*11: Aging, Dying, and Death

Define the difference between Gerontology, Social Gerontology, and Geriatric Medicine.

• Gerontology: The multidisciplinary medical and social study of the biological, psychological, and social factors of aging.

• Social Gerontology: A subfield focusing exclusively on the social aspects of growing old.

• Geriatric Medicine: A distinct medical specialty focused on treating diseases, frailty, and functional decline in older adults.

How do the three main sociological paradigms analyze Age Stratification?

• Functionalist view: Focuses on how older populations naturally disengage from positions to allow smooth generational role transitions for younger workers.

• Conflict view: Focuses on how aging workers must struggle within an unfair capitalist system that economically favors the young and rich.

• Symbolic Interactionist view: Focuses on how individuals subjectively construct personal meanings and social roles of growing old through micro-level daily life interactions.

Define Talcott Parsons' "Disengagement Theory" and its critique of industrial society.

The framework stating that industrial societies struggle to integrate older adults. An obsession with youth strips the elderly of structural utility, leaving them in a marginalizing, alienated "roleless role".

Define "Social Death" according to Mulkay (1993).

The systemic marginalization, isolation, and exclusion of elderly people from everyday life, causing them to suffer a complete loss of social status and visibility before their actual biological death.

Define "Social Capital" and explain why it has historically decreased for western seniors.

The social networks, trust, norms, and reciprocity that facilitate mutual cooperation. It decreased as western society shifted from extended multi-generational families to isolated nuclear family households, reducing the prestige and economic influence of elders.

Explain the concept of the "Sequestering of Death.

Coined by Anthony Giddens, it describes the late-modern practice of hiding death and dying away from regular social life through institutionalization (e.g., people dying in hospitals or nursing homes rather than at home).

State the World Health Organization's (WHO) official metric forecast for global aging between 2000 and 2050.

The global population aged 60+ will double, making up more than 1/5 (20%) of humanity. Crucially, 80% of these older adults will be living in low- or middle-income countries.

Sociologically, why have birth rates in the western world fallen below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman?

A structural combination of high economic costs, shifts in women's careers, delayed partnering, and cultural changes where children are no longer treated as economic assets for households.

Contrast the shapes of the 2016 population pyramids for Japan vs. Guatemala and explain what they reflect.

• Japan: A top-heavy, inverted pyramid reflecting an advanced "greying" population with low birth rates and high life expectancy.

• Guatemala: A traditional, bottom-heavy pyramid reflecting high birth rates and shorter overall life expectancies due to global stratification.

Define "Ageism" and explain how it manifests as a double standard across age groups.

Systemic stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination based on age.

• Against the Old: Cultural phrases like "senior moments" or framing older adults as past their prime.

• Against the Young: Systematic invalidation, lower wages, or legal bans on sales (e.g., banning flour/egg sales to teenagers during Halloween).