Old Age Sociology

“Old age has not only changed over time but has also varied among different cultures.”

This phrase is an indicator by Hareven (2005), that old age is socially constructed and not simply a natural phenomenon.

There are many ways and different adjectives one could use to describe the elderly. If one had to ask the younger generation to give out terms to describe the older generation, the majority would probably choose rather negative ones, like ‘helpless’, ‘lonely’ or ‘frail’. On the other hand, if one had to ask an older generation, they would probably choose different adjectives, like ‘independent’, ‘wise’, ‘practical’ and ‘experienced’.

Numerous diverse factors contribute to these different held views. Ageing in itself is a bio psychosocial

Therefore, when one retires, his own worth becomes questionable. With the recent emergence of retirement communities, the elderly are able to live fairly independent lives. Charitable organizations mainly rely on the time and energy of older people, who work in support of their less fortunate peers. Peterson and Somit (1994) concluded that among those elderly who are educated and healthy, knowledge and participation in society is increasing steadily. As participation increases, values of care and love from others become more significant within the

One here can mention the activity theory, which claims that older adults should continue participating in a productive social role. The disengagement theory, which was developed by Cumming and Henry in 1961, claims that older adults voluntarily withdraw from society and the continuity theory states that forced retirement is harmful to the well-being of older adults.

In the last few decades, critical gerontology has been on the rise and it has been necessary to respond to scientific discourses which picture the older as being depressed and dependent on their family.

Technology has become a necessity in everyday life. Remember the days when the elderly felt excluded from society because of all the technology building up and creating boundaries? Well that is changing as well, as more of the ageing population in becoming ‘connected’. Many companies are even offering specially tailored courses for older people who are interested in keeping up with today’s technology and learn how to use a computer and access the internet .An elderly person can enter into discussion online without encountering the prejudices dealt with in face to face interactions. An example of this is the website ‘thirdage.com’, which is oriented towards senior people. On this website, it extremely easy to communicate with others and one can find several articles related to active and healthy