blog




  • Essay / Exclusion of the elderly - 1164

    The exclusion of the elderly seems to go hand in hand with the exclusion of young people in society (Holloway, 2005). Around the world, opinions about older people differ across space and time. An article by Blaikie, 1999, describes how before modern society, older people were respected, but after modern societies were established, older people were not given as much respect. For example, in Africa, older people are given great respect because of their wisdom because they have lived longer than younger and middle-aged people (Pain, 2001). Compared to Western societies, older people are viewed negatively, as old age is associated with problems such as high dependence on others, financial problems, and health problems (Pain, 2001). Older people become dependent on others as they become physically less able to care for themselves, for example due to the need to be placed in a nursing home, but many do not work to earn their life after retirement and therefore need money to survive. Older people can access money through state-paid pensions, but as the number of people classified as 'elderly' increases, conflicts can arise between age groups (Pain, 2001). Older people are often marginalized and excluded in Western societies where this is associated with a negative aspect. However, this is not always true in some societies where older people are associated with a positive aspect.