socioo economic challenges of elderly

8/18/2019 Socioo Economic Challenges of Elderly

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U$<: htt&:;;scialert.net;a+stract;=doi>jas.45/5.655.657

$ecei)ed: "uly 4, 45/5? Acce&ted: Se&tem+er /0, 45/5? @u+lished: 9cto+er /,

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According to UN +y the year 4540 the total num+er of elderly &eo&le in the 'orld

'ill reach at /455 million, 'hich indicates that +y this time /0 of the total

&o&ulations 'ill reach 5 year or more UN, /7. UN also stated that the 'orld is

eC&eriencing an age-Dua(e. E)ery month, one million &eo&le reach at 5 years of

age. !n / there 'ere 06 million elderly &eo&le in the 'orld and this *gure 'ill

+e tri&le to nearly 4 +illions +y the year 4505 UN, /. !t is true that the num+er

of elderly &eo&le is increasing ra&idly in the de)elo&ed countries +ut it is alsoincreasing in the de)elo&ing countries 'ith a great s&eed. More than half of the

'orld1s older &o&ulation li)es in de)elo&ing countries UN@A, 4554. !n fact, the

num+er of elderly &eo&le is increasing day +y day in a )ery alarming rate. !n the

USA, there are a lot of care ser)ices for their elderly &eo&le. There are old homes,

day-care centers and elderly societies for elderly &eo&le. E+erstadt /7 found

that &o&ulation aging is a great challenge for the health care systems as nation1s

age, the &re)alence of disa+ility, frailty and chronic diseases, Alheimer1s disease,

cancer and many other diseases is eC&ected to increase dramatically. $ush 455

found that the incidence of lifestyle diseases increases among the elderly &eo&le

o)er the 'hole 'orld 'hich is not a sudden onset &henomenon +ut an accumulation

of changes in the eC&ression of genes in res&onse to nutrition and en)ironment from

conce&tion.

!n Bangladesh, o)er the &ast decade there has +een a signi*cant decline in infant

and child mortality rate. %ontrol and &re)ention of diseases, such as measles,

&oliomyelitis and di&htheria along 'ith eCtensi)e use of oral saline for diarrheal

diseases ha)e greatly reduced childhood mortality, Bangladesh is on the margin of

@olio eradication and has already achie)ed the elimination goal for le&rosy at the

national le)el. Fa+ir /G7, / found that in &oor families, +oth in rural and

ur+an areas, older &eo&le often una+le to meet the demand due to eCtreme &o)erty

'here food is the to& &riority needs. !smail 3ossain et al. 455 found that aged

&eo&le in Bangladesh are mostly suHered from )arious com&licated &hysical

diseases and the num+er is increasing day +y day +ut the ser)ices &ro)ided through

go)ernment hos&itals are inadeDuate in com&are to needs. A small &ro&ortion

around of the total &o&ulation of Bangladesh constitutes the elderly

&o&ulation, +ut the a+solute num+er of them is Duite signi*cant a+out 7.4 million



Duestionnaire 'as ado&ted. A &ilot sur)ey 'as ta(en to ma(e relia+le and concise

Duestionnaires. @ersonal inter)ie' a&&roach 'as follo'ed for data collection from

the *eld. The districts and areas 'ithin the districts are selected &ur&osi)ely and

random sam&le 'as collected from the selected areas of each district. inally a

sam&le of 655 elderly &eo&le 'ere selected for inter)ie' 'here /55 from each

district. The data 'ere analyed +y S@SS. reDuency distri+ution ta+le and logisticregression model 'ere used to analye the data.

2aria+les for the <ogistic $egression Model

8e&endent )aria+le L: 9ccu&ation of the Elderly coded 51 for not in jo+ and /1 for

the elderly at jo+.

The eC&lanatory )aria+les used in the model are:

O/ > Age of the res&ondents coded /1 for P5-Q years, 41 for P0-

Qyear and 61 for P75 and a+o)eQ

O4 > <oo(ing after family coded 51 for PothersQ and P/Q for PyourselfQ

O6 > <e)el of education of the res&ondents coded 51 for PliterateQ and /1

for PilliterateQ

O > Monthly income coded 51 for P5-0555.55QT(. and /1 for P0555.55T(.

and a+o)eQ

O0 > @resent state of health coded 51 for Pnot goodQ and /1 for Pa)erageQ

O > @resent &hysical &ro+lem coded 51 for Pheart diseaseQ, /1 for

Pdia+etesQ and 4 for PothersQ

O7 > Bearing of medical eC&enditure +y son and daughter coded 51 for

PnoQand /1 for PyesQ

OG > A+ility to remem+er im&ortant e)ents of childhood or student life

coded 51 for PnoQand /1 for PyesQ

$ESU<TS AN8 8!S%USS!9N



Bio-demogra&hic characteristics of the elderly: This &art of the study aimed to

gather the +asic data a+out res&ondent1s age, gender, religion, marital status Ta+le

A/ in the a&&endiC. Majority of the res&ondents are in the age grou& -0

follo'ed +y age grou& 0- and 75 and a+o)e. Among the res&ondents 76.6

'ere male and 4.6 'ere female. This *nding of the seC distri+ution of the elderly

su&&orts the 'or( of 3ossain 455 'here he o+ser)ed that female elderly 'eremuch lo'er than that of male. This may +e due to un&aid family la+or and seC

discrimination of healthcare and food consum&tion, more female &o&ulation in the

study area died than that of male. Among the three hundred res&ondents GG.6 of

them are Muslim, /5 'ere 3indu. A+out G0 elderly 'ere married and a )ery fe'

/ 'ere di)orced. The remarriage rate of the elderly is higher at Mymensingh

than other t'o districts. !n Bangladesh older &eo&le-including married cou&les-

traditionally li(e to li)e 'ith their sons. A )ast majority of older &eo&le 06 li(e to

li)e in joint or eCtended families Fhan et al., 455. Among the 655 elderly &eo&le

in the study sites 06.7, 66.6 and /6 of them are li)ing in joint, unitary and

eCtended res&ecti)ely. Most of the family 6.6 has the total mem+er +et'een

three and *)e and only /.7 of them ha)e u& to t'o mem+ers. !t 'as o+ser)ed

that res&ondents of these three study sites in res&ect of le)el of loo(ing after family

among them 'ere found that still they are a+le to su&er)ise their family and in

0.6 cases son of the elderly &eo&le lead or ta(e care of their family. A )ery fe'

cases 4.6 daughter ta(e care of their family. !t 'as o+ser)ed that among the

three study sites G5 res&ondents has num+er of son not more than three in the

total sam&le 'here only of the res&ondents 'ere found 'ith ha)ing num+er of

sons siC or more. A+out G res&ondents ha)e num+er of daughters not more than

three.

Socio-economic characteristics of elderly: This &art of the sur)ey in)estigated the

res&ondent1s income, eC&enditure, le)el of education, occu&ation, sanitation etc.

Ta+le A4 in the a&&endiC. Most of the elderly &eo&le in Bangladesh li)e in rural

areas 'here health and recreation facilities are )ery limited. The majority of them

are illiterate? economic facilities and jo+ o&&ortunities are limited. More than half of

the elderly are 'ido'ed, di)orced or single. A large &ro&ortion of elderly men are

still in la+or force +oth in rural and ur+an areas A+edin, /.

The results sho'ed that among the three study sites 'ith res&ect to le)el of

education, a+out 65 of elderly 'ere found educated u& to S.S.%. 'here G of

them 'ere found that they 'ere a+le to read only the religious +oo(s the 3oly

Ruaran, the #eta etc. 3ence, it also sho'ed that among three hundred elderly

res&ondents 0 of them 'ere illiterate. !n this study, it is found that 66 of them

'ere their &re)ious occu&ation 'as agriculture 'hereas, a )ery fe' of them 'ere



'ell as their family. According to the &resent socio-economic frame'or( of

Bangladesh, elderly current jo+ status de&ends on the num+er of family mem+ers

residing in foreign country. 9ur sam&le &ro*le indicates that only a fe' families

ha)ing elderly &erson get foreign remittance. Again, it is found that maCimum

num+er of elderly 'ithout ha)ing any jo+ +elong lo'er class family.

$esults of logistic regression analysis: !n this &art of the study, the logistic

regression model 'as *tted considering current occu&ation as a de&endent )aria+le

and tried to identify diHerent factor that are related to elderly occu&ation Ta+le 4.

The odds ratio sho's that the young elderly 5- are almost three times more

li(ely to ha)e some sort of jo+ than elderly aged 75 and a+o)e. Similarly elderly

aged +et'een 0 and is slightly /./0 times more li(ely to ha)e some jo+ than

the elderly ha)ing age more than 75.

Ta+le /: 8istri+ution of current occu&ation of the res&ondents according to

socio-economic determinants

2alues 'ithin the afterthought indicate &ercent of the column. Signi*cant at 0

le)el, Signi*cant at /5 le)el

Ta+le 4: <ogistic regression analysis of current occu&ation according to someselected +ac(ground characteristics

$eference category

These *ndings indicate a negati)e association +et'een age of the elderly and

current occu&ation of them. !t 'as o+ser)ed that elderly 'ho loo( after their family

+y themsel)es is /.06 times more li(ely to in)ol)e 'ith some sort of jo+ than those

'hom aren1t.

Again, there is a &ositi)e association has +een found +et'een the current

occu&ation of the elderly 'ith their le)el of education. !t is o+ser)ed that educated

elderly 'ere /.4 times more li(ely to ha)e some sort of jo+ than those of illiterate.

Monthly family income is also associated 'ith the current occu&ation of the aged

&erson 'here higher elderly of higher income family is more li(ely to in)ol)e 'ith

some ty&e of jo+. Elderly 'ith a)erage health condition is /.0 times more li(ely to



continue some sort of jo+ than that 'ith not good health status. The elderly, ha)ing

dia+etes, are /.0 times more li(ely to in)ol)e 'ith some sort of jo+ than those of

suHering from heart diseases. !t 'as also found that elderly &eo&le 'ho are

suHering from other (ind of diseases high &ressure, lo' &ressure and digestion

&ro+lem are /.7 times more li(ely to ha)e some sort of jo+ than those 'ho are

suHering from heart diseases. So, there is a signi*cant association +et'een currentoccu&ation and ty&e of &hysical &ro+lems of the res&ondents. Again, there is a

&ositi)e association +et'een +earing medical cost of the elderly +y their oHs&ring

and current occu&ation of them.

%9N%<US!9N

This study is an attem&t to o+tain a +etter understanding a+out socio-economic and

health status of the elderly &eo&le. 2arious socio-economic and +io-demogra&hic

characteristics that are related to the elderly &eo&le had +een studied in this study.

rom this study, it is found that age of the elderly, educational Duali*cation,

monthly income, &resent health status, &hysical &ro+lems are statistically

signi*cant 'ith their occu&ational status. Majority of the elderly are 'ithout ha)ing

any jo+. or the +etterment of the socio-economic status of the elderly some

initiati)es should +e started. At *rst, to ensure the *nancial sol)ency of the elderly

&eo&le, &ro&er regulations should +e de)elo&ed to encourage their oHs&ring so that

they could hel& their &arents much more. Secondly, em&loyment o&&ortunity should

+e made for the elderly &eo&le according to their &hysical and mental *tness,

educational Duali*cation, needs and &references. Thirdly, elderly &eo&le mostlysuHer from some &hysical illness and they need com&rehensi)e medical care

ser)ices. So, se&arate 'ard or unit in a hos&ital or clinic need to esta+lish for elderly

&eo&le. inally, &oor elderly &eo&le should +e in)ol)ed in the de)elo&ment and

im&lementation of &rograms and &olicies according to their minimum needs. Since,

the data does not re&resent the 'hole Bangladesh, generaliation of the *ndings

and recommendations are ris(y. A com&rehensi)e study is needed to eC&lore the

eCact status of the elderly, their needs and &ro&er recommendation for their 'ell

+eing.

A@@EN8!O

Ta+le A/: @ercentage distri+ution of +io-demogra&hic characteristics of the

res&ondents



Ta+le A4: @ercentage distri+ution of socio-economic characteristics of the

res&ondent

$EE$EN%ES

A+edin, S., /. @o&ulation aging in Bangladesh. !ssues and @ers&ecti)es,

Summary of the %ountry @a&er, ES%@, Asian @o&ultion Studies Series, No. /0.

Bangla&edia, 455. Aging, National Encyclo&aedia of Bangladesh. Asiatic Society of

Bangladesh, 8ha(a.

%ain, M., /G. The conseDuences of re&roduction failure: 8e&endence, mo+ility and

mortality among older &eo&le of rural South Asia. @o&ul. Stud., 5: 670-6GG.

%ross$ef

E+erstadt, N., /7. orld &o&ulation im&losion. @u+lic !nterest, /4: 6-44.

8irect <in(

3ossain, M.$., 455. 8emogra&hy of aging and related &ro+lems in Bangladesh.

Social Sci., /: /0-/07.

%ross$ef 8irect <in(

!slam, M.N. and 8.%. Nath, 45/5. Measuring BangladeshKs Aging @rocess: @ast and

uture. !n: @o&ulation, #ender and 3ealth in !ndia: Methods, @rocess and @olicies, "ames, F.S. Eds.. Academic oundation, Ne' 8elhi, &&: /06-/0.

!smail 3ossain, M., T. A(htar and M. Taj Uddin, 455. The elderly care ser)ices and

their current situation in Bangladesh: An understanding from theoretical

&ers&ecti)e. ". Med. Sci., : /6/-/6G.



%ross$ef 8irect <in(

Fa+ir, 3., /G7. Aged &eo&le in Bangladesh: acts and &ros&ects. $ural

8emogra&hy, /: 06-0.

@u+Med

Fa+ir, 3., /. <ocal le)el &olicy de)elo&ment to deal 'ith the conseDuences of

&o&ulation ageing in Bangladesh. United Nations, &&: 66.

Fa+ir, V.N., M. Se+ehely, %. Tishelman, A.M.$. %ho'dhury, B. 3ojer and B.

in+land, /G. Aging trends-ma(ing an in)isi+le &o&ulation )isi+le: The elderly in

Bangladesh. ". %ross %ult. #erontol., /6: 6/-67G.

@u+Med

Faldi, A.$., 4550. Em&loyment status of the elderly referring to the social security

organiation of Tehran %ity. Middle Eastern ". Age Age., 4: /-.

8irect <in(

Fhan, T.A. 3a* and #.. <eeson, 455. The demogra&hy of ageing in Bangladesh:

A scenario analysis of the conseDuences. 3allys !nt. ". Aging, G: /-4/.

8irect <in(

Nath, 8.%. and !.M. Narul, 455. Ne' indices: An a&&lication of measuring the

aging &rocess of some asian countries 'ith s&ecial reference to Bangladesh. @o&ul.

Ageing, 4: 46-.

%ross$ef

$haman, A.A.S.M., 4555. The characteristics of old age in Bangladesh. Bangladesh ".

#eriatrics, 67: /-/0.



$ush, E., 455. 3ealthy aging: #enes and en)ironment. !ndian ". #erontol., 45: 6-

G.

UN, /7. !nternational and $egional Mandates on Ageing. ST;S%A@., Ne' Lor(.

UN, /. The 'orld at siC +illion. United Nation @o&ulation 8i)ision.

UN@A, 4554. @o&ulation ageing and de)elo&ment-social, health and gender issues.

@o&ulation and 8e)elo&ment Strategies Series No. 6. United Nation.

htt&:;;'''.unf&a.org;u&load;li+W&u+W*le;76W*lenameWageingWde)elo&.&df .

@ro+lems of the Elderly

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S. No. @ro+lem Need

/ ailing 3ealth 3ealth

4 Economic insecurity Economic security

6 !solation !nclusion

Neglect %are

0 A+use @rotection

ear $eassurance

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7 Boredom idlenessBe usefully occu&ied

G <o'ered self-esteem Self %on*dence

<oss of control $es&ect

/5 <ac( of @re&aredness for old age @re&aredness for old age

EDuity !ssues are rele)ant to all the a+o)e

ailing 3ealth

!t has +een said that P'e start dying the day 'e are +ornQ. The aging &rocess is

synonymous 'ith failing health. hile death in young &eo&le in countries such as

!ndia is mainly due to infectious diseases, older &eo&le are mostly )ulnera+le tonon-communica+le diseases. ailing health due to ad)ancing age is com&licated +y

non-a)aila+ility to good Duality, age-sensiti)e, health care for a large &ro&ortion of

older &ersons in the country. !n addition, &oor accessi+ility and reach, lac( of

information and (no'ledge and;or high costs of disease management ma(e

reasona+le elder care +eyond the reach of older &ersons, es&ecially those 'ho are

&oor and disad)antaged.

To address the issue of failing health, it is of &rime im&ortance that good Duality

health care +e made a)aila+le and accessi+le to the elderly in an age-sensiti)emanner. 3ealth ser)ices should address &re)enti)e measures (ee&ing in mind the

diseases that aHect Y or are li(ely to aHect Y the communities in a &articular

geogra&hical region. !n addition, eHecti)e care and su&&ort is reDuired for those

elderly suHering from )arious diseases through &rimary, secondary and tertiary

health care systems. The cost to the aHected elderly indi)idual or family of health

has to +e addressed so that no &erson is denied necessary health care for *nancial

reasons. $eha+ilitation, community or home +ased disa+ility su&&ort and end-of-life

care should also +e &ro)ided 'here needed, in a holistic manner, to eHecti)ely

address the issue to failing health among the elderly.

Economic !nsecurity



The &ro+lem of economic insecurity is faced +y the elderly 'hen they are una+le to

sustain themsel)es *nancially. Many older &ersons either lac( the o&&ortunity

and;or the ca&acity to +e as &roducti)e as they 'ere. !ncreasing com&etition from

younger &eo&le, indi)idual, family and societal mind sets, chronic malnutrition and

slo'ing &hysical and mental faculties, limited access to resources and lac( of

a'areness of their rights and entitlements &lay signi*cant roles in reducing thea+ility of the elderly to remain *nancially &roducti)e, and there+y, inde&endent.

Economic security is as rele)ant for the elderly as it is for those of any other age

grou&. Those 'ho are una+le to generate an adeDuate income should +e facilitated

to do so. As far as &ossi+le, elderly 'ho are ca&a+le, should +e encouraged, and if

necessary, su&&orted to +e engaged in some economically &roducti)e manner.

9thers 'ho are inca&a+le of su&&orting themsel)es should +e &ro)ided 'ith &artial

or full social 'elfare grants that at least &ro)ide for their +asic needs. amilies and

communities may +e encouraged to su&&ort the elderly li)ing 'ith them throughcounseling and local self-go)ernance.

!solation

!solation, or a dee& sense of loneliness, is a common com&laint of many elderly is

the feeling of +eing isolated. hile there are a fe' 'ho im&ose it on themsel)es,isolation is most often im&osed &ur&osefully or inad)ertently +y the families and;or

communities 'here the elderly li)e. !solation is a terri+le feeling that, if not

addressed, leads to tragic deterioration of the Duality of life.

!t is im&ortant that the elderly feel included in the goings-on around them, +oth in

the family as 'ell as in society. Those in)ol)ed in elder care, es&ecially N#9s in the

*eld, can &lay a signi*cant role in facilitating this through counseling of the

indi)idual, of families, sensitiation of community leaders and grou& a'areness or

grou& counseling sessions. Acti)ities centered on older &ersons that in)ol)e theirtime and s(ills hel& to inculcate a feeling of inclusion. Some of these could also +e

directly useful for the families and the communities.



Neglect

The elderly, es&ecially those 'ho are 'ea( and;or de&endent, reDuire &hysical,

mental and emotional care and su&&ort. hen this is not &ro)ided, they suHer from

neglect, a &ro+lem that occurs 'hen a &erson is left uncared for and that is often

lin(ed 'ith isolation. %hanging lifestyles and )alues, demanding jo+s, distractionssuch as tele)ision, a shift to nuclear family structures and rede*ned &riorities ha)e

led to increased neglect of the elderly +y families and communities. This is

'orsened as the elderly are less li(ely to demand attention than those of other age

grou&s.

The +est 'ay to address neglect of the elderly is to counsel families, sensitise

community leaders and address the issue at all le)els in diHerent forums, including

the &rint and audio-)isual media. Schools and 'or( &laces oHer o&&ortunities 'here

younger generations can +e addressed in grou&s. #o)ernment and non-go)ernmentagencies need to ta(e this issue u& seriously at all these le)els. !n eCtreme

situations, legal action and reha+ilitation may +e reDuired to reduce or &re)ent the

serious conseDuences of the &ro+lem.

A+use

The elderly are highly )ulnera+le to a+use, 'here a &erson is 'illfully or

inad)ertently harmed, usually +y someone 'ho is &art of the family or other'iseclose to the )ictim. !t is )ery im&ortant that ste&s +e ta(en, 'hene)er and 'here)er

&ossi+le, to &rotect &eo&le from a+use. Being relati)ely 'ea(, elderly are )ulnera+le

to &hysical a+use. Their resources, including *nances ones are also often misused.

!n addition, the elderly may suHer from emotional and mental a+use for )arious

reasons and in diHerent 'ays.

The +est form of &rotection from a+use is to &re)ent it. This should +e carried out

through a'areness generation in families and in the communities. !n most cases,

a+use is carried out as a result of some frustration and the felt need to inJict &ainand misery on others. !t is also done to em&hasie authority. !nformation and

education of grou&s of &eo&le from younger generations is necessary to hel&

&re)ent a+use. The elderly should also +e made a'are of their rights in this regard.



<o'ered Self-esteem

<o'ered self-esteem among older &ersons has a com&leC etiology that includes

isolation, neglect, reduced res&onsi+ilities and decrease in )alue or 'orth +y one-

self, family and;or the society.

To restore self-con*dence, one needs to identify and address the cause and remo)e

it. hile isolation and neglect ha)e +een discussed a+o)e, self-'orth and )alue can

+e im&ro)ed +y encouraging the elderly to ta(e &art in family and community

acti)ities, learning to use their s(ills, de)elo&ing ne' ones or other'ise (ee&ing

themsel)es &roducti)ely occu&ied. !n serious situations, indi)iduals Y and their

families Y may reDuire counseling and;or treatment.

<oss of %ontrol

This &ro+lem of older &ersons has many facets. hile self-realiation and the reality

of the situation is acce&ta+le to some, there are others for 'hom life +ecomes

insecure 'hen they +egin to lose control of their resources Y &hysical strength, +ody

systems, *nances income, social or designated status and decision ma(ing

&o'ers.

Early inter)ention, through education and a'areness generation, is needed to

&re)ent a negati)e feeling to ine)ita+le loss of control. !t is also im&ortant for

society Y and indi)iduals Y to learn to res&ect &eo&le for 'hat they are instead of

'ho they are and ho' much they are 'orth. hen the feeling is se)ere, indi)iduals

and their families may +e counseled to deal 'ith this. !m&ro)ing the health of the

elderly through )arious le)els of health care can also hel& to im&ro)e control.

inally, moti)ating the elderly to use their s(ills and training them to +e &roducti)e

'ill hel& gain res&ect and a&&reciation.

<ac( of @re&aredness for 9ld Age

A large num+er of &eo&le enter old age1 'ith little, or no, a'areness of 'hat this

entails. hile demogra&hically, 'e ac(no'ledge that a &erson is considered to +e

old 'hen she attains the age of 5 years, there is no such clear indicator a)aila+le

to the indi)idual. or each &erson, there is a turning &oint after 'hich she feels

&hysiologically or functionally old1. This e)ent could ta(e &lace at any age +efore or

after the age of 5. Unfortunately, in !ndia, there is almost no formal a'areness



&rogram Y e)en at higher le)el institutions or organiations Y for &eo&le to &re&are

for old age. or the )ast majority of &eo&le, old age sets in Duietly, +ut suddenly,

and fe' are &re&ared to deal 'ith its issues. Most &eo&le li)ing +usy li)es during the

young and middle age &eriods may &refer to turn a'ay from, and not consider, the

&ossi+le realities of their o'n im&ending old age.

The majority of !ndians are una'are of the rights and entitlements of older &ersons.

The &ro+lem of not +eing &re&ared for old age can only +e &re)ented. A'areness

generation through the 'or( &lace is a good +eginning 'ith 3$ de&artments ta(ing

an acti)e role in &re&aring em&loyees to face retirement and facing old age issues.

or the majority 'ho ha)e unregulated occu&ations and for those 'ho are self-

em&loyed, including farmers, a'areness can +e generated through the media and

also through go)ernment oIces and +y N#9s in the *eld. 9lder &eo&le 'ho ha)e

faced and addressed these issues can +e recruited1 to address grou&s at )ariousforums to hel& &eo&le &re&are for, or co&e 'ith, old age.

Z/ Social !neDuity

To& 0 @ro+lems aced in 9ld Age

+y Shuani !ndia

Ad)ertisements:

A man1s life is normally di)ided into *)e stages namely: infancy, childhood,

adolescence, adulthood and old age. !n each of these stages an indi)idual1s *nds

himself in diHerent situations and faces diHerent &ro+lems. 9ld age is )ie'ed as an

una)oida+le, undesira+le and &ro+lem ridden &hase of life. @ro+lems of aging

usually a&&ear after the age of 0 years.

These &ro+lems may +e di)ided under 0 heads:



i @hysiological

ii @sychological

iii Social

i) Emotional

) inancial

/. @hysiological @ro+lems:

9ld age is a &eriod of &hysical decline. E)en if one does not +ecome sans eyes, sans

teeth, sans e)erything, right a'ay, one does +egin to slo' do'n &hysically. The

&hysical condition de&ends &artly u&on hereditary constitution, the manner of li)ing

and en)ironmental factors. 2icissitudes of li)ing, faulty diet, malnutrition, infectious,

intoCications, gluttony, inadeDuate rest, emotional stress, o)er'or(, endocrinedisorders and en)ironmental conditions li(e heat and cold are some of the common

secondary causes of &hysical decline.

8ue to the loss of teeth, the ja' +ecomes smaller and the s(in sags. The chee(s

+ecome &endulous 'ith 'rin(les and the eye lids +ecome +aggy 'ith u&&er lids

o)er hanging the lo'er. The eyes seem dull and lustreless and they often ha)e a

'atery loo( due to the &oor functioning of the tear glands. <oss of dentures aHect

s&eech and some e)en a&&ear to lis&.

The s(in +ecomes rough and looses its elasticity. rin(les are formed and the )eins

sho' out &rominently on the s(in. @ers&iration is less &rofuse and other s(in

&igmentation a&&ears as the age ad)ances. The hair +ecomes thin and grey, nails

+ecome thic( and tough. Tremors of the hands, forearms, head and lo'er ja' are



common. Bones harden in old age, +ecome +rittle and are su+ject to fractures and

+rea(s.

%hanges in the ner)ous system ha)e a mar(ed inJuence on the +rain. Atro&hy is

&articularly mar(ed in the s&leen, li)er and soft organs. The ratio of heart 'eight to

+ody 'eight decreases gradually. The softness and &lia+ility of the )al)es change

gradually +ecause of an increase in the *+rous tissue from the de&osits of

cholesterol and calcium. The aged are also &rone to heart disease, other minor

ailments and chronic diseases.

8ue to the 'ea(ening regulatory mechanism, the +ody tem&erature is aHected.

Therefore the old &ersons feel the change in climate more &rofoundly than others.

They suHer from digesti)e trou+les, insomnia. 8ue to dental &ro+lems they are not

a+le to che' or s'allo' 'ell.

The old are more accident &rone +ecause of their slo' reaction to dangers resulting

in malfunctioning of the sense organs and declining mental a+ilities, the ca&acity to

'or( decreases. Eyes and ears are greatly aHected %hanges in the ner)e centre in

the +rain and retina aHect )ision and sensiti)ity to certain colours gradually

decreases. Most old &eo&le suHer from farsightness +ecause of diminishing eye

sight.

ith ad)ancing age, the seCual &otency decreases along 'ith a 'aning of

secondary seC characters. omen go through meno&ause generally at the age of

0 Y 05 years accom&anied +y ner)ousness, headaches, giddiness, emotional

insta+ility, irrita+ility and insomnia. The mo)ements of the aged are fe'er co-

ordinates. They get fatigued easily. 8ue to lac( of moti)ation, they do not ta(e

interest to learn ne' s(ill and +ecome lethargic. A+o)e all )isits to the doctor

+ecomes a routine 'or( for them.

4. @sychological @ro+lems:

Mental disorders are )ery much associated 'ith old age. 9lder &eo&le are

susce&ti+le to &sychotic de&ressions. The t'o major &sychotic disorders of older

&eo&le are senile dementia associated 'ith cere+ral atro&hy and degeneration

and &sychosis 'ith cere+ral arterio sclerosis associated 'ith either +loc(ing or



<oss of s&ouse during old age is another haard. 8eath of a s&ouse creates a feeling

of loneliness and isolation. The negligence and indiHerent attitude of the family

mem+ers to'ards the older &eo&le creates more emotional &ro+lems.

. Social @ro+lems:

9lder &eo&le suHer social losses greatly 'ith age. Their social life is narro'ed do'n

+y loss of 'or( associated, death of relati)es, friends and s&ouse and 'ea( health

'hich restricts their &artici&ation in social acti)ities. The home +ecomes the centre

of their social life 'hich gets con*ned to the inter&ersonal relationshi& 'ith the

family mem+ers. 8ue to loss of most of the social roles they once &erformed, they

are li(ely to +e lonely and isolated se)ere chromic health &ro+lem ena+le them to

+ecome socially isolated 'hich results in loneliness and de&ression.

0. inancial @ro+lem:

$etirement from ser)ice usually results in loss of income and the &ensions that the

elderly recei)e are usually inadeDuate to meet the cost of li)ing 'hich is al'ays on

the rise. ith the reduced income they are re)ersed from the state of P%hief +read

'inner to a mere de&endentQ though they s&end their &ro)ident fund on marriages

of children, acDuiring ne' &ro&erty, education of children and family maintenance. The diagnosis and treatment of their disease created more *nancial &ro+lem for old

age.

9ld age is a &eriod of &hysical deterioration and social alienation in some cases,

loss of s&ouse, friends, "o+, &ro&erty and &hysical a&&earance. !n old age &hysical

strength deteriorates, mental sta+ility diminishes, *nancial &o'er +ecomes +lea(

and eye sight suHers a set+ac(. !t is a &eriod of disa&&ointment, dejection, disease,

re&entance and loneliness.

Ne)ertheless grand&arents &ro)ide an additional source of aHection and enrichment

of eC&erience in res&ect of child care and family +usiness. 8es&ite )arious &ro+lems

of old age, one must (ee& himself acti)ely engaged for the &ersonal 'ell +eing and

social good as 'ell.



%hallenges acing the Elderly

#et This Boo([

@age +y: 9&enStaC

Summary

Aging comes 'ith many challenges. The loss of inde&endence is one &otential &art

of the &rocess, as are diminished &hysical a+ility and age discrimination. The term

senescence refers to the aging &rocess, including +iological, emotional, intellectual,

social, and s&iritual changes. This section discusses some of the challenges 'e

encounter during this &rocess.

As already o+ser)ed, many older adults remain highly self-suIcient. 9thers reDuire

more care. Because the elderly ty&ically no longer hold jo+s, *nances can +e a

challenge. And due to cultural misconce&tions, older &eo&le can +e targets of

ridicule and stereoty&es. The elderly face many challenges in later life, +ut they do

not ha)e to enter old age 'ithout dignity.

@o)erty

hile elderly &o)erty rates sho'ed an im&ro)ement trend for decades, the 455G

recession has changed some older &eo&le1s *nancial futures. Some 'ho had

&lanned a leisurely retirement ha)e found themsel)es at ris( of late-age destitution.

@hoto a courtesy of Michael %ohen;Jic(r? &hoto + courtesy of AleC @roimos;Jic(r

or many &eo&le in the United States, gro'ing older once meant li)ing 'ith less

income. !n /5, almost 60 &ercent of the elderly eCisted on &o)erty-le)el incomes.

A generation ago, the nation1s oldest &o&ulations had the highest ris( of li)ing in

&o)erty.

At the start of the 4/st century, the older &o&ulation 'as &utting an end to that

trend. Among &eo&le o)er 0, the &o)erty rate fell from 65 &ercent in /7 to .7

&ercent in 455G, 'ell +elo' the national a)erage of /6.4 &ercent U.S. %ensus

Bureau 455. 3o'e)er, 'ith the su+seDuent recession, 'hich se)erely reduced the

retirement sa)ings of many 'hile taCing &u+lic su&&ort systems, ho' are the elderly

aHected= According to the Faiser %ommission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, the



national &o)erty rate among the elderly had risen to / &ercent +y 45/5 Ur+an

!nstitute and Faiser %ommission 45/5.

Before the recession hit, 'hat had changed to cause a reduction in &o)erty among

the elderly= hat social &atterns contri+uted to the shift= or se)eral decades, a

greater num+er of 'omen joined the 'or(force. More married cou&les earneddou+le incomes during their 'or(ing years and sa)ed more money for their

retirement. @ri)ate em&loyers and go)ernments +egan oHering +etter retirement

&rograms. By /5, senior citiens re&orted earning 6 &ercent more income on

a)erage than they did in /G5? that 'as *)e times the rate of increase for &eo&le

under age 60 U.S. %ensus Bureau 455.

!n addition, many &eo&le 'ere gaining access to +etter health care. Ne' trends

encouraged &eo&le to li)e more healthful lifestyles, &lacing an em&hasis on eCercise

and nutrition. There 'as also greater access to information a+out the health ris(s of

+eha)iors such as cigarette smo(ing, alcohol consum&tion, and drug use. Because

they 'ere healthier, many older &eo&le continue to 'or( &ast the ty&ical retirementage, &ro)iding more o&&ortunity to sa)e for retirement. ill these &atterns return

once the recession ends= Sociologists 'ill +e 'atching to see. !n the meantime, they

are realiing the immediate im&act of the recession on elderly &o)erty.

8uring the recession, older &eo&le lost some of the *nancial ad)antages that they1d

gained in the /G5s and /5s. rom 9cto+er 4557 to 9cto+er 455 the )alues of

retirement accounts for &eo&le o)er age 05 lost /G &ercent of their )alue. The shar&

decline in the stoc( mar(et also forced many to delay their retirement

Administration on Aging 455.

Ageism

Are these street signs humorous or oHensi)e= hat shared assum&tions ma(e them

humorous= 9r is memory loss too serious to +e made fun of= @hoto courtesy of

Tum+le'eed;Jic(r

8ri)ing to the grocery store, @eter, 46, got stuc( +ehind a car on a four-lane main

artery through his city1s +usiness district. The s&eed limit 'as 60 miles &er hour,

and 'hile most dri)ers s&ed along at 5 to 0 m&h, the dri)er in front of him 'as

going the minimum s&eed. @eter ta&&ed on his horn. 3e tailgated the dri)er. inally,

@eter had a chance to &ass the car. 3e glanced o)er. Sure enough, @eter thought, a

gray-haired old man guilty of P8E,Q dri)ing 'hile elderly.

At the grocery store, @eter 'aited in the chec(out line +ehind an older 'oman. She

&aid for her groceries, lifted her +ags of food into her cart, and toddled to'ard the

eCit. @eter, guessing her to +e a+out G5, 'as reminded of his grandmother. 3e &aid

for his groceries and caught u& 'ith her.



P%an ! hel& you 'ith your cart=Q he as(ed.

PNo, than( you. ! can get it myself,Q she said and marched oH to'ard her car.

@eter1s res&onses to +oth older &eo&le, the dri)er and the sho&&er, 'ere &rejudiced.

!n +oth cases, he made unfair assum&tions. 3e assumed the dri)er dro)e cautiously

sim&ly +ecause the man 'as a senior citien, and he assumed the sho&&er needed

hel& carrying her groceries just +ecause she 'as an older 'oman.

$es&onses li(e @eter1s to'ard older &eo&le are fairly common. 3e didn1t intend to

treat &eo&le diHerently +ased on &ersonal or cultural +iases, +ut he did. Ageism is

discrimination 'hen someone acts on a &rejudice +ased on age. 8r. $o+ert Butler

coined the term in /G, noting that ageism eCists in all cultures Bro'nell. Ageist

attitudes and +iases +ased on stereoty&es reduce elderly &eo&le to inferior or

limited &ositions.

Ageism can )ary in se)erity. @eter1s attitudes are &ro+a+ly seen as fairly mild, +ut

relating to the elderly in 'ays that are &atroniing can +e oHensi)e. hen ageism is

reJected in the 'or(&lace, in health care, and in assisted-li)ing facilities, the eHects

of discrimination can +e more se)ere. Ageism can ma(e older &eo&le fear losing a

jo+, feel dismissed +y a doctor, or feel a lac( of &o'er and control in their daily

li)ing situations.

!n early societies, the elderly 'ere res&ected and re)ered. Many &reindustrial

societies o+ser)ed gerontocracy, a ty&e of social structure 'herein the &o'er is

held +y a society1s oldest mem+ers. !n some countries today, the elderly still ha)e

inJuence and &o'er and their )ast (no'ledge is res&ected.

!n many modern nations, ho'e)er, industrialiation contri+uted to the diminishedsocial standing of the elderly. Today 'ealth, &o'er, and &restige are also held +y

those in younger age +rac(ets. The a)erage age of cor&orate eCecuti)es 'as 0 in

/G5. !n 455G, the a)erage age had lo'ered to 0 Stuart 455G. Some older

mem+ers of the 'or(force felt threatened +y this trend and gre' concerned that

younger em&loyees in higher le)el &ositions 'ould &ush them out of the jo+ mar(et.

$a&id ad)ancements in technology and media ha)e reDuired ne' s(ill sets that

older mem+ers of the 'or(force are less li(ely to ha)e.

%hanges ha&&ened not only in the 'or(&lace +ut also at home. !n agrarian

societies, a married cou&le cared for their aging &arents. The oldest mem+ers of the

family contri+uted to the household +y doing chores, coo(ing, and hel&ing 'ith child

care. As economies shifted from agrarian to industrial, younger generations mo)ed

to cities to 'or( in factories. The elderly +egan to +e seen as an eC&ensi)e +urden.

They did not ha)e the strength and stamina to 'or( outside the home. hat +egan

during industrialiation, a trend to'ard older &eo&le li)ing a&art from their gro'n

children, has +ecome common&lace.



3o' &re)alent is elder a+use= T'o recent U.S. studies found that roughly / in /5

elderly &eo&le sur)eyed had suHered at least one form of elder a+use. Some social

researchers +elie)e elder a+use is underre&orted and that the num+er may +e

higher. The ris( of a+use also increases in &eo&le 'ith health issues such as

dementia Fohn and 2erhoe(-9ftedahl 45//. 9lder 'omen 'ere found to +e )ictims

of )er+al a+use more often than their male counter&arts.

!n Acierno1s study, 'hich included a sam&le of 0,777 res&ondents age 5 and older,

0.4 &ercent of res&ondents re&orted *nancial a+use, 0./ &ercent said they1d +een

neglected, and . endured emotional a+use Acierno 45/5. The &re)alence of

&hysical and seCual a+use 'as lo'er at /. and 5. &ercent, res&ecti)ely Acierno

45/5.

9ther studies ha)e focused on the caregi)ers to the elderly in an attem&t to

disco)er the causes of elder a+use. $esearchers identi*ed factors that increased the

li(elihood of caregi)ers &er&etrating a+use against those in their care. Those factors

include ineC&erience, ha)ing other demands such as jo+s for those 'ho 'eren1t&rofessionally em&loyed as caregi)ers, caring for children, li)ing full time 'ith the

de&endent elder, and eC&eriencing high stress, isolation, and lac( of su&&ort Fohn

and 2erhoe(-9ftedahl 45//.

A history of de&ression in the caregi)er 'as also found to increase the li(elihood of

elder a+use. Neglect 'as more li(ely 'hen care 'as &ro)ided +y &aid caregi)ers.

Many of the caregi)ers 'ho &hysically a+used elders 'ere themsel)es a+used\in

many cases, 'hen they 'ere children. amily mem+ers 'ith some sort of

de&endency on the elder in their care 'ere more li(ely to &hysically a+use that

elder. or eCam&le, an adult child caring for an elderly &arent 'hile, at the same

time, de&ending on some form of income from that &arent, 'ould +e consideredmore li(ely to &er&etrate &hysical a+use Fohn and 2erhoe(-9ftedahl 45//.

A sur)ey in lorida found that 5./ &ercent of caregi)ers re&orted )er+al aggression

as a style of conJict resolution. @aid caregi)ers in nursing homes 'ere at a high ris(

of +ecoming a+usi)e if they had lo' jo+ satisfaction, treated the elderly li(e

children, or felt +urnt out Fohn and 2erhoe(-9ftedahl 45//. %aregi)ers 'ho tended

to +e )er+ally a+usi)e 'ere found to ha)e had less training, lo'er education, and

higher li(elihood of de&ression or other &sychiatric disorders. Based on the results

of these studies, many housing facilities for seniors ha)e increased their screening

&rocedures for caregi)er a&&licants.

9$<8 A$ !! 2ETE$ANS

orld ar !! //Y/0 )eterans and mem+ers of an 3onor light from Mil'au(ee,

isconsin, )isit the National orld ar !! Memorial in ashington, 8.%. Most of

socioo economic challenges of elderly

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