critical gerontology

The economic crisis in Greece has dramatically impacted most aspects of social life, and substantially altered living conditions by reducing quality of life to the bare minimum. The effects on vulnerable groups and older people however, have been particularly devastating.

The Boomers in our study describing retirement as a reflection of disengagement and detachment from society – not the active and engaged lifestyle they yearned for. Rather than leave the workforce entirely, they wanted to scale back, switch jobs, or pursue their passions, which they didn’t label as “retirement.”

Ageism has direct implications on the lives of older adults. Efficient public policy and administration requires public officials to understand the changing demographics in the communities they serve. They should also be aware of the cultural biases in their societies and how these may affect policy outcomes.

The action taken by Prime Minister Theresa May was perhaps a response to something even more alarming: the fact that the UK is being “left behind” in the longevity revolution. The biggest concern for us, as suggested by some research, is that Brazil too is striding in the direction of the tragedy in the UK.

The values ​​of equality, recognition and dignity can only exist in a just State, where individuals and the community come together in support of solidarity. The problem however, is that we are losing ground where dignity, justice, and solidarity are concerned.

This idea of the ‘bell curve of human ageing’ does not, however, take account of experience. If it did, there would be no downward slope.

Advocates of successful aging at work often neglect that individual efforts are not sufficient to fight age discrimination and improve the situation of older workers. Thus, it is important that comprehensive models of successful aging at work take into account both individual characteristics and contextual-structural factors that may influence successful aging at work, and use additional criteria of success that better reflect the experiences of all older workers.

The potential to make common cause between groups who are otherwise divided, and amongst whom are individuals dealing alone with challenges that seem to require collective responses.

This article was originally published on Social Policy Association.  Read the original article. Social policy has neglected ageing and, as a result, it has vacated what should have been a leading role…

Older adults and carers are themselves aware of the moralized discourses around aging, dying and caring, and that well-meaning attempts by others to invoke these discourses may have inadvertently generate isolation, sadness, even resentment.