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Late Adulthood (age 60 – 80)
During this closing period in the life span of human beings, people tend to
“move away” from previous more desirable periods often known as “usefulness”.
Age sixty is usually considered the dividing line between middle and old age.
It is the time where you are considered an “elderly”- meaning somewhat old or
advanced beyond middle age.
Period of decline – comes partly from physical and partly psychological
factors. The physical cause of decline is a change in the body cells due to the
effects of the aging process. The psychological cause of decline has something
to do with unfavorable attitudes towards oneself, other people, work and life
in general.
Senility – (“senile”) a more or less complete physical breakdown takes place
and when there is mental disorganization. The individual becomes eccentric,
careless, absentminded, socially withdrawn, and poorly adjusted.
Social Attitudes toward the Old Age – due to the unfavorable social attitudes
toward the elderly, treatment towards them in America, unlike other cultures,
result in making them feel no longer useful, unwanted and more of a nuisance
than an asset. People who come from countries where respect for the elderly is
customary usually treat elder people with more consideration and respect.
Old People as “second class citizens” – a status that excludes them to some
extent from interaction with other groups in the population and which gives
them little to no power in society. (Again a result from unfavorable social attitudes).
Changes in Roles – from an active life having purpose and roles, even sometimes
multiple roles, it is expected that old people will play a decreasingly less
active role in social and community affairs as well as in the business and
professional worlds. Because of the reduction in the number of roles the
elderly person is able to play, the person will develop feelings of inferiority
and resentment.
Physical changes – the most obvious sings of aging are centered in the face
although sometimes medical advancements have come up with ways to cover signs
of aging, the hands are another part which give away the person’s age.
Head region –
Mouth changes shape
Tooth loss
Wrinkles
Eyes seem dull and lusterless
Double chin
Cheeks become pendulous, wrinkled and baggy
Skin becomes dry with dark spots, moles and warty….
Hair becomes gray or white and lessens
Trunk Region –
Shoulders stoop and seem smaller
Abdomen bulges and droops
Hips become flabbier and broader
Woman’s breasts sag and droop
Limbs –
The upper arm becomes flabby and heavy
Lower arms seem to shrink
Hands and feet become scrawny and veins begin to appear
Nails become thick and brittle
Internal Changes –
Bones become brittle and are subject to fractures and breaks
Regulation of body temperature is impaired (too cold, too hot)
Sensory changes – all the sense organs function less efficiently
Motor Ability Changes – most old people move more slowly and are less
coordinated. These changes include a decrease in strength and energy, stiff
joints….etc…
Change in Mental Abilities –
Learning - the elderly have difficulty in learning new skills taking them
longer time to learn the skill and also coming up with less satisfactory
results in the particular skill than a younger person.
Memory - Old people tend to have poor recent memories but better remote
memories. This may be due partly to the fact that they are not always strongly
motivated to remember things, partly to lack of attentiveness, and partly to
not hearing clearly and distinctly what others say.
Reasoning – there is a general reduction in the speed with which the individual
reaches a conclusion in both inductive and deductive reasoning.
Retirement – during the adults earlier years, retirement looks better to them
because of the increased leisure time and reduced stress. Although, when one
actually comes to that point in their lives, retirement seems less desirable.
At this age, people holding jobs suddenly feel they have lost all their power
and prestige. They tend to again, feel useless without purpose. Women, adjust
better to retirement than men. For women, the role change is not as radical
because women still have the responsibility of playing the domestic role like
taking care of the house.
Happiness – there is a saying that during one’s late adulthood years, there are
3 factors that determine one’s happiness – Acceptance, Affection and
Achievement. Without any one of these 3 things it is difficult if not
impossible for the elderly to be happy. For example, when they feel they are
being neglected by their children or other family members, when they feel that
their past achievements have fallen short or when they have developed the
“nobody loves me” complex it is inevitable that they be unhappy.