Chapter 17

Summary:

Chapter 17 deals with the family in later life, and the aging population in general. It notes that the populace is aging at a previously unseen rate, with life expectancy being significantly greater now than ever before. Because of this, parent-child relationships will be prolonged, and the old-age dependency ratio continues to grow, as well. The gender gap is more apparent as society's collective age increases; since women, on average, tend to outlive men, there are more elderly women than men in the population. Racial and ethnic diversity among the geriatric segment of society has increased over time, as well; their health status compared to whites' is behind, however. Age is largely seen as a social construct; this explains why depending on the context, the concept of "old" can vary greatly. While a great number of the current oldest-old people experience few physical and/or mental ailments as a result of their age, it is though that the baby-boomer generation will not be so fortunate. Physical and mental decline due to age progression are seen as normal things, however. On a different note, old age is associated with greater happiness. Besides health issues, old age also comes with some social stigmas. In American society, people fear becoming older because they dread the ailments and (perceived) reduced physical attractiveness. Geriatric folks can also be subjected to ageism, which is the discrimination against someone based on his/her age, particularly if they are older. In the work world, things are getting tougher for the aging, just like for most of the rest of America. People are having to wait longer and longer to retire, and older people have a harder time than their younger counterparts in finding jobs. At the time of retirement, women and racial/ethnic minorities are worse off than are males and people of the majority group. Single people have less money than do married couples at this time, too. Chapter 17 talks about the role of grandparents in family life. It says that they are often "the glue that holds the family together." It also goes on to mention the different styles of grandparenting: involved and influential; remote or detached; cultural transmitters; compassionate and supportive; and advisory and authoritative. Grandparents can also function as surrogate parents, by either being the custodial guardians, providing day-care to the children, and/or having the grandchildren live in the same home with them. There is a section on grandparents and divorce, which even delves into the topic of the visitation rights of grandparents. As people age, the importance of parent-child relationships diminishes, while that of sibling relationships often increases. The author talks about death, especially in relation to health care professionals and the family members. Many older people wind up in hospice care, though today, many more adult children are becoming the caregivers for their parents. There is the question of whether society provides too much care to the elderly, who, as a group, will not be among the living for much longer, anyway. The issue of who will pay for all of the aging baby-boomers is raised, too.

Ne information:

I found the issue of grandparents' visitation rights to be interesting. I always thought of the actual parents/legal guardians being the only ones to have any legitimate reason to be in a child's life.

Question:

Since grandparents are offered visitation rights in the case of divorce, do you think this courtesy should be extended to other members of the family as well? Perhaps aunt/uncle rights, or third cousin four-ties removed visitation rights?