Capri Jackson (PowerPoint Expert) Brian Meadows (APA Expert) Elaine Mitchell (Group Editor) Tracey Thompson (Group

Leader)

The proportion of population age 60 or older has increased in all countries of the world. About 600 million people in the world were aged 60 or older at the turn of the New Millennium and their number are expected to further increase due to the substantial improvement in life expectancy throughout the world. This is particularly due to improvement in public health and medical advances. This, together with steadily declining birthrate and fertility trends, lead to increase in the share of the aged in total population. In 2010, people over age 65 comprised some 13 percent of the U.S. population. That's about 40 million Americans, a number expected to increase to 55 million by 2020. And the number of people ages 85 and older will increase from 5.7 million to 6.6 million over the same period of time [source: Administration on Aging].

Older People Contribute Little to Society As You Get Older, You Get More Set in Your Ways Mental and Physical Deterioration Are Inevitable in Old Age Older People Are Comfortable Financially Older People Aren't Interested in Sex or Intimacy Older People Can't Make Good Decisions about Important Issues Older People Want to Die Science Has Answered All Our Questions about Aging Older People Aren't Interested in the Outside World

When Americans think about old age, we tend to predict a slowdown, picturing ourselves in rocking chairs or perhaps in front of the television -- which frequently depicts aging as bad and the elderly as ridiculous. It's not just the media that propagates negative stereotypes about the elderly. For example, a 40-year old may think his 75-year-old mother will be happy to move in with his family after his father has died. She won't have to worry about keeping up a big, empty house -- and you know how she loves the grandkids. His mother may see it as losing her home and independence, and being tied down with babysitting. On the other hand, the 40-year-old and the 75year-old might find a lot of common ground -- they'll never know until they sit down and talk about it. Far from the stereotypical image of being technophobic, sedentary TV watchers, today's older adults are taking advantage of opportunities to stay mentally and physically engaged.

The idea that it's human nature for parents to make sacrifices for their children and, in turn, for grown children to sacrifice for their aging parents--turns out to be a "naive expectation," the UCLA geographer and bestselling author Jared Diamond said in a recent lecture. In America, the elderly are more typically sent to nursing homes a contrast that may appear unfeeling, even cruel. But the ways in which societies around the world treat their elderly span a vast and varied range. the fact remains, that many societies treat their elderly better than Americans do. In some cultures, he said, children are so devoted that when their aging parents lose their teeth the children will pre-chew their food Modernization has brought many benefits to the elderly most notably improved health and longer life spans it has also led to a breakdown of traditions. Then, there's Americas Protestant work ethic, which holds that if youre no longer working, youve lost the main value that society places on you. Retirement also means losing social relationships, which, coupled with Americas high mobility, leaves many old people hundreds or even thousands of miles away from longtime friends and family. Modern literacy and its ties to technology are also putting the elderly at a disadvantage. Modern literacy means that we look up things in books or on the Internet we dont go ask an old person. . A closer look at how traditional societies value (or dont value) their old people might teach us what to emulate and what to avoid. The United States, where routinely, old people do not live with their children and its a big hassle to take care of your parents even if you want to do it.

The elderly have lived and experienced life much longer than the younger folks. Therefore they place high esteem on values and norms. The elderly value family, a strong work ethic and the importance of one keeping their word. My grandma would always remind me your word is your bond; without it you have nothing. In regards to the norms that elderly people follow they are no different from societal norms. Norms are learned mostly from what parents instilled in their children. Examples of norms are dont chew with your mouth open; don't stare; don't pick your nose; and don't spit on the floor. However, keep in mind that norms can be different from culture to culture. In other words what may be normal to one person may not be normal to others.

In my opinion, an elder is considered to be, someone we all will get a chance to be, the longer we live. An elder can also be someone older and wiser than yourself, a family member, or an esteemed person, Or even a classmate.

Most have accepted the chronological age of 65 years as a definition of 'elderly' or older person.

Experience

Compassion
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Elderly people have generally had years of experience whether on the job or at dealing with issues at home. Taking care of families, budgeting money, dealing with ailing family and friends gives years of making important decisions, finding solutions and working out the mosteffective way to handle different life situations..

Older people have learned to develop more compassion for people and their situations. When starting out in the work world as a young person, the goals are generally for success, advancement and responsibility. An innate sense of understanding about people and not making quick judgments on how people have handled their lives makes the older person a good choice for dealing with the devastations that bring social workers to the table.

Patience

Proving

The impatience of youth has diminished and elders have a sense of realism about how society works in achieving goals. Having patience with the system alone makes elders a valuable addition to social working venues.

When an elderly person is allowed to opportunity to serve in social work, he often feels lucky to have gotten the job or not been replaced from a long-time position. This will create a need to prove himself worthy of the job. In turn, he will work harder, pay attention to details and perform efficiently and caringly.

Elders contribute to community cohesion by playing leadership roles in families. Also, their sense of interconnectedness, rooted in religious and cultural values, forces them to look out for the collective good. They are also a good source for motivating the younger generation to support community members.
As people age, longstanding tensions can erupt into family discord. A 2001 study published in Conflict Resolution Quarterly found that close to 40 percent of adult children caring for a parent described serious conflict with a sibling, frequently the result of one sibling shouldering the bulk of caregiving responsibility.

The fifth stage of development, which occurs during adolescence, has been the major focus of Eriksons work (1950, 1959, 1968). The developmental task to be mastered during this stage is identity achievement described by Erikson as a sense of distinctiveness and self-consistency; continuity of self over time; and a sense of psychosocial reciprocity. According to Erikson, successful mastery of this task is crucial not only for the mastery of the subsequent developmental task (intimacy versus isolation), but for overall psychosocial functioning as an adult.

Some scholars have suggested that while the duty of parents to children is easy to justify, a corresponding duty of children to parents is less tenable.
Because parents often make a conscious decision to bring children into the world, creating some duty on their part, children, as the argument goes, did not ask to be born. In other words, children do not contract for the goods and services their parents provide to them, and therefore the simple fact that they receive such goods and services does not obligate them to provide for their parents in return.

Roles can be assigned by age and/or gender, but culture as well. An elderly individual may be deemed unable to perform certain jobs if they are of a certain age, gender., and/or culture. Health is also a factor in role assignments. The more healthy one is, the more they will be able to do in order to provide for themselves and whoever they are responsible for.

The assignment of roles is not always based off of a groups cultural identity. Mostly, its centered around aging. The older you get, the more you may be asked or not asked to perform a certain task. On the other hand, the assignment of roles can be solely attributed to the cultural identity of ones group.

The consequences of a role assignment can be not being able to complete a task because of age and ability, falling into poor health or over exerting ones self to the point of death. These consequences can be related to the health, responsibility and norms one has to uphold within their cultural identity.

Education: There are some elderly individuals who are teachers, professors, or even students themselves. Religious: The elderly are very involved in church, service to the community, and spreading the word about their religion. Occupational: While some of the elderly may retire for various reasons at a certain age, many continue to work into and past what is considered old age. Judicial: There are many elderly individuals who hold high seats in courts and law enforcement. Unfortunately, there are many who are incarcerated for crimes they may have committed in their younger years.

Cultural values are an important aspect of society. They build the foundation for who we are and will be as individuals. Right and wrong Respect Religion Support Patriotism Personal Expression Generosity Responsibility

Why do you think the elderly population is so stereotyped and taken advantage of? What do you think can be done to improve the quality of life for the elderly population? Where do you think the elderly population will be at in five years? Ten years?

Ethical Issues - The practice of social workers either as clinical specialists or case managers involves decisions that have ethical considerations, primarily around the prolongation of life and dilemmas relative to providing information about specific types of illnesses or social concerns. In addition, social workers as case managers are beginning to discuss advance directives with patients while they are in the primary care setting, before an emergency life-or-death medical crisis. Focusing on Strengths - Social Workers must consider the dynamics of victimization and powerlessness. As we know, the elderly population at times can seem very powerless and are often times victims of misuse and abuse. As social workers, we must focus on their strengths by empowering them and shifting the focus toward personal and environmental resources.

Political Power - By social workers participating in policy practice (the formulation of social policy), they are able to exercise political power for constructive social change as it relates to the elderly. At this point they are able to advocate for their clients for life necessities such as Medicare/Medicaid or Social Security. Advance Human Rights Social Workers who serve aging populations should be aware of the ways in which socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity impact health.

Older adults may be met with a variety of forms of oppression. Social workers should attempt to understand how these interact, including an understanding of the cumulative effects of ageism, sexism and racism.

Ashford, J.B., & Winston Lecroy, C. (Eds.). (2012). Human Behavior in the Social Environment: A Multidimensional Perspective (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.