Free Essay Sample Dedicated to Individual Aging

Human beings normally attain full maturity at early adulthood then gradually decline in structure and function of the various body systems and decline in their body activities. There exists both physical and psychological aging which, has a significant impact on the human behavior and how they are perceived by others. During this process, there are internal and external changes that occur in the body. The external changes such as the appearance of wrinkles, increase in body weight or change in walking posture has been perceived negatively across the board. Many have seen natural aging as a regular health issue that can be sorted. The internal changes include the reduction in muscle mass, the water content in the body and increase in fat cells. At the same time, aging people are at high risk of experiencing a bone fracture due to the increased body weight.

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Because of the prevailing challenges, there is a need to undertake measures that will ensure aging people live a normal life even as they undergo their day-to-day activities. They can do physical activities to slow down cell degeneration, increase muscle mass, increased the cardiovascular endurance and enhance oxygen intake into their body system. At the same time, the older population can be taught new tricks, ideas, and skills to help manage some of the changes.

Longitudinal studies indicate that the early adulthood behaviors, attitudes, and traits often remain consistent event at a later age. Nevertheless, some changes are not normal as people adapt in the process of aging. They become less concerned with their lives and more concerned with their legacy. Statistics indicate that the aging population is expected to increase in the coming years to the point that the 65+ will be more than those between the ages of 0-5.

Population Aging and Health: Policies, Programs, and Issue

According to this lesson, the world is growing old with a decreasing number of the youth between the ages of 0-14. Nevertheless, this is different among the developing nations where aging will be experienced in the next 30-40 years due to their low fertility levels and low-quality public health. In 2012, about 8 percent of the global population was 65+, and by 2040, it is expected to be about 14 percent. Due to the increasing number of aging people, there is a need to put in place policy frameworks for the society, health care, and housing to ensure that the aging are well taken care of. To achieve a sustainable formulation and implementation of the policies, there is a need to approach it from the individual and population perspective.

There is no vacuum in aging, and as human being age, there are changes in education systems, health care system, labor force expectations, and the basic needs. At the same time, life expectancy among human beings is determined by the gender, geographic region, race, and personal habits. The key factor that has however increased the population of the older people is the increase in the seniors is not life expectancy but the reduction in fertility. Similarly, natural disasters, economic issues, and wars are other issues that affect life expectancy in a population.

The lesson also highlighted the fact that Canadians look down upon the aging population and this has been seen as a form of social biases. The older population are seen as less important and are often ignored as compared to the younger generation. This call for the need to implement policies that can ensure they are taken care of financially, physically and emotionally.

Canada's Changing Picture

There have been numerous changes in Australia since 1940. There have been changes in education levels and economic status across the population with a more variable age structure. Over time, the Canadian culture has been presented in the form of language, technology, appearance, and games. This means that there has been an initiative of shunning stereotyping people in the society. From the anthropological point of view, culture shapes a society's social and economic condition. Similarly, some social roles and rituals are linked to aging and dying.

Diane Rowland gives a comparison on the perspective of the elderly in five countries namely Canada, the United Kingdom, Canada, West German and Japan. According to the study, each of the five nations has a social support system that is allocated to the elderly. Elderly in the US and Canada showed the highest satisfaction levels with Japanese being the least satisfied with life. About 14 to 25 percent of the elderly feel lonely and depressed too often. At the same time, the elderly in Canada are the most pleased with the health care system and programs. As a result, they use fewer physician services but are hospitalized often. Germany, on the other hand, has the weakest health care systems for the elderly. The findings also revealed Japanese elderly have poor healthcare services but the longest life expectancy. They are the biggest users of physician services as compared to other nations. The idea is that there is a lot of shame in aging and death. During the aging process, victims often feel uneasy and loss of value in their life.

Social Inequality and the Life Course

According to this lesson, the social systems which come into different shapes and sizes should be divided into labor and responsibility among members. There are positions in the social systems with are ranked formally and informally in relation to status, power, prestige, and level. Ideally, each of the position has its rights and duties based on the social norm how people behave. In the society, status is influenced by age and wage.

During the pre-industrialized period, societies were 3-tiered structure based on age (gerontocracy, all other adults and all children). At the moment, the structure of the society is mosaic across other social frameworks like education, work, state, and religious affiliation. When ranking is undertaken, a system of inequality arises. This involves unequal allocation of wealth, education and healthcare services. There is also variation in access to power and rewards.

The lesson has also assessed the effects of Matriarchal societies such as Mosuo, Minangkabau and Garo. Females are more disadvantaged, and experience more inequalities are their age progress than males. Because of the prevailing challenges, the Canadian government has put in place policies that can help manage the variations across culture, languages, and cohorts. The major concepts applied to explain the concept among aging populations in the society include cohort, generation and generational unit.

When assessing the issue of generational gap beyond the family structure, there is a need to put into consideration ethnic affiliation, educational attainment, gender, and religious affiliation. The older generation need to be cared for in relation to health to help create a conducive environment. It is also important to promote healthy living at a younger age since health transition involves a dynamic interplay between the structural and individual factors that shape one's health as he ages.