Find issues that are mainly addressed in the media, such as physical, psychological, and social development in old age and books, and discuss solutions through individuals, families, regions, and countries.
i. Introduction
II. the main body
1. physical, psychological, and social development in old age
1) physical characteristics in old age
2) psychological characteristics of old age
3) social characteristics of old age
2. The Reality and Causes of Elderly Depression and Solitary Death in the Elderly
1) a lonely death in the elderly
2) depression in the elderly
3. Solutions through individuals, families, regions, and countries
1) a personal solution
2) a family-level solution
3) a social solution
III. Conclusion
i. Introduction
All humans experience an aging process as they age and enter old age. Currently, the elderly population is increasing year by year, and various social problems are emerging. The biggest cause of the increase in the number of the elderly population and the resulting increase in the composition ratio to the total population can be said to be the aging population due to the extended lifespan. According to a report by the National Statistical Office, Korea has already entered an "aging society" with the proportion of the population aged 65 or older reaching 7.2% in 2000, and this ratio reached 14.3% in 2018, and it is expected to become an "super-aged society" with 20.8% in 2026. As a result, the social level is experiencing problems such as an increase in the burden of supporting the elderly, a slowdown in productivity, the power of the elderly, an increase in the needs of the elderly, and an increase in individual retirement funds, economic and health problems in old age, an increase in the meaning and value of old age, and various activities in old age.
In old age, most of the habits of the environment brought about by them change into a new period of habits, which is likely to lead to dissatisfaction or maladjustment. In addition, there are many cases where they feel inferior because they lose their social status or their economic capacity decreases. In addition, because the mental and physical function declines, health is easily lost, and activity decreases, independence is lost and dependence is increased.
There is an urgent need to realize policies and prepare for ways to improve the quality of life in old age by utilizing the elderly workforce as the population ages. Therefore, this report first summarizes the concept of old age and the developmental characteristics of old age. And I would like to look for elderly problems that are social issues and discuss solutions.
II. the main body
1. physical, psychological, and social development in old age
1) physical characteristics in old age
Old age is a period of rapid physical change. Because physical changes are much stronger than in middle age, they often complain of physical illness or discomfort. The rate or range of changes as follows may vary depending on regular exercise or diet.
External changes increase wrinkles, skin changes such as loss of elasticity, and reduce subcutaneous fat. The hair becomes thinner and the body's posture becomes curvy. Internally, the cardiovascular system changes, the strength of the heart muscle decreases, and the amount of muscle decreases. And the efficiency of the respiratory system, digestive system, and urinary system decreases.
In this way, the efficiency of the body and sensory organs decreases rapidly in old age. The movement of the hand becomes dull, the vision decreases, and the sensitivity of hearing, taste, and touch decreases. The decline in physical sensory function also has a psychological effect. In addition, the gradual loss of hearing negatively affects interpersonal relationships because it causes problems in understanding other people's words. These problems also raise doubts about others. In addition, the decrease in previously enjoyed activities negatively affects the quality of life in old age.
2) psychological characteristics of old age
The loss of social roles due to retirement, etc., reduces productivity and activity, which leads to an increase in introversion by immersing yourself in the inner self. The elderly value the emotional ties between family members and find people they can trust and rely on, and as they get older, they need an object they can rely on psychologically rather than material help.
In addition, when you become an elderly person, you will not be able to adapt well to changes in the environment, and you will have a strong tendency to stick to your existing mindset or attitude, and you will also be obsessed with things you used in the past. And with age, sensory organs such as sight and hearing deteriorate, and the elderly who have experienced the bitter experience of failure become more cautious because accuracy is important.
Above all, the elderly are said to have a significant increase in their tendency to depression because it is a time when they are facing the death of a spouse or close friend, the decline of loneliness or physical strength due to being alienated from their family or society, financial problems, regret and guilt over the past days, and their own death.
3) social characteristics of old age
Many people in old age have chronic diseases due to physical aging. By retiring, most of the roles have been lost socially, and you experience separation from close people such as children's families and spouses. Also, one's own death comes in the near future.
Erickson (1976) sees that people of this period face a conflict between self-integration and despair. Self-integration is said to be the fruit of life that people who have successfully lived through various stages of their lives, such as life and self-completion, unity, and satisfaction. On the contrary, people who have not reached self-integration feel regret and despair about their lives.
2. The Reality and Causes of Elderly Depression and Solitary Death in the Elderly
1) a lonely death in the elderly
"Lonely death" is becoming a social issue, which leads to loneliness after living alone disconnected from the people around you. Recently, as the number of single-person households increases, the number of "lonely deaths" that die alone is increasing, and among them, the issue of lonely deaths of elderly people living alone is the most difficult problem to deal with because their bodies are uncomfortable to move around and production activities are suspended.
The reason why the elderly, especially the elderly living alone, die alone is because of loneliness and depression. The most difficult thing for the elderly living alone is that there is no one to talk to. As you get older, your friends or family members who can communicate die first and you are left alone, your health deteriorates and you have no one to take care of even when you need someone's help. Currently, many experts warn of the increasing number of elderly depression as our society enters a super-aged society. Emotional problems such as chronic physical diseases and loneliness are likely to be accompanied by depression, and there is a risk that such depression may lead to extreme choices such as suicide.
2) depression in the elderly
Depression in the elderly shows slightly different characteristics from depression in young people. First of all, depression is a mental problem, but there are many cases of complaining of physical symptoms. It is easy to think of weight loss, constipation, and gastrointestinal disorders caused by depression as only medical problems or diseases. I feel that I don't feel the same way, but I often dismiss it as a natural phenomenon that occurs with age due to aging and pass it on.
Older patients with depression tend to show more severe health concerns than other age groups, and patients rarely complain of depression themselves. When asked how they feel, they say they are not depressed, but they often show symptoms such as loss of interest, loss of vitality, and indifference. In addition, cognitive decline and disability are common, and because of this cognitive impairment, it is easy to misunderstand it as dementia, so it is also called pseudo-dementia.
3. Solutions through individuals, families, regions, and countries
1) a personal solution
The elderly couples who make up a single household for the elderly must lead an independent life of food, clothing, and shelter, but as they become increasingly old, it becomes difficult to solve this problem. Personally, you should be able to successfully enjoy a married couple-centered retirement life by preparing and planning for old age early. In other words, as couples spend more time together in old age, efforts should be made to improve marital relationships from a young age, and the development of various support networks for couples is required rather than relying on and obsessing too much on children. This is because the support system that is desperately needed in old age cannot be formed all of a sudden.
2) a family-level solution
Nothing in life is as important as health. Loss of health leads to loss of autonomy as well as pain or discomfort caused by disease. Therefore, personally, eating well and exercising regularly should be avoided, and excessive smoking or drinking should be avoided to maintain health. However, good health habits do not completely free us from disease, so we must live with positive psychological emotions. In order to do so, one's own efforts are important, but the emotional support of the family can be said to improve health psychologically.
3) a social solution
It is necessary to establish a complementary relationship between the state and the private sector. In principle, social welfare is based on the principle that all members of society have joint responsibility for the welfare of members of society. Solidarity responsibility in modern society takes a way for members to share joint responsibility with taxes. In modern society, the primary subject of social welfare is the state rather than individuals and families. Therefore, the state should take the lead in responding first to the basic and common needs of national members, and the private sector should play a role in supplementing and supplementing the efforts and roles of the state. The private sector should play a leading role in high-quality and diverse needs beyond common and basic needs, and the state should make efforts to supplement or support them.
Social welfare will not be improved by the attitude of the state to remain in a complementary role in solving all the needs and problems of the people. In the case of welfare for the elderly, the state should take the initiative and systematically guarantee income and medical expenses and treatment, and it is desirable to supplement the role of the family to solve psychosocial problems and convenience in daily life.
Another is the elimination of negative perceptions of the elderly. To this end, it is necessary to form a social atmosphere that recognizes the contributions of the elderly. The view of society that all the elderly are poor, sick, and unproductive populations without roles or dependent welfare recipients should change. Old age does not only mean the times of poverty, disease, alienation, and solitude, but can be a time of adventure and challenge in life depending on one's preparation efforts. Although physically in the process of old age, it is necessary to recognize that it is in the process of intellectual, emotional, personal, and spiritual growth, and establish a lifestyle that lives a more active and creative life.
III. Conclusion
The future of our Republic of Korea, which is at the lowest fertility rate, is set. We have already entered an aging society and are on the verge of a super-aged society. When half of the population is in their 50s, they will face numerous elderly problems.
A multifaceted approach is needed to solve the elderly problem. Above all, efforts are needed not only by the state but also by families and communities to jointly prepare education programs for the elderly for the welfare of the elderly. In other words, it will be necessary to expand government funds and actively utilize private funds to enable more elderly people to receive social welfare benefits through the expansion of the role and responsibility of the state, develop various programs to enhance the expertise of social services, and prepare special measures for the elderly in extreme poverty.
