Issue Of Old Age Research Articles

The Liminal Space Between Life and Death in Documentaries. Case Study: “You, Margaret” (2021)

The concept of liminality is explained and developed by anthropologists and aims to give the reader a closer look on how rituals are conducted in small societies combining everything with something that is based on experience. This paper aims on addressing the issue of old age, the connection between the passage of time and the gradual degradation of man, but it also focuses on other problems that arise with aging and the transition from life to death. Theoretical approaches are used to explain the use of the observational style in documentary filming when real people’s experiences are followed and then transposed in an observational style into a documentary film. It uses as a case study on my personal observational documentary entitled “You, Margaret” (2021).

Офтальмопатология лиц старческого возраста. Популяционное исследование (предварительные результаты)

Currently, the percentage of old people is growing from year to year in developed countries their share ranges from 10 to 15% of the entire population. In connection with such trends the issue of old age should be given special attention. Purpose. Identify the main risk factors and assess the incidence of ophthalmopathology among the elderly. Material and methods. In Ufa Eye Research Institute was examined 1526 people over 85 years old. Ophthalmological examination included standard and additional diagnostic methods: ultrasound biometry, keratotopography, computed perimetry, ophthalmoscopy using a fundus camera, optical coherence tomography. Results. The main cause of vision loss in the elderly was cataract – 41.7%, followed by AMD – 32.6%, then glaucoma – 10.1%, other eye diseases – 8.1%, optic disc pathology – 54.1% and diabetic angioretinopathy – 2.4%. The most significant association of the ophthalmopathology development is associated with such factors as age, gender, region of residence, axial length of the eye. Conclusions. Timely detection of ophthalmic pathology among old people will allow to preserve the patients visual functions, increase the social rehabilitation level and ensure their active and creative longevity. Key words: old age, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma.

Risk Factors of the Elderly Falling in Public Hospitals: A Systematic Review Study

Background: Falls are the most common and problematic issue of old age. There is the possibility of falls among the elderly in the hospitals. The present study was conducted to determine the risk factors for falls in the elderly in hospitals through systematic review. Method: This is a systematic review based on the PRISMA protocol. The IranMedex, SID, Magiran, IranDoc, Medlib, Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Medline and Google Scholar databases were searched for keywords in the time frame of 1994-2017. Results: The mean age was 64-81 years old and the number of elderly people varied from 88 to 28524 people. Of these studies, six studies were performed in the acute care unit, three studies in the elderly care unit, three studies in the surgical and clinical department, one study in the rehabilitation department, one study in the psychiatric department and other studies were performed in several parts of the hospital. The results of this study referred to individual and external factors as risk factors for the falls in the elderly in the hospital. The use of medications, physical problems, and psychological problems were the most common risk factors for falls in the elderly. Conclusion: In acute care, chronic care, psychiatric care, and elderly care units, there are many risk factors for the falls in the elderly due to their physical and mental status. Identifying and resolving these risk factors may provide safety for the elderly.

Pomoc osobom starszym – wybrane aspekty prawne

<p>Problematyka starości i pomocy osobom w podeszłym wieku stanowi zagadnienie szeroko analizowane i omawiane przez różne dyscypliny naukowe ze względu na swą społeczną doniosłość. Tradycyjnie opieka była sprawowana w rodzinie. W nowoczesnych społeczeństwach jest realizowana także przez instytucje. W perspektywie wciąż rosnącej liczby osób starszych za cel niniejszego artykułu przyjęto analizę i interpretację wybranych aspektów prawnych związanych ze sferą pomocową. W opracowaniu podjęto problematykę zapewnienia opieki w domu pomocy społecznej, utraty zdolności do czynności prawnych oraz obowiązku alimentacyjnego. Pobyt w domu pomocy społecznej może wynikać z aktu woli albo z mocy orzeczenia sądowego. Problemem jest to, że osoby starsze często nie są w stanie poradzić sobie z wyegzekwowaniem swoich praw, choćby w zakresie uzyskania alimentów od dorosłych dzieci. Nierzadko borykają się z problemami finansowymi. Mogą skorzystać ze świadczeń i specjalnych dodatków do emerytury bądź renty, jeśli spełniają określone warunki. Po dokonaniu analizy szczegółowych warunków dostępu oraz wysokości przydzielanych świadczeń wsparcie finansowe udzielane osobom starszym wydaje się niedostateczne (niski poziom świadczeń). Doraźne rozwiązanie stanowi świadczenie pieniężne przeznaczone dla emerytów i rencistów, a także wsparcie ich w zakresie rozwiązywania problemów prawnych w ramach nieodpłatnego poradnictwa prawnego.</p>

Old people in Polish cities in the late eighteenth century

ABSTRACTThe issue of old age as a period in life of a person in the cities of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was not widely discussed in historic literature of the past. This was due, to a large extent, to the beliefs of the researchers regarding the difficulty in capturing this phenomenon in light of rather Modest statistical sources. This study is, therefore, an attempt to scrutinise the mechanisms behind the functioning of city communities in the territories of central Poland in the late-feudal age on a basic level - the level of the smallest social unit and its economic base, i.e. the household, based on handwritten civil-military censuses from 1791-1792. The author is interested in the living situation of old people, their sizes and gender proportions in cities varying in size: from small to large ones in the second half of the 18th century. The article presents the dependencies between the age and position of men and women in the household and the proportions of old people being heads of households. Using the typology by Peter Laslett a model of a household ran by old people was shown against the background of a general structure of households in cities. The last part of the text concerns the size of households ran by old people, taking into account the social status, and their position within the family. The analysis of the censuses does not allow to determine any clear difference of living through old age in Polish cities in the 18th century in comparison to the regions which are attributed a ’unique’ model of European forms of family. The structural similarity of old age seen in Polish cities is closer to the model observed in cities of western than of eastern Europe.

Last Lovers by William Wharton in the opinions of seniors

The issues of old age, once neglected in terms of reflection and research on this period of life, in recent years took on another dimension. With the growth of the elderly population in the world, gradually more attention is paid to issues related to improving the quality of life of seniors. Of particular interest are those aspects of life that have a direct impact on the sense of well-being of the elderly, namely: family, health, finances. The aspect of health is however considered mostly in the context of an overall psychophysical fitness, access to health care, adequate pensions enabling the purchase of medicines, rehabilitation, etc. In contrast, they less frequently deal with issues related to sexual attractiveness of the seniors and their erotic needs. Old age still does not go hand in hand with the sexual appeal. Elderly women are seen as unnecessary, invisible. They are not perceived as being able to evoke sexual desire. This social reception affects the senior women’s perception of themselves. In the eyes of a community an elderly woman may still be attractive intellectually, but not physically. Stereotypes built around the old age also assume that people in late adulthood have no sexual needs

Nursing homes as the perspective and reality of guest workers in old age

The aim of this paper is to present the results of research conducted as part of the “Ambivalent nostalgia in the cultural heritage of gastarbeiters” project of the Ethnological-anthropological society of Serbia. The research was conducted in Kučevo and Wienna in 2014. The research focused on older guest workers or gastarbeiters who are mostly in the status of disabled pensioners, and seniors whose family members work abroad. An important criterion for determining the gasterbeiter population was entering into the sphere of work in an active capacity, specified by the assumed “temporality” in the country of work; the determination of “seniority” is based on the criteria of exiting the active sphere of work. In this way a new kind of old person, a new kind of pensioner was formed – the foreign currency pensioner whose operating strategies are partly in the focus of this paper. Aside from these strategies, the paper analyzes the strategies employed by the family members of gastarbeiters facing the old age of their relatives who reside in their country of origin either permanently or on a semi-permanent basis; as well as the strategies which the Gerontological Society of Serbia tried to develop in cooperation with the former Ministry of Diaspora RS with the aim of attracting aging gastarbeiters to domestic nursing homes, as well as stimulating the diaspora to invest in such institutions in Serbia. In short, the life experiences and attitudes of 14 pensioners interviewed in Kučevo and Vienna on issues of old age, possible – or ongoing life in a nursing home, the differences and/or similarities between them and other old folks they encountered abroad or at home, as well as experiences with working with the aging gastarbeiter population shared by six employees in a private as well as a public nursing home in Kučevo, will be the object of analysis in this paper.

A imagem corporal e o envelhecimento na perspectiva de professores de uma universidade brasileira.

This article presents partial results of a research study currently underway. The objective of this portion of the research is to identify the perceptions of old age, both its negative and positive aspects, held by a group of Brazilian university professors. A pilot group of six professors was interviewed with a semi-structured script in an attempt to reveal the stereotypes regarding issues of old age, work and retirement. The analysis of this material allowed the development of a questionnaire used in the second phase of the process. This questionnaire was answered by 40 professors between 60 and 77 years of age, of whom 25 were men (62.5%) and 15 were women (35%). Out of these 40 professors, 39 were already retired. The questionnaire was divided into four sections: identification, stereotypes of old age, perceptions of work, and views of retirement. The collected data was then divided into subthemes and analyzed statistically through the SPSS program. The conclusion was that body image and body changes represent defining factors of the perception of the aging process.

Elder self neglect: A geriatric syndrome or a life course story?

AimsTo explore the unique aspects of the elder self-neglect phenomenon and to achieve phenomenological understanding of self-neglect through the eyes of self-neglecting elders. MethodA qualitative study based on a sample of 16 self-neglecting elders. Data collection was performed through in-depth semi-structured interviews, followed by content analysis. FindingsFour major themes emerged from the older participants: “I was unlucky:” a life course of suffering; “That's the way it is:” self-neglect as a routine of life; “They tell me that I'm disabled:” old age as exposing situations of self-neglect; “My empire:” how do I perceive my old age. ConclusionsSelf-neglect is not necessarily an issue of old age, but is related to the person's life history. Self-neglect as a way of life accompanied the participants into old age, but it was not originated or created there. The overall message of the self-neglecting elders was to see them as human beings and not as old neglected people; not to label them as an “age syndrome” but to perceive them in a holistic and humanistic manner.

Commentary on Helseth S & Misvaer N (2009) Adolescents’ perceptions of quality of life: what it is and what matters. Journal of Clinical Nursing 19, 1455–1462

The article by Helseth and Misvaer (2009) provides an interesting perspective on what adolescents feel are important elements of their quality of life, and it always salutary to note that for this group of young people, social and emotional health is ranked far above physical health. This is partly because most adolescents who participate in research of this type are physically well and perhaps regard physical health problems as an issue of old age. Helseth and Misvaer (2009) article illustrates this nicely and I think present several issue for nurses working with adolescents. First is how adolescent’s behaviour now can have an impact on their future health – an issue I will leave to one side in this commentary. Second, how the clear desire to develop meaningful friendships and relationships can contribute to health problems if young people are not given appropriate information and support; the significant connection here being sexual and reproductive health. It was interesting to read the comments of young people in this study and see the importance social relationships held for them – but I did sometimes wish the researchers had pressed these issues a little more; there is no explicit mention of sexual relationships at all in the study, which is surprising, given the critical importance often attached to this subject by many adolescents (Barnes et al. 2004, Hayter 2005). This is an issue where relationships can precipitate significant health problems if adolescents are not prepared for this important period of their life. Indeed, one of the most significant adolescent health problems globally are the levels of unplanned pregnancy, abortions and sexually transmitted infections – all health problems that are the products of relationships, however brief (Kirby et al. 2007). For adolescents, managing relationships can be a source of considerable stress and nurses can play a role in helping young people to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to help reduce these problems. In terms of sexual relationships, whilst recognising that factual knowledge of repro

Bringing the Law to the Gerontological Stage: A Different Look at Movies and Old Age

Films often portray the complexities of real-life aging issues, showing how they are apparently handled outside of and around the law or legal issues. Furthermore, films considering the aged and the social issues associated with aging also reveal how the law actually functions as a framework around and within which people develop customs, habits, and behaviors related to the issue of old age. Exposing these hidden socio-legal boundaries allows us to better understand both the films concerned and the place of law within our aging society. In an attempt to better understand these issues, this article deconstructs five relatively modern and well-known films. All feature aged protagonists, and all tell their stories against a background of legal issues that are only alluded to, and remain hidden "behind the scenes." Two main questions are addressed by this analysis: First, to what extent does the reality of old age as described in the films considered here reflect familiar social phenomena identified by empirical studies? And, second, to what extent does the legal infrastructure embedded in the narrative of these films reflect the legal regulations that govern the aged in today's society. The conclusions that arose from the analysis of the cinematic and the legal reality expressed in the films demonstrate that the current level of discourse on major issues in social gerontology ignores the importance and relevance of law. Therefore, it behooves us to "bring the Law to the gerontological stage," where the current situation as it actually exists can be analyzed and perhaps even changed.

The Art of Aging Gracefully: The Elderly Artist as Courtier in Early Modern Art Theory and Criticism

The perception that old age was a problem for artists first emerges during the sixteenth century within the burgeoning literature on art. The physiological decline of aging posed a threat to the social and intellectual status of the artist since it drew attention to the manual basis of art. Several critical strategies were devised to deal with the issue of old age. Writings on art emphasize the enduring power of rational judgment, and theoretical study was offered as a means of transcending the effects of aging. Critics also turned to the example of courtesy literature to fashion the image of the learned, nonpracticing, elderly artist based on the model of the elderly courtier.

Issues of Old Age in Philosophy Courses

Le fait que des dizaines de millions de personnes vivent jusqu'a un âge tres avance rend la reflexion philosophique sur la signification humaine de l'âge indispensable. L'auteur a introduit dans ses cours de philosophie des questions relatives a l'âge et il presente ici trois themes traites: la question epistemologique de la sagesse de la personne âgee, la question ethique du bien vivre de la personne âgee, la question de l'interpretation et de la discussion de textes philosophiques relatifs a l'âge. Une annexe liste les sources utiles sur le vieillissement et la gerontologie.

977 Cancer in the elderly

Although cancer is not an inevitable consequence of aging, malignant diseases, especially solid tumors, occur disproportionately in the subset of the population aged 65 years and older. Thus, because the older population are rapidly expanding in most industrial nations, there is a high potential in these countries for many more persons to have cancer. Although two thirds of all cancer deaths occur in the 65-and-olderage segment of the population, there have been so far only a few descriptive, cross-sectional retrospective and prospective studies on cancer in the elderly. More interest and activity in research on aging and cancer has however been evidenced in the 1990s. Directions for the future could be as follows: 1.Establish multidisciplinary clinical trial design teams to address the challenging issues of old age and cancer therapy in a prospective study methodology. 2.Focus on the pharmacokinetics and drug sensitivity of elderly cancer patients to assess and deal with differences in drug metabolism. 3.Introduce in clinical oncology “multidimensional geriatric assessment” methods for pretreatment and follow-up evaluation of elderly cancer patients. 4.Develop special “patterns of care” studies of the major tumors to characterize the treatment of older cancer patients who, because of an excess of comorbid conditions, are not eligible for placement on clinical trials. 5.Increase the cooperation of geriatricians with clinical oncologists since cancer is one of the more prevalent chronic diseases of their older patients. Although cancer is not an inevitable consequence of aging, malignant diseases, especially solid tumors, occur disproportionately in the subset of the population aged 65 years and older. Thus, because the older population are rapidly expanding in most industrial nations, there is a high potential in these countries for many more persons to have cancer. Although two thirds of all cancer deaths occur in the 65-and-olderage segment of the population, there have been so far only a few descriptive, cross-sectional retrospective and prospective studies on cancer in the elderly. More interest and activity in research on aging and cancer has however been evidenced in the 1990s. Directions for the future could be as follows: 1.Establish multidisciplinary clinical trial design teams to address the challenging issues of old age and cancer therapy in a prospective study methodology. 2.Focus on the pharmacokinetics and drug sensitivity of elderly cancer patients to assess and deal with differences in drug metabolism. 3.Introduce in clinical oncology “multidimensional geriatric assessment” methods for pretreatment and follow-up evaluation of elderly cancer patients. 4.Develop special “patterns of care” studies of the major tumors to characterize the treatment of older cancer patients who, because of an excess of comorbid conditions, are not eligible for placement on clinical trials. 5.Increase the cooperation of geriatricians with clinical oncologists since cancer is one of the more prevalent chronic diseases of their older patients.

Clinical Aspects of Case Management with the Elderly

Based on case management experience with frail elderly clients, the authors point out how effective case management requires the use of clinical understanding and skills. To successfully link clients to services, psychosocial barriers to the acceptance of services must be addressed. The losses and dependency of old age stir up vulnerabilities and defenses which may interfere with the client's supprt system and the use of services. Using case examples, the authors illuslrate how clinical skills are helpful in dealing with clients and families around the painful and difficult issues of old age and the acceptance of dependency and services. Social workers are urged to respect the soph~sticaled and skilled work of case manage- ment.

GERONTOLOGICAL CAREERS AND WORKPLACE PRIORITIES: EXPECTATIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF JEWISH PROFESSIONALS

This paper reports on a study of career preparation, personal expectations and interests, and workplace experience of Jewish professionals in the area of services to the elderly. Recent graduates (N = 216) of a major college of religions instruction were surveyed. The majority of respondents were practicing rabbis with additional subgroups representative of professionals engaged in reform Jewish education, communal service, and cantorial practice. Study findings confirm that respondents considered themselves best prepared to work with the young, moderately well prepared to work with middle‐aged people, and least well prepared to work with the elderly. The vast majority were convinced that more courses in aging were necessary. Based on their current responsibilities, training in the subjects of death and dying, human relations, counseling the young, crisis intervention, gerontological counseling, and developmental psychology were accorded greatest importance. Results indicate that the issue of old age has ...

Medical Community and Government Address Issues of Old Age

At least eight times as many people older than 65 years of age are alive today as at the turn of the century, according to the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Md. In 1900, less than one person in 20 was older than 65 years, while today that figure is greater than one in ten. In another half century, the figure should double again to one in five. <h3>Aging and Primary Care</h3> These population trends have not been lost on primary care physicians. Greater numbers of internists, family physicians, and others (including allied health personnel) are directing more effort to this growing patient population. Although there is no formally recognized specialty of geriatrics in the United States, there is an ongoing debate whether there should be. In addition to the obvious age shift in our population with its attendant economic and political power, at least four other Washington-related