| At 106 years of age, Ferdinand Gilson has a firm handshake, is very alert and sees decently. He says that he cannot get it out his mind that he spent six months in the infamous trenches of the Western Front during the First World War. He is one of the famous old people and is one of only 15 surviving World War I veterans living in France.
In societies with high level of industrialization and urbanization, the status of old people has changed significantly, having reduced the significance of elders, and in some cases even reaching negative relations towards the elderly people – ageism. It is found that the physical incapability of old people to work plays a relatively a major role, and for the loss of their respect there are some other factors which are responsible. Among them, a major role is played by the continuous introduction of newer technologies, which require regular education and training that are less accessible for the elder people. Another reason is the availability of the large number of a still strong older work force, which limit the job opportunities for the new generation and the reduction in the number of people who work for themselves, which could have given the old people the possibility of a gradual reduction in work. In the view of the general increase in the level of education, the experience of elder people on the contrary plays a lesser role.
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