Old age
It is used in general usage instead of traditional terms such as "old person", "old-age pensioner", or "elderly" as a courtesy and to signify continuing relevance of and respect for this population group as "citizens" of society, of senior "rank".
This convention originated from Chancellor Otto von Bismarck's introduction of the pension system in Germany during the late 19th century.
[97] One writer notices the change in his parents: They move slowly, they have less strength, they repeat stories, their minds wander, and they fret.
[98] Another writer sees her aged parents and is bewildered: They refuse to follow her advice, they are obsessed with the past, they avoid risk, and they live at a "glacial pace".
[102] Georges Minois [Wikidata] writes that the first man known to talk about his old age was an Egyptian scribe who lived 4,500 years ago.
[103]: 14 Lillian Rubin, active in her 80s as an author, sociologist, and psychotherapist, opens her book 60 on Up: The Truth about Aging in America with "getting old sucks.
Second, that contrary to popular notions, the interviews revealed that the reduced activity and socializing of the over-85s does not harm their well-being; they "welcome increased detachment".
[103]: 303 "The problem of the ambiguity of old age has ... been with us since the stage of primitive society; it was both the source of wisdom and of infirmity, experience and decrepitude, of prestige and suffering.
In his Ethics, he wrote that "old people are miserly; they do not acknowledge disinterested friendship; only seeking for what can satisfy their selfish needs".
[103]: 277–8, 280 For Thomas More, on the island of Utopia, when people are so old as to have "out-lived themselves" and are terminally ill, in pain, and a burden to everyone, the priests exhort them about choosing to die.
Rather than condemn the practice, Bishop Guevara called it a "golden world" in which people "have overcome the natural appetite to desire to live".
[108]: 7 Joan Erikson observed that "aged individuals are often ostracized, neglected, and overlooked; elders are seen no longer as bearers of wisdom but as embodiments of shame".
On the other hand, Africans focus more on food and material security and a helpful family when describing old age well-being.
[118] Blind Spot: Hidden Biases of Good People, a book about the test, reports that 80% of Americans have an "automatic preference for the young over old" and that attitude is true worldwide.
[123] Some of the simulations include: The Macklin Intergenerational Institute conducts Xtreme Aging workshops, as depicted in The New York Times.
[128]: xxi, 4, 6 A group of geriatricians proposed a general definition of frailty as "a physical state of increased vulnerability to stressors[129] that results from decreased reserves and disregulation[130] in multiple physiological systems".
[135] Old age survivors on average deteriorate from agility in their early retirement years (65–79) to a period of frailty preceding death.
[136] In sum, frailty has been depicted as a group of "complex issues", distinct but "causally interconnected", that often include "comorbid diseases",[137] progressive weakness, stress, exhaustion, and depression.
[128]: 9 According to a study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the rate of emergency department visits was consistently highest among patients ages 85 years and older in 2006–2011 in the United States.
[153] The number of old people is growing around the world chiefly because of the post–World War II baby boom and increases in the provision and standards of health care.
[155] The growing number of people living to their 80s and 90s in the developed world has strained public welfare systems and has also resulted in increased incidence of diseases like cancer and dementia that were rarely seen in premodern times.
By becoming disengaged from work and family responsibilities, according to this concept, people are enabled to enjoy their old age without stress.
The disparities vary between 12 years in Russia to no difference or higher life expectancy for men in countries such as Zimbabwe and Uganda.
[167] Before the surge in the over-65 population, accidents and disease claimed many people before they could attain old age, and health problems in those over 65 meant a quick death in most cases.
[168] In October 2016, a group of scientists identified the maximum human lifespan at an average age of 115, with an absolute upper limit of 125 years.
[170] German chancellor Otto von Bismarck created the world's first comprehensive government social safety net in the 1880s, providing for old age pensions.
[172][173] In 2003, the age at which a United States citizen became eligible for full Social Security benefits began to increase gradually, and will continue to do so until it reaches 67 in 2027.
[177] Many new assistive devices made especially for the home have enabled more old people to care for their own activities of daily living (ADL).
[179] People who view assistive devices as enabling greater independence accept and use them, whereas those who see them as symbols of disability reject them.
[182][183][184] There is home care in which a family member, volunteer, or trained professional will aid the person in need and help with daily activities.
