The Later Years
Chapter 7 section 3
Pgs. 164-171
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?
The Later Years
• Gerontology: the
scientific study of the
processes and
phenomena of aging.
• Social gerontology:
the study of nonphysical aspects of the
aging process.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 individual’s
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.
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 70’s.
Alzheimer’s Disease
• For some people aging is
accompanied by marked
mental decline and
dementia.
• The most common form is
Alzheimer’s 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
Alzheimer’s 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 Alzheimer’s.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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 one’s interests and developing hobbies
during middle adulthood.
• It involves taking care of one’s health as well.
• Most important, it involves cultivating patterns of
living that makes the most of life in every growth
period.