| Chapter 1: | Introduction |
|
|
Key Definitions
Age Groups: Late Middle Age, Young Old, and Older Old
Generally, older persons (formally referred to in the literature as elderly) are considered to be ages 65 and older. In this study, three age groups were distinguished. We differentiated between people who were “young old” and “older old,” given that today, people aged 65–74 are considered to be a transitional group, eligible for Medicare, aging services, and social security benefits, yet are still more likely to be working and have other dependents than those who are older old. Therefore, we referred to those aged 50–64 as people in late middle age, those 65–74 as people who were young old, and those 75 and older as people who were older old. Any reference to elders more generally refers to those 65 and older.
Life Course, Life Stage, and Cohort
The life course perspective (Elder, 1994) framed the concepts surrounding the receipt of care at late midlife versus old age. Throughout this study, we used life course as an umbrella term that encompassed four central themes: “the interplay of human lives and historical times, the timing of lives, linked or interdependent lives, and human agency in choice making” (Elder, p. 5). Both life stage and cohort, to follow, were encompassed within this term. We used life stage to refer to aspects associated with the developmental timing of an individual’s life. For example, at this point in their life stage, those in late middle age are less likely than those who are older old to have adult children and more likely to have living parents. Finally, cohort is generally used to describe a group of individuals who have something in common. For example, one could define a cohort in terms of academic achievement, and so anyone who had a college degree would be a member of one cohort while anyone with at most a high school diploma would be a member of a different cohort.