Aging and Disability Worksheet

Associate Program Material

Aging and Disability Worksheet

Part I

Answer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use.

• Discuss three assumptions people make about elderly people.

Assumptions about the elderly are made all the time. One assumption people make about the elderly is that they are stubborn. The elderly when seen with their younger counter parts are often perceived as stubborn because they may have disagreements about how they want things done. Another assumption made about the elderly is that they are all sickly or ill. I personally know people who feel strongly about this and avoid having to deal with older people as much as they can. Lastly, the elderly are seen as senile. This to me goes hand and hand with the assumption or stereotypes about illness because of diseases like dementia.

• Discuss some issues caused by discrimination against the aging population. What are some of the benefits of inclusion for this population?

Issues caused by age discrimination according to the federal Health and Retirement Study, “have shown that everyday discrimination is associated with higher rates of depression and poorer self-rated health (Span, 2013)”. I believe that this is true, and it especially doesn’t help the issues that we have regarding many particular stereotypes, like the elderly being ill. I believe that inclusion is very necessary for society to advance and continue to flourish. The best part of history is learning from the past and to me the elderly is the key to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes they our elders did.

• Besides poverty, what are some other unique circumstances or issues encountered by the aging population? What is being done to address poverty and the other issues you identified?

Other than poverty the ageing population has to deal with disabilities more than any other group or community. Everyone has to eventually age and there are a number of...