Date of Award

1989

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Gerontology

First Advisor

Arlene Taich

Second Advisor

Edith Graber

Third Advisor

Michael Wood

Abstract

Winter of our life-- A smell of leaves is fallen. The chill finds its way in the dry wind. Leaves little room for a coy disguise. Reflection of our life, Underneath the crammed seams, Is vivid and no-lies. Only a blind man, sitting on the corner, Busy smoothing his gray beard, Can recall his dreams . A song of geese is beaten on the ground. When the ice engraves our wrinkles, Our memories are flatten And worn out.

Statistically, the past few decades showed the rising living standards of the elderly. Social Security benefits have increased almost 50 percent in real terms. The traditional stereotype of the elderly as sedentary, decrepit and poor seems no longer correct . We picture the rosy life of many elderly with substantial assets and discretionary income, despite the fact that close to 43 percent of them live below 200 percent of the poverty line of $10,000 per year.

Advancement of medical technologies brought increasing health costs and a greater burden in income support of the elderly. Longer life expectancy and nursing home expense caused budget crises in Medicare. Looking at the future, cuts in Medicare and Social Security will bring about more burden on the part of the supporting generation and the elderly themselves. If the current situation continues, baby boomers will not be able to expect a stable retirement life as a majority of today's retirees enjoy.

Elimination of anxieties about growing old is the necessary duty of the society. Public and governmental assistance should contribute to the welfare of the whole community. There is a need for coordinated strategies on the heterogeneity of the older population. The chronological age no longer must not be used as an appropriate measurement to allocate federal budget and community support. Our last stage of life should be viewed as a highly variable stage, reflecting the distinctive needs, interests and physical abilities of particular individuals.

A lifelong process of interaction between the individual and the larger society, pursuit of any life style and, at the end, health maintenance have to be established to foster an understanding of the life of mankind. Society must provide the means and environment in which optimal health may flourish. The complexity of clinical manifestations, mental confusion and the multiple pathologies of aging should be learned by all generations through health education.

The overall welfare of the generations, the proper function of medicine, and a fitting understanding of the aging process and death should be equally emphasize d to any stage of our life course. The degree of satisfaction of each individual is what composes the satisfaction of the whole society .

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