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Summary book Gerontology
- Vak
- Gerontology
- Instelling
- Rijksuniversiteit Groningen (RuG)
Book summary of Gerontology.
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Voorbeeld 4 van de 72 pagina's
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GerontologyChapter 1. introduction: older people under the magnifying glass
1.1 what is gerontology?
- = the study of human ageing, which draws from many scientific disciplines such as sociology,
economy, biology, psychology, and epidemiology. It refers to the state of being old as well as
the process of ageing.
1.2 what is old age?
- When you ask around what it means to be old, you will often hear descriptions of physical
change, such as greying hair, wrinkles, hearing problems, walking difficulties and memory
loss. Yet, old age is more than a mere biological phenomenon – it also is a social one. Society
influences how we see ourselves, what opportunities we have, and how our lives are
structures
- People started to retire earlier, while they also remained healthy until an increasingly old
age. Consequently, age 65 nowadays is a poor marker for both, health problems and
retirement. This raises the questions when old age starts and what exactly it is.
- Current gerontological discussions stress the diversity of the ageing experience.
- A common solution for handling the diversity of old age is as a sequence of two separate and
distinct periods of life. These periods are called the third and the fourth age, respectively the
young-old and the old-old.
- The third age = characterized by a period of relative freedom and good health. People no
longer have the responsibility for the upbringing of their children, nor are they obliged to
participate in the labour force.
- The fourth age = characterized by accelerated decline of physical and mental health, and the
number of losses in physical health and social relationships, exceed the number of gains.
1.3 How grey is Europe?
- Europe is the oldest continent in the world, which means that there we encounter many
older people and we can easily observe how societies change when populations age.
Moreover, Europe is heterogeneous in many respects. There are clearly visible differences
within Europe in how old people are and in how individuals deal with old age
- We need to look within- and between-country differences to understand how population
ageing transforms Europe
- In a global comparison, Europe shows a distinct age-profile.
- Even though Europe’s population already is comparatively old, it will probably continue to
age in the near future.
- The speed at which populations age and the level of population ageing reached, however,
differs across Europe
- Today, the age-gradient within Europe is changing.
- Young countries = consists of Iceland, Ireland, Albania, Moldova and Turkey
- Intermediate level age = shows a geographical pattern. This group of countries forms a belt
running from the North to the South of Europe, thereby separating the West from the East
- Highest median age in Europe = is dispersed over the entire continent
- The portrayal of demographic differences within Europe shows that Europe is indeed greying
– but instead of simply becoming grey, it is taking on different shades of grey. There are
marked country-differences in how fast population ageing progresses and in how far it
already progressed
, - There are marked differences between population groups when it comes to how fast
population ageing progresses.
- Summing up, Europe is ageing and this process will continue for the decades to come. The
ageing of the European population, however, does not progress evenly. There are marked
differences between and within countries when it comes to the age-profile of Europe’s
population. We, therefore, need to have a closer look at the individual European countries
and at the different population groups within them, if we want to better understand how
Europe is ageing.
1.4 what are older Europeans like?
- The older European does not exist. Even though older Europeans resemble each other to
some degree, there are also marked differences between them. On the one hand, this
variation is caused by country-characteristics. On the other hand, variation in Europe’s older
population is also due to differences between the individuals within a country
- Taken together, older Europeans present themselves as a rather diverse and colorful group
of people
- One of the most obvious differences between older Europeans is their gender. Among
Europeans aged 65 years and older, we find slightly more women than men.
- The gender-difference is the result of two factors:
1. Women live longer than men
2. Mostly men fight as soldiers in wars, which means that war-related deaths are
particularly common among men. This fact reduces the number of men in the
generations that lived through World War II and similar conflicts
- Another important difference between older Europeans concerns their social networks,
meaning their connections with friends and kin; in the Nordic countries there is extended de-
familialization, meaning that friends and associations become more important. In the South
and East of Europe, in contrast, family ties are still very important
- A third dividing line between older Europeans is their socio-economic status.
- Socio-economic status = describes the position he or she has in society because of wealth,
educational level, and occupational prestige.
- The wealth of older Europeans is comparatively high in continental European countries and
comparatively low in Eastern European countries
- A final important difference between older Europeans is their health status. The inhabitants
of the Nordic countries report to be in better health than the inhabitants of Southern and
Eastern European countries.
- Generally speaking, in Eastern Europe the circumstances to age healthy and well are least
favorable. Eastern Europeans have the highest prevalence of obesity and smoking and the
lowest level of economic resources for health care.
- A more detailed insight into the situation of older Europeans can be gained when focusing on
individual countries. In the following sections, we will therefore describe the situation in
three European countries that differ dramatically when it comes to how far population
ageing has progressed. First, we will describe Italy, which is one of the oldest countries in
Europe. Then, we will look at Sweden, which has an average share of older people for
European standards. Finally, we will look at Slovakia, which is one of the youngest countries
in Europe.
1.4.1 country-profile; old age in Italy
- if Europe is greying, then Italy represents a dark shade of grey. Italy currently is the second
oldest country in Europe, after Germany, and the third oldest country in the world.
, - Studying today’s Italy can help us understand what will happen in other European countries
in the next decades.
- The overrepresentation of the very old age groups is reflected in the ideas about old age that
Italians hold. When they were asked when they thought old age started, Italians named an
average age of 68 years. This is one of the highest ages named in Europe
- The activity pattern of older Italians is quite distinctive in that they have a comparatively low
level of engagement in productive activities.
- The Italians themselves explain this comparatively low engagement level in community
activities with older people’s strong engagement within their families.
- One of the biggest challenges in ageing Italy is to organize care provision for frail older
people. Public care services are comparatively scarce and their availability differs widely
across Italy, which leaves most of the care work to family members.
- Badanti = migrant care workers. Usually live with the persons they provide care to and help
them in their daily lives.
1.4.2 country-profile; old age in Sweden
- within the European context, Sweden stands out for example because of the labour market
situation of older people
- Sweden can be seen as a country where population ageing has comparatively little effect on
the labour market and on pension schemes.
- Sweden represents the European average when it comes to population ageing, although the
meaning of old age in Sweden differs from the typical European. Swedes live longer than the
average European does and they stay healthy until a remarkably old age.
- Swedes also perceive old age to start comparatively late. When they were asked when they
thought old age started, they named a value of 67 years, which is 3 years above the
European average
- Their exceptionally good health status allows older Swedes to be active until a late age, and
they do seize this opportunity.
- In other activities, such as the participation in religious organizations, however, older Swedes
are less active than most of their European counterparts
- The Swedish government tries to enable its citizens to lead an active, independent live and
be socially included as long as possible. For this purpose, it provides e.g. pension schemes,
health and social services.
- Interestingly, it also facilitated activities in old age by establishing the right to work until age
67, that is 2 years past the mandatory retirement age, if the older individual wishes to do so.
1.4.3 country-profile; old age in Slovakia
- Slovakia is one of the youngest countries in Europe
- The relative youthfulness of Slovakia’s population is visible in many ways
- We see older individuals in Slovakia less often than in other European countries
- The Slovakians themselves also have a more youthful understanding of old age than their
European neighbors. When they were asked when they thought old age started, they named
an age of 58 years. This age is the lowest one named in any European country
- The living situation of older Slovakians is quite distinct.
- The average Slovakian retired at age 58. This is one of the lowest effective retirement ages in
Europe, and it is even 4 years before the mandatory retirement age in Slovakia
- Similarly, Slovakian pensioners are less likely to volunteer than other European pensioners.
- These low levels of engagement in paid work and volunteering might be due to the early
health deterioration in Slovakia.
, - Fortunately, older Slovakians seem socially integrated despite the comparatively low
engagement levels and the health decline
- The at-risk-of-poverty rate of older people in Slovakia was among the lowest ones in Europe
- The Slovakian government tackles the phenomenon of population ageing through various
strategies. Two Slovakian ageing researcher identified health and social care as central issues
in Slovakian old age policies.
Chapter 2. bio- and health gerontology: how ageing changes our
bodies.
2.2 what are bio- and health gerontology?
- Ageing = a complex process involving biological, social, psychological, environmental and
spiritual components.
- Gerontology i= the study of these components and their interrelations, with the sub-
disciplines bio- and health gerontology focusing on physical processes.
- Biogerontology = the scientific field of biologists and biochemists who study the ageing
process on a molecular level, and who explore how this process affects organs and
consequently the entire body.
- Biological aging of the body is seen as the result of the appearance and disappearance of the
cells of all organs
- Health gerontology = the scientific field of doctors, who do clinical research, and
epidemiologists, who study populations either cross-sectionally or longitudinally. It is closely
linked to the social and environmental aspect of human ageing. Health gerontology focuses
on bodily changes with age, the consequences of this change for daily living, and the use of
health care services
- Two levels of health-related intervention;
1. Intervention at the individual level = might, for example, focus on health promotion and
disease prevention
2. Intervention at the level of populations = might e.g. focus on poverty prevention, housing
conditions, and the organization of health and social care systems.
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