Changing the Culture of Aging: a Social Capital Framework for Gerontology

This article seeks to provide an alternative to the “problem” approach that dominates gerontological research in many countries. In this article I propose a conceptual framework for examining the social value that older adults provide society by exploring and expanding upon social capital literature. The theoretical underpinnings of social capital are reviewed, exploring the essential components of social capital as a tool for examining the creation of social value. Gerontological frameworks that contribute to increased awareness of the positive aspects of aging are examined. These two approaches are linked using a social capital framework for studying aging, presented here as a new orientation to aging and as a step toward a change in the current culture of aging and aging research.