Question

Aging includes the cognitive, physical, and social-emotional changes that occur during late adulthood. Varying cultures take different approaches to aging. At the same time, individuals within these cultures and societies may have varied and distinctly personal views regarding aging. When addressing aging in late adulthood, one must also address death, dying, and bereavement. Religious and spiritual beliefs, gender, personality, and coping style can all impact an individual's responses to and beliefs about death (Berk, 2014). Today, web-based virtual cemeteries are a new way for people to connect and grieve with each other, even when separated by distance. Nonetheless, varying cultures approach aging in many different ways.

For this Discussion, you will examine how different countries approach aging.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Consider how different countries approach aging. As you consider different countries, think about the following:

Do older adults live with their children, or are they more likely to live in a nursing home?

Are older adults seen as wise individuals to be respected and revered, or are they a burden to their family and to society?

Next, select two different countries and compare and contrast their approaches to aging.

By Day 4

Post and identify each of the countries you selected.

Then, explain two similarities and two differences in how the countries approach aging.

Be specific and provide examples.

Use your Learning Resources to support your post. Use proper APA format and citations.

Answer 1

Aging includes the cognitive, physical, and social-emotional changes that occur during late adulthood.

How different countries approach aging : AMERICA AND CANADA

Researchers believe industrialization and modernization have contributed greatly to lowering the power, influence, and prestige the elderly once held.

In America, people are better able to prepare for aging because resources are more widely available.

Also, many people are making proactive quality-of-life decisions about their old age while they are still young. In the past, family members made care decisions when an elderly person reached a health crisis, often leaving the elderly person with little choice about what would happen. The elderly are now able to choose housing, for example, that allows them some independence while still providing care when it is needed. Living wills, retirement planning, and medical powers of attorney are other concerns that are increasingly handled in advance.

In America, decisions to care for an elderly relative are often conditionally based on the promise of future returns, such as inheritance or, in some cases, the amount of support the elderly provided to the caregiver in the past.

In America, by contrast, many people view caring for the elderly as a burden. Even when there is a family member able and willing to provide for an elderly family member, 60 percent of family caregivers are employed outside the home and are unable to provide the needed support. At the same time, however, many middle-class families are unable to bear the financial burden of “outsourcing” professional health care, resulting in gaps in care .

Many U.S. households were home to multigenerational families, and the experiences and wisdom of elders was respected. They offered wisdom and support to their children and often helped raise their grandchildren Today, with most households confined to the nuclear family, attitudes toward the elderly have changed.It is no longer typical for older relatives to live with their children and grandchildren.

CANADA : Canada and other wealthy nations are fairly well equipped to handle the demands of an exponentially increasing elderly population. canadians thought to have a higher sense of filial responsibility and to perceive providing family assistance for the elderly as a more normal aspect of life .The Canadian government, for example, typically classifies people aged 65 years old as elderly, at which point citizens are eligible for federal benefits such as Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security payments.the Canadian Association of Retired Persons, now just known as CARP) dont have an eligible age of membership because they suggest that people of all ages can begin to plan for their retirement. In this culture the older adults live with their children and older people and treated with respect .