Things Worth Considering

AGING – we think we know what it is precisely because we all do it. But sociologists and psychologists think of it a bit differently than who we usually think of it. This story is the new story of aging.Emerging in the early 1900s with the rise of developmental psychology, suddenly people started thinking of life in terms of stages. The end of WW2, the economy flourished and people lived longer, a new old age emerged.The extended families saw older people working, providing for their families even if only in the home. The nuclear family saw older people left on their own, and the wealthy were encouraged to ‘retire’. Retirement is new-made possible by longevity and wealth, today it is seen as a normal stage of aging. 10,000 people retire each day in America, Something that we will all do. or is it? Aging is a process. Age is a number and aging is an experience. Many factors determine how we age, and research shows there are ways age 60 can be the new age 40.