The Later Years

1
The Later Years

• Chapter 7 section 3
• Pgs. 164-171

2
The Later Years

• People over the age of 65 are the fastest growing
  population in the world?
• People over 65 years old made up 12 of the
  population in 2000.
• By the year 2030 the number is projected to be
  over 20
• What happened 65 years ago that would cause this
  large population?

3
The Later Years

• Gerontology the scientific study of the
  processes and phenomena of aging.
• Social gerontology the study of non-physical
  aspects of the aging process.

4
Change Continues

• People are now living longer.
• Life at different ages experience different
  stages.
• People who are 65 years old are very different
  from people who are 85.
• There are divided into 3 stages.
• Young-old, middle-old, and old-old.

5
Change Continues

• Young-old ages 65-74 Adjustment to retirement.
• Middle-old ages 75-84 and
• Old-old ages 85 and older
• Issues surrounding physical and mental decline as
  well as death take on importance.

• As the body begins to wear and for most senior
  citizens, physical and mental functioning
  declines with the passing years and for each
  person the rate is different.

6
Adjustment to Retirement

• In our society we identify people by their jobs.
• It is reasonable to assume that people have
  difficult adjusting to retirement?
• Why??
• For some people the loss of work is a great
  shock.

7
Adjustment to Retirement

• Research actually shows that most senior citizens
  see retirement as the least stressful time.
• People who are happy and well adjusted with their
  jobs will generally enjoy retirement.

• People who are unhappy or unfulfilled in their
  work rarely find retirement satisfying.
• Studies also find that factors such as income,
  health, social networks, and identity affect
  adjustment to retirement.
• Give examples of how these might affect
  retirement.

8
Adjustment to Retirement

• Failure to adapt to retirement can have negative
  consequences.
• Suicide rates are high among people over the age
  of 65, particularly among white men.

9
Physical and Mental Functioning

• As you age, body cell begin to die.
• Muscles and tissues shrink.
• The skin develops wrinkles.
• The entire body slowly loses weight.
• The weakened muscles lesson the individuals
  strength and endurance.

• The nervous system functions more slowly and less
  accurately.
• Hair gradually turns to gray or white as the cell
  roots produce less and less pigment.
• All the organs and functions of the body slow
  down.
• As a result, elderly individuals do everything
  more slowly then they did when they were younger.

10
Physical and Mental Functioning

• Although people tend to slow down as they age,
  most remain mentally alert.
• Some research showed that younger people score
  better on IQ tests.
• Studies have found that intelligence, learning,
  and memory do decline with aging.
• Some aspects of intelligence and learning
  improve.
• Vocabulary for example can increases until people
  are in their 70s.

11
Alzheimers Disease

• For some people aging is accompanied by marked
  mental decline and dementia.
• The most common form is Alzheimers Disease an
  organic condition that results in the progressive
  deterioration of brain cells.

• The progress of this disease is slow but steady
  usually lasting about 8-10 years from first
  symptom to death.
• One of the early symptoms is inability to
  remember current events

12
Alzheimers Disease

• As it progresses
• Trouble performing simple tasks
• Driving a car, going to work
• May become hostile and disoriented
• Eventually their eyesight, speech, and muscle
  coordination begin to fail.
• In the final stages of the disease, people often
  regress to a childlike state and are no longer
  able to control their bodily functions.
• 8-15 of the population suffers from Alzheimers.

13
Dealing with Dependency and Death

• For the middle-old and old-old, dependency and
  death take on increased significance.
• Dependency is the shift from being an
  independent adult to being dependent on others
  for physical or financial assistance.
• Independence is one of the greatest desires for
  elderly people.

• Dependency often strains the parent-child
  relationship
• Can you think of reasons why?

14
Dealing with Dependency and Death

• Although dependency may scare the elderly, death
  does not appear to.
• Fear of death is more common among middle aged
  people.
• Several factors contribute to lower levels of
  fear of death among senior citizens.
• Elderly people are at the end of their lives,
  they see fewer prospects for the future, thus
  they feel they have less to lose.

15
Dealing with Dependency and Death

• Second, many elderly people, having lived longer
  than they expected, feel they are living on
  borrowed time.
• Finally, facing the deaths of friends and family
  members who are close to them in age helps
  prepare older Americans for their own deaths.
• For many older Americans, particularly those who
  are financially secure, retirement is accompanied
  by a feeling a freedom.

16
New Opportunities

• Older people have the time to do the things they
  always wanted to do.
• They can try new things.
• Many people travel, others take college courses.
• Some pursue activities such as gardening, crafts,
  golf, photography, etc.
• Some become active in politics.

• Some elderly Americans begin a second career.
• Many businesses attempt to draw from this growing
  pool of experienced workers.
• Many volunteer programs provide opportunities for
  people to get involved in the community.

17
Conclusion

• Research shows that individuals who have planned
  ahead for retirement are in a better position to
  take advantage of the opportunities in this
  period of life.
• This involves financial planning and also
  broadening ones interests and developing hobbies
  during middle adulthood.
• It involves taking care of ones health as well.
• Most important, it involves cultivating patterns
  of living that makes the most of life in every
  growth period.