Health and Aging Chapter 17 After studying this chapter you should be able to do the following Know what sociologists mean by the sick role Describe the basic characteristics of the U S health care system Understand the link between demographic factors and health Describe the three major models of illness prevention Describe the basic demographic features of the older population in the United States The Experience of Illness Talcott Parsons 1951 The existence of a sick role A shared set of cultural norms that legitimates deviant behavior caused by the illness and channels the individual into the health care system Four Components of the sick role First the sick person is excused from normal social responsibilities except to the extent that he or she is supposed to do whatever is necessary to get well Second the sick person is not held responsible for his or her condition and is not expected to recover by an act of will Third the sick person must recognize that being ill is undesirable and must want to recover Finally the sick person is obligated to seek medical care and cooperate with the advice of the designated experts notably the physicians In this sense sick people are not blamed for their illnesses but they must work toward regaining their health Health Care in the United States Our approach to medicine is organized around the cure or control of serious diseases and repairing physical injuries rather than caring for the sick or preventing disease The American medical care system is highly technological specialized and increasingly centralized The United States has the most advanced healthcare resources in the world How do you view America s health care system What can be done to make it better Gender and Health Even though the life expectancy for both men and women has increased the increase has been greater for women Why do you think the life expectancy for women is greater than for men Race and Health Life expectancies for whites and blacks also differ markedly Black health figures have changed in the last ten years Hispanic Americans have a higher infant mortality rate a shorter life expectancy and higher rates of death from influenza pneumonia diabetes and accidents Social Class and Health Do you feel we should have a universal heath care system Part of the reason why the poor have higher death rates is because they have less access to high quality medical care good nutrition and are less likely to feel they have control over their life circumstances Age and Health Medical science lengthen the life span of most Americans the problem of medical care for the aged becomes more acute Education and Health Death rates for those with a college education are considerably lower than those with less education and particularly those who have not completed high school Women in Medicine Women have always played a major role in U S health care Women also represent 34 of all medical faculty compared to 26 in 1998 Consider women physicians more sensitive more altruistic and less egoistic than men Patients who see a female physician report a significantly higher total satisfaction level than those who see a male physician Contemporary Health Care Issues Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome AIDS Health Insurance Preventing Illness Of the 551 932 persons living with AIDS at the end of 2007 48 were black 33 were white 17 were Hispanic 1 were Asian Pacific Islander and less than 1 were American Indian Alaska Native AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus HIV which is a member of the retrovirus family HIV gradually incapacitates the immune system by infecting at least two types of white blood cells HIV is transmitted through sexual contact piercing the skin with HIV contaminated instruments transfusion of contaminated blood products and transplantation of contaminated tissue Most people pay for their health services through some form of insurance Poor people however cannot afford premiums or the out of pocket expenses required before insurance coverage begins They receive coverage through the government sponsored Medicare and Medicaid programs Preventing Illness Assume that aggressive medical procedures work better than other approaches Ways to prevent diseases Adopt better diets with more whole grains and less red meat sugar and salt Stop smoking Exercise regularly Keep their weight down We must also think of illness prevention as involving at least three levels Medical prevention is directed at the individual s body Behavioral prevention is directed at changing people s behavior Structural prevention is directed at changing the society or the environments within which people work and live The Aging Population There are demographic and medical reasons for the growth in the older population Elderly Americans are among the wealthiest and among the poorest in our nation They come from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds Older Population Percentage Age 65 and Older Japan 22 Italy 19 5 Germany 18 6 Spain 16 9 France 16 4 United States 12 4 World 7 4 Asia 6 4 Latin America 6 1 Africa 3 4 Until the last 50 years most gains in life expectancy came as the result of improved child mortality Increasing life expectancy especially accompanied by low fertility changes the structure of families Composition of the Older Population Elderly Americans are among the wealthiest and among the poorest in our nation They come from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds Some are employed full time while others require fulltime care While general health has improved many elderly suffer from poor health Aging and the Sex Ratio Women outnumber men at every age category among the elderly Women at any age are less likely to die than men There are approximately 105 male babies born for every 100 female babies but higher male death rates cause the sex ratio to decline as age increases and around age 35 females outnumber males in the United States At ages 85 and older the ratio is 41 men per 100 women There were three women for every two men age 65 or older Among those over age 85 there is one man for every three women Aging and Race Why does the black white lifespan gap disappear and even reverse as the two races get older Aging and Marital Status Marriage is important for older Americans for several reasons The presence of a spouse provides a variety of resources in the household Married elderly are less likely to be poor to enter a nursing home or to be in poor health Spouses are the primary
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