Global Aging: Comparative Perspectives on Aging and the Life Course

328 Pages·2014·9.9 MB·English

by  Suzanne R. Kunkel PhD

Global Aging
Suzanne R. Kunkel, PhD, is the director of the Scripps Gerontology Center and
professor in the Department of Sociology and Gerontology at Miami University.
She has been principal investigator or co-investigator on local, state, federal, and
foundation grants totaling more than $3 million. Kunkel is a fellow of both the
Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and the Association for Gerontology in
Higher Education (AGHE). She received the Hiram Friedsam Mentorship Award
from AGHE, and is currently treasurer of the GSA. Kunkel is coauthor (with
Leslie Morgan) of Aging, Society, and the Life Course, a textbook now in its fourth
edition. With Frank Whittington and Erdman Palmore, she coedited the most
recent edition of the International Handbook on Aging, and coedited with Frank
Whittington the spring 2013 edition of Generations, focusing on global aging. She
has published more than 40 articles, books, and book chapters, and more than 30
research monographs on the aging network, innovations in the delivery of home
care, population projections, global aging, and gerontology education.
J. Scott Brown, PhD, is an associate professor and director of graduate studies in
the Department of Sociology and Gerontology and research fellow with Scripps
Gerontology Center at Miami University. His research interests are focused on
wealth and health inequalities across the life course with particular emphasis
on gender and race differences in physical and mental health. He has authored
or coauthored more than two dozen articles and book chapters across multi-
ple research areas including mortality and disability, mental health life course
trajectories across age, variation in race and ethnic measurement and its social
and health implications, and cross-national investigation of the initiation of and
changes in welfare state policies. Dr. Brown is currently working on a National
Institutes of Health–funded multiyear research project investigating the life
course effects of region of residence in early life on a variety of subjective and
objective health outcomes. He serves as an associate editor for the Journals of
Gerontology: Social Sciences.
Frank J. Whittington, PhD, is professor of gerontology and senior associ-
ate dean for academic affairs in the College of Health and Human Services at
George Mason University. His research interests focus on the social dimensions
of health and health care of older persons, especially African Americans. His
publications include 10 books and more than 60 articles and chapters on health
behavior, long-term care, and global aging. With five colleagues in the Geor-
gia State University Gerontology Institute and based on research funded by the
National Institute on Aging and the AARP Andrus Foundation, he coauthored
Communities of Care: Assisted Living for African Americans. His most recent proj-
ect was the International Handbook on Aging, coedited with Erdman Palmore of
Duke University and Suzanne R. Kunkel of Miami University. Dr. Whittington
has served as president of the Southern Gerontological Society, which selected
him to receive the Gordon Streib Academic Gerontologist Award in 2009. He
also received the 2010 Clark Tibbitts Award for outstanding contributions to aca-
demic gerontology from the AGHE.
Global Aging
Comparative Perspectives on Aging
and the Life Course
Suzanne R. Kunkel, PhD
J. Scott Brown, PhD
Frank J. Whittington, PhD
with
Jasleen K. Chahal, MGS
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Global aging : comparative perspectives on aging and the life course / Suzanne R. Kunkel, J.
Scott Brown, Frank J. Whittington; with
Jasleen K. Chahal.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8261-0546-2 (print) — ISBN 978-0-8261-0547-9 (e-book)
I. Kunkel, Suzanne. II. Brown, J. Scott (James Scott). III. Whittington, Frank J.
IV. Chahal, Jasleen.
[DNLM: 1. Aged. 2. Aging. 3. Cross-Cultural Comparison. 4. Internationality.
5. World Health. WT 100]
RA427.8
362.1—dc23
2013040371
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Contents
Contributors xi
Preface xiii
1. Our Aging World 1
More, Less, and Least Developed Nations 3
Culture, Population Aging, and Social Change 4
China: One-Child Policy 6
Germany: Inverted Pyramid 8
Kenya: Health Challenges 11
Aging and the Welfare State 12
Development of the Welfare State 13
The Welfare State and Role of the Family 14
International Initiatives on Aging 17
The Study of Global Aging 19
1. To Get Educated 19
2. Self-Interest 19
3. The Smart Move 20
Summary 21
Discussion Questions 22
Key Words 22
Essay: Gender, Aging, and Power in Rural Bangladesh:
Getting Older as the Priming of Women 23
Fauzia E. Ahmed
2. The Study of Global Aging 27
Types of Investigation 27
Cross-National Comparative Research 29
The Importance of Comparison: From Description to
Explanation 30
vi contents
The Challenge and the Promise of Comparative Research 33
Challenge #1: Unit of Analysis 35
Challenge #2: Conceptualization and Measurement 40
Challenge #3: Getting Valid Data 42
Challenge #4: Respecting Participants 43
Summary 45
Discussion Questions 45
Key Words 46
Essay: An American in Havana: Observations About
Aging in Cuba 47
Frank J. Whittington
3. The Welfare State and Global Aging 53
Retired and Living the Good Life? 53
Defining the Welfare State 55
History of the Welfare State 55
Program Types and Eligibility 58
Distribution of Program Types 62
The Recent Trend: Retrenchment 63
The Future of the Welfare State and Global Aging 64
Conclusion 68
Discussion Questions 69
Key Words 69
Essay: Older Swedes: Living in the “Role Model of
Welfare States” 71
Kathrin Komp
4. Demographic Perspectives on an Aging World 75
Demographic Transition Theory 77
Demographic Divide 81
Speed of Population Aging 82
Demographic Dividends 83
Measures of Population Aging 84
Population Pyramids 84
Proportion Aged 89
Median Age 90
Life Expectancy 91
Aging Index 92
Dependency Ratios 93
Prospective Age 95
contents vii
Interpreting and Using Demographic Data 95
Summary 97
Discussion Questions 98
Key Words 99
Essay: Income Inequality and Heterogeneity in Mortality
Patterns 100
Scott M. Lynch
5. Disability and Active Life Expectancy 109
Why Is Disability an Important Topic for Global Aging? 111
Defining Disability for Global Comparisons 112
Measuring Disability Comparatively 114
The Difficulties of Data 117
Disability Around the Globe 118
The Developed World 118
The Developing World 120
Future Trends: Adding Years to Life and Adding
Life to Years? 120
Discussion Questions 123
Key Words 123
Essay: Methodological Problems Related to the Measurement
of Psychiatric Disorders in International Surveys:
An Example Comparing the United States and Nepal 124
Mark Tausig and Janardan Subedi
6. Health and Health Care Systems 129
Jasleen K. Chahal, Suzanne R. Kunkel, Janardan
Subedi, Sree Subedi, and Frank J. Whittington
Patterns of Health and Aging 129
From Acute to Chronic Diseases 130
Differences Within Older Populations—Does Age Matter? 132
The Role of Culture in Health Patterns 133
Health Systems: A Global Perspective 134
Types of Health Care Systems 134
Folk Medicine 134
Traditional Medicine 135
Modern Medicine 137
Models of Organizing and Financing Modern Medicine 138
The Bismarck Model 140
The Beveridge Model 141
viii contents
The National Health Insurance Model 142
The Out-of-Pocket Model 143
Health Systems and Older People 144
Health Behavior of Older People 145
Complementary and Alternative Medicine 145
CAM and Aging 146
Health Promotion and Self-Care 148
Health Literacy 149
Self-Directed Care 150
Summary 151
Discussion Questions 152
Key Words 152
Essay: Palliative Care: A Global Public Health Initiative
to Improve Quality of Life 154
Jasleen K. Chahal
7. Long-Term Services and Supports 163
Robert Applebaum, Emily Robbins, and Anthony Bardo
Defining Long-Term Services and Supports 164
Typologies of LTC Services and Supports 165
A New Typology 166
Group 1 166
Group 2 171
Group 3 173
Group 4 177
Group 5 179
Cross-Cutting Issues for an Aging Planet 183
Financing 183
Support for Family 184
Need to Develop an Efficient and Effective LTC
System 184
Need for Prevention 184
Conclusion 185
Discussion Questions 185
Key Words 186
Appendix A: Country List 186
Appendix B: OECD Country List 186
Essay: Aging in Nicaragua 187
Milton Lopez Norori, Carmen Largaespada Fredersdorff, and
Keren Brown Wilson
contents ix
8. Work and Retirement 193
Phyllis Cummins, J. Scott Brown, and Philip E. Sauer
Defining Work and Retirement 195
What Gives Rise to Retirement? 197
What Drives Individual Retirement? 198
Bureaucratic Rules 199
Functional and Health Limitations 199
Financial and Personal Reasons 201
Private Pension Systems 202
Different Forms of Retirement 204
Early Retirement 205
Delayed Retirement 206
Partial Retirement and Return to Work 209
Retirement in Developing Nations 210
Conclusions 212
Discussion Questions 212
Key Words 212
Essay: Retirement in China 214
Jiayin (Jaylene) Liang
9. Families, Caregiving, and Community Support Systems 219
Jennifer M. Kinney, Suzanne R. Kunkel, Jasleen K. Chahal, and
Frank J. Whittington
An American Family 220
The Universal Concept of Family 220
Evolving Definitions of the Family 221
Kinship Ties 223
What Do You Call Your Grandmother? 223
Aging Families 225
Household Structures and Living Arrangements 225
Intergenerational Transfers 228
Older Adults as Caregivers 229
Cultural Values About Older Adults and Family
Relationships 230
Interdependence 232
Filial Piety and Filial Responsibility 232
Intergenerational Solidarity–Conflict 233
Family Integrity 233
Who Provides Care for Older People? 236