Week 7

Question 1

1. What is social health?
2. Is social health easy to measure?
3. what are some indicators of social health?

Answer 1

1. measures health from characteristics of society and individuals. The society that a person lives in directly influences their health depending on a variety of factors
2. Not easy to measure because it is less intuitive
3. rule of law, equity in distribution of resources, public accessibility to make decisions, level of social capital, interpersonal relationships

Question 2

What are the 3 factors for social health?

Answer 2

1. civic engagement = how much influence you have in public decisions
2. sense of belonging = do you have access to resources and are included
3. interpersonal relationships = your relationship with others

Question 3

What makes a person feel socially healthy from a societal vs. individual level?

Answer 3

societal level:
- rule of law
- equity
- social capital

individual level:
- ability to access social resources
- be able to contribute

Question 4

1. What is the current problem of social health?
2. ________ is behind social and population changes. Why?

Answer 4

1. structural lag = mismatch between changes in the aging process (where there is better health for older people, more active lifestyles) and the social structures are slow in meeting the needs of this new older person
2. Policy is behind social and population changes. This is because aging is believed to be more of a task involving medical professionals and public health systems rather than government policy/social systems

Question 5

What is integration of social health into communities of people of older age leading to?

Answer 5

• longer life, faster recovery from disease
• meaningful contributions
• social networks
• family support
• direct impact of care receiving

Question 6

1. T/F: there is no time for social/leisure activities after retirement
2. T/F: more time from retirement directly translates to older people participating in socially healthy behaviours.

Answer 6

1. F. there is time
2. F. does not mean this. It depends on access, financial security and availability of these social services

Question 7

1. what does ability to participate leisure activities after retirement depend on?
2. fulfillment and rediscovery during retirement is key for ________ and _______ health

Answer 7

1. • financial security
     - availability
     - access
2. wellbeing and social health

Question 8

What people choose to do with their _____ as they transition to retirement has longstanding effects on their health

Answer 8

time

Question 9

1. What are common trends in leisure activities for older people during retirement? Give examples of most common activities
2. Is re-education needed for these activities?
3. Leisure activities that people enjoy are the best target for _________

Answer 9

1. • they will self select activities they are already interested in or that they did when they were younger –> ex: athletics, travelling, socializing
2. No re-education is needed
3. intervention

Question 10

1. What are senior centres?
2. What types of seniors benefit from such programs?
3. What are the issues with these centres?

Answer 10

1. they offer leisure activities, meals, socialization, networking, volunteer opportunities, ambulatory healthcare services
2. marginalized seniors
3. • should not be a transition point to long-term residence, these are different.
     - Hard to offer extensive diverse programs

Question 11

1. Why is internet such an important factor in social life and leisure?
2. T/F: internet use declines with age

Answer 11

1. because society today is so revolved around the internet and media sources, it is important to teach elderly how to use these services for entertainment, socialization, and educational purposes?
2. T.

Question 12

1. Explain religion as a leisure activity
2. T/F: younger generations are more likely than older generations to declare having a religious affiliation and participate in religious activities
3. Why do older people enjoy religious activities so much?

Answer 12

1. religion as a leisure activity is declining, but still older age groups show the highest percentage of participation in activities involving religion
2. F. older people are more involved in religion than younger
3. because they are more open to discussing spiritually religious ideas, reflect on meaning of life

Question 13

1. Some seniors turn to spiritual practices to feel a sense of __________. Give some examples of spiritual practices
2. T/F: religion is one of the most diverse practices

Answer 13

1. wholeness. Ex: yoga, tai chi, prayer, meditation
2. T

Question 14

What age group contributes most to volunteerism?
a) 15-19
b) 25-34
c) 35-44
d) 55-65

Answer 14

a)

Question 15

1. What are the benefits of volunteering?
2. T/F: in some large cities, the social life of older adults is limited to volunteerism
3. What is the Canadian executive service organization (CESO)?

Answer 15

1. • stronger social networks
     - sense of purpose
     - increases life satisfaction, wellbeing, psychosocial health
     - increases physical health
2. T
3. federal gov program that recruits volunteers many of whom are retired execs, to serve as advisors and mentors in underdeveloped countries/with indigenous groups

Question 16

Explain the goal and purpose for learning at a younger age vs. learning at an older age

Answer 16

younger age:
goal = finding work, workforce training, establishing social capital
older age:
goal = leisure, self development, personal enrichment

younger age:
purpose = social mobility, career prep, society-subsidized
older age:
purpose = individual reasons, learning for its own sake, individual pays

Question 17

Answer based on seniors use of time:
1. (Passive/active) leisure activities
2. time spent sleeping (increases/decreases) with age
3. participation in activities (increases/decreases) as physical function declines

Answer 17

1. passive
2. increases
3. decreases

Question 18

1. what are the 2 patterns of leisure involvement?
2. what pattern of leisure relates to the disengagement theory of aging
3. what pattern relates to the lifespan development theory of aging

Answer 18

1. contractors = people who have stopped at least one outdoor activity in the past year and have learned any new activity since age 65
   expanders = people who have not stopped any activities in the past year and have added at least one new outdoor activity since age 65
2. contractors
3. expanders

Question 19

1. T/F: physical training later in life can increase chances of developing neurological diseases
2. physical training later in life can increase what type of mental functioning?

Answer 19

1. F. decreases change
2. executive mental functioning

Question 20

what is gerotranscendence?

Answer 20

in later life, the self begins to expand its boundaries and reflect on the meaning of human life

Question 21

1. in educational attainment, older people have more interest in __________ than ____________
2. What are some barriers to university courses?

Answer 21

1. personal growth than career development
2. walks across campus, parking, bad weather, timing, length of classes, fear of failure

Question 22

1. What is Road Scholar? What do the courses include?
2. What are institutes for learning in retirement or lifelong learning institutes? Are there tests/grades? what are the problems with these programs?

Answer 22

1. a NFP company promoting lifelong learning by organizing educational and cultural tours aimed at people in their 50s and older. Hiking trips, Tours of Quebec city, African safaris
2. programs that offer older people educational formats of lectures, seminars, courses with topics decided by the group. No grades or tests
   problem is that marginalized elderly people may find them unaffordable and intimidating

Question 23

Classify each result as second or third learning age?
a) professional
b) individual pays
c) education
d) have to know
e) want to know
f) self enrichment
g) individual purpose
h) social purpose
i) society subsidized

Answer 23

a) professional = 2nd
b) individual pays = 3rd
c) education = 3rd
d) have to know = 2nd
e) want to know = 3rd
f) self enrichment = 3rd
g) individual purpose = 3rd
h) social purpose = 2nd
i) society subsidized = 2nd
j) schooling = 2nd