Myths Surrounding Ageing in Older Adulthood

Running head: HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
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1HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
The term ‘ageing’ could have multiple connotations. The process could be biological,
social, or psychological. The term represents the accumulation of events and the changes that
they led to throughout the course of the life of the individual. The changes could be internal or
evident. For this assignment, the myths surrounding ageing when an individual moves into older
adulthood will be discussed.
There are certain beliefs that are related to aged individuals. They pertain to multiple
factors regarding the person concerned. They could involve physical health, psychological
health, economic condition, social status, and much more. When physical heath is concerned, a
common thought that exists within people is that elderly people are physically incapable of living
independently and therefore, need assistance or professional help to do so. This is prevalent in
the communities which possess a lower socio-economic status. The reason behind the myth
probably arises from the fact that older people are less likely to continue with their employment.
This could be due to chronic illness or lack of amenities. Such situation escalates in lower
economic strata where poverty is the main cause. Elderly people who are poverty-stricken might
not be able to buy food, prescribed medication, and other necessary daily items (Berkowitz,
Seligman, & Choudhury, 2014).
Another myth about senior individuals is that they are financially dependent and need aid
to survive in society. Socio-economic strength is one of the key factors, which determines the
quality of life of the older aged people. In America, nearly 14.6% of the senior community live
below the official threshold of poverty. Income from social security is one the main source of
sustenance for these people. In the year 2014, 61% of people of and above 65 years received
almost half of their earnings through social security (Social Security Administration, 2016) and