Managing
Chronic Diseases and Promoting Well-being in Old Age
Chronic
diseases can have a profound impact on the health and quality of life of elder
Americans, not to mention the financial burden that is often associated with
long-term illness. The most common chronic diseases afflicting the elderly are:
Adult onset diabetes, arthritis, kidney and bladder problems, dementia,
Parkinson’s disease, glaucoma, lung disease, cataracts, osteoporosis, enlarged
prostate, Alzheimer’s disease, muscular degeneration, depression,
cardiovascular disease. A lot of the sickness, disability and even death
associated with chronic disease can be avoided through preventive measures.
Usually
when an older person is diagnosed with a chronic condition, there is an
immediate feeling of facing a loss of freedom and autonomy, a sense that his or
her days of living independently at home are numbered. This fear may actually
make your aging parents refuse to seek help. Experts agree that one of the most
practical ways an adult child can help parents facing a chronic illness is by
providing information about available resources to enhance their independence
and quality of life. Older Americans are disproportionately affected by chronic
diseases and conditions, such as arthritis, diabetes and heart disease, as well
as by disabilities that result from injuries such as falls. More than one-third
of adults 65 or older fall each year. Twenty-one percent of the population age
60 and older, 10.3 million people has diabetes. Seven of every 10 Americans who
die each year, or more than 1.7 million people, die of a chronic disease.
Chronic
conditions are the greatest concern to quality of life in older people because
they are conditions which are long term, more than three months. Chronic
conditions are often permanent leaving disabilities that may require long term
care. More than 80% of people over the age of 70 have at least one chronic
condition, often leaving the person with continuous pain and distress. Exercise and regular visits to physicians are some of the most common ways to prevent chronic illnesses. Although, some diseases are not preventable, many diseases affecting the elderly can be managed and treated, even at the ending stages of one’s life.
Suffering from an illness can not only affect
the running of your social life, but can also have a major impact on your sex
life. Chronic illness is the main concern, as this incorporates conditions that
you suffer from for a long period of time. Such illnesses include heart
disease, cancer and arthritis. Having a chronic illness can result in your
energy decreasing, and may involve the use of medication or surgery, which can have
an adverse effect on your sex life. However, with the desire to improve your
sex life and the help of your partner, such illnesses can be prohibited from
putting an end to your sex life.
Link to Video Clip
Hooyman, Nancy R, and H A. Kiyak. Social
Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective. Boston: Pearson/Allyn &
Bacon, 2011. Print.
Scholarly Journal Aging and the Environment: A Research Framework Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 113, No. 9 (Sep., 2005), pp. 1257-1262 http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/HCLTC/Evidence_Based/index.aspx I like this site because it gives great information about all aspects of aging and includes specific numbers and data that is reliable and accurate.
This site is a great source for facts, figures and great information about chronic diseases, illness and pain. Its facts are sound and backed up with reliable data by health care professionals.
“Miraculously recover or die. That's the extent of our cultural bandwidth for chronic illness.”
― S. Kelley Harrell
One of the prominent theories in social aging is role theory. Each
person plays a wide variety of social roles in life, from parent to child to
business professional to grandparent. Role theory concerns the tendency for
human behaviors to form characteristic patterns that may be predicted if one
knows the social context in which those behaviors appear. Role theorists tend
to share a basic vocabulary, an interest in the fact that human behavior is
contextually differentiated and is associated with the social position of the
actor, and the assumption that behavior is generated by expectations that are
held by the actor and others.
Certain roles identify and describe a person as a
social being and are the basis for self-concept and identity. It explains those
behavior patterns, or roles, by assuming that people within a context appear as
members of recognized social identities. Role theorists tend to share a basic
vocabulary, an interest in the fact that human behavior is contextually
differentiated and is associated with the social position of the actor.
In most societies chronological age is used to
determine eligibility to different positions and to shape expectations of
people in social situations. Role expectations are not just behaviors but
emotions and feelings as well. Roles have remarkably detailed and complex
expectations for our behavior. How well individuals adjust to aging is assumed
to depend on how well they accept the role changes presumed to be typical of
the later years.
One aspect of role theory I want to emphasize is the
viewing of acts that are socially looked at as "age appropriate." I
think this plays a big part in society's view on the role theory. When older
people are not acting the way they are supposed to, or age appropriate, people
say they should act their age. These norms may have been formally expressed
through social policies and even laws. One example is mandatory retirement
policies for some occupations. The term age-normative expectations go right
along with age appropriate. Society gives specific times in one's life,
specific ages when it is age appropriate to marry, have children, graduate,
start a career and eventually retire. This idea of becoming socialized with
your choices being dictated by age does not quite sit well with me. Age should
not dictate how or at what pace you live your life. Life sometimes throws curve
balls in ones plan like, role losses, and role discontinuity, these are losing
a partner or learned traits or skills that may have been deemed useless at time
of learning. The term "role" in society covers a large extent of a person’s
life, both socially and emotionally to an extent. Sometimes life chooses our
roles, sometimes the roles are our own choice.
Hooyman, Nancy R, and H A. Kiyak. Social
Gerontology: A Multidisciplinary Perspective. Boston: Pearson/Allyn &
Bacon, 2011. Print.
I like this page because it has good information about
role theory and the how roles affect society. Roles have remarkably detailed
and complex expectations for our behavior.
This site explains the impact of role loss and its
impact on the theory of roles. This loss of roles can lead to social isolationism;
the site explains how this isolation can lead to decreased amount of social interaction
among seniors.
“According to Role theory, we all ‘play' roles in
life similar to characters in a play. These roles (or should I say rules)
govern our behavior and determine how we will interact with family members, in
our personal relationships and in our dealings at work, school and society at
large”-Bakari Akil II, Ph.D.
Hello all,
My name is Nathan Kite, I am currently a junior at the University of Idaho.
Aging can represent an inevitable decline, or the more optimistic viewpoint that people, to some extent, influence their own experiences of aging. Aging is a process that begins at conception and progresses with each passing moment until death. In the simplest terms, aging occurs because cells are either dying faster than they are replaced or their functioning becomes altered. Our lifestyles in our younger and middle ages, dictate and affect our physical, mental and social health. The choices we make also have an impact on the cognitive and emotional well-being, along with our social lives in our later years.
ON AGING-Maya Angalou
When you see me sitting quietly Like a sack left on the shelf Don't think I need you chattering I'm listening to myself Hold! Stop! Don't pity me! Hold! Stop your sympathy! Understanding if you got it otherwise ill do without it!
When my bones are stiff and aching And my feet wont climb the stair I will only ask one favor: Don't bring me no rocking chair.
When you see me walking, stumbling, Don't study and get it wrong. 'Cause tired don't mean lazy And every goodbye ain't gone. I'm the same person I was back then. A lot less hair, a little less chin, A lot less lungs, and much less wind But ain't lucky I can still breathe in.
