Free Paper Sample on Old Living

Introduction

Aging is a process accompanied by different health and physical issues. The documentary, ‘Living Old’ highlights some of the challenges that old people face (‘Living Old,’ 2018). Although most people would argue that life after retirement can become the best years of an individual’s life, they pose significant challenges to people. Older adults face various problems due to their age and life circumstances. Therefore, this analysis discusses the most pressing issue facing the elderly and identifies two theoretical perspectives that sociologists can use in the documentary ‘Living Old.’

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Physical Functioning

Loss of physical functioning is one of the most pressing issues facing the elderly in the 21st century. Most of the adults maintain good health and functioning until in their later years. The biological effects of aging lead to physical and mental issues among the senior population. The muscles and bones weaken, they lose eyesight, hearing, and their mobility is limited. Some of the functioning issues facing the elderly include dementia and Alzheimer’s disease that affect people aged 65 years and above and increases by 32 percent among adults aged 85 years and older (Foley & Lytle, 2015). Such conditions hinder effective bodily functioning with most aging persons requiring special assistance.

Disengagement Theory

The disengagement and activities theories are theoretical perspectives that could apply to the documentary, ‘Living Old.’ The disengagement theory means that most aging adults are disengaged from society and are withdrawn from social activities (Foley & Lytle, 2015). Due to limited bodily functioning, older people are less involved with life activities than younger adults are. Similarly, the activity theory describes the psychosocial aging process and emphasizes the importance of social activities (Foley & Lytle, 2015). As suggested in the activity theory, retirement and aging may not be as harmful if an individual is active in other roles related to family, recreation, and volunteer actions. The activity theory encourages aging adults to engage in different activities to prevent the harmful consequences of aging.

Conclusion

In conclusion, aging is an inevitable process that has various consequences. The identified issues of aging are the loss of physical functioning since most individuals rely on assistance from other individuals due to their inability to conduct daily activities by themselves. The theories selected to explain the aging process as per the documentary, ‘Living Old,’ are disengagement and activity theories.

References

Foley, P. F., & Lytle, M. C. (2015). Social cognitive career theory, the theory of work adjustment, and work satisfaction of retirement-age adults. Journal of Career Development, 42(3), 199–214.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0894845314553270

Living Old. (2018). Frontline.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/livingold/.