Ageing and Health: An Academic Argumentative Essay Analysis

This essay, focused on ageing and health, presents an academic argument analyzing two differing viewpoints on the topic. It begins with an introduction that highlights the significance of external factors on the quality of life of older individuals, followed by a thesis statement that outlines the essay's focus. The essay then presents two main arguments: the first emphasizes the impact of physical, social, and economic factors on the health of the elderly and suggests that early care can mitigate negative effects. The second argument discusses how ageing leads to cellular and immune system changes, making older individuals more vulnerable to diseases. The essay incorporates research from the World Health Organization, as well as studies by Netuveli and Blane (2008), Clark et al. (2016), and Divo, Martinez and Mannino (2014) to support its claims. The conclusion summarizes the arguments, reiterating that while internal body changes occur with ageing, the negative impact on the health of the elderly can be prevented by proper care. The essay adheres to the required criteria of an academic essay, including a 500-word minimum, the integration of two or more secondary sources, APA documentation, and persuasive techniques. The essay also follows the Foundational 5 Paragraph Essay Model and the 8+ Sentence Paragraph Model.

Running Head: AGEING AND HEALTH
AGEING AND HEALTH
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1AGEING AND HEALTH
Introduction:
Quality of life of an older individual is dependent upon the different factors. Poor
monitoring of the factors can lead to further health deterioration of the patient, whereas if the
external parameters are examined appropriately, instead of positive impact, it can pose negative
impact on the quality of life of the older individual, which is discussed in the essay.
Thesis statement: analysis of the external factors and its impact on the quality of life of the older
individual.
Argument 1:
“Quality of life is defined by the World Health Organization as “individuals' perception of their
position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation
to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns.”
Rendering to the research conducted by Netuveli and Blane (2008), quality of life of the
elderly population is dependent upon the greying of the population. There are different external
aspects such as, physical, social and economic, which affects the health of the elderly population
negatively (Clark et al., 2016). These influences can be controlled if appropriate care is provided
to the individual at an early stage of life and if done ageing does not possess negative impact on
the health and quality of life of elderly population, Instead, it retains a positive impact on the
health of the patient and reduces the prevalence rate of the chronic physical and mental illness
(Clark et al., 2016). If the adult individuals are educated with the various strategies which can be
used to maintain a healthy life, it will pose positive impact on their future health.

2AGEING AND HEALTH
Argument 2:
“All vital organs begin to lose some function as you age during adulthood. Aging changes occur
in all of the body's cells, tissues, and organs and these changes affect the functioning of all body
systems”
According to the survey conducted by the World Health Organization (2019), as people
age, they become more vulnerable to the mental and physical disease, which eventually
influences the quality of life of the elderly population. Conferring to the research conducted by
Divo, Martinez and Mannino (2014), it is due the ageing where the body undergoes several
changes, which make them more susceptible for the prevalence of any pernicious disease. The
cell starts losing its proper functionality which cannot be stopped even after providing adequate
care to the individual. Along with that, the immunity system of the individual also begins to act
slower. The cells of the immunity system do not act effectively and as a result are unable to
destroy the foreign substance such as, microbes, bacteria and viruses. Due to the activity of the
immune cells, they get easily affected with the severe and pernicious illness such as, influenza,
shingles, pneumonia and cancer.
From the above argument, it is evident that quality of life of the patient is dependent upon
the maintenance of the external parameters and if it is maintained properly, the quality of life of
the patient can be enhanced. However, the opponents suggests that as the individual ages, the
functionality of the body changes which pose negative impact on the health. Both the piece of
argument is said to be logical and persuasive as it is extracted from a credible peer reviewed
article.

3AGEING AND HEALTH
Conclusion:
From the above essay, it is concluded that elder population is vulnerable to a number of
external factors which if controlled, the quality of life of the elder population can be enhanced.
Whereas, the opponents suggests that, it is permanent due to the internal changes in the body.
However, by critically analyzing both the argument, it is observed that changes in the body is
due to the poor early care and hence its negative impact on elder’s health can be prevented by
proper care.

4AGEING AND HEALTH
Reference:
Clark, P. G., Riebe, D., Blissmer, B. J., Lees, F. D., & Greaney, M. L. (2016). Psychosocial
factors associated with physical activity in older adults. Annual Review of Gerontology
and Geriatrics, 36(1), 273-291.
Divo, M. J., Martinez, C. H., & Mannino, D. M. (2014). Ageing and the epidemiology of
multimorbidity. State of the Art Multimorbidity and the Lung. (1) 1055-1068.
Netuveli, G., & Blane, D. (2008). Quality of life in older ages. British medical bulletin, 85(1),
113-126
World Health Organization. (2019). PROGRAMME ON MENTAL HEALTH. Retrieved 6
November 2019, from https://www.who.int/mental_health/media/en/76.pdf