Social Aspects of Aging, Research Paper Example

In the United States, as in the rest of the world, for the last decades marriage rates have declined at the same time that divorce rates are rising.  Because the senior population is increasing due to an increase in average lifespan, there are certain drawbacks and obstacles to having a romantic relationship in one’s later years.  The marriage rates for people over the age of 65 are relatively low for various reasons.  One of the most significant factors involves the fact that there are fewer men than women over the age of 65; the average man lives until the age of 75, and the average woman lives until the age of 80, approximately (Population, Chapter Two, 1996-2008.) The result is that there are many females among the elderly population, and fewer men.

Among people over the age of 65, the decision to marry or not involves significant concerns, including such factors as protecting wealth from the significant other, not taking on the new spouse’s financial obligations and debt, preserving benefits of one’s pension from former marriages, making complicated decisions regardingthe dissolution of one’s estate, and having to form relationships with adult children from previous marriages (Betsy Stevenson and JustinWolfers, 2007.) For that reason, many senior citizens who decide to cohabitate opt not to formalize the union by getting married but rather, choose to live together and preserve their separate financial and other lives.

On the other hand, there are ways to protect one from the above named problems, including prenuptial agreements, arranging for powers of attorney, and drawing up an advance directive orwill that makes one’s preferences clear, legal and binding.  In advance of the decision to marry, it make sense for an elderly couple to seek legal advice in order to sort out such matters and help them make the decision about whether or not to formalize the relationship.

Regarding divorce rates, which dissolve about 50% of all marriages, the elderly population is at the lowest end of the spectrum regarding divorce rates.  About 1% of all divorces involve people over the age of 65 (Devine 2009).  Although divorces among the elderly are still relatively rare, the rates have gone up along with that of other age groups in recent years.  The speculation for the low divorce rate among seniors is that the marriages that have lasted for a long time have most likely gotten past the problems and issues that cause other people to divorce.  In other words, if people have stayed together for a long time, the chances are low that they will decide to divorce; in addition, the chances of remarrying are lower for people who are elderly. (Devine 2009.)

Although rare, when divorce occurs later on in life, the problems that are involved cannot be minimized.  Women are likely to experience significant decline in their financial stability, whereas men tend to experience the most problems in their personal life (Russell, 2006).Stress caused by the illness of one or the other spouse may also result in divorce later in life.  Finding oneself in a new life situation may be significantly more of a challenge to people over the age of 65.  If a divorce during the elderly years occurs, it is more likely to be successful if financial issues are stable, and if the relationship between divorcing spouses allows for civil discussion between them about their personal and emotional conflicts; in addition, if they are able to preserve good relationships with family and friends, they are more likely to have a less devastating experience.

When an older person has to transition into life in a nursing home, the impact of such a change can have a dramatic effect on his or her social abilities, which will frequently affect the person’s physical and psychological well being(Joshua Estelle, 2006) The quantity and quality of social relationships are an integral part of the health and well being in people over the age of 65 who live in retirement communities or nursing homes.  People over the age of 80 frequently experience a decrease in social contact due to the death of many of their peers and relatives, an inability to drive, and a tendency to isolate.  Many people of these ages tend to experience a change in their social abilities, that is, they may become more argumentative and /or disagreeable, lose their inhibitions to say exactly what is on their minds and will conceivably come across as hurtful and tactless.  Cognitive deficiencies may also decrease the ability to engage with or connect with other people easily.  As a result, if one visits a nursing home,  one might find the residents arguing with each other constantly; witnessing the reverse is also common, as the residents frequently form strong attachments to each other, looking out for each other and caring for each other as if they had known each other for years.  In some ways, life in a nursing home or retirement community can bear a resemblance to high school, with its cliques, bullies, best friends and prom queens.

References

Betsy Stevenson and Justin Wolfers. (2007, Spring). Marriage and Divorce: Changes and Their Driving Forces. Journal Of Economic Perspectives , Pp. 27-52.

Devine, J. (2009, September 1). Divorce and the Elderly. Retrieved October 6, 2010, from Ezine articles: http://ezinearticles.com/?Divorce-and-the-Elderly&id=2854342

Joshua Estelle, N. K. (2006, April 22-27). Enhancing Social Interaction In Elderly Communities. Retrieved October 6, 2010, from University of Michigan: http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~pollackm/distrib/chi-workshop06.pdf

Chapter two, Population. (1996-2008). Retrieved October 6, 2010, from Statistics Bureau Home Page: http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c02cont.htm

Russell, H. R. (2006, January 15). Divorce. Retrieved October 6, 2010, from The Encyclopedia Of Aging And The Elderly: http://www.medrounds.org/encyclopedia-of-aging/2006/01/divorce.html