Older People

Older People

Older people in Europe

Ageing Problems faced by older people Ageism The social construction of ‘old age’

Ageing

Under current trends, the population of the current EU will be smaller and older in 2050

By 2050 there may be 58 million more people over 65 (and 48 million less people between 15-64)

Low birth rates, higher life expectancy at birth (81 for men, 86 for women by 2050)

Implications of ageing

2005: 4 people of working-age for every elderly citizen

2050: ration 2 to 1 A smaller workforce will drag down growth Age related spending (pensions, health

and long-term care) will increase by 4-8 % of GDP

Gerontology

Scientific study of old age Emphasises the social and behavioural

aspects of ageing Ageing as a lifelong process that varies in its

effects from individual to individual Gerontologists study how older people are

treated within a society and how older people cope with the problems related to ageing

Problems faced by older people

Health problems Income and economic welfare Chronological age often used to include or

exclude people from activities or benefits Coping with changes in society Harmful stereotypes provided by the mass

media

Ageism

The term “ageism” was coined in 1969 by Robert Butler (the first director of the National Institute on Ageing)

A process of systematic discrimination against people because they are old

Today it is more broadly defined as any prejudice against an age group

Manifestations of ageism

Negative behaviour towards people on the grounds of age (too young or too old)

Examples: “infirm”, “senile”, “dirty old person”, “past it”, “cranky”, “childlike”

Ageism against young people

Consequences of ageism

Similar to other forms of discrimination: persons subjected to prejudice tend to adopt the dominant group’s negative image and behave in ways that conform to that negative image

Older people are expected to be passive, unproductive, asexual, forgetful, invisible...

Common responses to ageism

Acceptance (“act old”) Denial (lying about one’s age, hiding age) Avoidance (isolation, addiction or suicide) Reform (individual or collective attempts to

eliminate discrimnation)

Fighting ageism

Promote intergenerational solidarity Involve older people in decision making at

the family and social levels Ensure access of older persons to all basic

social services Provide medications at low prices Legal measures that eliminate abuse Provide palliative care

The social construction of ‘old age’

Ageing is not only a natural process, it is also a social one, which means that the way older people are treated is largely determined by social expectations

Older people in Europe

Read the text on p. 65 and answer the following questions:

How is chronological age often used in society?

Is ‘old’ a pejorative term in Europe? What is sexism? What are attitudes towards older people

determined by?

Complete the following statements: Ageism can be defined as___________. ‘Old age’ is an _____________ term. The age of consent means

_____________. The retirement age is ______________.

Older people in Britain

Older people in Britain

Read the text on p. 68 and summarize the social services available to older people in Britain

Are such services available in Croatia? How many older people in Britain live in

residential homes? How about Croatia?

The role of volunteers

Royal Voluntary Service, formerly WRVS

Royal Voluntary Service is a volunteer organisation that enriches the lives of older people and their families across Britain.

Working together to make Britain a great place to grow old The WRVS offers many services to

older people in the home, hospital and community, allowing them to regain and retain their independence by providing practical help and activities.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cPoaUg6etA

Social Security in the USA

Read the text on p. 70 and answer the following questions:

What kind of insurance do most Americans have today?

What kind of insurance they do not have?

How many employees have access to unemployment benefits?

Health care in the USA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNwfQTwAeZI

Translate the following:

Hrvatski građani rođeni nakon 1971. godine ići će u mirovinu po novim pravilima – nakon navršene 67. godine života.

To propisuje odredba novog Zakona o mirovinskom osiguranju o kojem su raspravljali saborski zastupnici.Ministar Mirando Mrsić pojašnjava da je hrvatski problem sve starije stanovništvo i sve veći broj umirovljenika u odnosu na zaposlene.

"Održivost mirovinskog sustava, produženje životne dobi u Hrvatskoj i ono što nam je neminovno, a to je da ćemo s obzirom na starenje stanovništva Republike Hrvatske imati potrebe za što većom aktivnosti starijih dobnih skupina na tržištu rada", rekao je Mrsić.

Suggested translation

Croatian citizens born after 1971 will retire in accordance with new rules – after they turn 67.

This is regulated by the new Pension Insurance Act that was discussed by members of Parliament.

Minister Mrsić explains that Croatia is faced with a problem of ageing population and a rapidly increasing number of retired persons in comparison with the number of employed persons.

„Sustainability of the pension system, expansion of life expectancy in Croatia and what is inevitable, and that is that, with regard to the ageing of the Croatian population, we will have a need for more activity of elderly age groups in the labour market“, said Mrsić.

Thank you for your attention!