Late Adulthood
Last Phase of Life
Sixty-five Plus
Biosocial Development
Ageism

Ageism: prejudice against people because
of their age, prevents elderly people from
being as happy and as productive as they
could be. Tendency to judge people only
based on their chronological age
Ageism can be experienced at all ages but
does the most damage in late adulthood
 Ageism in late adulthood is decreasing

Gerontology:
The study of old age

Geriatrics: the medical specialty devoted
to aging specializes in the sick and
consider aging as an illness, chronic and
progressive disease of secondary aging

Gerontologists consider aging a socially
constructed as a problem, consider late
adulthood to be a time with great quality
of life and promise
Demographics
7% of world’s population is over age 65
 By 2010, will be 9%
 13% of US population is over 65
 Fasting growing age group is over 100


Concern as dependency ratio increases, increase
in the number of dependents to independents:
ratio of self sufficient, productive adults to
dependents (children and the elderly)
Actually,
Less births per adult, fewer new
dependents
 1/3 of population working can produce all
the basic necessities of life
 Only, 10% of elderly need extensive care
 Only, 5% live in nursing homes or
hospitals

Dependency Characteristics

Young-old: healthy, active, financially secure,
and independent (largest group: typically under
75)

Old-old-suffer physical, mental, and social
deficits (generally over 75)

Oldest-old-dependent on others for mostly
everything, requiring nursing homes or hospitals
(over 85: about 10%)
Anti-aging Measures

Calorie-Restriction: Daily calorie requirements decrease
by about 100 calories per decade after age 45.

More fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish and grains and
cereals are more essential during late adulthood

Deficits in vitamin b12 and folic acid correlate with
memory deficits
Dehydration risks increase
Some medications that adults take interfere with vitamin
needs


Late Adulthood: how people cope
with primary aging.

The skin and the hair: skin continues to become
drier, thinner, less elastic, wrinkles, visible blood
vessels, and pockets of fate under the skin
appear, age spots and reduction of cells make
people more vulnerable to cold, heat, and
scratches

Hair becomes grayer and more white, male
pattern baldness
Body Changes

Vertebrae begin getting closer together

Body fat redistribution: disappears from
legs, arms, and upper face and collects
near the torso and lower face

Weight loss contributes to less muscles,
thinner bones, and greater risk
Body Changes

Less muscles flexibility and strength
resulting in need for cane or walker

Increase in number in falls, so need for
strength training

Social Isolation
Dulling of Senses

Vision: Only 10 % see well



Cataracts: thickening of the lenses cause vision to
become cloudy, opaque, and distorted, treatment:
glasses and surgery to replace the lens
Glaucoma: a buildup of fluid within the eye,
damaging the optic nerve and can cause total
blindness, treatment: eye drops or surgery (genetic)
Macular Degeneration: deterioration of the retina,
effects 1 in 25 people in first decade of late adulthood
no cure for this disease
Hearing

Presbycubsis: age related hearing loss
 By
age 65, 40% have trouble hearing normal
conversation
 Treatment:
 Tinnitis:
removal of ear wax, hearing aids
buzzing or rhythmic ringing in the
ears, has no cure, experienced by 10 % of
elderly
Compensation for Sensory Loss

Compensation is crucial as opposed to passive
acceptance

Technology: improved hearing aids, lighter glasses,
close caption TV programs, more advances in
specializations
Personal determination: learn new habits
*could include other means of transportation

Recognition and willingness to change are key factors
Major Body Systems

In most of adulthood, primary aging does not
directly cause organ failure

Primary and secondary aging combine to make
all the major body systems slower and less
efficient
Heart pumps slower causing increased blood pressure
and increased risk of heart attacks and strokes
 Lungs take in and expel less air with each breath
 Digestive system slows
 Kidneys less efficient (incontinence)
More likely to die from disease and harder to recover

Sleep

Older adults spend more time in bed
 Take
more time to fall asleep
 Spend less time in deep sleep
 Wake up more often
 Take more naps
 Feel more drowsy in daytime
Narcotics typically prescribed, but may not be
problem, body forcing interruption in sleep
Compression of Morbidity

Limiting the number of time a person
spends ill or infirm, accomplished by
postponing illness

A healthy is more likely to be intellectually
alert and more socially active
Theories of Aging

Wear and Tear: Oldest theory
The body wears out after years of exposure
to environment and the passage of time
Support: 1.) women who have never been
pregnant tend to live longer
2.) Overweight people tend to be sicker and die
younger
3.) Breakthrough of modern technology,
replacement of worn-out body parts
Theories on Aging

Genetic Aging Theory: Aging is normal, natural
result of the genetic plan for the species

Life expectancy
Maximum life span: oldest age to which members of a
species can live, under ideal circumstances, age for
humans 120 years
 Average life expectancy: number of years the average
newborn of a particular population group is likely to
have. In US, 74 for men and 80 for women
Selective Adaptation: Every person inherits genes that
allow survival until middle age and that then cause
aging

Theories on Aging

Cellular Aging: Most cells in the body reproduce
throughout life

Overtime normal cell duplication eventually allows
aging, partly because minor errors accumulate

Free radicals: electrons in some atoms in our bodies
are unattached to their nuclei, free radicals are
unstable and can cause cancer, diabetes, and
arteriosclerosis
Can be slowed by antioxidants: vitamins A, C, and E
and the mineral selenium (bind with electrons)
Oxygen free radicals are reproduced in reaction to
infections and inflammation of intestinal tract


Theories of Aging

Errors in Duplication: Cellular Aging is a natural process

Hayflick Limit is the number of times a human cell is capable of
dividing into to new cells, limit is fifty divisions

Genetic Clock: a regulatory mechanism in the DNA of cells that
regulate the aging process

Immune System: Decline of the immune system

In a healthy person B and T cells fight disease by attacking foreign
bodies, power and production of T and B cells decline over time
Supported by research on AIDS
Lifestyles Characteristics in Longevity

Diet is moderate, consisting of fruits and
vegetables

Work continues throughout life

Family and Community are important

Exercise and relaxation are an important part of
daily routine