Chapter 13. Aging and the Elderly
Chapter 13 Resources and Activites
Key Terms
activity theory: A theory which suggests that for individuals to enjoy old age and feel satisfied, they must maintain activities and find a replacement for the statuses and associated roles they have left behind as they aged.
age stratification theory: A theory which states that members of society are stratified by age, just as they are stratified by race, class, and gender.
ageism: Discrimination based on age.
baby boomers: Individuals born between approximately 1946 and 1964.
centenarians: People 100 years old or older.
cohort: A group of people who share a statistical or demographic trait.
continuity theory: A theory which states that the elderly make specific choices to maintain consistency in internal (personality structure, beliefs) and external structures (relationships), remaining active and involved throughout their elder years.
dependency ratio: The number of productive working citizens to non-productive (young, disabled, or elderly).
disengagement theory: A theory which suggests that withdrawing from society and social relationships is a natural part of growing old.
elder abuse: When a caretaker intentionally deprives an older person of care or harms the person in their charge.
exchange theory: A sociological paradigm that models human interaction based on calculated social exchanges of resources governed by a norm of reciprocity.
filial piety: Deference and respect to one’s parents and ancestors in all things.
geriatrics: A medical specialty focusing on the elderly.
gerontocracy: A type of social structure wherein the power is held by a society’s oldest members.
gerontology: A field of science that seeks to understand the process of aging and the challenges encountered as seniors grow older.
gerotranscendence: The idea that as people age, they transcend limited views of life they held in earlier times.
grief: A psychological, emotional, and social response to the feelings of loss that accompanies death or a similar event.
hospice: Health care that treats terminally ill people by providing comfort during the dying process.
life course: The period from birth to death, including a sequence of predictable life events.
life expectancy: The number of years a person is expected to live.
modernization theory: A theory which suggests that societies pass through a linear series of social transformations as they transform from traditional to industrial based forms of social organization.
physician-assisted suicide: The voluntary use of lethal medication provided by a medical doctor to end an individual’s life.
primary aging: Biological factors such as molecular and cellular changes.
secondary aging: Aging that occurs due to controllable factors like exercise and diet.
selective optimization with compensation theory: The idea that successful personal development throughout the life course and subsequent mastery of the challenges associated with everyday life are based