Critical Questions for Ageing Societies. Carney, Gemma
– A theory developed by sociologists which views ageing as one stage of a series of phases that begin with birth, and which develop through childhood to adulthood and old age.
Loneliness – A level of social interaction or engagement that falls below what an individual desires. A subjective measure/experience.
Long-term care – A full range of services covering medical and social needs for those who are unable to care for themselves.
Macro-level – On a social/societal rather than individual level. For example, ageism can operate at societal level through legislation which bars people from working after a certain age.
Medicaid – A US-based healthcare programme that provides assistance to those on low income to access healthcare services.
Medicare – A US-based federal healthcare programme providing health insurance to those over 65 years and those under 65 who are in receipt of Social Security Disability Insurance.
Menopause – This is the time when a woman’s menstrual cycle ceases and she is no longer able to become pregnant. This is caused by a decline in oestrogen levels.
Micro-level – The smallest level of measurement. Information at a local or individual level.
Migration – The process of moving from one country, place or locality to another (compare, Emigration and Immigration).
Narrative of decline – The widely held, dominant view that old age is synonymous with loss and decay, rather than valuable wisdom and experience.
National Health Service (NHS) – A publicly funded national healthcare system in the UK, funded by taxation providing free or low-cost healthcare at the point of access for UK and other qualifying citizens.
National insurance – A UK based, government-operated social security scheme that provides an income ‘safety blanket’ for everyone, including income support, maternity pay, sickness pay and a national pension scheme.
Neoliberalism – An ideological political project, dating back to the 1980s regimes of Thatcherism in the UK and Reaganomics in the US. It involves making strong ideological arguments which lead to withdrawal of state support for individual welfare such as pensions and healthcare.
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) – A not-for-profit organisation that operates outside and independently of any government to address social and/or political issues.
Osteoporosis – A condition usually experienced in later life as a result of hormonal changes, calcium and vitamin D deficiency, characterised by brittle and fragile bones.
Out-group – A group or category of persons whose identity or beliefs are peripheral or devalued in comparison with the norm (for example, women in a patriarchal culture).
Pension – A regular payment or source of income made to a person following retirement from either the state or a private investment fund.
Person-centred care – A model of caregiving whereby the care recipient is seen as an equal partner and stakeholder in the decisions about, delivery and monitoring of their care to ensure their needs are met.
Political demography – The study of a given population as it relates to government and politics.
Political economy of ageing – The study of how political structures and economic systems conspire to produce inequalities between younger and older people, and among older people as a group.
Population ageing – The general trend seen where the average age of a given population is increasing.
Positive ageism – Where being an older adult leads to positive assumptions about character or ability. For example, an expectation of reliability or trustworthiness.
Post-war consensus – An agreement across political parties to establish a series of national public institutions such as the NHS in the UK from 1945 to 1979.
Prejudice – A set of preconceived ideas or opinions resulting in harm or injury (not necessarily physical) to a person based on their ascribed attributes.
Presbyopia – Farsightedness caused by a reduction in the elasticity/hardening of the lens of the eye.
Population pyramid – A graphical representation of a population, illustrating the gender and age profile at a given moment of time.
Retirement – The point at which a person leaves paid employment.
Risk assessment – A systematic evaluation of potential risk for a particular situation or activity.
Sandwich carers – Those people, usually in middle age, who are providing care and support for their own ageing parents while also supporting their own children.
Self-presentational bias – The process by where an individual portrays themselves in the most positive way for social acceptance within any given environment or grouping.
Sexism – The prejudice or act of discrimination against a person based on their sex.
Sexual orientation – Sexual identity in reference to which gender a person feel attracted to (for example, homo-, hetero- or bisexual).
Social care – Care provided for older people in their own homes. Social care can include personal hygienic care, cooking, cleaning or nursing care. It is an important means of allowing many older people to avoid being placed in a long-term care facility or hospital.
Social contract – A non-written, implicit agreement or understanding between members of a society to cooperate for overall social benefit, defining the limits, rights and duties of each party.
Social gerontology – Social gerontology is a subset of gerontology that studies social processes, issues, practices, and policies associated with older people. See also Gerontology.
Social isolation – An objective state where an individual is separate from others/lacks social contact.
Social location – The position or status that a person occupies in their society because of their race, gender, religion, income or job.
Social welfare – A set of publicly funded assistance programmes, designed to support and provide care to those citizens within a given society deemed most needful, particularly children, vulnerable adults and older people.
Socio-economic status (SES) – Combines sociological and economic measures to provide an indication of an individual’s social position in relation to others. The measure includes: work experience, income level, educational attainment, and occupation, and is used to evidence economic difference.
Stereotype – A set of generalised beliefs concerning the homogenous attributes of a particular group or category and every individual in that grouping.
Stewardship – The idea that each generation is responsible for taking care of the Earth until the next generation takes over.
Structured dependency – Where older adults are forced into dependency on others or the state based on the inability to maintain income or activity level due to structural reasons such as policy or fiscal poverty.
Successful ageing – ‘Successful ageing is multidimensional, encompassing the avoidance of disease and disability, the maintenance of high physical and cognitive function, and sustained engagement in social and productive activities’ (Rowe and Kahn, 1987).
Universal assessment –