Psychology of Aging Module 1: Introduction to Aging
Videos
Dove Pro Age Commercial - This is a link to a YouTube video that challenges the perception of what is beautiful in the aging society. It is something that has gained popularity in challenging the norm. Dove has created a whole campaign for this stereotype changing cause which began about a year ago.
Meet Me at the Top - This is a YouTube video about the oldest person in North America to make the Seven Summits. Werner Berger summited Mount Everest at 68 last May. What stereotypes that we discussed in class does this case study dismiss?
Interactive Material
Real Age Quiz - This is an online quiz to determine your "real age". While its reliability is probably questionable, it is fairly long. While taking it, think about how the subject matter actually does affect an individual's longevity. If one lives a healthy enough lifestyle, will they reach the magical 120 years?
Test Your Aging Knowledge - This site offers helpful quizzes that test your knowledge of aging. It might be helpful in putting to rest the stereotypes of aging.
This online quiz is a pretty in-depth measure to find your real age. It is fun and interesting to see how old you really are with the quality and lifestyle that you choose. The quiz firsts asks your chronological age, and then will either add or subtract years onto that age depending on different factors such as health, lifestyle, etc.
Additional Websites
Centenarians in 1990 - From the report issued in 1999: 80% were women, and 78% were white. 1 in 4 of the men were married, while only 1 in 25 of the women were married. 1 in 4 of the men, and 1 in 5 of the women lived in poverty. Approximately 1 in 5 reported no self-care or mobility limitations. This report has a lot of charts that display relevant information without reading the whole report.
The Graying of America - A short website with a link to a video about the elderly that remain politically active. The website says that citizens aged 65-70 have the highest voting rate in the country, and that those over 75 are next.
Cultural Differences in Respect for the Elderly - This is an article from the Wall Street Journal that discusses the cultural differences in respect for the elderly. It makes you cherish the knowledge and wisdom that comes with age.
This article is from the National Institute of Aging (NIA) that talks about memory loss that happens when people get older. It talks about cognitive training that will help older adults maintain skills that will help them live a longer, better quality of life without needing as much assistance.
This would relate to the topics in our book about older people losing some cognitive ability with primary or secondary aging, and how activities to stimulate their brains would be useful.
The U.S. National Institute of Health has the National Institute of Aging website (NIA) that provides extensive information for our ever-growing
older population. This website provides information about health including tips on: care giving, healthy aging, medications, diets, and diseases. You can also obtain information on clinical research using human participants, and there are links to other helpful websites and Health and Aging Organizations that might provide information or support for whatever they need.
National Institute of Aging Website
Dr. Linda Woolf of Webster University has done extensive research on Gerontology. This section of the website discusses the topic of Ageism.
Although ageism is pretty evident from the reading, this website goes in depth to explain how older adults are viewed negatively and biasedly through common stereotypes. There is also a really good section on ageism not being universal, and how in some cultures, the elderly gain the highest respect from others in their culture.
This is an article on Genetics, Behavior, and Aging. This article is very interesting and discusses research done on twins to further understand the influence of not only genetic make-up, but also environmental factors. This ties in with the nature-vs.-nurture controversy in development. They also stress the influence that social influences and personal experiences has on a person's development. They also go on to further explain the topic of dementia and how there not a lot of information on what causes it. They did say that although women tend to live longer, they are at a higher risk for dementia (which sucks for all us ladies).
This website is the US Census Bureau website and it discusses the projections of the elderly population in the coming years. This further supports what we have already discussed in class about the "Baby Boomers" generation increasing the elderly population. It states in the website that the population of adults that are 65 and older will grow from 34.6 million in 1999, to 82.0 million in 2050, which most of us will just be about to fall into that category.
Aging News Feeds
Issues Facing the Elderly -This is a news feed that discusses a study done in the UK. The study focuses on brain change issues that face healthy aging adults. The study shows that the elderly population is more prone to fraud due to changes in their decision making process. This is an example that ties in to what we have learned about functional aging in seniors.
Media
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