Ageing As A Negative Development - 3507 Words

Introduction Ageing is traditionally viewed with negative impressions, and it is typical of society to stereotype older people. Even in the field of science, ageing is considered a negative development. A common view of ageing among academics, psychologists and medical physicians about ageing, is that it is associated with loss or deteriorating cognitive ability. This in itself is discriminating and a form of social stigma and stereotyping against older people (Lupien and Wan, 2004). For some cultures, ageing is a blessing and the older people are revered and honoured, for others, ageing is more or less a curse, a burden and a reason for stereotyping, stigma and discrimination. The United Kingdom (UK) is experiencing a growing ageing†¦show more content†¦However, just a little above 50% believes that the government is helpful to the older population (AgeUK, 2015). These records suggest that there is health and social inequalities among ageing population in the UK. Inequality is known to take many dimensions, whether in health or social life. The concept of inequalities is agreed by many to be a product of unfavourable treatment of a certain group of people or individuals; separated by age, gender, socio-economic status ethnicity or race. Many scholars have argued that to understanding inequalities, it is important to have clear knowledge of certain factors like the categories mentioned above, and also the measure of the experience itself. According to Dahlgren and Whitehead (1998), the categories of age, gender, social class, ethnicity and race influences the experience of equality in the society, either in terms of good health outcome, manifestation illness, or even the access to health services. In light of this, it is important to consider some of the factors both as singular entities and/or in connection with each other factors so as to develop clear understanding of how they affect or influence experiences. In discussing health inequalities, age has become an important topic owing to growing rate of ageing population in the United Kingdom (UK) which has resulted to a rising healthcare needs for the aging population. The number of people in England and Wales as at