Module I Unit 3:
Society and Aging
STRUCTURE
Welcome to the third unit of Module I “Society and Aging”. The sociological
study of aging is concerned with the social aspects of both individual aging
and an aging society, and is important in understanding how people and
populations age. The ability gained, knowledge to be learned and timeframe
for Module I Unit 3 are provided for you here.
Ability: Identify the influence of social determinants of health on health
patterns of the elderly and the accessibility and equity of health services for
them.
Knowledge:
Social Indicators as Health Determinants: Study how economic and social
classification based on sex, ethnicity, education and occupation may impact an
older adult’s health.
The Paradigms of Aging: Study the social construction of old age,
particularly negative and positive stereotypes, disability and poverty in old
age. Identify recent changes in the social construction of aging.
Informal Support Networks Among Seniors: Understand the changes in
family structures and community networks affecting older adults in Latin
American and the Caribbean societies. Learn new ways of fostering social
inclusion of older adults in their communities.
Differential Aging According to Gender: Study the loss of autonomy,
family and friends, widowhood and women’s networks.
Timeframe: 5 days
Module I Unit 3:
Society and Aging
STUDY GUIDE
The purpose of this study guide is to direct you through the readings, forum
and quiz of Module I Unit 3 and simplify the learning process. This study
guide contains all of the instructions and materials needed to complete the
learning requirements relating to society and aging. All materials, including
readings, the unit forum and the unit quiz, can be found in the virtual
classroom Module I Unit 3 page. If you have any questions after reading this
guide, don’t hesitate to bring them to the attention of your tutor.
You will have five days to complete Module I Unit 3. It is important that you
complete all of the required contents in the 5 days assigned, as the Unit 3
contents are integral to the comprehension of the final unit and next
modules that follow.
We recommend that you follow the schedule below to complete the contents
in the five days allotted for Unit 3.
Readings
Forum
Quiz
2 days (2 hours)
2 days (2 hours)
1 day (20 minutes)
Readings: Several readings have been carefully selected to introduce you to
the subject of society and aging. This information and these tools will not
only serve you in the completion of this course, but may also be utilized
throughout your career. Please read the selected readings. There are three
types of readings: basic, recommended and resources. It is required that all
students read the basic readings. Although not required, we encourage you
to read the recommended readings to further enhance your knowledge on
the subject. Lastly, we have provided you with resources that you may visit
to find information and data on a particular subject. You may find the
resources useful in the completion of the unit activity consisting of a forum
discussion.
Forum: Following completion of the readings, visit the forum and contribute
to the discussion with at least two different comments.
Quiz: A short quiz will be open for completion in the virtual classroom and
must be completed by the end of the unit time provided.
1. Basic Readings:
 Teresinha Consalter Geib, Lorena, 2012, “Social determinants of health
in the elderly”, Ciencias & Saúde Colectiva, Vol. 17, No. 1 Pp. 123-133.
2. Recommended Readings:
 “Population Ageing in the Caribbean: An Inventory of Policies,
Programmes and Future Challenges”, Economic Commission for Latin
American and the Caribbean, May, 2004.
o Page 15-30 (Economic development and poverty, social
development and poverty, economic activity, ageing and health)
 Marmot, Michael, 2005, “Social determinants of health inequalities”,
Lancet, Vol. 365, Pp. 1099-1104.
 Hambleton, I. et al., 2005, “Historical and current predictors of selfreported health status among elderly persons in Barbados”, Rev
Panam Salud Pública, Vol. 17, No. 6, Pp. 342-352.
3. Resources:
 ECLAC: www.eclac.org
 Cotlear, Daniel, 2011, “Population Aging: Is Latin America Ready?”,
World Bank.
o Chapter 3: Poverty, the Aging, and the Life Cycle in Latin
America
Questions to Consider: After completing the lecture and basic readings, ask
yourself the questions provided. You are not required to provide answers to
these questions and will not be graded on them.
 What does aging mean to us today in society?
 What are some negative impacts of stereotypes for older adults? How
can policies and programs increase or decrease these negative impacts
of stereotypes?
 Give two examples of programs or policies that encourage the social
inclusion of older adults in their communities.
4. Forum: Read the article “Older people in the UK: under attack from all
directions”, by martin McKee and David Stuckler, and discuss the article in
the context of the country where you live. Contribute at least three
comments to the forum.
Forum Questions:
1. Do you believe that older persons are “under attack” in your country?
2. In the order of importance, list the three determinants of health that
you think has the most influence on the health of the older population
in your country and provide a short justification.
5. Quiz: Your final responsibility for Module I Unit 3 is to complete a short
quiz consisting of no more than 15 questions. You have as much time as you
need to complete the quiz, although it is expected to take no more than 20
minutes to complete.
Congratulations on completing Module I Unit 3: Society and Aging. Now we
will move on to Unit iv: Health Assessment for Older Persons