question

T or F: In U.S. society, people who are elderly are generally a homogeneous group with little variation in physical and mental ability, class, political values, or sexual preference.

answer

False

question

Tor F: The majority of people in the United States who are elderly are socially isolated.

answer

False

question

How does the government compute your Social Security benefits?

answer

Your benefits are based on your earnings over the course of your (or your spouse's) work life and other factors, such as age when you decide to draw Social Security.

question

Ninety-three percent of elderly Americans have Medicare, and yet they must spend almost 13 percent of their total income on medical costs, far higher than any other segment of the population. Why does this disparity exist?

answer

Medicare covers only about one-half of the total cost of health care

question

The governmental program that provides retirement pay for all elderly persons who have worked at least a minimum number of years in their lifetime is:

answer

Social Security

question

The text suggests that future generations may suffer from social isolation more than aged people today because of smaller family sizes, divorce rates, and childlessness, all which contribute to what significant factor?

answer

a changed standard of what makes up an optimal relationship network

question

One of the major reasons for dramatic improvement in the quality of life for older adults today as opposed to 100 years ago is due to the increased proliferation of:

answer

assistive technologies

question

The governmental program that covers the cost of acute medical care for people who are elderly is:

answer

Medicare

question

The theory advocating that both society and people who are elderly can benefit if elderly people remain actively engaged in work and other social roles as long as they can is:

answer

activity theory

question

The graying of America refers to the increasing numbers of elderly in the United States, but is also:

answer

a worldwide phenomenon

question

Mary, a 75-year-old widow, has several close friends and maintains a close relationship to her children, but she does not have many casual friends. Mary's social life is best explained by:

answer

socioemotional selectivity theory

question

Why is it easier for an aged, divorced, or widowed male to find a mate than it is for an aged, divorced, or widowed female?

answer

The male's pool of potential partners would probably include mates that are many years younger.

question

According to the text, a source of ageism is the excessive preoccupation with youth, which leads to:

answer

the dismissal of elders as unimportant to young people's lives

question

Other than the Roman Catholic Church, the largest member-based organization in the world is:

answer

AARP (formerly American Association of Retired Persons)

question

The best description of the life expectancy of women relative to the life expectancy of men is that the gap between men and women has:

answer

widened, particularly since 1950 with women outliving men

question

Alzheimer's disease:

answer

may be found in half of all people over age 85

question

Which of the following is the thing most feared by Americans about growing old?

answer

losing their health

question

What has changed significantly regarding the health of the elderly in the United States?

answer

The incidence of chronic disabilities has declined in recent years.

question

Generational equity argues for the balance between the needs and interests of members of different generations. There is a fear that as U.S. society ages:

answer

working people will bear the burden of those who do not work

question

According to the text, by 2050, the population in industrialized societies who will be older adults is ________ percent.

answer

32

question

You are in your twenties and your employer deducts money from each paycheck that goes to a fund for Social Security and Medicare. Who is most likely to benefit from the money taken from your paycheck for these programs?

answer

Your parents will eventually receive the benefits.

question

According to the text, Social Security provides the average retiree:

answer

just enough to stay above the poverty line

question

According to social conflict theorists, some elderly fared well in the 1980s primarily because:

answer

society tended to favor economically powerful people

question

Prejudice or discrimination based on age is:

answer

ageism

question

For most of human history, the average life expectancy at birth was:

answer

less than 20 years

question

Most pertinent studies have shown that elder abuse is underreported, largely because:

answer

their children are often ashamed to admit that they have abused their elders

question

According to the text, which of the following statements is correct?

answer

Women are more likely to outlive husbands and have more difficulty finding another mate.

question

Psychological aging:

answer

involves memory loss, but not normally until the late eighties

question

The sociological definition of aging includes the:

answer

biological, psychological, and social processes that affect people as they grow older

question

Which of the following groups is more likely to live longer in U.S. society?

answer

white women

question

T or F: The majority of people in the United States who are elderly are socially isolated.

answer

False

question

Factors such as modern agriculture, improved sanitation, control of epidemics, and medicine have led to significant improvements in life expectancy in the United States. Why are both epidemic control and medicine significant factors in the longer life expectancy today as opposed to 100 years ago?

answer

Today, chances are much better that young people will live to adulthood.

question

People who are elderly in the United States are likely to be viewed as:

answer

inflexible

question

The theory that explicitly argues that it is functional for society to remove elderly people from their roles to free those roles for others who would be more successful and productive is:

answer

disengagement theory

question

Which of the following organizations has the most political influence as an advocate for people who are elderly?

answer

AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons)

question

The source of many of the problems of aging, according to social conflict theories, is that:

answer

social institutions favor those who have the most economic power

question

The discipline concerned with the study of the social aspects of aging is known as:

answer

social gerontology

question

Older adults who are engaged with community activities such as volunteering or part-time work are one of the reasons why ________ theory might not be as sound as its proponents suggest.

answer

disengagement

question

People who are elderly have such a strong political voice in the U.S. government because they:

answer

are growing in numbers

question

According to 1950s functionalist theorist Talcott Parsons, U.S. society needed to find roles for elderly people that were appropriate for their age, and his argument was that this resulted from the fact that:

answer

U.S. society tended to overemphasize youth and deny death

question

As the number of people who are elderly continues to grow, which area of public policy will feel the greatest burden?

answer

medical care

question

As of 2015, almost 12 percent of the elderly population in the United States was foreign born. Differing education levels as well as a lack of reliable retirement income for this population poses a significant barrier to their lives. One additional and highly significant problem that adds to the difficulty is that many:

answer

do not want to live in the United States

question

Third-generation theories on aging suggested that numerous factors shape aging. While recognizing that social structures impose constraints, third-generation theorists also emphasize the idea that the elderly have:

answer

agency

question

As we age, we come to depend on other resources in our lives—family, friends, and social networks. Avoiding social isolation differs between men and women, and for women, one of the more important resources is:

answer

their emotionally intimate social relationships

question

How much of the U.S. federal budget does Medicare account for?

answer

14 percent

question

According to the text, between 2015 and 2030, the number of older Americans will:

answer

nearly double

question

The question of generational equity will become more acute as:

answer

fewer and fewer people of working age pay more and more in taxes to support elderly people who have retired

question

People who are elderly can be divided into three age groups. Aside from their younger age, what advantages do the "young old" have over the "old old"?

answer

The Great Depression and World War II had little effect on the lives of the young old.

question

The combination of the graying of the population and globalization will mean:

answer

the traditional patterns of family care will be challenged

question

Generational equity is about striking a balance between the needs and interests of different generations and emerged from concerns about government:

answer

ability to meet the disparity between generations in and out of the workforce

question

The country that has cultural tenets for businesses to support postretirement work for employees at the same company where they had been employed is:

answer

Japan

question

Former president Ronald Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a number of years before his death in 2004, leading his spouse to speak out publicly on the profound challenges of caring for Alzheimer's patients. These challenges arise as a result of:

answer

"dying" of parts of the brain, resulting in severe mental impairment that worsens over time

question

Americans for Generational Equity argue that federal programs:

answer

favor retirees over other needy groups in society

question

With respect to health care, people who are elderly differ from other age groups in the United States in that they are:

answer

almost all covered by government-funded health insurance

question

Terry is a retired elementary school teacher who volunteers at the local nursing home by teaching small groups of seniors. The students pick new topics each month. Terry prepares a small lecture and leads discussions each week. Terry is practicing ________ learning.

answer

lifelong

question

Eunice tells a colleague, "I wish Professor Carlson would retire. He has a nice big office and the department can't afford to hire any new faculty. I'm getting my PhD next month, and I'd love to work here." This is an example of:

answer

disengagement theory

question

According to UN estimates, by the year 2050, the number of people age 60 or more globally will be:

answer

2 billion

question

Which of the following is illegal in the United States?

answer

discrimination on the basis of age

question

The second generation of theories of aging focused on:

answer

how the larger social structure creates unequal opportunities for the aged, creating potential for social conflict

SOC 1010 Chapter 12 – Flashcards

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