4-1 Discussion Aging in the United States Post 7

AgingintheU.S.issuchaninterestingandmultifacetedtopicofdiscussion.Ontheonehand,we

haveaculturethatavoidsdeathanddyinguntilitsmacksusintheface,likeBettyWhite’srecent

passingweeksbeforeher100thbirthday.Ontheotherhand,weareinundatedwith

advertisementsandentertainmentseeminglytargetedatayouthfulpopulation.AsAmericans

havepracticallydoubledthelifeexpectancysincetheearly1900s,itshouldbeunderstoodthat,

inadditiontohavingmorechildrensurvivingchildhood,wenowhavemoreadultsreachingages

thatwouldhavebeentheexception,nottherule,indecadespast(Katz,2021).Onemaywonder

whyoursocietycontinuestobeuncomfortablewithdeathwhilepushingayouthfulnarrative.I

myselfhavewonderedthisquiteabit.

My87-year-oldgrandfatherisquitepridefulofhis“youth.”Hecontinuestofarm,albeita

smallerportionofhispropertyandnowatapacethatsuitshim,hedrives,andhelivesonhis

ownoutinruralnorthwesternOhio,abouthalfamileawayfromhisnearestneighbors.He

considershishealthanimmensepointofpride,remainsfiercelyindependent,andseemsto

enjoyhisvantagepointincomparisontohispeers,whosenumbersgrowsmallereachyear.

However,herefusestodiscussplans,wishes,ordirectivesregardingfailinghealthorhisultimate

passing.Thishasbeenapointofcontentionbetweenhimselfandhischildren,whowill

eventuallybetaskedwithsettlinghisfinalaffairs.Ofthesmalltidbitsofinformationthathave

beensharedbyhim,weareallawarethathewishestoremainalive,nomatterthecost,no

matterthecondition.Itseemslogical,therefore,thathe,likemanyothers,mayhaveafearofthe

unknownandanaturalurgeforsurvival(Deretić&Smith,2021).

Likewise,hereinColumbus,Georgia,thereisalotoftalkaboutliposuction,facelifts,

breastaugmentation,andsoon.Inparticular,Botoxseemstobeeverywhere,includinghair

salons.Iamnotpersonallylookingintotheseservices,buttheinterestiscertainlypresentand

apparent.AccordingtoareportbyResearchandMarkets(ProfessionalServicesClose-Up,2021),

theglobalmarketforanti-agingproducts,services,andofferingswas$194.4billionbackin2020

andisestimatedtomorethandoubleinsizeby2030to$422.8billion.Thisgrowthisestimated

tobeattributedtoincreasedawarenessofanti-agingproductsavailableonthemarket,medical

tourism,disposableincome,andcosmeticssurgeriesavailable.Meanwhile,oneofeveryfive

Americansin2030willbeaged65orolderandthemedianageoftheU.S.populationisexpected

togrowfrom38to43by2060(Census.gov,2021),creatingalargertargetdemographicforanti-

agingservices.Theseservicesareadvertisedandfocusedonbecausetheyarepartofan

enormousindustrythathappenstobethriving.Iseethevalueintheseservicesforthosewho

maydesirethem,butforthetimebeing,Iprefertoagenaturally.

LeeAnn

References

Deretić,I.,&Smith,N.D.(2021).Socratesonwhythebeliefthatdeathisabadthingisso

ubiquitousandintractable.Journal of Ethics, 25(1),107-122.https://doi-

org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1007/s10892-020-09354-y

Katz,R.E.(2021).TheagingofAmericarequirespersonal,culturalandpolicychanges.Health

Progress, 102(1),37-41.

Older people projected to outnumber children for first time in U.S. history. Census.gov.(2021,

October8).https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2018/cb18-41-

population-projections.html

ResearchandMarketsissuesreport:Anti-agingmarket.(2021,September7).Professional

Services Close-Up.