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Baker, Jared Week 1 Discussion - GERO 100 7380 Contemporary Issues in Aging (2208) First, describe the changing demographic patterns of the aging population. How do these patterns vary by age, gender, race, and ethnicity? Next, discuss how the demographic changes in the population in the next decades will influence the type and delivery of community resources available to older adults? Describe the types of community resources available to older adults; what future needs can be anticipated?

As time progresses and the numbers of our older population increase, certain observations of demographic patterns have been brought to our attention specifically by age, gender, race and ethnicity. Of these four categories, various key differences can be made between the patterns. Gender, race, and ethnicity have for the main part, been documented to have a longer history of stratification. It has been noted that as time goes on, based on sex of the older population, elderly women seem to outlive elderly men. This can be explained in some theories due to men normally picking up the roles of care providers or people who provide for the homes in terms of food, shelter, and income. Specific races have also been observed to outlive others in being that white men and women tend to live longer lives than others. Dependent on a person’s culture or ethnicity, longevity in life can be determined based off the person’s work force history, were they a part of the working class well into their old age? As well as, in their culture, what kind of diet did they normally tend to have, was it

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healthier or the opposite?

Lastly, a new emergence of demographic patterns is age where the older population in the U.S. is increasing at a more impressive rate compared to previous past times. As technology and medical discoveries advance, human life expectancies have begun to extend well past the age of 85. This brings up a few areas of concern as to what do these older populations do, how can they still be a part of the growing society, can they still contribute to the workforce, etc. and most of these questions are answered through negative and positive stereotypes. This is mainly due to a negative light on old age developed in our past culture but as we continue on, we have noticed that negative stereotypes are not as correct as we Americans had thought and that there are plentiful positive outlooks to be noted on the process of aging and within our older population.

What is in store for America’s older population in the decades to come? Firstly, the older generation once had strong sway in politics as they were found to make up a majority of the popular votes in deciding what type of policies would run the future America. As time has passed, their power has decreased gradually and with the modernization of contemporary society and changing cultural norms, the older generation seem to struggle with keeping up in certain aspects. I think that in the years to come, the younger generation will be the primary targets for opinions and considerations in multiple economic and social aspects as the older generations are slowly weened off. It seems that the ease of access to information for the younger generation is increasing with advances in technology and there are more pathways to alter the opinions of the young (i.e. social media) as oppose to older people who already have a foundation of

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view points on specific topics of interest. In regards to the cultural norms of caring for the older generations, modern times have leaned towards alternative methods of care where the younger generations are not being “burdened” to care for the elderly for example hospice care and nursing homes/facilities. Just as society is “leaving” the elderly to care for themselves or receive care elsewhere, the opinions and considerations of the elderly are also slowly being pushed to the back end.

For the main part, I think that there are numerous options for the elderly/old population in terms of resources. In the readings for this week, it was noted that the older population can still do the same things as the younger population but perhaps not as actively as them. There are still communal groups, employment options, access to health care, etc. for the elderly but I think that what needs to be addressed is that the older generations are living longer and we should not be casting their opinions or considerations aside due to their age. These are generations of people who have lived during hardships and have experienced far more things than the younger generation which gives us the ability to keep a third-party voice around for advice during future predicaments.

Major historical events can shape the way a cohort behaves throughout their lives. As an example, individuals who grew-up during the Depression are often frugal with spending, even in old age. Next, discuss a major historical event from your life course. How did this affect your life as an individual? As a generation? Lastly, do you think it will continue to impact you as you age? Why or why not?

In 2006, my father retired from the U.S. Navy and was able to land a job at an Aviation company in New Mexico. His salary was around

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$67k and over the next few years would rise to $75k. In 2008 Eclipse Aviation entered bankruptcy and my father had in turn been laid off which caused him to find a job in the next state over. The housing market was also experiencing a huge crash and my parents were unable to sell the house in NM to move to TX due to the struggle of juggling two mortgages and also a lack of savings. Our family experienced significant financial cuts in our daily lives i.e. cooking meals that expired with further out dates and that were cheaper than healthier options, reduced clothing shopping or consumerism in general, requesting aid through welfare and having reduced school meals, etc. At the time I was 15 years old and had a small understanding of the situation and tried to help the family out once I got a part-time job. Nevertheless, just as older aged population who were around during the great depression were frugal with their money, I had learned from a young age to always think proactively about the future financially. Since then, I have continuously been paying into my savings account and TSP so that in the future if things do come up like the recent COVID-19 pandemic and people are unable to pay on their mortgages, I would at least be safe for a few months or enough to get myself back on my feet. I think a majority of Americans learned some valuable lessons from the effects of the 2008 housing market crash/economy hit that were also in a similar position as my family and I.

From the point of view of older adults, what might be the advantages and disadvantages of living in a state with a large older population? List and discuss at least two (2) of each. Next. from the point of view of younger generations list and discuss at least two (2) advantages and disadvantages.

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From the viewpoint of older adults:

1st advantage: Having like-minded individuals nearby. I think that by having people similar in age within your reach, a majority of common experiences can be shared amongst the populace and helps keeps a sense of belonging where as being in a predominantly younger population would make them feel out of place.

2nd advantage: I think that crime rates would be lower. When thinking about crime, the first thing that comes to my mind is fast-paced, majority of convicted being younger to middle aged people, and a higher frequency of poorly made decisions. What I mean by poorly made decisions is that younger people do not have all the answers and are prone to making mistakes at a higher rate compared to older people who may have already made and learned from mistakes. With a predominant older population, things within the town would move at slower rates where there is no hustle and bustle and chances for higher rates of crime.

1st disadvantage: I think a disadvantage of older populations amongst each other would be employment rates. I think that if the majority of the workforce were older and had established roots for a lengthy amount of time, the younger generation would find employment options harder to come by. I’ve personally witnessed this problem when living in Japan as the life expectancy is quite high and where the cultural norm is to respect the elderly no matter what. In doing so, many jobs are taken up by older people which leaves the younger generation to compete against cultural principals and job experience to land well-paying jobs.

2nd disadvantage: Another disadvantage in my opinion would be the

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rate of modernization would be drastically slower where as in a population of older folks tend to keep things simpler or the same as they have always been used to. When traveling to sight see an older town or historical town, I have noticed that there aren’t many newer infrastructures to the town or city and less options technologically i.e. not accepting cards at certain local/family owned businesses.

From the viewpoint of younger adults:

1st advantage: Advantages of living with older populations would definitely be having experience in your back pocket. For example, when living in a metropolitan area or city, if my car is having problems sure there are multiple companies and businesses that I would be able to pay for their labor but most likely for a significantly higher cost rather than to simply do it my self with the help of my grandfather or one of his friends for either free or a significantly discounted price. Towns in which the older generation people have a lengthy background with each other, the ease of access to help comes at a higher frequency than living in an area without a higher older population.

2nd advantage: Again, this advantage works hand in hand with older populations living amongst each other or with younger populations living amongst an older population and that is lower crime rates. Because there is a higher older population for example, the chances of having your home broken into is most likely extremely lower than living amongst a younger population. The older people tend to stick to themselves and if not for the most part, stay within their homes.

1st disadvantage: Personally, I have experienced towns where the population is older and they tend to keep to themselves. When

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outsiders or travelers come through their towns, the older folk can be more standoffish or rude to them seeing them as ruining their way of life or disrupting their peaceful environment. I was once camping in a town mostly inhabited by older people and got snobby looks and was even asked to not shop at their stores because the food and resources there were for them and not outsiders.

2nd disadvantage: Limited options in younger generation “fun” life. Living in San Diego where the population is high in younger generation people and forward progressive people, you tend to find newer buildings, businesses, culturally accepting norms, and more enjoyable options for entertainment i.e. bars, clubs, gyms, etc. When living in a town or city where the older population outweighs the younger, the options for fun and entertainment are limited to specific things such as camping, hiking, fishing as oppose to nightlife entertainment or amusement parks etc.

Lastly, what is ageism (as it applies to the aging and older adult population)? Name three (3) examples of ageism that you've personally witnessed, experienced, and/or perhaps even committed. How are these instances damaging to the aging population? How are these damaging to society as a whole?

Like the topic of stratification of age, ageism is also a hot topic regarding the older population. Certain laws and policies have come into effect because there have been cases of inequality due to age in specific groups. According to Maggie Kuhn of the Grey Panthers, Ageism is a “belief or ideology that people in a particular age category are inferior to people in other age categories” (OpenStax College, 2014). There was a time where jobs were firing or being opposed to hiring people due to their age and one important factor stemmed from

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that, the Age-discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 which made it illegal to withhold employment because of someone’s age (OpenStax College, 2014).

In naming examples of ageism, as the same effects can affect the older population, it also goes in the opposite direction. Being enlisted in the Navy, there is a solid rank structure that is required to be in place to uphold specific regulation of work similar to how there are employees, supervisors, managers, and CEO’s. Regardless of age, there are some cases where enlisted members climb the ladder of rank at relatively faster paces compared to others in different job fields. In my situation, I became an E-6 (which is 6th out of 9 of the enlisted Navy ranks) at my 5th year of service. Making rank this quick is not common but it does happen and people of the same rank (E-6) who took them 10+ years to make tend to look at me as if I am unable to be a leader in the military and do not hold as much experience or leadership capability as them. Therefore, I am met with a higher expectation in my job field than my other peers primarily due to my age.

Another example of ageism in the traditional aspect of discriminating against the elderly could be of sexual conflict and acceptance of opposing cultural norms such as the example of the Harold and Maude movie explained in the reading “The Process of Aging”. There is a negative stereotype of elders and their ability to maintain intimacy or have sexual relationships and just as explained by OpenStax College (2014) our feelings of having sexual relationships and intimacy do not disappear as we continue to age.

Lastly, another example of ageism could be similar to what I have experienced when I used to work for JCPenney. When I was an

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employee there, there was also a coworker who was much older in age than compared to the rest of us and most people would give her easier tasks to complete or have a lack in confidence of her job abilities. Although it most likely was beneficial for her to receive the easier tasks, I am sure to some extent she felt as if she was being discriminated against due to her age and people’s outlook on her ability to perform certain duties.

When ageism is looked at negatively, as a society we could forget the importance of aging and the positive results aging can do for us as individuals and societies. If discrimination in the workplace is a common norm against older people, it can create problems for the business and reduce efficiency. By having close-minded thoughts on aging at a younger age, when we become elderly, we could create a negative sense of purpose for ourselves and basically increase depression rates at older ages due to negative outlooks on getting older. If we can turn the negative stereotypes on aging as the literal percentage of older populations increase and we ourselves grow older, we could alter the perception of old age to be a positive and unlimiting in our capabilities as older human beings.

OpenStax College (2014). The process of aging (p. 1-14). Rice University, available from Connexions Creative Commons.

OpenStax College (2014). Minority studies: A brief text: Part IV - Aging (p. 1-12). Rice University, available from Connexions Creative Commons.

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