Unit 11- Ageism

Question 1

Ageism

Answer 1

Discrimination towards someone because of their age

Question 2

Some changes elderly people face

Answer 2

1. Loss of skin coloring, texture and elasticity, thinning and whitening of hair. Skin becomes more fragile and transparent as we age. Elderly persons lose elasticity in the skin, causing their skin to hang loosely. As their skin age, some elders experience skin discoloration. As people age, these follicles begin to die off, and there
   is less melanin in the hair.
2. Visual and hearing problems which include
   Presbycusis- Presbycusis, more commonly known as age-related hearing loss
   is the decline of hearing that gradually occurs in most humans as we grow older cataracts and age-related muscular degeneration.
3. Chronic conditions eg. Arthritis- Arthritis causes chronic pain in older adults which can lead to depression, sleep disturbances,
   an increase in health care costs, as well as the inability to complete common daily task such as cooking, climbing stairs, gardening or threading a needle. Also loss of teeth due to periodontitis which seriously affect nutrition.

Question 3

Psychosocial challenges elderly people face in society

Answer 3

Psychosocial aspects in elderly people focuses on social, emotional and psychological issues such as anxiety, depression, delirium and/or personality disorder while emotional issues may include grief, loneliness, social isolation, poor relationships and/or fear. These psychosocial issues can impact and contribute to physical health. Erik Erikson looks at the personality aspect as the elderly, 65 and over face the final crisis, ego integrity versus despair, culminating in the “virtue” of wisdom or acceptance of one’s life and impending death ie .coping adequately with life challenges or having a sense of frustration or regrets.

1.Coping
2.Lifestyle and social issues
3.Radius of significant relationships
.

Question 4

Cognitive Challenges encountered by the elderly in our society.

Answer 4

1.Health-Many diseases have a negative impact on cognitive performance in the elderly. Hypertension was related to decreased performance by individuals over the age
of 60.
2.Memory changes may be related to slowed processing speed, the inability to ignore irrelevant information. Neurological changes as well as decline in memory functioning in the elderly. Older adults often take longer to retrieve the capacity of working- memory and the ability to recall specific events

Question 5

Policy suggestions for ageism

Answer 5

In communities the aged should be recognized as they have a catalogue of rich knowledge and wisdom to share with the younger generation. There should be an out-going mentorship program whereby those elderly in the community who are capable and want to give back to their community can do so.

Dialogue with the aged should be encouraged where in the community the elderly would pass on their trade and knowledge such as schools, passing on their skills and talents along with the teacher.

Aged, skilled persons should be hired as mentors in the communities especially as young persons need respectable people who can guide, build their confidence or simply talk to when they have concerns. Seniors can teach dance and played sports can train/teach youth in their community.
Reading centers should be established whereby retired teachers can help students within the community with reading problems.

A stipend could be given to the aged as a motivator as well as it will assist with the upkeep of their bills.

All these aged stalwarts were once regular active citizen who have a lot to offer even though their memory and health may fail them most of them have contributed to society in one way or the other.

Social clubs
A social club for the elderly will provide a full day programme and night time routine for seniors who are suitable for center-based care setting, and require supervision while their families are at work. Equipped with a well trained, certified staff, this type of service will aim to maintain and improve the general, physical and social well-being of seniors through a wide variety of activities and therapy. Daily drop off and pick up services will allow for an option where the elderly no longer have to be left alone at home or at an old aged home. It has been proven that elderly
persons who have been left in old aged
homes seldom suffer from various
psychosocial and environmental
problems including feeling of
neglect, depression and grief which
often lead to a quicker death.