The elderly sector is the fastest growing population in the world today. About 30, 000 cross the threshold of 60 everyday, according to Slater, 1995). Since this final chapter of life is characterized by the decay of physical and mental capability, many problems are faced by the elderly people. They suffer from physical changes like muscle wasting of sarcopenia, macular degeneration, physical disabilities, waning inability to maintain balance, difficulty in handling cold or hot weather, decline in cognition, in hearing ability and the like.
Among the major life stages, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age – the last seems to offer the least information regarding the people going to that age. Only recently, studies are being conducted about old age, probably because of the attention it attracts from its growing population. In countries like, Europe, Japan, Germany and other Western countries, the increasing population of the elderly, defined as 60 years old and above (Somera 1995:219) is garnering concern because the burden of paying for their pension are shouldered by working-age population.
This problem is complicated by the fact that the number of the aged outnumbers those who are 20 years of age, as in the case of Italy and Australia. This means that the labor force has to support both their selves and their families and the pension of the growing population of the elderly (Newsweek June 30-July 7, 2003:22). The changes in the population have effects on the society. This explains why it is necessary to study the people belonging to this particular increasing population- the elderly.
Although, they already reach the retirement age of 60, it does not necessarily mean that they are “invalid” and must be nursed by people taking care of them. This is a common conception about the elderly but in reality their world is much colorful than what we think. Not all elderly posses the same character. The common variation that is used to differentiate this group of people is chronological age. They can be classified as young old (65-75 years old), old-old (75- 84 years old) and oldest old (over 85) (Riley and Riley, 1986 in Hooyman and Kiyak, 1993).
Within this group are even more factors to distinguish one group from the others, like, “health status”, social and work activities and their family situations” (Hooyman and Kiyak 1993:5). Some are healthier than others and have more activities, while others arte more frail and prefer to stay home and rest. “Most men over age 65 are married, whereas, women are more likely to be widowed and live alone as they age” (Hooyman and Kiyak, 1993:5). Some still works while others retired, and still others would have work if only they could.
There have been studies on the helplessness of the elderly in different institutions and these studies confirm that they continue to perform functional role in society. This essay also tackles the “usefulness” of the elderly in the society but differs in the variable of focus. The elderly are the part of our population which does not attract much attention, probably because they are in the stage of their lives wherein they start retiring from their work and withdrawing from their once active social lives.
Their roles change from providers to receivers of society; they are now the ones being cared of. According to Hooyman and Kiyak (1993:9) “.. the concerns of older people are not distinct from those of the young, but represent continuation of earlier life periods”. Knowing the concern of the elderly will help the society provide necessary services and policies to respond to their needs. Little attention is being given to this sector of our society, little is known about the aging process and elderly (Somera, 1995).
This is the right time for social workers to act and to lead the quest for deeper understanding of the elderly people and the aging process. The social workers are equipped with the right education combined with experience and dedication to help them address their needs. Their role in affiliated institutions is to provide family with individual as well as family counseling, substance abuse treatment, patient education, crisis intervention, end of life planning and other services.
They can help make a good living arrangement for the elderly and they can work with the families in group counseling and planning for the long term care of their loved one. On a one on one care, they can also help clients reduced their feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness. Direct counseling could be address to them specifically to those with special health care needs. Dealing with the families of the elderly is also one of the major concerns of the social workers.
It is estimated that the need for social workers will doubled faster than any occupation particularly in the sector of gerontology because with the presence of modern technology, convenient and comfortable lifestyles the life span of a person is increased. In fact, there would even come a time that the number of social workers will not be sufficient for the needs of the people. Nowadays, an adult who live for an average of 65 years may add 18 additional years to his life span. On the other hand, a woman who expects to live for about 85 years may live for another 7 years. People should be aware of their conditions and concerns.