Title: Chapter 13. Aging and the Elderly – Introduction to Sociology – 1st Canadian Edition
Headings: Chapter 13. Aging and the Elderly
Chapter 13. Aging and the Elderly
Learning Objectives
13.1. Who Are the Elderly? Aging in Society
13.2. The Process of Aging
13.3. Challenges Facing the Elderly
Introduction to Aging and the Elderly
13.1. >Who Are the Elderly? Aging in Society
Studying Aging Populations
Phases of Aging: The Young-Old, Middle-Old, and Old-Old
The Greying of Canada
Baby Boomers
Aging around the World
13.2. The Process of Aging
Making Connections: Biological Research
Dr. Ignatz Nascher and the Birth of Geriatrics
Biological Changes
Social and Psychological Changes
Aging and Sexuality
Making Connections: Social Policy & Debate
Aging “Out:” LGBT Seniors
Death and Dying
13.3. Challenges Facing the Elderly
Ageism
Mistreatment and Abuse
13.4. Theoretical Perspectives on Aging
Functionalism
Making Connections: Sociological Research
The Greying of North American Prisons
Critical Sociology
Symbolic Interactionism
Key Terms
Section Summary
Section Quiz
Short Answer
13.1. Who Are the Elderly? Aging in Society
13.2. The Process of Aging
13.3. Challenges Facing the Elderly
13.4. Theoretical Perspectives on Aging
Further Research
References
Solutions to Section Quiz
Image Attribution

Content: Were they cast as main characters in a love story? Grouchy old people? How were older women portrayed? How were older men portrayed? Many media portrayals of the elderly reflect negative cultural attitudes toward aging. In North America, society tends to glorify youth, associating it with beauty and sexuality. In comedies, the elderly are often associated with grumpiness or hostility. Rarely do the roles of older people convey the fullness of life experienced by seniors—as employees, lovers, or the myriad roles they have in real life. What values does this reflect? One hindrance to society’s fuller understanding of aging is that people rarely understand it until they reach old age themselves. (