Aging and the aged in contemporary society

Abstract

The history of the human family is rich with the search to unravel the snarls of aging - to prolong life. Decline appears to characterize aging and the aged: loss of status and job; loss in family and societal roles; loss of friends, relatives, and, with many, loss of health. Evidence, particularly from longitudinal studies, is accumulating to separate aging from disease. Viewed in terms of what capacities remain, most older persons have more than sufficient capacity to cope with alternative life styles. Continued research of the long lived peoples of the world provides the reality of normal aging that will deny the myths and the medical model of aging.