CHAPTER 1 THE OLDER ADULT POPULATION Who is the older adult, and what characteristics and life experiences make them different from other adult groups. Historically, this population has been characterized in a negative way as unproductive and depen- dent on government programs such as Medicare and Social Security. Some of these perceptions are still prevalent as ageism and growing older often show up in the media and workplace (Samuel, 2017, pp. 6–10). However, research shows that there is positive evidence that older adults are capable of learning new things and leading productive lives. That is not to say that there are no physical changes that occur as we age but older adults can and are interested in learning new things, which benefits their mental and physical health. How libraries can use this information in addition to evaluating the needs of the community is discussed in the second half of the chapter as well as ways to create programs that are fun and informative and meet the needs of the older adult population. In the first half of the chapter, I will talk about the generations that make up the older adult population, the aging brain, health, dementia, living arrangements, and technol- ogy use. At what age does the older adult population begin? Medicare can be applied for and used starting at sixty-five years of age. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) encourages people who are fifty years and older to sign up for a membership (American Association of Retired Persons, 2019). In 2017, the American Library Association (ALA)—Adult Services Division updated their guidelines for older adults from fifty-five years of age to sixty years and older (Reference and User Services Association [RUSA], 2017). If you ask a baby boomer what age the older population begins, they will tell you seventy-two years of age (Cohn and Taylor, 2010). Recently published books about adult services in the library differ on when the older adult population begins but most generally agree that it begins between fifty-five and sixty-five years of age. The older adult population is a large and diverse group with different cultural and social- economic backgrounds. Though they are a healthier group than previous generations, some, for physical or cognitive reasons, such as injury or disability, may no longer be able to visit the library. For purposes of this book, the older adult is considered anyone who is sixty years of age and older and is unable to visit the library. A good starting place for understanding the older adult population is to understand the events and expe- riences that shaped their growing up years. During one of my programs, I played a comedy radio show from the late 1930s. Two of the participants really enjoyed it and laughed. The rest were lukewarm about it. While we were talking, I found out that the two people who enjoyed the radio show had listened to radio shows growing up, while the rest of the group would have watched comedy shows on TV and might have enjoyed watching a clip of a TV show more. You may also find that most of your group was born after 1947 and has little knowledge of World War II or the Korean War, unless they are history buffs, but they may be interested in a program about the Vietnam War. Or they may not like history at all but would enjoy a program about fashion or fads of the time. The point is that there is no one-size-fits-all program for older
Previous Page Next Page