How will future cohorts age?

o Baby Boomers (b. 1946-64) are expected to have even longer, healthier lives than
current cohorts of older adults due to:
Increased educational attainment
Better health behaviors
Perceived agency, control over health decisions
Re-invention of stereotypes about aging
Successful aging functionalist theories
o Disengagement theory: older adults should be released from their social roles &
obligations, and left to focus on introspective issues, and prepare for death
o Functions:
Social roles will open up for younger people
Presumes this is emotionally and physically healthy for older adults
o Disengagement from all social life is rare
Data show persuasively that activity and engagement are associated with
older adults emotional well-being
o Structural and cultural lags
Lag-change occurs in one aspect of society, but other aspects to not keep
pace
Structural: social institutions foster retirement age at 65, but most
older adults have high levels of physical and mental function until
75+
Cultural- stereotypes portray older adults as asexual and out of
touch, but actual behavior is inconsistent with these stereotypes
o Activity theory: older people who are active will be happier and healthier than
those who are less engaged
basis of senior center activities, bus tours, etc.
o Continuity theory: older people are happiest when their activities remain the
same as in earlier periods of life
External environment
Bridge jobs and volunteer work
o Why must older adults be the ones to adapt?
o Emphasizes the ways in which the larger social structure shapes opportunities for
older adults
o Amplified by capitalist society and the American Dream mythology
Anticipatory socialization into roles of:
o Student
o Spouse
o Parent
o Worker
Any road map or transition point for roles of:
 o Widow(er)
o Retiree
o Grandparent(?)
Widowhood
o Largely an older womans problem
o Anticipatory grief: emotional pain often begins prior to loss, during spells of
caregiving and watching a loved one die
o Gender differences in consequences:
Financial strain/worries for women
Loss of social support for men
Psychologically distressing for both