Social support and Aging
Thoits (2011) denotes that social support simply refers to positive exchanges with fellow members of a given network with the intention of helping people to stay healthy or muddle through adverse events in life. The whole concept was born in 1970s by various researchers and epidemiologists in order to explain why individuals who belonged to social networks enjoyed not only better mental but also physical health (Dykstra, 2007). A major characteristic of social support is that it involves behavioral modification and adjustment to what is deemed beneficial or intended to be. The role of social support becomes even more crucial as people and age and become more susceptible to mental, social and physical ill-health (Dykstra, 2007). This paper explores the changes that characterize the nature and complexity of social support with age and why they occur.
First, the size of social networks in old age reduces significantly according to Luong, Charles, and Fingerman (2012). This is due to the fact that in old age, people are likely to become widowed, orphans, and lose friends they made in their early life. The mere fact that the size of their social networks reduce with age does not however mean that old people are more likely to fall victims of dissatisfaction and loneliness as many people have speculated. Luong et al. (2012) maintain that unlike young people, older people record higher levels of fulfillment and contentment with their social relationships. The reduction in size is also due to the fact that old people are less likely to initiate and establish new relationship with strangers as they are more preoccupied with their own lives.
Social support and networks in old age tend to become more productive and beneficial compared to early life (Luong et al., 2011). With increasing age, people become more concerned about their mental and physical status prompting them to seek intervention which is well received if it comes from their social networks. Older people tend to utilize their social networks more than young people; a phenomenon that has been shown to reduce the risk of being lonely and dissatisfied. Old people are often freer about their lives with their peers more than young people and this open them up to their social support networks, intervention and company. Studies have shown that the people in their later lives always tend to focus on positivity and shun negativity, which helps to explain why social support is more productive in old age than in early life (Dykstra, 2007).
In terms of its roles, social support in old age tends to become specific and focused with health and security topping the list of its objectives (Luong et al., 2011). Old age comes with less responsibilities and expectations from the society. Unlike in early life where young people are under pressure to bring up their families and build their careers, old age focuses on self-satisfaction, actualization and approval. According to DuPré (2017), the greatest worry in old age is health which encompasses mental and physical wellbeing as illness is the leading cause of mortality in old people. The scope of social support in old age aims at addressing the problems of old age which are more specific and different from the problems and worries of young people. Health remains the most pertinent problem of old age and DuPré (2017) insists that old people’s wellbeing is not just guaranteed through medical intervention but also social arbitration and support.
Finally, social support in old age does not just provide a platform for the aged to share their experiences, fears, thoughts and lives but also lead a healthy and happy life. The benefits of social support in terms of health are far-reaching, and worth embracing if the elderly are to be safeguarded. Social support will go a long way in getting rid of stereotypes by people of all ages towards old people, many of which are usually false and negative.
References
DuPré, A. (2017). Communicating about health: Current issues and perspectives. New York: Oxford University Press.
Dykstra, P. A. (2007). Aging and social support. The Blackwell encyclopedia of sociology. Blackwell, Oxford, 88-93.
Luong, G., Charles, S. T., & Fingerman, K. L. (2011). Better with age: Social relationships across adulthood. Journal of social and personal relationships, 28(1), 9-23. doi: 10.1177/0265407510391362
Thoits, P.A. (2011). Mechanisms linking social ties and support to physical and mental health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 52(2), 145-161. doi:10.1177/0022146510395592
