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Chapter 5/ Section 2: Old Age
 MAIN IDEA: As we age, our priorities change and
expectations change to match realities, and we
experience losses as well as gains
 VOCABULARY: Decremental model of aging, ageism,
senile dementia, Alzheimer’s disease
 OBJECTIVES: Identify changes that occur in health
and life situation during old age. Summarize how
people physically, mentally, and socially adjust to old
age
Attitudes Toward Aging
 Decremental Model of Aging: idea that progressive
physical and mental decline are inevitable
 Great differences vary greatly among the elderly
depending on their genetic makeup and environment
 Ageism: prejudice or discrimination against the elderly
 Misconception exists that older people are inflexible or
senile. Rigidity is more a lifelong habit. The older
person who is inflexible, was probably like that when
they were younger
Changes in Health
 Physical strength declines about 1% per year through
adulthood
 About 31% of American adults are obese
 Good health in younger years carries over to adulthood
 Eating habits and exercise influence the patterns of
health and disease
Changes in Health
 About 35% of elderly have one chronic disease (a
permanent disability, as opposed to acute or
temporary)
 The four most prevalent chronic diseases are heart
disease, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis
 The major cause of death among the old are heart
disease, cancer, and strokes
Changes in Health
 The quality of health care for the elderly mostly
remains inferior to the general population
 There are numerous reasons for this: lower socioeconomic classes tend to not take care of themselves,
doctors prefer to work with patients with acute
conditions, some doctors hold stereotypical views that
older people can only be stabilized, not cured.
Nursing homes may be inadequate.
Changes in Health
 Some elderly are no longer able to take care of
themselves and might move in with relatives
 Only about 4% of people 65 and older live in a nursing
home
 Nursing homes often have inadequate facilities
Changes in Life Situation
 In late adulthood transitions are often negative with
reduced responsibilities and isolation
 About 43% of women and 15% of men are widowed.
 By the age of 75, nearly 22% and 60% of women are
alone
 The symptoms of depression are very common in older
adults, Symptoms include feelings of worthlessness,
extreme sadness, inability to concentrate, and
thoughts of death and suicide
Changes in Sexual Activity
 The majority of people over the age of 65 continue to
be interested in sex
 “Sexy young people mature in to sexy middle aged and
mature people
 The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior
 Older adults might not engage in sexual activity
because of poor health or the death of a spouse not
due to lack of interest
Adjusting to Old Age
 The elderly may lose control over what they value
most: good health, recognition from the community,
visits from family and friends, privacy, leisure, and
work activities
 The loss of control is usually gradual and may include
physical and external circumstances
 Those who experience a loss of control often develop a
negative self-concept
Changes in mental functioning
 There is much less decline in intelligence and mental
functioning than people think
 Elders may not perform well on tests for a number of
reasons including less education, less familiar with the
test taking method, and slower reflexes
John Horn proposed two types of intelligence
CRYSTALLIZED and FLUID intelligence
As people age, their nervous systems decline and so does
their fluid intelligence
Senile Dementia
 A small percentage of people develop senile dementia
in old age
 Senile dementia is characterized by memory loss,
forgetfulness, disorientation of time and place, a
decline in the ability to think, impaired attention,
altered personality, and difficulties in relating to
others
 Dementia has many causes, some treatable, some not
Alzheimer’s Disease
 The most common form of senile dementia
 Alzheimer’s disease is an affliction most common
among elderly
 Alzheimer’s is a neurological disease marked by a
gradual deterioration of cognitive functioning
 Early signs include frequent forgetting, poor
judgment, increase irritability, and social withdrawal
 Patients lose the ability to recognize simple questions
and to recognize friends and loved ones
Alzheimer’s Disease
 Patients require constant supervision and custodial
care, often by trained professionals
 Rarely do patients die from the disease, but their
weakened state leaves them vulnerable to a variety of
other potentially fatal problems
 The causes of Alzheimer’s are unknown, genetics plays
a roll