Aging  (Page 2/10)

Baby Boomers are people born after World War II (between 1946 and 1965). Their shared memories are: the assassinations of John Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X, rock ’n’ roll, the Sixties (hippies and yippies, Woodstock, drugs, birth control pill and the sexual revolution, the Civil Righs Movement, the Vietnam War, the moon landing, and the resignation of Richard Nixon. Their technology included: transistor radios and color TV.

Gen X are the children of the Baby Boomers. Their shared memories include: the Challenger disaster, heavy metal rock music, Michael Jackson, drugs, abortion on demand, the Gulf War. Their technology included: PCs and Macs, Donkey Kong, pagers, 8-track tapes, tape players and CB radios in cars.

Gen Y are people born in the mid-to-late 1980s. They are the children and grandchildren of the Baby Boomers. Their shared memories include: Hip Hop and Rap music, September 11, 2001, the Iraq and Afghan Wars, Harry Potter, and CNN. Their technology included: the Internet, Cell Phones, Video Games (online, game players such as the Playstation, hand-held game player platforms such as the Gameboy), and 24/7 cable/satellite/fiber-optic TV.

The Millienials are people born in the 1990s. They are the grandchildren of early Gen Xers, and late Baby Boomers. Their shared memories include Hip Hop and Rap music, Beyonce, Kanye West, September 11, 2001, the Iraq and Afghan wars, the Toyota recall, the election of Barack Obama, the financial and economic crisis of 2008-2010, the earthquake in Haiti. Their technology includes: I-Pods™ and MP3 players, I-Phones™, smart phones, Blackberries™, Wii™, social networking media (Twitter, Facebook, My Space), and online education.

Changes due to aging

Although there are many scientists who today are working to overcome the most deleterious effects of aging, and some who are even attempting to stop aging and expand the life span, for most of us now, aging is an entirely normal process. As we age, our bodies begin to change and many of us believe, incorrectly, that aging is closely related to virtually complete physical and mental deterioration. Our cells and organs do indeed change over time, but a healthy life style and engaging in interesting and challenging activities as well as interacting with other people helps the elderly to remain physically and mentally healthy into very old age. Some things that do occur however are that skin texture and resiliency changes, hair turns gray or falls out, spinal disks compress; joints stiffen; and many women suffer from osteoporosis. Generally speaking however, these changes do not necessarily mean that the older person is falling apart or that they are losing their ability to care for themselves. Many healthy elderly people are quite capable of living very active lives, in their own homes, into very old age. Society in Focus: An Introduction to Sociology: 2 nd Edition. Thompson, William E. and Joseph V. Hickey. New York: HarperCollins. 1996. Sociology: Sixth Edition. Schaefer, Richard T. and Robert P. Lamm. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1998. Sociology: Understanding a Diverse Society . Andersen, Margaret L. and Howard F. Taylor. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. 2000.