Title: How Culture and Society Impact the Elderly
Headings: How Culture and Society Impact the Elderly
How Culture and Society Impact the Elderly
Depending on culture, aging can be seen as an undesirable phenomenon or as an accumulation of wisdom and status.
Learning Objective
Key Points
Terms
Full Text
Cultural views on aging
Aging and Ageism
Eldercare
Cultural Views on Aging and Death

Content: in effect, these stereotypes become a self-fulfilling prophecy . According to Cox, Abramson, Devine, and Hollon (2012), old age is a risk factor for depression caused by such prejudice. When people are prejudiced against the elderly and then become old themselves, their anti-elderly prejudice turns inward, causing depression. Research has found that people who hold more ageist attitudes or negative age-related stereotypes are more likely to face higher rates of depression as they get older. Old-age depression results in the over-65 population having one of the highest rates of suicide. Eldercare
The form of eldercare provided varies greatly among countries and is changing rapidly. Even within the same country, regional differences exist with respect to care for the elderly, often depending on the resources available in a given community or area. However, it has been observed that globally the elderly consume the most health expenditures out of any other age group. Traditionally, eldercare was the responsibility of family members and was provided within an extended family home. Increasingly in U.S. society, eldercare is being provided by state or charitable institutions.