Old AgeWhat scares you about growing old?

•  What is a common fear in our society?▫ The fear of growing old is very

prevalent fear among people.

• Society’s View of Aging: ▫ We treat aging negatively in

jokes, in advertisements to replace old products with newer ones, in retiring older workers and replacing them with younger ones, and by using the euphemisms for the word old.

Many of our attitudes towards aging are based on a decremental model of aging.◦ The idea that progressive

physical and mental decline are inevitable with age.

◦ However, there are great differences in physical condition among the elderly.

◦ Many people who are 80 act like they are 50, and vice versa.

Attitude Towards Aging

• Ageism may be defined as the prejudice or discrimination that occurs on the basis of age.

• Although it can be used against people of all ages, older people are most frequently its target and it may often result in forced retirement.

• Stereotyping of the elderly is also an aspect of ageism, as seen in such a statement as “He drives like a little old lady.”

Ageism

Physical strength and the senses decline about 1% every year through adulthood.◦ Eating habits and exercise

influence patterns of health and disease.

◦ An emphasis on a healthy lifestyle today will also lead to physical wellness in old age.

All people are subject to disease, though.◦ About 35% of the elderly have

at least 1 chronic disease.◦ The 4 most prevalent are heart

disease, hypertension, diabetes and arthritis

Changes in Health

The quality of health care for the elderly is inferior to the general public.

Reasons for this are numerous:◦ Elderly in a lower social

economic status tend not to take care of themselves or seek treatment when needed.

◦ Some doctors prefer to treat younger patients with diseases that can be treated or cured.

◦ Some doctors hold stereotypes that can lead to misdiagnosis or improper treatment.

Elderly who can no longer care for themselves live with relatives or institutions/nursing homes.◦ Only about 4% of

people 65 and older live in nursing homes.

◦ However, these facilities are inadequate to meet peoples needs.

For younger people transitions in life tend to be positive, however for the elderly these transitions can often be negative and lead to increased isolation.

The most devastating transition is the loss of spouse.

Often the person loses not just a spouse but the support of family and friends who cannot cope with the widowed person’s grief.

Changes in Life Situation

Depression is often very common in older adults.◦ Many older people have

suffered because of life challenges such as aging, and loss of spouse and friends.

◦ Symptoms such as weight changes, feelings of worthlessness, extreme sadness, thoughts of death and suicide are often cited.

• Retirement. Retirement at age 65 is the conventional choice for many people, although some work until much later.

• Widowhood. Women tend to marry men older than they are and, on average, live 5 to 7 years longer than men. One study found ten times as many widows as widowers. Widowhood is particularly stressful if the death of the spouse occurs early in life; close support of friends, particularly other widows, can be very helpful.

The majority of people over 65 are still interested in sexual activity.

The best indicator of future behavior is previous behavior.

The reasons some do not engage in sexual activity include poor health or loss of spouse rather than a lack of interest.

Societal attitudes are another factor that discourages sexual expression by the elderly.

Changes in Sexual Activity

Many of the changes the elderly face their everyday life more difficult.◦ This is because each

change represents a loss of control over the environment.

◦ When the elderly are unable to maintain what they value most the quality of their life suffers dramatically.

Adjusting to Old Age

This loss of control is usually gradual and involves both physical changes and external circumstances.◦ The loss of a husband is made

worse when it is accompanied or followed by the loss of a house.

They can regain a sense of control if they are helped to make the best of the options available to them.

Groups like the AARP help the elderly by lobbying and speaking out on issues important to them.

Cognitive changes. The study of cognitive changes in the older population is complex.

John Horn proposed two types of intelligence: fluid and crystallized.

Cognitive Changes

Intellectual changes in late adulthood do not always result in reduction of ability.

While fluid intelligence (the ability to see and to use patterns and relationships to solve problems) does decline in later years, crystallized intelligence (the ability to use accumulated information to solve problems and make decisions) has been shown to rise slightly over the entire life span.

• Dementias are usually responsible for cognitive defects seen in older people. These disorders, however, occur only in about 15% of people over 65.

• The leading cause of dementia in the United States is Alzheimer's disease, a progressive, eventually fatal disease that begins with confusion and memory lapses and ends with the loss of ability to care for oneself.

• http://www.hbo.com/alzheimers/memory-loss-tapes.html

Dementia