As human being age, they become vulnerable to cognitive, psychological, cultural, social and biological aspects of aging. The level of gerontological vulnerability increases with old-age age increase. The different aspects of aging expose senior adults to being a vulnerable population. They become vulnerable to health-related immunity weakness since their bodies become week in resisting disease-causing microorganisms. The senior adult populations are also vulnerable to economic dependency since they are past productive life and have to depend on others. Fillit, Rockwood & Young (2016) argued that as one grows old, the brains pre cortex gets aged; hence cognitive reasoning becomes lower than it was at one's active ages.
Do You Agree the Vulnerability Exist?
I agree that the elderly populations are gerontological vulnerability. The aged population has generally been less active in handling their personal and institutional matters. It is a normal phenomenon for an aged person to involve his younger siblings in decision making and their personal life. The common factors that put the elderly population into being vulnerable are health, economic and psychological factors (Twigg & Martin, 2015). Since human biology weakens with age, poor health leads to further health complications at old age. Poor economic ability at a less active age leads to dependency which also leads to psychological trauma and early death.
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Can the Vulnerability be Eliminated or Reduced?
Gerontological vulnerability can be eliminated or reduced by both individual and institutional efforts by the government. An individual can live a healthy life and not expose himself to factors that can lower their immunity at old age leading to a healthy life at old age (Baars, Dannefer, Phillipson & Walker, 2016). Investing in lifelong investments that will guarantee one enough income at old age will reduce dependency at old age. The government can institute compulsory saving plans redeemable at old age to ensure the senior citizens are financially stable. The government can also develop compulsory health care plans to assist the elderly population access free or subsidized medical care to reduce the healthcare cost stigma at their less productive ages.
Reference
Baars, J., Dannefer, D., Phillipson, C., & Walker, A. (2016). Aging, globalization and inequality: The new critical gerontology . Routledge.
Fillit, H. M., Rockwood, K., & Young, J. B. (2016). Brocklehurst's textbook of geriatric medicine and gerontology . Elsevier Health Sciences.
Twigg, J., & Martin, W. (Eds.). (2015). Routledge handbook of cultural gerontology . Routledge.
