Activity: Chapter 9 After spending an afternoon interviewing my elderly neighbors, I gained insight into how they perceive the aging process and its impact on their quality of life. First, they viewed aging in a very positive and healthy way. A positive attitude was believed to help one accept physical and psychosocial changes. They appreciated being physically fit and cognitively alert. Both were confident that with advances in healthcare, their quality of life would continue to improve. They enjoyed the benefits of being senior citizens, discounted travel, free education, and other incentives marketed to seniors. They expressed a sense of well-being regarding the many housing options aimed at the aging population, such as Retirement Villages, and assisted living. However, the topic of long-term care or nursing home placement was something they both viewed with very negative emotions. There was also a sense of sadness and longing for more contact with their children and grandchildren. In countries like China, where grandparents are an integral part of the family, the United States has seen a major shift away from the nuclear family. It is my personal belief that America is a nation suffering from ageism. It is the fear of growing old and the stereotypes that aging brings that cause ageism. Every day we are faced with advertisements that focus on youth, appearance, etc...