This week’s assignment has focused on a variety of myths surrounding the aging experience. Since my group’s healthy aging project has been focusing on the effects social isolation and loneliness have among our elderly population, I believed this assignment would be a wonderful chance to delve deeper into certain misconceptions surrounding loneliness. While I knew loneliness was not in fact inevitable with aging, I myself used to believe that with old age feelings of loneliness was common and that the majority of elders actually felt this way. In fact, thorough research has come to clarify this as a misconception. Age is not the end all be all for feelings of loneliness, but it is actually the systems placed in our society that exacerbate this myth to be seen as a reality. We live in a society where aging is looked down upon and even seen as a disease. This mindset has placed our elders’ wellbeing as secondary in comparison to the rest, basically making them out to be second class citizens.
The myth I addressed is one of the many that perpetuate stereotypes among the elderly. In many of the articles I had come across, the mindset remains as an important factor in how one’s aging experience will be like. So, having a positive mindset regarding aging will actually lead to a healthier outcome as you age. Thus, education and active intentions to clarify how aging is a wonderful and rich part of life must be sought out.
This assignment was able to once again humble me to reveal what I did not know about aging. Aging is a part of life that we all know to be waiting for us, so doing the best I can to educate others and myself on how amazing aging can be will remain important to me throughout life.
The myth I addressed is one of the many that perpetuate stereotypes among the elderly. In many of the articles I had come across, the mindset remains as an important factor in how one’s aging experience will be like. So, having a positive mindset regarding aging will actually lead to a healthier outcome as you age. Thus, education and active intentions to clarify how aging is a wonderful and rich part of life must be sought out.
This assignment was able to once again humble me to reveal what I did not know about aging. Aging is a part of life that we all know to be waiting for us, so doing the best I can to educate others and myself on how amazing aging can be will remain important to me throughout life.