The Explorer Islamabad: Journal of Social Sciences ISSN: 2411-0132(E), 2411-5487(P) Vol-2, Issue (1): 7-11 www.theexplorerpak.org
FAMILIAL CARE AND SOCIAL PROTECTION AS COMBINED PHENOMENON TOWARDS PRODUCTIVE AGING: RESEARCH STUDY OF YOUTH AS CARE GIVERS IN A SOCIETY Zia Fatima Lecturer Barani Institute of Management Sciences, Rawalpindi Corresponding Author: Zia Fatima BIMS, Rawalpindi Zia_fatima@hotmail.com Abstract: Aging in the context of Pakistan is such a confused phenomenon; need to define in its original form. Mostly, in developed countries aging is recognized as a dependent phenomenon of any elder about daily life matters and especially about physical concerns. As elders could be a great asset to any civilized society, need to take care of that asset excel with the passage of time. In this regards family members and society play an important role. Present research study was conducted on the assumption that a comprehensive familial care and social protection can brought a productive aging in any society. For this purpose an educational institute was selected keeping in view that youth could be a better representative as forth coming generation to occupy the role of best care givers to their parents as well to elders. Further to describe the role of collective social thought regarding the elders to help them pass through the aging process as successful members contributing as productive elements instead of failures or unwanted. Sample of 39 individuals was selected to get information through structured interview guide to collect information.
Key words: Elders, Older Persons (OP), Parents, Grand Parents, familial care, Social Protection, Productive aging INTRODUCTION Pakistani context simply defines a person as old as he gets enter to the chronological age order of 60. Considering someone as old could base on the assumption of the biological strength or weakness of aged and the cultural surroundings someone is supposed to live in. Each gerontologist possesses his own description of aging but 60 are considered as agreed from the last 200 years of aging literature (Irshad, et al. 2015; Stuart-Hamilton 2011). Aging as a change that occurs in body parts by all means of living as a last happening phenomenon (Richard 1962). Disciplinary explanations towards any desired field contains specific cultural backgrounds to discuss it. Likewise field of Anthropology has its own dimensions and ways to describe different origins. Cultural settings might be separate from region to region but basics remain the same.
Anthropology as criterion to study the developmental phases of human body which comprises of birth, adolescence, adulthood and finally ageing weather in organized or untidy form of literature (Chaudhry, et al. 2014). Aging differs in its explanations. As scientific knowledge of human body from its origin, anthropology studies aging and senses at same time which is complex phenomenon of human body and its cultural domains. Specifically talking about Pakistani society perceived role of aging has changed as we are getting more attracted to media based perceptions of everything. Transmitted values explain a wider and rich picture of elders throughout history while for today’s life it’s not more than a comic where media has replaced our self-opinions. Western culture has largely promoted the trend of nuclear family system which struck the elders being useless to old age 7
houses or nursing homes, leaving no space behind to test their remarkable experiences. Defending youngsters freedom rights we usually ignore forth coming generational obligations towards elders. Sensitivity of the issue adversely effects when families even deny basic care to older persons. Taking it serious it has been noted down that human rights organization are not getting enough success to address the issues regarding elders. Activities greatly need to commence according to UN said principals as were discussed in Madrid International Plan of Action MIPAA. However, there are no legal bindings and therefore only understood level of moral obligations by government can lead towards implementation’ (UN Convention 2013). Getting adjustment with the natural or environmental acclimates, human body need a balanced combination of physical as well as psychological state of mind. Psychological variations in personality greatly effects it’s functioning and oncoming results define our progressive move towards future being successful or failure. Variations based on sociopsychological and biological phases in later stages of life better explain aging process as deficient of sensory performance and leading to dependency. For example, an individual can’t be sensible, or irritable because of aging; but a hopeless person. Older people express decline in cognitive powers (dementia), aging can’t cause the injury in actual. Dilemma of aging includes physical disabilities in form of cellular destructions leads to attack of multiple diseases, lowering down body immune system to fight back as well as attacking the psychological state of mind. To get counter with this entire one must need a proper care in form of protection and economic security. Having in view the traditional society of Pakistan, now a days older community faces problems related to socio-economic, psychological and physiological issues having no social care in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. Family ties are getting weaker day by day because of extending family systems based on economic battle. Large number of elders is living their own served lives in urban areas where they are confronted with poor diet, lessened social and economic status and vulnerable to chronic diseases at alarming stage (Irshad, et al. 2015).
Legislative bodies, while addressing the issues, may develop and practice the efforts to bring elders forward for better participation among family and social networks to reduce bad aging effects like loneliness and sustain active ageing (Ahmed, et al. 2015). Spreading religious education to play its role along social institutions with their positive effects can also mitigate the negative concepts of aging and offering positive measurements for healthy and active aging (Ahmed, et al. 2015). Policy making at higher level and redefining the cognitive roles of both society and family towards “productive aging” are need of time to avoid aging as social crisis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Current study was conducted in Educational institute of Rawalpindi city, keeping in view the role of family members and society towards the care of elders or person getting aged. Sample of 39 students and teachers was taken to get the required information. Technique of structured comprehensive interview guide was selected as main source. Informants were properly guided to answer asked questions. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS Research study draws a clear line between perceived notion of aging as cultural based phenomenon or biological destruction of body organs. Equal percentage exists to give weightage to both as same.one person are those who viewed it as proportionate to hardships in life leading anyone to aging before time. “Problems related to aging and their solutions are in biological processes which are embedded in specific cultural settings. And that cultural context needs to review (Cowdry and Lansing 1939). Values have drawn below in table 1.1 exhibits the perceived phenomenon of aging pertaining in the minds of people. Table: 1.1 Aging is a Phenomenon Response Frequency Percent Cultural 12 30.8 Biological 20 51.3 Psychological 6 15.4 Table 1.2 is indicating the frequency of need based products provision to the elders from family members. Concept of familial care expected by the elders probably goes same everywhere as they got feelings of being dependent by the passage of time. Care in the
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form of physical and mental relaxation associated with need based requirements could lead to healthy aging, as far as making it productive aging which is the main course of the study. Provision of healthy social surroundings inside or outside home, spacious place to sit or prove people around them and provision of necessities may give them a high quality of living. On the other side social inclusion, loneliness and weak relationship with family or surroundings can reduce the span of their lives. “Both visual and auditory processing abilities decline substantially as a function of increasing age. Age concerned perceptual deficiencies have been experienced by one-third of adults over the age of 70. Likewise, about 14% of individuals from 70 to 75 years old experience trouble seeing even with glasses; which increases to 32 percent for those leading to 85 and over (Desai, et al. 2001). Table: 1.2 your parents have all needs based products
Response Yes
Frequency 20
Percent 51.3
13
33.3
6
15.4
No N/A Total
39 100.0 Confident relationship between kids and parents or elders determines the confidence level for both, the care giver and receiver to maintain happy & healthy environment. Parental expectations regarding their health, societal, economical and religion based broadly based on the attitudes and aptitudes of the care givers. Spending quality time with elders also provide them satisfaction when they first met the aging step in form of any physical or psychological attack towards their body. Table 1.3 given below indicates the level of confident relationship between parents and kids.
Table 1.3 Descriptive Statistics of confident relations between parents and kids N
Minimum
Are you confident about relationships between you and your parents?
39
Valid N (list wise)
39
Age-related declines in perceptual abilities are not restricted solely to increases in sensory thresholds: complex processing, including frequency discrimination, temporal processing, gap detection and sound localization, is also generally affected in older adults. Understanding speech in noise is particularly difficult for older adults, even when they have normal hearing for their age group. This can lead older adults to avoid situations in which conversation will be difficult, thus reducing the number of social activities, for example. Sensitivity to light, visual acuity, color differentiation, and contrasting sensitivity are difficult to maintain and categories for the older� (Desai, et al. 2001). Cognitive issues with age process also lead to irritation and reducing the productive aging. Special care and positive response with polite attitude could lower down the negative effects of perceptual deficits.
Maximum 1
Mean 2
1.03
Std. Deviation .160
Further demographic movements, study shows, can lead to progressive aging if a positive attitude may develop among kids and parents.it has been noted down that parents always sacrifice their wills and happiness for the wellbeing of kids and in return expect the same. While demographic movements most of the times brought unease regarding parents especially when they have strong emotional attachments to their residence. Trustworthy relationship, based on never left alone can make that movement positive for both parents and kids. Table shows that kids are wont feel regret to live with parents or it won’t hurt for them to leave their carriers for the wellbeing of their parents. Ignoring their ill attitudes or molding the attitudes with soft and polite manners can provide them with satisfactory feelings of confidence about their future life and cognitive security.
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Social and economic securities provided by family productive ageing is still in its early stage. Plans to or society at higher level can mitigate the issues including OPs in the development budget in of insecure aging. Secured pension policies, Pakistan are the need of the hour. The role of civil nursing facilities for health issues, road society as noted is also held responsible for not mechanisms to move, and easy approaches to playing its desired role regarding social public places may also be helpful to design a sensitization on the rights of OPs, where Islam is productive aging policy. the mainly practiced faith which principally The social institutions extended familial care, the promotes respect and care for the older people protection given by society and government and demands true spirit of implementation indulgence cannot be ruled out at any level of towards its commandments (Chaudhry, et al. policy making, action plan, legislation and 2015). practical interventions for the welfare of OPs. Technological dependency while experiencing Institutions are said to be direct stakeholders to aging is yet another dilemma to be rooted out. build a social environment worth of living with Negating the roles of the elders as superficial is a mental health providing satisfactory environment rude thing. Table 1.4 in cross check between for the older community in Pakistan (Chaudhry, confident relationship and technological et al. 2015). dependency will give a clear picture of familial Ageing is a challenge in itself especially in concerns. countries like Pakistan where promoting the Table: 1.4 Relationships between you and your parents Vs technology Do you think technology could better replace humans providing support to elders or issues of aging? Yes Are you confident about relationships between you and your parents? Total
No
Somehow
Total
Yes
12
25
1
38
No
0
1
0
1
12
26
1
39
Human need regarding emotional care can never be replaced with technological gadgets .In some cases where individual existence is not possible for time being due to any genuine cause, this excuse can be admitted. More or less efforts are truly needed to maximize the chances of Productive aging while making the collaborations possible based on familial care givers and social forces. CONCLUSION Present study focused that a good familial care and provided responsible social attitude to wads aging can convert it in productive aging. Care given by family members & society as whole to all its elders can bring a positive change in the perception of aging phenomenon. Need is to eradicate the negative perception about familial care in the minds of elders as well to those who need to redefine what is productive aging. Given quality time from daily cores, proper medication, nutrition, healthy social circle, financial security,
easy transitional moves, ignoring ill attitudes, patience regarding communication and handling perceptual deficiencies with respect can mitigate the effects of aging at local and global level where every day the numbers of aging community are increasing at strange level. Educate the society by literature or practicing the moral values in front of youngsters to let them know the essence of traditional society as well as to aware the elders about their hidden potentials to avoid the cultural, biological and psychological effects of aging, rather making it more magical and productive. REFERENCES Ahmed, Ahmed, Abid Ghafoor Chaudhry, Imran Afzal, and Harris Farooq 2015 Loneliness and Diseases Prevalence: A Gerontological Perspective of Elder’s Disease Status. Professional Med J 22(3):343-348.
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Ahmed, Aftab, Abid Ghafoor Chaudhry, and Harris Farooq 2015 Perceived Ageing and Elders Health: An Anthropological Study of Older Persons of Rawalpindi. Professional Med J 22(5):577-581. Chaudhry, Abid Ghafoor,Aftab Ahmed ,and Altaf Ghani Bhatti 2015 Older Persons; Medical Care, Social Protection and United Nations Principles: An Anthropo-gerontological Approach on Geriatric Health. Professional Med 22(1):064-071. Chaudhry, Abid Ghafoor, Zia Fatima, Aftab Ahmed, Nayab Gul, Seemab Gul, ans Jabeen S. 2015 Older Persons, Community Response and Governmental Responsibilities: A Pilot Study of Rawalpindi City. Science International 2015:27(2):1583-1586.
Richard, Suzanne Kate 1962 Aging and Personality: A Study of Eighty-seven Older Man. John Wiley and Sons Inc, Newyork. Stuart-Hamilton, Ian 2011 An Introduction to Gerontology. Cambridge University Press, University Press, Cambridge. United Nation Convention 2013 Strengthening Older People’s Rights: Towards a UN Convention, A Resource for Promoting Dialogue on Creating a New UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons http://social.un.org/ageing-workinggroup/documents/Coalition%20to%20Str engthen%20the%20Rights%20of%20Olde r%20People.pdf Publication Date: Jan-31 -2016 © 2016 “The Explorer Islamabad” Journal of Social Sciences-Pakistan
Chaudhry, Abid Ghafoor, Aftab Ahmed, Mehwish Zeeshan, and Rashid Mehmood 2014 Income Status and Medical History of Older Persons in Rawalpindi: Anthropology of Ageing. Medical Forum, 25(6):13-17. Cowdry, Edmund Vincent , and Albert Ingram Lansing 1939 Problems of Ageing: Biological and Medical Aspects. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins. Desai, Mayur, Laura Pratt R., Harold Lentzner, and Kristen N. Robinson 2001 Trends in vision and hearing among older Americans. In Aging trends Hyattsville,MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Irshad, Muhammad Khurram, Abid Ghafoor Chaudhry, and Imran Afzal 2015 Impact of Familial Care on Health Status of Older Persons. Science International 27(2):1599-1602.
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