SOCW 6210 Discussion Post Responses

In the following paragraphs I will attempt to provide details concerning this week’s discussion topic of sociocultural differences with perspectives on aging. The following will include a comparison of American culture on aging against that of Japan and China. I will explain why differences exist and how the differing perspectives on aging my impact social work practice.

Different cultures have different perspectives on aging. Americans have three perceptions on the elderly (60+ years old). The three perceptions are the capabilities, the role in the society and the culpabilities of the elderly. In relation to social work practice such as healthcare needs, Americans believe that the elderly experience a loss of control and deterioration which results in difficulties in meeting their needs. Even though this is the perception of the elderly, experts in America believe that the elderly are a source of social productivity. In Japan, this culture is different as the older adults are more productive thus have better personal growth compared to the older adults in America (Harding, 2015). The elderly in Japan are more salient in social policies compared to the U.S. The Chinese have a culture similar to the U.S one in which the elderly are seen as a burden to the society (Jin Yao, 2018). The elderly are discriminated as opposed to the Japanese culture which values the older adults.

Tuckey-Seeley in his research about life course socioeconomic circumstances, he states that the elderly in the U.S manage multiple chronic diseases thus impacting on their socioeconomic statuses (Tucker-Seeley, 2011). Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman (2016) also discusses the psychological aspects in later adulthood states that when a person grows old, they are bound to have memory loss, their intellectual function also deteriorates, and there is decrease in mobility and thus a higher risk of getting diseases. This is due to the many changes that occur in the bodies where there is also reduction in brain size thus having an impact on the older adults (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2016). These effects on the elderly affect social work assessments and intervention methods. The elderly ultimately need the help of the society to help them carry out their day to day functions.

References Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. Chapter 15, "Psychological Aspects of Later Adulthood" (pp. 685-714) Harding, D. C. (2015). Three western myths about Japan, retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34005681 Jin Yao, L. Y. (2018). Perceived discrimination and life satisfaction of elderly Chinese People. Frontiers in Psychology. Tucker-Seeley, G. S. (2011). Lifecourse socioeconomic circumstances and multimorbidity. BMC public health.

Reply to the following Posts

AR’s post states the following:Top of Form

Compare your culture's perspective on aging to the perspectives of the two cultures you researched.

 Growing up in an African American culture, aging for elders in my family meant "Independence" My grandmother for example, although she is getting older and in our family we were taught to take care of your elders and ensure they have the support they need. My grandmother relies on her independence. She wants to do everything for herself. In African American culture there are components of aging that African Americans consider which include social activity, a strong spiritual life, not taking medications, and traveling (Sara J Corwin, 2019). African Americans said aging well means being cognitively intact, free of serious mobility impairment or other health problems (Sara J Corwin, 2019).

  Upon my research the perspective on aging African American culture differs from Caucasian culture, this culture describes aging well as living a long time, staying physically active, maintaining a positive outlook on life, and having good genes (Sara J Corwin, 2019).

  The perception of aging and sense of well-being among Latino elderly is influenced by the level and quality of social support, cultural expectations, and having strong faith in God. These factors influence sense of emotional well-being despite physical functional capacity and chronic health conditions. They also have a fear of loneliness and living in nursing homes (Beyene, Becker, & Mayen, 2002).

Why you think these differences exist. Also, explain how different perspectives on aging might impact social work practice.

   I believe these differences exist because of generational experiences, every culture is not the same. We all were brought up off of different values and beliefs; I can speak on the behalf of my culture, being African American, I was always taught the value of family. We were raised to always care for the elders within our family, our family is very close knit. Now in other cultures those values may not be the same and different perspectives on aging might impact social work practice by altering the way we come up with plans for individuals and their families.

Reference

Beyene, Y., Becker, G. & Mayen, N. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology (2002) 17: 155.

     https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015886816483

Sara J Corwin, R. (2019). Peer Reviewed: Attitudes on Aging Well Among Older African Americans and     

  Whites in South Carolina. [online] PubMed Central (PMC). Available at:  

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2774627

MMV’s Post states the following

Growing up in Venezuela we were taught to take care of our elders my grandmother was cared for in later adulthood when she was unable to care for herself.  My aunt and I were there for her and provided her with basic necessities, medical care, and hospice services.  Some cultures differ in the way they look at the aging process because some look at it in a linear form, which lines out the expectations for aging. Others look at it as more of a cyclical process that covers different stages of living, but regardless of choice, the people in later adulthood are referred to as a population at risk. Older adults are a population because of their vulnerable position in this stage in life.  Older people faced threats in the past because of scarce resources that forced society into abandoning their elders.   Eskimos, tribes in Bolivia, and members in Uganda would leave the elders and created a way for them to die away from the members of the community (Zastrow, & Kirst-Ashman, 2016).  In the present-day, the mentality is somewhat the same, with the elderly having to retire after a certain age, which in turn affects negatively because, at times, they lose their power, status, and income (Zastrow, & Kirst-Ashman, 2016).    Most elderly live well below the poverty line, and this issue poses an impact on social work.   The elderly may require social services to accommodate them in achieving a better quality of life.  Placing the elderly at a nursing home when they are no longer able to care for themselves provides them with a better quality of life.  Additional assistance can be delivered to them with counseling to help them deal with the transition of this stage in later adulthood. 

Adulthood in India may be difficult for the elderly because of the caste system in place and how people with disabilities are viewed (because stigma related to them are less desirable (Kayama, Johnstone, & Limaye, 2019).  India's elderly have a restricted social life 20 percent of them fall under this category. 13 percent of them are abused or mentally tortured, and roughly 13 percent of the elderly are denied basic needs (Goswami, 2016).  The attitude of the elderly differs in Greece as opposed to the western lifestyle, which looks at aging in a negative light from the culture of looking young and removing the elderly to nursing homes and isolating them from society.  In Greece, old age is celebrated and put in the center of the family, and in China and Korea, the elderly is care for by their families (Huffpost, 2017).

References

Goswami, S. (2016). The ugly truth about old age in India. Retrieved from https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/The-ugly-truth-about-old-age-in-India/article14423922.ece

Huffpost. (2017). 7 Cultures Where 'Old' Isn't A Bad Word. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/what-other-cultures-can-teach_n_4834228

Kayama, M., Johnstone, C., & Limaye, S. (2019). Adjusting the “self” in social interaction: Disability and stigmatization in India. Children & Youth Services Review, 96, 463–474. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.11.047

Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

SR’s post states the following:

I am a caucasian agnostic raised in a Baptist culture. I will compare my personal culture to that of the Lao and African American cultures in relation to perspective on aging.

In Lao means that the main house at the center of a group of related women almost always contains a stem family. The oldest daughter and her husband move out after the marriage of the next daughter but try to live nearby or in the same compound. The main house usually is inherited by the youngest daughter, who is responsible for the care of aging parents (Countries, 2019). In the Laotion culture, family stays close to each other. Many follow tradition even today. I myself have witnessed how those in this culture keep tradition and family close to them. A friend’s father passed and as the oldest male, he had to take a vow of silence and live in a monastery for a time of reflection and respect. In my own culture, the family is spread out and we do not have the same religious beliefs as each other. When my grandfather passed my grandmother took care of him and his needs. At the end of her life, she stayed in a nursing home and we were with her at the very end in the home. The impact on social work in this situation would be the necessity to evolve the family in the care plan. However, it can also cause difficulty with patient confidentiality in the family when the client wants something different than the family. 

The family has been the bedrock of African American culture from times of slavery through the tumultuous days of mandated racial segregation. in the company of elders, it felt less intimidating and essential for family unity to face some of the issues that have challenged and disrupted the African American family in modern times. Elders’ wisdom projected safety and provided a comforting sense of security (McCoy, 2019). In African American culture, their elderly are a big part of understanding their history. Family is a big part of their life and the elderly are respected. In my experiance when a family is unable to care physically for the elderly help is saught, but they are there in numbers day after day. In comparison to my own culture, we are also respectful of our grandparents and what they had to teach us but with our mother it is more of equals. We still take care of each other and know our end wishes. However, we do not talk to each other every day as adults. Different perspectives on aging might impact social work practice here because in a family who sees their family daily may not want to explain their issues to them. They could be embarrassed or not want to be seen as vulnerable. This could lead to a lack of resources or client depression.

References