Productive Aging

Introduction

            The term aging refers to the process of becoming older. With the advancement of age, the risk of being unable to function cognitively, physically, and being prone to health complications becomes a reality. The stereotypes that surround the term aging is what makes aging to be viewed as a liability in a person’s life. Being unable to have a quality life is what shapes my view on aging as negative. The thought of being dependent and a burden to others to get my needs and wants reinforces the negative concept of aging that I have. Positive thinking of aging is difficult to conceptualize because of the problems that the aging population face. The loneliness that the old go through since they are alone most of the time while their caregivers are either busy with work or in school. Being aged also drains one emotionally with the constant thought of sunset years, and the idea of looming death does more harm to positive thinking towards aging.

After reading the article on positive psychology and productive aging, my perception of aging has not changed, but it has broadened my view on the topic. The promise of a bright future in the aged is on the horizon. According to Ranzijn (2002), aging can be productive and fulfilling by working on the environmental factors that make adapting to aging difficult.  By environment, he refers to the physical surroundings of the aged, the social environment, the wider community, including the political and economic systems of the environment. He further asserts that by tapping into the abilities of the old, the prospect of quality life for the aged is possible. The focus on what the aged cannot do, such as physical and cognitive demanding jobs, needs to change, and instead, the utilization of the invaluable abilities that the aged have should be used to enhance the quality of life of the community. Creating an environment fit environment for the aged which they can adapt to, the aged will be able to utilize their prolonged life span brought about by advanced healthcare, and therefore they get a chance at utilizing their aging years.

Even though the article gives a framework on how to achieve productive aging, it fails to account for the most important aspect, which is the aging individual. The definition of productive aging varies in different individuals. How they view aging makes it difficult to make productive aging a universal concept. A good example is working as a form of productivity in the aged. The individual may view work as a way of keeping busy or earning an income which they desperately need, but the perception of them being too old to be working either by themselves or their workmates makes it difficult to embrace the concept of productive aging (Ilmarinen, 2001). The mortality and health complications of the aged also make it difficult to invest in any products that may translate into high quality of life (Rakowski & Hickey, 1992).

In conclusion, my view on aging has been changed from a narrow-minded view on the concept of aging; negative to an open-minded view on the possibilities that aging has to offer. Productive aging is possible, and aging need not be linked to mortality and health complications only but also to the abilities and potentialities it holds, such as the enhancement of the quality of life in the community.

References

Ilmarinen, J. E. (2001). Aging workers. Occupational and environmental medicine, 58(8), 546-546.

Rakowski, W., & Hickey, T. (1992). Mortality and the attribution of health problems to aging among older adults. American Journal of Public Health, 82(8), 1139-1141.

Ranzijn, R. (2002). The potential of older adults to enhance community quality of life: Links between positive psychology and productive aging. Ageing International, 27(2), 30-55.