Sociological Aspects of Later Adulthood

Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman (2016) refer to adults in later adulthood as “a population at risk” (p. 717). Why are individuals in later adulthood a vulnerable population? What role might social work play in addressing the needs of this population?

This week, you consider factors that impact the vulnerability of individuals in later adulthood, including differing cultural perspectives of older individuals and consider ways to increase support for this population in your local community.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Analyze sociocultural differences in perspectives on aging

Apply perspectives on aging to social work practice

Evaluate local community resources for older individuals

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Learning Resources

Required Readings

Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (10th ed.). Boston, MA:  Cengage Learning.

Chapter 16, “Sociological Aspects of Later Adulthood”

Optional Resources

Use the link below to access the MSW home page, which provides resources for your social work program.

MSW home page

Tucker-Seeley, R. D., Li, Y., Sorensen, G., & Subramanian, S. V. (2011). Lifecourse socioeconomic circumstances and multimorbidity among older adults. BMC Public Health, 11(4), 313–321.