Читать книгу Critical Questions for Ageing Societies - Carney Gemma - Страница 7
ОглавлениеActive ageing – A globally popular policy which works on the basis that older people should maximise and optimise their opportunities for health, civic participation and security to enrich individual quality of life and to decrease the burden of an ageing population on society and government.
Age/birth cohort – Those people born and living at the same time and so regarded as a collective group. A birth cohort generally refers to people born within a few years of one another.
Ageism – The prejudice or act of discrimination against a person or group based on age.
Alzheimer’s disease – A progressive and non-reversible generalised degeneration of the brain, affecting memory and thinking skills, eventually affecting activities of daily living. The most common form of dementia in older adults.
Attitude – A positive or negative set of thoughts and feelings held by an individual that influences and explains their actions.
Austerity – A political and economic term referring to policies enacted to reduce government budget deficits through spending cuts, welfare reduction and tax increases. It was a policy much used by Western governments following the global economic crisis of 2008.
Baby boomer – Refers to a person born between 1946 and 1964, immediately following World War II when there was a marked increase in birth rates.
Bed blockers – A derogatory term used to describe older people who remain in hospital, occupying a hospital bed, because there is not adequate community or family support available for them to finish their recovery at home.
Biological determinism – The theory suggesting that human behaviour is all innate, determined by biological attributes such as genetics and not to do with the social environment (for example, the idea that all women are ‘hysterical’ because of their hormones).
Brexit – The political process whereby the United Kingdom is rescinding its membership of, and leaving, the European Union.
Care Quality Commission – An independent regulator in England, monitoring the quality of all health and social care services.
Caregiver – A person who regularly provides help and assistance for health and/or social and personal care needs, in either a paid (formal) or unpaid (informal) capacity.
Chrononormativity – The social norm or expectation that people will experience certain life events or partake in similar experiences at the same stages in life.
Civic participation – Where an individual or individuals act to address an issue of social concern. For example, making a positive change in your local neighbourhood.
Comorbidities – The simultaneous presentation of two or more chronic conditions in the same patient.
Consent – Permission, verbal or written, given by a person or their legal representative, for an action to be taken on their behalf.
Coronavirus/COVID-19 – A viral respiratory infection that passed from an animal to humans in late 2019. The virus emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and by March 2020 was named as a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. The outbreak causes widespread death, illness and serious economic and social disruption to the world economy. The virus is more likely to be fatal in older people, those with underlying illnesses, men, and people from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds. At the time of writing (April 2020), there is no known cure or vaccine against the virus.
Cultural gerontology – The term used to describe the growing interest in using arts and humanities approaches, methods and theories to understand ageing societies in gerontology. See also, Gerontology and Social gerontology.
Cultural turn – The shift in focus to include the arts and humanities theories and methods to understand ageing societies.
Cumulative advantage/cumulative disadvantage – The systematic explanation of the development of advantage or disadvantage over a person’s lifecourse. How individual divergence and differentiation through social categories (wealth, health and so on) result in advantage or disadvantage over time.
Custodial grandparents – Grandparents who take over the full-time raising of their grandchildren, assuming the legal rights and responsibilities that entails.
Dementia – An umbrella term incorporating a range of diseases including but not limited to Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia and Parkinson’s disease. They are typified by a progressive and irreversible deterioration of the brain resulting in cognitive decline, memory loss, personality change, physical impairment and impairment in activities of daily living.
Demographic transition – This is the change in patterns of mortality, fertility, migration and growth rates within given populations resulting in changes to the demographic stage (see also, Demographic Transition Model).
Demographic Transition Model (DTM) – Maps the total population of a country, incorporating birth rate, death rate, immigration and emigration, all of which are key drivers of demographic ageing.
Dependency ratio – The number of dependants below working age and over retirement age versus the number of people of working age.
Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) – A globally referenced and accepted handbook of mental disorders developed in the US and used by healthcare professionals. This includes symptoms and descriptors allowing professionals to diagnose any mental disorder.
Elder abuse – ‘A single, or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person’ (WHO, 2012).
Embodiment – The relationship between the ageing body and social and cultural aspects of ageing. It has become an important contribution of cultural gerontology to our knowledge of human ageing.
Emigration – The process of leaving one’s home country and moving to permanently settle in another (compare, Immigration and Migration).
Encore careers/encore discrimination – Phrases which signify that the longer lifecourse provides more opportunities for multiple experiences (good and bad) at different stages of the lifecourse. For example, women who experience sex discrimination may experience ‘encore’ discrimination in the form of ageism in later life.
Engaged citizenship – When individuals choose to educate themselves in politics and actively and lawfully participate in forms of political engagement other than standard voting.
European Social Survey – A social science survey spanning Europe that seeks to map attitudes, beliefs and behaviour patterns through different populations over time.
Explicit attitude – An attitude under the conscious awareness and control of an individual, informing the way a person interacts within the social world.
Externalised ageism – Ageism directed towards another person.
Feminist theory – Ideas and concepts about women’s rights as used by activists and academics and which take an analytical approach to understanding the roots and impacts of gender inequality.
Filial piety/filial care – This phrase is most often associated with a practice that is common in Confucian countries, such as China and South Korea: the practice of providing care and support within your own family, usually to older parents. Piety, in this case, does not refer to religious observance, rather it means here showing love, compassion and respect for elders by supporting parents who supported you earlier in the lifecourse.
Fourth age – Not directly linked to chronological age, this period of life is defined as the final decline towards death, characterised by dependency and illness/disease.
Gender identity – This is an individual perception about self-gender. It may be the same as the sex assigned at birth or it can be different (for example, a person born with male genitalia may identify as female).
Gender regime – The state of gender relations (power balance) within any given institution or environment. This can include government regulations and workplace rules.
Gender roles – Culturally accepted set of ascribed roles or behaviours characterised as appropriate for men or women (for example, the idea that only men can be Catholic priests).
Generation – The term used to refer to a birth cohort or group of birth cohorts which are recognised as having some common attributes and experiences by virtue of the time into which they are born.
Gerontocracy – The notion that a state or society is governed by older people.
Gerontology – The bio-psycho-social and cultural study of ageing and older persons by medical and social scientists or by humanities scholars (see also, Social gerontology and Cultural gerontology).
Global North – Includes the advanced economies of Europe and North America, characterised by democracy, country-level and individual wealth, technological development, political stability, an ageing population and proliferation of world trade.
Global South – Initially coined to replace the term ‘third world’, this refers to those countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, characterised by low to middle incomes, unstable democracy, less technological development, political instability, and a younger population.
Hegemonic masculinity – A gender regime where the practices of men are designed to maintain their dominance over women, as well as the establishment and maintenance of a hierarchy to privilege those men in power.
HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus. A sexually transmitted infection that damages the immune system, compromising the body’s ability to fight organisms, potentially resulting in Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
Homogeneity – Sharing the same characteristics and attributes as a broader group or portion of the population. The same as those in a particular grouping. For example, the population of Ireland is homogenous, in that it is 82.2 per cent White Irish (Central Statistics Office, 2016).
Humanistic approach – Focused on the individual, emphasising empathy and the inherent good nature in human behaviour.
Immigration – The inward flow of people (migrants) from one country into another (compare, Emigration and Migration).
Implicit attitude – An attitude not under an individual’s conscious control or awareness, which predicts behaviour in unplanned encounters.
In-group – A category of persons or an identity which is seen as core, valid and an important part of the community (so young people are the in-group in a culture where youth is valorised).
Intergenerational – Refers to social exchange or relations between different generations, for instance, relations between grandparents and their children and grandchildren.
Intergenerational solidarity – Also referred to as ‘solidarity between generations’ it refers to the support that one birth cohort or group of birth cohorts provides to another. This support can include anything and everything from financial aid to care for the very young or very old. At societal level, it refers to support for transfers between generations, such as pensions or child benefit.
Internalised ageism – Ageism directed inward at oneself where the negative stereotypes held about older people and ageing are applied to the self.
Intersectionality – Describes the way in which social categories such as race, age, gender and class are interconnected and impact on individuals to differing extents at different points of the lifecourse.
Intragenerational – Occurring within one defined generational cohort (for instance, intra-generational inequality refers to the idea that some young people live in poverty and others enjoy considerable family wealth).
LGBTQI* – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans(gender/sexual), Queer, Intersex. The * denotes other sexual identities falling under the ‘queer’ banner, including pansexual, asexual and omnisexual.
Lifecourse – A theory developed by sociologists which views ageing as one stage of a series of phases that begin with birth, and which develop through childhood to adulthood and old age.
Loneliness – A level of social interaction or engagement that falls below what an individual desires. A subjective measure/experience.
Long-term care – A full range of services covering medical and social needs for those who are unable to care for themselves.
Macro-level – On a social/societal rather than individual level. For example, ageism can operate at societal level through legislation which bars people from working after a certain age.
Medicaid – A US-based healthcare programme that provides assistance to those on low income to access healthcare services.
Medicare – A US-based federal healthcare programme providing health insurance to those over 65 years and those under 65 who are in receipt of Social Security Disability Insurance.
Menopause – This is the time when a woman’s menstrual cycle ceases and she is no longer able to become pregnant. This is caused by a decline in oestrogen levels.
Micro-level – The smallest level of measurement. Information at a local or individual level.
Migration – The process of moving from one country, place or locality to another (compare, Emigration and Immigration).
Narrative of decline – The widely held, dominant view that old age is synonymous with loss and decay, rather than valuable wisdom and experience.
National Health Service (NHS) – A publicly funded national healthcare system in the UK, funded by taxation providing free or low-cost healthcare at the point of access for UK and other qualifying citizens.
National insurance – A UK based, government-operated social security scheme that provides an income ‘safety blanket’ for everyone, including income support, maternity pay, sickness pay and a national pension scheme.
Neoliberalism – An ideological political project, dating back to the 1980s regimes of Thatcherism in the UK and Reaganomics in the US. It involves making strong ideological arguments which lead to withdrawal of state support for individual welfare such as pensions and healthcare.
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) – A not-for-profit organisation that operates outside and independently of any government to address social and/or political issues.
Osteoporosis – A condition usually experienced in later life as a result of hormonal changes, calcium and vitamin D deficiency, characterised by brittle and fragile bones.
Out-group – A group or category of persons whose identity or beliefs are peripheral or devalued in comparison with the norm (for example, women in a patriarchal culture).
Pension – A regular payment or source of income made to a person following retirement from either the state or a private investment fund.
Person-centred care – A model of caregiving whereby the care recipient is seen as an equal partner and stakeholder in the decisions about, delivery and monitoring of their care to ensure their needs are met.
Political demography – The study of a given population as it relates to government and politics.
Political economy of ageing – The study of how political structures and economic systems conspire to produce inequalities between younger and older people, and among older people as a group.
Population ageing – The general trend seen where the average age of a given population is increasing.
Positive ageism – Where being an older adult leads to positive assumptions about character or ability. For example, an expectation of reliability or trustworthiness.
Post-war consensus – An agreement across political parties to establish a series of national public institutions such as the NHS in the UK from 1945 to 1979.
Prejudice – A set of preconceived ideas or opinions resulting in harm or injury (not necessarily physical) to a person based on their ascribed attributes.
Presbyopia – Farsightedness caused by a reduction in the elasticity/hardening of the lens of the eye.
Population pyramid – A graphical representation of a population, illustrating the gender and age profile at a given moment of time.
Retirement – The point at which a person leaves paid employment.
Risk assessment – A systematic evaluation of potential risk for a particular situation or activity.
Sandwich carers – Those people, usually in middle age, who are providing care and support for their own ageing parents while also supporting their own children.
Self-presentational bias – The process by where an individual portrays themselves in the most positive way for social acceptance within any given environment or grouping.
Sexism – The prejudice or act of discrimination against a person based on their sex.
Sexual orientation – Sexual identity in reference to which gender a person feel attracted to (for example, homo-, hetero- or bisexual).
Social care – Care provided for older people in their own homes. Social care can include personal hygienic care, cooking, cleaning or nursing care. It is an important means of allowing many older people to avoid being placed in a long-term care facility or hospital.
Social contract – A non-written, implicit agreement or understanding between members of a society to cooperate for overall social benefit, defining the limits, rights and duties of each party.
Social gerontology – Social gerontology is a subset of gerontology that studies social processes, issues, practices, and policies associated with older people. See also Gerontology.
Social isolation – An objective state where an individual is separate from others/lacks social contact.
Social location – The position or status that a person occupies in their society because of their race, gender, religion, income or job.
Social welfare – A set of publicly funded assistance programmes, designed to support and provide care to those citizens within a given society deemed most needful, particularly children, vulnerable adults and older people.
Socio-economic status (SES) – Combines sociological and economic measures to provide an indication of an individual’s social position in relation to others. The measure includes: work experience, income level, educational attainment, and occupation, and is used to evidence economic difference.
Stereotype – A set of generalised beliefs concerning the homogenous attributes of a particular group or category and every individual in that grouping.
Stewardship – The idea that each generation is responsible for taking care of the Earth until the next generation takes over.
Structured dependency – Where older adults are forced into dependency on others or the state based on the inability to maintain income or activity level due to structural reasons such as policy or fiscal poverty.
Successful ageing – ‘Successful ageing is multidimensional, encompassing the avoidance of disease and disability, the maintenance of high physical and cognitive function, and sustained engagement in social and productive activities’ (Rowe and Kahn, 1987).
Universal assessment – The universal assessment or Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is the gold standard of assessment for older adults, providing a holistic screening of medical, psychological, functional and social domains.
Universal design – The design of an environment to enable access and use to the greatest possible extent by everyone regardless of age, gender or disability.
Un-retirement – The process of returning to paid employment following retirement.
Welfare state – The social contract that exists between citizens and government through which provision of public services such as health and education are funded and organised. It is a common system in northern and western European countries, such as the United Kingdom (UK) and countries of the European Union (EU).
