It may be rare for people in their 80s and older to be joining high school class reunions, like how they normally do at Silliman University during its 123rd founding anniversary.
It cannot be denied that most of them in this age cohort have difficulty performing, at a minimum, some activities of daily living, notably leaving the house, and using public transportation without assistance.
Thus, at this stage of the general failing health of aging parents and economic instability for many of them, they need financial, instrumental, and emotional assistance from their adult children.
The sociology of aging examines the social aspects of getting old, and how they live as individuals, and as a community. The study argues that individual aging experiences vary, and depend on family background, social factors, government policies, economic, and health programs.
What also matters are the older persons’ social and economic preparations during their productive years.
Data show that on average, Filipinos’ life expectancy jumped from 61 years in 1960 to 71 years in 2022. Women live longer (76 years) than do men (67 years).
This difference explains the observation there are more widows than widowers. Hard work and lifestyle may explain the difference.
Increasing life expectancy results in population aging. A declining fertility rate also adds to this due to late marriages, and not having children immediately after marriage.
These demographic changes have both positive and negative consequences. Population aging is one of humanity’s most outstanding achievements. Incidentally, this phenomenon demands more funds for economic support and healthcare services from government and their families.
Despite the country’s notable increase in older person population, and the fastest-growing age cohort, the Philippine population is still relatively young.
Its older population has yet to reach 10 percent of the total population.
However, we are going in that direction as older persons become conscious of their health and food intake, while healthcare continues to improve, and made available to many.
The only problem is the opportunity for all older persons to have access to quality healthcare facilities and services.
Data from the 2019 Economic Research Institute for ASEAN & East Asia study show that 64 percent of adult children surveyed had financially supported their parents. Of that number, only 21 percent did so every month.
Adult children, particularly those married, also have personal and family needs and priorities to meet. They belong to the sandwich generation.
But who can neglect or abandon parents in need? The mindset of majority of the young may have changed through the years, it may not anymore be perceived as their obligation.
Others explained that ‘assisting’ should instead be taken as an expression of gratitude for the life they had built.
Correspondingly, parents in their productive years should also change their mindsets about their children. They had an obligation to raise them to have secured lives rather than treat them as retirement-security.
Sociologically, human agency still determines how older persons live at the other end of life stages, and they have options to consider according to theories of aging.
The first, which is not good, is withdrawing from active life. Second is assuming specific roles that are expected of them as grandparents. And third is pursuing other productive tasks to remain socially and economically-active.
The first is akin to social isolation which may also be involuntary due to financial difficulty and neglect of children.
Meanwhile, supportive private organizations, businesses, and families are needed for them to succeed in the last two options.
Thus, sociological research on aging must examine how those options for older persons with different economic and geographic backgrounds could be inputs to design need-specific programs or interventions for them.
As I complete this column, my classmates—now 63 years old, on average—are excited about our class reunion on Aug. 24. It is our 47th year after our high school graduation from St. Augustine Academy in Bayawan City. This must be a shared feeling with Silliman University High School alumni of our age cohort. We choose to remain actively engaged!
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