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COPING WITH THE PROCESS OF AGING.   Term Paper ID:30038 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Discusses values important to the elderly.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Discusses values important to the elderly. Identifies three major values: relationships, spirituality and quality of life including finances. Cultural views toward aging, with emphasis on the United States. Theories of human development. Family issues. Meaning of life; religious & non-religioius spirituality. Statistics regarding elderly Americans. Issue of how society and government will deal with an aging population. Paper Introduction: Human beings have been dealing with the aging process since the earliest days of cognizance. Aging has been viewed differently historically by different societies. In Asia and South America, family members of advanced age are respected for their vast experience and included into the immediate family group. In the United States, which emphasizes youth and energy over age and wisdom, family members of advancing years are placed in nursing homes where they can live comfortably out of sight. However, as the baby-boomer generation rapidly advances in age, Americans will have to rethink their attitudes towards aging. In a rapidly aging society, the bias towards youth will have to be replaced by an added level of respect for the elderly and the values that are important to the aging demographic. This paper will discuss the value systems that are important to Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. The issue of dealing with an aging population is not just an Americanone; soon it will be a global problem. According to this widely-accepted theory, thecentral issue in early human development is the establishment of intimacy-of close personal relationships. However, as the baby-boomer generation rapidly advances inage, Americans will have to rethink their attitudes towards aging. This sobering reality will mean that family members will have tobegin assuming an increased role in the well-being of their elderlyrelatives. 115). This continuity is valuable for the young children as wellas the aging grandparents because it foments relationships. This paper will discuss the value systems thatare important to aging Americans today and how our society will be forcedto heighten their awareness of these values. This emphasis on money at thepoint in one's life where earning it is not an option can be devastatingfor those who enter into the twilight of life monetarily unprepared. Social Security already accountsfor almost half of the federal government's domestic expenditure; as thebaby boom generation rapidly approaches retirement this figure can onlyincrease. InLatino families, it is the norm to find grandparents living with theirchildren's family and forging a close inter-generational bond with theirgrandchildren. In the Latino community, spirituality isvirtually synonymous with Catholicism. In 1997, over 3.5million elderly Americans were living at or below the poverty line.Indeed, at least 1 , elderly Americans are homeless at any given pointin time (pp. Additionally, the grandparents canprovide services for their family such as baby-sitting or contributing tothe housework, which not only help solidify the relationships within thefamily but help allay the costs of providing for an elderly individual.Thus, finances play an extensive role in the quality of life of the elderlyin American society. Because human beings are above all social animals, thesociety one depends on is by far the most important aspect of aging. Right now, one out of ten peopleworldwide is over the age of 6 . Spiritualityhelps to comfort this transition regardless of the nature of one'sspirituality. Issues that have been dealt with in thepast continually re-emerge, and the most important issue of all is that ofrelationships. Aging has been viewed differentlyhistorically by different societies. (2 ), Social Forces and Aging, An Introduction toSocial Gerontology, New York: Wadsworth. Unfortunately for manyAmericans, although Social Security payments are indexed to inflation theyhave not kept pace with the overall increase in the cost of living. Inthe Latino community, because elderly members of the family generally livewith a family member, this harsh reality is tempered somewhat. This sad fact subverts the mostimportant value for aging individuals: family. Human beings have been dealing with the aging process since theearliest days of cognizance. The stronger sense of familythat emerges from this is comforting both to young and old alike. Americans willno longer be able to turn a blind eye to the state of elderly. It is the writer's firm belief that this added family presencewould only serve to improve the state of elderly Americans. In the western world, aging has traditionally been thought of as ajourney through many different stages. These valueswill be particularly important in the United States, where the elderlypopulation is rapidly increasing and already accounts for almost half ofthe federal government's domestic spending. The third important value for the aging individual to be discussed inthis paper is the quality of one's life as an elderly member of society.It is hardly surprising to learn that "in industrial societies, most peoplerely for income on earnings during their working years and on pensions andsavings in retirement" (Atchley, 2 , p. Spirituality is of paramount importance asone ages because it provides a blanket of security against the cold hardtruth that death is imminent. For the basis of this paper, spirituality will be defined as thatinner domain in which people deal with issues such as the meaning of lifeand death, one's place in the universe, and whether or not God exists.Religion is a form of spirituality, but by the same token one can bespiritual and non-religious. Lastly, quality of life(which is almost entirely dependent on finances) plays a large role in howone deals with aging. Ego integrity involved being able to find meaning in one's lifeand the acceptance of one's faults as well as one's virtues. For theold, family provides the friendship and companionship that are virtually abottomless well of comfort to those of advancing years. Spirituality means different things to differentpeople. Family issues aside, spirituality is the next most important value tothe aging community. In theUnited States this is coupled with the rising levels of expenses for healthcare and home maintenance as one continues to age. 355). The United States has atradition of not valuing the contributions of elderly and instead placing apremium on the energy of youth. The belief that there is anafterlife, a place for the soul to go after life is over, is ofunquestionable importance as one ages. Indeed, in some developed countries thisration will be closer to one in two or three people (U.N., 2 , p.1). Inthe United States in 1992, 46 percent of domestic spending went to theelderly compared to 11 percent to the nation's children. Becausegrandparents in Latino society can depend on their extended family tocontribute to their retirement expenses there is less emphasis on thedehumanizing monetary aspects of aging. Relationships are vitallyimportant to coping with the ravaging effects of time, and tight-knitfamily groups (like those found in the Latino community) serve to providethe moral and personal support so important to the elderly. 355-357). As one approaches middle-age, thestruggle that is aging moves on to a conflict between generativity, or theability to support offspring or family members, and stagnation, theinability to contribute to another's well-being. As one nears theend of what is known, the unknown becomes a pressing issue. Census Bureau (1995), "Marital Status and Living Arrangements,"March 15. 1995 census figures show that32 percent of Americans over the age of 65 live alone (Census Bureau, 1995,p.3 ). This comforting belief in thecontinuity of life beyond the great divide that is death serves to comfortthe aging members of a Latino family. As the baby boomers become elderly, these three mainvalues will become vital to the well-being of the nation. In other more inclusive cultures, it is well understood that life'sjourney is circular in motion. As the world's population ages, thevalues that are outlined in this paper will become increasingly important.Moreover, in the United States there will have to be a rethinking of howpeople deal with their elderly relatives. For theyoung it provides a basis to value relationships throughout life. In Asia and South America, familymembers of advanced age are respected for their vast experience andincluded into the immediate family group. The next mostimportant value needed by the aging is spirituality, which provides theframework for dealing with the fear of death. One of the more influentialtheories in this topic was advanced by Erik Erikson, who noted that "lifeis a process of advancement through hierarchical stages, provided oneadequately resolves to central life issue at each successive stage"(Atchley, 2 , p. These disturbing statistics highlight the importantrole that finances play in American aging. Nursing homes are an acceptable solutionto the problem of dealing with an aging relative, and grandparents seldomparticipate intimately in family life. Despairoccurs when one is unable to find meaning in life and feels that there isnot enough time left to alter this disturbing revelation (pp.115-117).While Erikson's theory does have some merit, it is shortsighted to believethat life's stages are insular and different. In the United States, whichemphasizes youth and energy over age and wisdom, family members ofadvancing years are placed in nursing homes where they can live comfortablyout of sight. References Atchley, R.C. In the twilight of life,Erikson believed that the final struggle was one between ego integrity anddespair. Nevertheless,spirituality remains of paramount importance as a value for the agingbecause spirituality helps put one's place in the universe in perspective.The feeling that there is something beyond the here and now that unitesone's spirit with the forces of the universe that is the essence ofspirituality that is so vital to the aging individual. This disparitywas almost entirely due to the vast sum spent by the federal government onsocial security (www.trinity.edu). http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/geron.html United Nations Secretariat (2 ), "The Aging of the WorldsPopulation," New York: Population Division, Department of Economic andSocial Affairs. This sobering statistic is unheard of in other societies. In arapidly aging society, the bias towards youth will have to be replaced byan added level of respect for the elderly and the values that are importantto the aging demographic. ABSTRACT As the world's population continues to age, the values that areimportant to the elderly will become increasingly important. Thisconcept is well understood in Asia and in South America, but apparently itis not as paramount in the United States. With the average age in theUnited States increasing every year, these issues will be of paramountimportance to the well-being of our society. Thus therelationships that are so important in Erikson's theory for young childrenare equally important for older individuals as well. This fact is implicitin the Latino community, where close contact with grandparents and cousinsfrom an early age is valued tremendously. In the United States, where a morepragmatic non-religious spirituality has been gaining in acceptance oflate, spirituality is in many cases divorced from religion. By the year 2 5 , one out of every fivewill be over the age of 6 . It is hardly coincidental that peoplerediscover religion as they age. U.S. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.