Ecology and Aging: A Critical Review

1988 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 458-471
Author(s):  
Verena Bernardin-Haldemann
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Critical Review ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Ecological Models ◽  
Social Production ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Public Sectors

AbstractFor the past two decades the issue of housing for the aged has caught the attention of many in the private as well as in the public sectors, and attempts have been made to improve the situation. If the problem persists today, gerontologists, among others, should be called to account, since they were instrumental in the formulation of many of the interventions. The problem has been approached generally in terms of adaptation to aging and adaptation to the environment. The ecological models currently used agree that happiness can be found at different states of equilibrium between the person and the environment and that the elderly arrive at this state of equilibrium through a special “docility” towards the environment; a “docility” which would be linked to aging. However, this docility would appear to be historically and socially contingent rather than being “natural”. It is thus important to explain the social production of old age and the docility which is tied to it.

13. Treatment of the Aged

2019 ◽  
pp. 440-461
Author(s):  
G. T. Laurie ◽  
S. H. E. Harmon ◽  
E. S. Dove
Keyword(s):  
Social Services ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Legal Issues ◽  
The Public ◽  
Regulatory Changes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Ethical And Legal Issues ◽  
Public Bodies

This chapter discusses some of the ethical and legal issues associated with the very difficult practice of treating the elderly, grounding the discussion in the tension between autonomy and paternalism. It is emphasised that this complex and fragmented field is still undergoing significant regulatory changes as a result of the Care Act 2014, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, and the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014. It also covers the elder incapax and dying from old age.

Austerity and Aging in the United States: 1980 and beyond

1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 573-584 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carroll L. Estes
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Old Age ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
The United States ◽  
Critical Examination ◽  
Block Grants ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Social ◽  
Future Direction ◽  
Policy Solutions

This paper presents a critical examination of the past and future direction of social policies for the aged in the United States. The definitions of the social problem of old age and of the appropriate policy solutions for this problem have reflected the ups and downs of the U.S. economy and the shifting bases of political power during the past thirty years. In the 1980s, three dominant definitions of reality are shaping public policy for the elderly: (a) the perception of fiscal crisis and the necessity for reduced federal expenditures; (b) the perception that national policies should give way to decentralization and block grants; and (c) the perception of old age as an individual problem. It is argued that old age policy in the United States reflects a two-class system of welfare in which benefits are distributed on the basis of legitimacy rather than on the basis of need.

scholarly journals Are We Ready for the Arrival of the New COVID-19 Vaccinations? Great Promises and Unknown Challenges Still to Come

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 173
Author(s):  
Davide Gori ◽  
Chiara Reno ◽  
Daniel Remondini ◽  
Francesco Durazzi ◽  
Maria Pia Fantini
Keyword(s):  
Herd Immunity ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Vaccine Hesitancy ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Complex Issue ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social ◽  
To Come ◽  
Vaccination Campaigns ◽  
The Eu

While the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to strike and collect its death toll throughout the globe, as of 31 January 2021, the vaccine candidates worldwide were 292, of which 70 were in clinical testing. Several vaccines have been approved worldwide, and in particular, three have been so far authorized for use in the EU. Vaccination can be, in fact, an efficient way to mitigate the devastating effect of the pandemic and offer protection to some vulnerable strata of the population (i.e., the elderly) and reduce the social and economic burden of the current crisis. Regardless, a question is still open: after vaccination availability for the public, will vaccination campaigns be effective in reaching all the strata and a sufficient number of people in order to guarantee herd immunity? In other words: after we have it, will we be able to use it? Following the trends in vaccine hesitancy in recent years, there is a growing distrust of COVID-19 vaccinations. In addition, the online context and competition between pro- and anti-vaxxers show a trend in which anti-vaccination movements tend to capture the attention of those who are hesitant. Describing this context and analyzing its possible causes, what interventions or strategies could be effective to reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy? Will social media trend analysis be helpful in trying to solve this complex issue? Are there perspectives for an efficient implementation of COVID-19 vaccination coverage as well as for all the other vaccinations?

scholarly journals Information Disorder and Self-Regulation in Europe: A Broader Non-Economistic Conception of Self-Regulation

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aznar
Keyword(s):  
Social Communication ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Regulatory Mechanisms ◽  
The Public ◽  
Media Companies ◽  
The Past ◽  
European Institutions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Information Manipulation

Over the past decade, the problems arising from social communication have yet again become burning issues on social and political agendas. Information disorder, hate speeches, information manipulation, social networking sites, etc., have obliged the most important European institutions to reflect on how to meet the collective challenges that social communication currently poses in the new millennium. These European Institutions have made a clear commitment to self-regulation. The article reviews some recent European initiatives to deal with information disorder that has given a fundamental role to self-regulation. To then carry out a theoretical review of the normative notion of self-regulation that distinguishes it from the neo-liberal economicist conception. To this end, (1) a distinction is drawn between the (purportedly) self-regulating market and (2) a broader conception of self-regulation inherent not to media companies or corporations, but to the social subsystem of social communication, is proposed. This involves increasing the number of self-regulatory mechanisms that may contribute to improve social communication, and reinforcing the commitment of those who should exercise such self-regulation, including not only media companies but also the professionals working at them and the public at large.

scholarly journals The Social Production of Old Age

1983 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Walker
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Social Production ◽  
The Social

Hospitable universities and integration of refugees: First responses from Austria and Poland

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 248-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Kontowski ◽  
Madelaine Leitsberger
Keyword(s):  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Human Right ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
European Universities ◽  
Public Role ◽  
The Social ◽  
Academic Year

European universities responded in different ways to the ‘refugee crisis’ of 2015. Some subscribed to the agenda of higher education (HE) as a universal human right, while others stressed different long-term benefits of offering access to it. Yet, the unprecedented sense of moral urgency that guided immediate declarations of support and subsequent actions has largely remained unaddressed. With the crisis becoming a new reality for many countries, HE has a role to play in the social inclusion of refugees, even in countries that were not attractive destinations for refugees in the past. In this article, we provide an overview of the reasons why HE institutions supported refugees, and present the results of an empirical study of Poland and Austria during the 2015–2016 academic year. We then evaluate those first responses utilizing parts of Ager and Strang’s framework of integration, and discuss issues of institutional readiness, capabilities and the public role of HE stemming from this comparison. Our findings suggest that reasons such as acknowledgement of basic rights, or utilizing social capital are insufficient to explain and understand strong integrative support measures. We propose that refugee support by HE institutions is both better understood and promoted through the language of hospitality.

scholarly journals Profissionalização em Gerontologia

2005 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agostinho Both
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
New Horizons ◽  
The Social ◽  
Professional Profile ◽  
Social Improvement

Resumo: O texto compreende um discurso analítico sobre a realidade daqueles que trabalham com os idosos ou com questões voltadas para o envelhecimento e a velhice, avaliando o atual perfil profissional e a oportunidade de pensar sobre sua formação e sua identidade. O autor acredita que a atual realidade profissional em gerontologia é incipiente e que a visibilidade da velhice e suas demandas ampliarão novos horizontes pela profissionalização dos serviços e pelos conhecimentos desta área. É observado que existe apenas um sistema profissional e um sistema de ocupações que aos poucos se delineiam no atendimento e no aperfeiçoamento social em relação ao envelhecimento e à velhice, e cuja formação é híbrida, não existindo, portanto, um profissional cuja formação seria formalizada num curso de graduação e com atribuições oficialmente reconhecidas. Ao final são levantadas questões para se pensar a possibilidade da existência de um profissional com formação específica em Gerontologia. Palavras-chave: Profissionalização. Gerontologia. Profissão. Abstract: The text consists of an analytical speech about the reality of those who work with the elderly or with issues directed to aging and old age, by assessing the current professional profile and the chance to think about their shaping and their identity. The author believes that the current professional reality in gerontology is incipient and that the visibility and the demands of old age will widen new horizons by means of professional services and the knowledge of this field. One notices that there is only one professional system of occupations which little by little are outlined in the service and in the social improvement regarding aging and old age, and whose shaping is hybrid and, therefore, there is no practitioner whose shaping would be formalized by a graduation course, and with officially accredited assignments. Questions are raised in the end in order to think about the possibility of practitioner with a specific major in gerontology. Keywords: Professionalization. Gerontology. Profession.

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