Late
Adulthood
How does cognitive delay affect daily
tasks and relationships in late
adulthood?
Learning objectives
1. Describe and provide background on the physical, cognitive and
biological aspects of aging in late adulthood.
2. Describe and give examples of how a person’s brain & body
change in late adulthood.
3. Identify factors of health and wellness in late adulthood
4. Describe the cognitive functioning of older adults and how that
affects relationships.
5. Mention ways in which to counteract negative effects of aging
in late adulthood.
Psychology approach
‐ Late adulthood begins at age
65
‐ Environmental, Biological, Socio
- Emotional, Cognitive and
Psychological changes
https://lateadulthoodstage.weebly.com/critical-analysis.html
Environmental Changes
‐ Entering Retirement
‐ Traveling outside of
Canada
‐ Homes for the
elderly/living at home or
with children
‐ Pension plans
https://www.moneysense.ca/save/retireme
nt/retirement-planning-questions/
Biological Changes
‐ Changes in appearance
‐ Body becomes more frail
‐ Development of disabilities
‐ Weakened immune system
‐ Illnesses occur
‐ Medicines and Vitamins
Biological changes cont’d
Other physical changes that occur includes:
- Decreased mobility and diminished muscle
strength
- Loss of elasticity
- Hearing and vision decline
- Higher rates of diseases (CVD, respiratory, etc)
Socio - Emotional Changes
‐ Emotions and stability vary widely in late
adulthood
‐ Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages
‐ Integrity vs Despair
Integrity Vs Despair
(Erikson’s Final Stage of Life)
‐ As an individual enters late adulthood they will either gain a
sense of integrity or despair depending on the satisfaction
they have on their life
‐ If an individual is not satisfied with what they have,
accomplished and what they will be known for, they will feel
a sense of despair
‐ If an individual is satisfied with their accomplishments and
the mark they will leave behind they will feel a sense of
integrity
Cognitive Changes
‐ Memory Loss
‐ A symptom of Dementia and Alzheimer's
which is common in elderly
‐ Working memory declines in effectiveness
Psychological Changes
‐ Loneliness
‐ Dissatisfaction
‐ Social Isolation
‐ Depression
Cognitive Delay
Cognitive Delay
‐ Caused by the aging brain
‐ Cognitive failures
‐ Along with Environmental, Psychological and
Physical Changes, cognitive delay puts a strain
on how people in late adulthood handle daily
tasks and relationships.
FOCUSING ON MEMORY
Memory that is effected:
- Procedural memory: responsible for the performance of particular types of
action. Guides the processes we perform and frequently resides below the level of
conscious awareness.
- Working memory: System that actively holds multiple pieces of transitory
information in the mind where they can be manipulated. The reduced capacity of the
working memory becomes evident when tasks are especially complex. Both of these
types of memory can be seen to generally decline as age increases, where every day
tasks are put aside and eventually forgotten.
- Semantic memory: Understanding things, of the meaning of things and
-
events, and other concept-based knowledge. This type of memory does not necessarily
decline in late adulthood because it underlies the conscious recollection of factual
information and general knowledge about the world, and remains relatively stable
throughout life.
Focusing on MEMORY cont’d
Memory loss affects relationships due to:
- Becoming more dependant on family
members/relatives/caretakers to help with ADL’sputting a strain on families
- Requiring frequent supervision for safety reasonsshould not be left alone
Stereotypes
All elderly individuals are:
‐ Forgetful
‐ Absentminded
‐ Clumsy
‐ Unable to work
Daily Tasks
‐ Cognitive failures cause:
‐ Perception Slips
‐ Memory Slips
‐ Slower reaction time
Daily Tasks (Cont’d)
This cognitive delay can make it more difficult for
individuals in late adulthood to complete daily tasks
including:
‐ Taking the bus without becoming lost
‐ Cooking without recipe cards
‐ Remembering doctor appointments
Many daily tasks must be written down as a reminder
Social Isolation
‐ Late adulthood may bring on many ailments such as
Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, etc...
‐ These ailments can lead to social isolation where
individuals lose connections to family and friends
‐ Many individuals are placed in retirement or nursing
homes where they don’t get many visits
Social Isolation (cont’d)
‐ Social isolation leads to a
decrease in quality of life for
individuals in late adulthood
‐ Relationships for these
individuals become
increasingly hard to build and
maintain
https://forwardky.com/nursing-home-lobbyists-writ
e-bills-restrict-inspections/
Loneliness
“A social-cognitive view defines loneliness as an
experienced discrepancy between the kinds of
interpersonal relationships the individuals perceive
themselves as having and the kind of relationships they
would like to have.” (Pinquart & Sorensen)
Relationships in Late Adulthood
Family Relationships:
‐ More responsibility falls on family members as an
individual experiencing cognitive delay may not be
able to complete their usual tasks
‐ This can include managing finances and organizing
family events
‐ Individuals suffering from cognitive delay may feel a
sense of shame, depression and guilt as they
become more dependent on others
Relationships in Late Adulthood (Cont’d)
Family Relationships:
‐ Relationships with family members may
weaken as normal conversations
become increasingly difficult to maintain
‐ This can result in fewer visits and family
members may even place their elderly
family in a retirement or nursing home
where they’ll receive even fewer visits
Relationships in Late Adulthood (Cont’d)
Long Term Care Homes:
‐ Individuals suffering from severe cognitive delays
including any type of dementia are often put in long
term care facilities by their family
‐ Symptoms of dementia including confusion,
suspicion and mistrust result in difficulty building
relationships with support workers and other
residents
Maintaining physical and mental health
Ways to counteract negative effects in later life and
maintain positive and physical mental health is
associated with:
-
Exercise
Moderate alcohol
Good nutrition
Low stress
Helpful Changes To Late Adulthood Lifestyle
Some helpful assistive devices to improve ADL’s:
- Medical alert and safety system
- Shower seat
- Bed cane
- ADL cuff
- Social support from loved ones
Key messages
·Loss of memory is one of the most significant factors that affects
relationships
·Declines are noted in both cognitive and physical structures;
however, health promotional activities can be undertaken to delay
the process and/or to minimize the process of aging
·There appears to be a direct correlation between physical and
mental health, and cognitive functioning
Aging does not have to be a fearful process, since there are ways to
appease the transition
A Quick SummarY Video
KAHOOT
https://create.kahoot.it/share/late-adulthood/9f2e566c-a8b2-4ab0-9ebd-6eade702da1d