Mohammad Taghi Sheykhi

doi:10.19080/JGWH.2021.20.556045

Mini Review

Aging in Need of Medical Services: A Sociological Appraisal

Mohammad Taghi Sheykhi*

Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Alzahra University, Iran

Submission: January 11, 2021;Published: January 22, 2021

*Corresponding author: Mohammad Taghi Sheykhi, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, Alzahra University, Iran

How to cite this article: Mohammad Taghi Sheykhi. Aging in Need of Medical Services: A Sociological Appraisal. J Gynecol Women’s Health. 2021: 20(4): 556045.DOI: 10.19080/JGWH.2021.20.556045

Mini Review

The phenomenon of population has been witnessing increase in longevity in the developing world. Such countries on average used to live a life of less than 40 years before. Shortage of health measures, water quality, lack of access to medical services, unavailability of medicines and many more, were responsible for the situation existed. Sociology as an “inclusive discipline” has a close look at such a transition. Sociology tries to search the problem in rural and urban areas, and within the both genders. Social medicine in general embraces hygiene and public health. Social change occurring within different nations as a result of access to “science and technology”, has led to improvement in quality of life and longer life expectancy. In modern time, as the new-borns are vaccinated against epidemics, they get the guarantee to live longer. In addition, if they have the chance of access to better nutrition, they will live longer (Table 1).

As observed above, countries usually had almost half the life expectancy in 1950 as compared with the year 2000 [1]. As infants and children were highly subject to death, life expectancy used to remain low. In this way, many parents could not find the chance to see their grandchildren. As medical services gradually appeared, people as a result could get the chance of longer life. Because of such developments, aging in Asia has become very close to that of the developed world.

Elderly care as the fulfillment of the needs of the senior citizens is highly stressed in elderly literature. Though it has been in practice in the developed world, the practice has not been accepted by the majority of Asian countries that generally believe in their traditional cultures. Elderly care emphasizes on social and medical requirements for the senior citizens. It is worth saying that a large amount of global elderly care falls in the unpaid sector of the market [2]. The form of care being provided for the elder adults is culturally and geographically different among countries, and it is rapidly changing too [3]. Regional differences are even observed in the same country so far as the care for seniors is concerned. As globally observed, older people consume the most health expenditure as compared with other age groups with special reference to the developed countries [4]. Eld care has always been the responsibility of family members, especially when there were more extended families. However, many Asian countries are currently at a dilemma situation. Many still prefer to accept providing care for their elderly parents. But, as the life patterns and values have changed, they cannot provide them with necessary services. On the other hand, there are not enough government services, medical services, free nursing homes and many more to provide the seniors with the care/services required.

Increasing number of the Asian countries while being faced with rapid population aging, should prepare and plan for more extensive medical services for their aging people [5].

a) Similarly, they need to create more pensions for their seniors of both genders. Increasing aging versus medical services as a new issue is emphatically recommended to be put on the agenda, in order to create a better quality of life for such people.