Case Study on "on Aging"

Case Study 4 pages (1321 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Aging

In the world today, it is a fact that human beings become far older than the case has ever been before. Medical science has enabled us to stay healthier and more productive for longer. Ironically, however, it is also true that human beings who become older tend to become frail, in need of care, and unproductive. Socially and financially this has become burdensome in a society where there has been an increasing burden on social systems like health care. It is also an unfortunate fact, however, that general perception of age has been shaped by the ideas surrounding these burdens. While many older people have the potential to remain productive for a long time after their retirement, the self-concept they have as a result of what general society believes about them tends to make this difficult. In the case of Alice Davis, her current self-concept has been reinforced by society's view of ageing, but has been created in the first place by her own feeling of usefulness or lack thereof.

Tha narrative makes it clear that Alice's life before her husband's death has not been an unhappy one. After early retirement, she had a group of friends who she met regularly, and with whom she was able to maintain her sense of contribution to society by continuing volunteer work. This contribution that she made to society seems to be an important component of Alice's sense of fulfilment and general happiness.

When she moved to Florida with her husband after his retirement, the couple still maintained an active social life with friends they made there. Although Alice was no longer doing volunteer work, it seems that the social contact she maintained with others helped her retain her sense of joy and happiness.

The pivotal event that changed this was when Alice's husband had a stroke that disabled him to such a degree that he required nearly constant care. Alice was his primary care giver and this took nearly all her time. This was pivotal, since it cut her off from her friends and, effectively, her contact with society in general. Although this has been somewhat minimal since their move to the retirement village, the fact that Alice was obliged to care for her husband effectively removed most of what she had left of her contact with the world. One might also assume that the emotional and physical toll of providing near constant care for her husband until his death must have been significant and, by association, aging. On the other hand, Alice only reports her feelings of depression and uselessness after her husband's death, which appears to indicate that, even thought it must have been taxing work, her husband's need for care did give her some sense of usefulness and fulfilment.

What is interesting is that Alice reports a dichotomy between her feeling that she is "young" inside, but perceives her mirror image as old and ugly. Her feeling of depression and loneliness also seems to contradict her remaining self-perception as an emotionally youthful person. It appears that Alice's self-perception is the result of two major factors: the fact that she no longer feels useful to those around her and media perceptions of beauty.

It might be argued that the most significant contributing factor in Alice's self-perception is the fact that she no longer feels useful to those around her. Her husband's death removed her duty of care for him. The isolation his condition created during the years before his death also removed her from her social surroundings, which she probably found difficult to reestablish when he died. The feelings of uselessness and isolation this created probably translated themselves in Alice's perception of her physical self as well. This has been reinforced by media images of youth and beauty.

Alice no longer perceives herself as beautiful or indeed youthful, despite her earlier assertion that she feels "young inside." Alice's neighbor describes her as "pretty." For Alice, however, the… READ MORE

How to Reference "on Aging" Case Study in a Bibliography

Related Papers:

Macular Hole Case Study

Because of her age and the fact that the hole was in its early stages, only monitoring was first prescribed. A cautious approach was determined given surgery contains some risks,… read more

Case Study 3 pages (1035 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Nursing / Doctor / Physician

---

and Analysis of a Particular Approach or Example of Community Development in Practice Case Study

Community Development in Practice

The term 'community involvement' has actually just recently pertained to play a main role in the discourse of rural development specialists and policy makers. At the… read more

Case Study 12 pages (4061 words) Sources: 24 Style: Harvard Topic: Management / Organizations

---

Elder Care Case Study

Elder Case Studies

Situation-

Mrs. Elli Baker is a 73-year-old female who was transferred to the Emergency Room after collapsing in her backyard.

Just prior to the collapse, she was… read more

Case Study 4 pages (1236 words) Sources: 8 Style: APA Topic: Medicine / Pharmacy

---

Psychoanalytic Creative Case Study

White

Psychoanalytic Creative Case Study

Age: Eighteen (approximate age of entering adulthood from adolescence in her society)

Gender: Female

Ethnicity: Judging by the style of the cottages in the wood… read more

Case Study 3 pages (1106 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Women / Feminism

---

Batesville Casket Company Case Study

Batesville Casket Company -- Case Study

One of the key challenges in today's competitive business climate is the management of technological innovation in line with sales, marketing, and customer service… read more

Case Study 6 pages (1644 words) Sources: 5 Topic: Business / Corporations / E-commerce

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>