Health, Ageing and Disability

health

• is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity 

• Health is a social issue influenced by such factors as income, minority status and gender (social determinants of health) 

life expectancy

the average lifespan of a newborn. Is an indicator of the overall health of a country. The higher the life expectancy, the healthier the population.

social determinants of health

conditions in which people are born, grow and live in

5 universal principles

1. Universal: the system must cover all Canadians  

2. Accessible: the system must provide reasonable access for everyone and must be unimpeded by fincancial or other barriers so that no one can be discriminated against on the basis of age, income or health status  

3. comprehensive: the system must cover all medically necessary services

4. portable: the system must provide coverage between provinces should move a person

5. Publicly Administered: the system must be operated by a public body for a not-for-profit- basis

healthcare issues in Canada

• access: unequal access to healthcare can lead to challenges finding a regular family doctor, living in a rural areal without health care facilities, waiting long times for non-life threatening surgeries

• costs: health care was estimated to cost 11.3% of canadas GDP in 2018.

• one of the single largest expenses in provincial budgets

• as population ages, these numbers are expected to rise

liberal humanist assumption

the assumption that everyone should be treated equally

alternative medicine

treatments that fall beyond the scope of conventional medicine and are not generally used in hospitals or included in health care plans

ex. acupuncture

3 problems with alternative medicine

1. its provided outside of the national healthcare system and is expensive

2. alternative medicine is expensive

3. some alternative treatments lack scientific evidence or proof that it works

theories perspectives on health: functionalism

• health care is an important mechanism which society administers the care and treatment of its citizens

• by treating the il we maintain a more stable and harmonious society

conflict theory

• the rich get the treatment faster than the poor by going to another country

• the poor use overburdened healthcare system issues for specifically indigenous people

• medicalization:

• medical profession legitimates and sanctions its control over peoples health

iatrogenesis

term used to describe the sickness, and injury caused by the health care system

symbolic interactionism

• people use labels such as health and illness as fixed binary opposite influence of self-fufilling prophecy

feminist theory

• medical research and androcentric

• attributes that define women’s reality are often dismissed by medical establishments

• ex.medicalization of childbirth

post-structuralism

• deconstruct conventional wisdom

• healthcare more responsive to the needs of the individual patient

bio-power

Foucults’s term to explain people taking ownerships of their bodies and health

transition to retirement

• forced retirement for some occupations

• who we are is defined by what we do

financial pressures

• public pension system made up of Old Age Security, guaranteed income supplements and mandatory employment deductions from the canadian/quebec pension plan

• raising elderly dependency ratio

• healthy aging

elderly dependency ratio

the ratio of seniors to workers

healthy aging

perspective that reinforces the inherent value of older people to society

age discrimination

• ageism: system of inequality based on age that privileges the young at the expense of the old

• subjected to negative stereotypes regarding their physical and mental abilities

elder abuse

any form of mistreatment that results in harm or loss to an older person

vulnerability to crime

• less likely than younger people to be victims crime, experience more feel of it and feel vulnerable

• more likely to be targets of other types of crime; email or telemarketing scams, elder abuse

long term care and chronic pain

• 92% of seniors live in private households

• 8% in “collective” dwellings; primarily healthcare institutions Institutional residency related to age

• logn-term care: the provision of any services required by persons who are dependent on others to meet their basic daily needs

• chronic pain: ongoing pain that lasts longer than 3 months after the usual recovery persiod for and injury or aliment

euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide

• voluntary euthanasia: someone asks to be allowed to die

• involuntary euthanasia: when a persons wish to live is disregarded or not elicited

• passive euthanasia: withholding or ceasing treatment of someone not likely to recover from a disease or injury

• active euthanasia: intervening to asten someones terminal illness

• assisted suicide: helping someone to end their life

theoretical approaches to aging: functionalism

• disengagement theory: proposes that successful again requires a gradual withdrawal from social activity

• theory suggests that older people want to be released from roles that require hard work and responsibility

• transition to retirement is a welcome one

conflict theory

• highlights the roots of institutional ageism

• pressure either to exclude or to embrace elderly is a direct consequence of labour market conditions

activity theory

the belief that people should stay active for as long as they possibly can

symbolic interactionism

• activity theory: holds that people should remian engaged and active for as long as possible

• rests on assumptions that remaining active and engaged has important positive benefits and leads to happier lives

• people construct perceptions about themselves through the activities they do and the roles they play

feminist theory

• explores how people respond to an aging body in a society fixated on appearance and youth

• as women age they lose power

post-structuralism

• agin embedded in framework of truth and knowledge

• “truths” about aging and healthcare

• questions how transitions are defined and/or changing

disabilities: people first philosophy

place the individual before the disability, focusing on the person rather than the disability

disability

the relationship between body functions and structure, daily activities, and social participation, while recognizing the role of environmental factors

downward drift hypothesis

the assertions that those with mental illnesses are unable to finish their education or secure a job, tend to drift to low income jobs

obesity

a chronic condition where an individual has excessiv ebody fat that can impact their health, measured by their BMI

ableism

discrimination against those who have a mental or physical disability on the basis of preconceived, stereotypical able-bodied norms

functionalism

• parsons stick role, a patterned social role that defines the behaviour that is appropriate for, and expected of, those who are sick

conflict theory

• focuses on income inequalities experienced by people with disabilities differently

• stress work of disability advocacy groups

symbolic interactionism

• focus on how labeling can have consequences for how people with disabilities are viewed and for how they view themselves

feminist theory

• our perceptions of what constitutes a disability are socially constructed in the same way that gender is

• definitions of disability are a form of oppression that results from society’s being ill-equipped to deal with difference

post-structuralism

• critique the notion of disability in that it challenges normative definitions of social order and individual identity

• investigates how the concept of the body is constructed and deconstructed through social interaction

critical disability studies

• encompass both queer theory and critical social theory

• social norms related to gender, sexuality and disability are interconnected and help to reinforce each other

social determinants of health

the conditions in which people are born, grown and live in