Essay Example on the Science of Aging: Exploring Gerontology and its Effects

Gerontology is the scientific study that involves psychological, cognitive, social, cultural, and biological aspects of old age. Additionally, it consists of studying the particular problems experienced by older adults. Ilya Ilyich Mechnikov first used the term in 1903. Aging is a reversible and time-dependent action that makes a person change from a healthy individual to a weak and frail person. The individual suffers from difficulties such as the reduced capacity to deal with stress, vulnerability to diseases, and death. People who have lived a long life makes us wonder about several things, firstly what is the secret behind it? Secondly, is there a maximum lifespan which human beings cannot pass? Lastly, if human beings had insight on how to live longer, would it help in fighting diseases and disabilities related to the aging process?

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Growing up, I thought aging was the most beautiful thing a human being could ever undergo. It is because of how people from my community respected the elderly. Additionally, most gatherings in the neighborhood went smoothly after a few words from the elderly. During festivities such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, when my grandparents did not attend, it never felt like a celebration. It is because I associated the aging process with a lot of positivity that I never took a second to think about how my grandparents lead their daily lives.

After taking the gerontology class, I came to understand the hardships old folks undergo. Firstly, reduced physical activity. A person changes from being a reliable and capable individual to a weak person that needs assistance and care most of the time. Thinking of my grandparents, my grandfather still looks after his horses, but if one runs, he cannot keep up; most of the time, he calls my dad to help him. The reduced physical ability can cause some older adults to lose hope of living and, as a result, have suicidal thoughts. Moreover, at times when an older adult needs constant care because they cannot live on their own, some families take them to hospice to be taken care of fulltime. As a result, some families forget about their loved ones, and the old in hospice feel abandoned.

Secondly, vulnerability to diseases is a crucial issue. Older people have a low immune system, which is a significant cause of many deaths. Currently, with the COVID-19, many older people were affected because their immune systems were not strong enough to fight the disease compared to the younger generation. Therefore, most of the dying population has been the aging group. It is sad to say as much as we love the elderly, for the benefit of their health, it is crucial to always be clean near them so as not to spread any kind of disease.

Thirdly, old age brings about a lot of physical changes such as wrinkling of the skin, increase in the nose and ear size, slow healing of wounds, and loss of elasticity in muscles, blood vessels, and other organs. Most individuals in the contemporary world do not want to age because they want to hold on to their youth. As much as it is an inevitable process, scientists have come up with solutions such as plastic surgeries, which people who have access to a lot of money can afford. The rest who cannot afford plastic surgery undergo the process gracefully. The controversial thing is aging used to be a source of pride. A person lived his life, and then took a step back and slowly fade out, however; currently, some people see it as a shameful process and thus, want to pause it as long as they can through surgeries or use pills and creams to slow down the process.

Gerontology has made me understand the aging process in the best way possible. It is in human nature to age if a person does not die during his youth. Plastic surgery or not, the aging process is inevitable. It is because of several factors. Firstly, through the wear and tear theory, we learn that the body undergoes wearing and tearing after some time. As a result, the skin of an older adult is no longer smooth and soft but has wrinkles and is rough. Secondly, through the autoimmune theory, we learn that the human body system starts to attack itself with antibodies. As a result, it lowers human immunity making it easy for the human body to be attacked by diseases. Thirdly, the Cross-linkage theory asserts that during the aging process changes and, as a result, affects some processes in the human body. The processes affected are wrinkling of the skin, slow healing of wounds, an increase in the size of the nose and ears, and lastly, loss of elasticity in the muscle area and blood vessels.

At a social level, gerontology has changed me in the following ways. Firstly, after having a better understanding of what the aged people go through, I understood that it is beneficial to make them feel useful and needed. It is because everybody wants to be worthwhile regardless of their age. Even though they are weak, it is best not to make them feel like they are a burden. They can help with easy tasks such as prepping for dinner or opening mails. This involvement makes them escape depression and suicidal thoughts.

Additionally, one can encourage them to perform regular physical activities. Through conducting such events even though gentle, the activities aid in keeping both the body and mind balanced and having positive thoughts. Also, physical exercise aids in boosting the immune system, relieving anxiety, improving the cardiovascular tissues, and improving stamina. Moreover, one can keep the aging mentally active through involving them in games such as sudoku, crosswords, and puzzles. These games aid in the mental stimulation; thus, having a sharp and vibrant mind improves the welfare of the aging individual.

Conclusion

In summary, gerontology helps people understand the aging process. People understand the different aspects of the process and also the problems associated with the aging process. However, people can make the aging process easier for many individuals, and mostly this can be achieved through supporting the aging by friends, family, and community. By making them feel connected, it prevents them from having a lonely life and dementia. Therefore, a lot of research should be focused on gerontology as it is beneficial to people of all ages.