Older People Care (Social Care) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Older People Care (Social Care) - Essay Example According to a survey â€Å"between 1971 and 2009 the proportion of the UK population aged under 16 years decreased from 25.5 percent to 18.7 percent, while the proportion aged 75 and over increased from 4.7 percent to 7.8 percent† (Beaumont 2011). It is expected that in UK, by 2018, citizens above 65 will be more than those in the age group of 16. â€Å" It is estimated that the number of residents aged 90 and over increased by 12 percent between 2002 and 2009, that is from 388,200 to 436,500† (Beaumont 2011). (Measuring National Well-being – Population 2012). The percentage of older women is more in UK than that of men. Due to less number of deaths there is some improvement in the statistics. As women live longer compared to men, the percentage of elderly women is more.† In 2010 there were 2.56 women over the age of 90 for every man of that age† (Population Ageing: Statistics para 2). The chances of elderly women to stay alone are more than that of men. This proportion grows with increasing age. â€Å"Among women aged 75 and over who live in private households in Great Britain, 60 percent live alone compared to 36 percent of men of the same age† (Population Ageing: Statistics 2012). ... Ageism could often have an effect on the options individuals are provided with, this also affect the decisions they take about these options. â€Å"Traditionally, aging has been viewed as a continual process of decline. Unfortunately, this stereotyping results in systematic discrimination that devalues senior citizens and frequently denies them equality. In his review of the attitudes toward aging shown by humor, Pal more (1986) found that elderly people were often portrayed negatively. The humor tended to focus on physical and mental losses, as well as on decreases in sexual attractiveness and drive. Jokes about older women tended to be more negative than those about older men† (Grant para 1996). Confronting the concept of ageism is effectively carried out by the enhancement of positive thinking on the process of aging. A person’s self image depends much on age, the person’s actual age and, the age which the society thinks he or she is and the age which they thi nk they are. But this concept changes when the person reaches the retirement age. When one reaches 65, the society considers the person â€Å"useless† while the person still considers himself or herself an active and responsible member of the society. They tend to behave in a different manner.† These impressions often develop into socially acquired attitudes that affect how we deal with individuals on the basis of their age and in turn affect the stereotyped individual’s self-concept and self –esteem. What changes is not older people’s capacity to be vigorous, productive and creative. Rather, society is unwilling to see seniors as vital and active contributors far beyond traditional retirement age, and many older individuals absorb this concept into own mind sets† (The Effects of