data, career choices, environmental influences and amount of active interactions will determine how those of the older population will experience the aging process.
Many countries globally are faced with unprecedented demographic changes from high mortality and fertility to low mortality and fertility, giving rise to an ageing population. Population ageing is profound and enduring, and has major consequences and implications for all facets of human life. With a larger proportion of older people, one of the major concerns is health and health care. The health of older persons generally declines with age and some illness are more likely to be associated with older people. One of such illness is dementia. As the life expectancies of the general population have dramatically increased since the turn of the century, more and more people are at risk of developing a dementia (National Institute of Aging, 2000).
...derly at work places and at home will improve their mental and social wellbeing. The aging population will affect every single citizen in Canada. Not one citizen wants a raise in taxes; however, if there is not any strategy setup to combat the aging population issues, Canadians will see raises in taxes causing frustration. Implementing these strategies will not only keep the elderly happy, but it will keep them healthy. The healthier an individual is, the less medical expenses, so why not get started on investing on this project which can save citizens several tax dollars. The results obtained in the primary research reinforce the support of the strategies presented. Majority of the participants understand the possible economic and health care issues the aging population will bring, thus getting started on this matter sooner will be beneficial for Canada’s future.
It is difficult at best to think positively when older people are viewed as “incompetent, boring, inactive, dependent, unproductive, weak, unhealthy, passive, ugly, dull, and sad” (Gething, 1999, p. 2). Essentially, a stereotype as such asphyxiates the wind from your sail early in one’s journey into old age. Then again, if the finish line is one of oppression, marginalization, and disempowerment, it’s a race best lost (Ranzijn, 2002). The most poignant negative affiliated with aging unquestionably centers on the end of life concerns. Although, our hope is for a peaceful demise there exists a chance of tremendous pain and suffering. The latter remains my biggest fear, which in and of itself sheds a negative light on aging. Subsequently, I turned to the article, Positive Psychology and Productive Aging in hopes it would provide
After spending an afternoon interviewing my elderly father-in-law, I gained insight into how he perceives the aging process and the impact on the quality of his life. First, and foremost he viewed aging in a very positive and healthy manner. He believes that a positive attitude assists in accepting physical and psychosocial changes and enjoyed the fact that he and his wife are both physically fit and cognitively alert. He felt confident that advances made in health care and the quality of their lives would continue to be empowering. He enjoys the benefits of being a senior citizen including discounted travel, free education, and other incentives marketed towards seniors. He expressed a sense of well-being with respect to the numerous housing options geared towards the graying population, such as Retirement Villages, and assisted living. However, the subjects of Long Term Care, Social security reform and government involvement in health care reform were subjects he regarded with very strong negative emotions. During the interview these issues as related to his experiences with health care were discussed with zeal and frustration.
...6 in 2050” (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2012, p. 15). Comparatively, in 1900 the average life expectancy was 47 (Hooyman & Kiyak, 2012, p. 15). This is relevant with regards to ageism in that the need for trained health care professionals in the field of gerontology will be astounding, but because of the current perceptions of older adults there is a gross lack of these specialty providers. “It has been estimated that by 2030, 3.5 million formal health care providers-a 35 percent increase from current levels-will be needed just to maintain the current ratio of providers to the total population” (Ferrini & Ferrini, 2013, p, 15). The prediction is that all health care providers will spend at least 50 percent of their time working with older adults; increased competency while eliminating ageist attitudes is paramount for quality health care (Ferrini & Ferrini, 2013, p. 15).
The article “What is Successful Aging”, thoroughly explained the author’s thoughts on what aging successfully actually means. I think it is extremely vital to try our best to be content with our lives and what we have done at a later age. Integrity versus despair, as we learned in class kept coming to mind while reading the article. It is important that when one reaches this age he or she doesn’t feel like there is more to look back on than to look forward to. I agreed with the author’s views on self-efficacy and different opportunities in aging successfully.
Aging and old age for a long time presented as dominated by negative traits and states such as sickness, depression and isolation. The aging process is not simply senescence most people over the age of 65 are not Senile, bedridden, isolated, or suicidal (Aldwin & Levenson, 1994). This change in perspective led the investigation of the other side of the coin. Ageing is seen as health, maturity and personal Royal growth, self-acceptance, happiness, generatively, coping and acceptance of age-related constraints (Birren & Fisher, 1995). Psychological und...
Late adulthood should be a time in a person's life where they feel fulfilled. They can look back on their memories and be happy with the way they have lived their life. Now, too many elderly people are not satisfied and look at this stage as depressing. Most fear death of either a loved one or for themselves. This topic is interesting to me because elderly people should make the best of their last stage of life. This topic discusses about getting older, the life changes that they go through physically, emotionally, and mentally. We should know more about it so that we can help our family and friends get through one of the best, yet toughest part of our mortal life.
The different stages of life are inevitable; one day we will find ourselves older and unable to perform simple daily tasks. One day it will be difficult to remember things we swore would never leave our minds. One day we may lose many of our loved ones and discover a new sense of loneliness. Maybe not anytime soon, but one day it may happen. It is crucial to realize that millions of people are going through this stage today; the elderly do not deserve to be overlooked.
In today’s society, what was once said to be true and taken as fact regarding older people is no longer the whole story. As Laslett states, “At all times before the middle of the twentieth century and all over the globe the greater part of human life potential has been wasted, by people dying before their allotted time was up.” (1989a), and to a great extent a lot
The life expectancy in Europe and America averaged about 30 to 40 years in 1800 A.D. However, through medical breakthroughs this expectancy has increased double -75 years- in the last two hundred years. One important reason of this increase is the discovering of what causes diseases. The development of medical science in different ways has yielded so many advances in recognizing the pathogenic factors of diseases and how to fight with them. This progress has resulted significant alteration in the factors of premature death due to diseases (Medical Health tests
fifty than below it. The study of the affects of ageing looks at survival and mortality and the
In today’s society we all try to prolong life as long as possible. Technology is finding new ways that we can stay healthier and lead productive lives longer. Governor Lamm said “we should be careful in terms of our technological miracles that we don’t impose life on people who, in fact, are suffering beyond our ability to help”(Collins,1991,p.540). That is the real issue at hand; are we in fact over stepping our boundaries by keeping people alive who are maybe beyond our help. “Machines can extend the length but not always the quality of life” (Cloud,2000,p.62). As doctors, they need to think about the well being of the patient and if any methods could really help the situation.