Late Adulthood Late adulthood is known as the period of life after middle adulthood, usually from around 65 years old to death (Santrock, 2013, p. 485). There are many varying stages of development and health in late adulthood, along with steady changing of life expectancy. Aging is a part of life, and with it comes changes in every area of living. Many diseases find late adulthood as an opportune time to affect people. Eventually, whether caused by disease or another reason, every individual dies. Death is unique to every person, and healthcare in America is changing to reflect that. This stage of life is a time when bodily processes and functions may be decreasing, but depending on lifestyle choices, death can come at different times. Life Expectancy As American society has evolved in the past 100 years and technology has increased and improved, so has the life expectancy for individuals. Currently, females can expect to live for 81 years on average, while males can expect to live for 75 years, giving an average life expectancy of 78.3 years (Santrock, 2013, p.536). According to Santrock (2013), “since 1900, improvements in medicine, nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle have increased our life expectancy an average of 30 additional years,” but another important factor is the decreasing infant mortality, allowing a larger population of people, including older adults (p.536). Making good choices in diet, regular exercise, avoiding drugs and alcohol, along with getting enough sleep and maintaining a low and healthy stress level can all increase life expectancy. Relationships, emotional well-being, and having purpose all also play an important role in determining how long an individual will live. As people are living longer, more ... ... middle of paper ... ...des/autopsy-16080 Bailey, R. (2008, August 16). What are mitochondria?. Retrieved from http://biology.about.com/b/2008/08/16/what-are-mitochondria.htm How many different types of cancer are there?. (2013, April 17). Retrieved from http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/cancer-questions/how-many-different-types-of-cancer-are-there Huether, S., & McCance, K. (2011). Understanding pathophysiology. (5th ed.). St. Louis, MI: Mosby, Inc. Mayo Clinic Staff. (2013, July 13). Osteoporosis. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/osteoporosis/DS00128 Rosen, L., & Rosen, G. (2013, January 25). Making treatment decisions. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/treatment/understandingyourdiagnosis/afterdiagnosis/after-diagnosis-making-treatment-decisions Santrock, J. (2013). Life-span development. (14th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
There are many environmental influences as well as human behaviors that contribute to one’s expected life span. Health and lifestyle are two major factors that play a role in determining what life would be like during the senior years of life. There are many advantages to having a strong social support network that consists of caregivers paid and unpaid. Seniors with this tend to live longer, remain independent and stay active in their later years. Citizens in today’s society are living longer due to technology, medications and an overall healthier lifestyle. Many reach the age of 100 but the maximum human life span is 120 years old. One’s personal data, career choices, environmental influences and amount of active interactions will determine how those of the older population will experience the aging process.
As we age, we become more prone to a wide array of diseases, such as cancer and heart disease and treating these diseases most definitely helps us live longer but they do not seem to halt the natural aging process that eventually causes our bodies to weaken and wither away. New research suggests that, like several biological processes, the aging process could also be controlled and this could lead us to live much longer lives. However, commoners and bioethicists alike are often concerned about the bioethical issues pertaining to the life extension phenomena. They argue that the quality of life may be compromised in exchange for longevity and this may be due to intervention in the
Studies about aging are relevant in today’s society because the aging process happens to everybody. Humans want to enjoy life with their family and friends and many look forward to their retirement so they can enjoy their time doing leisurely activities. Research on trying to find a cure for different cancers and slowing down the aging process is important if humans want to live a longer and more enjoyable life. By eating foods with antioxidants, exercising on a daily basis, challenging oneself with memory and critical thinking activities, avoiding smoking and drinking too much alcohol, managing stress, and by surrounding oneself with a good support system can all contribute to a longer and happier lifespan.
In today’s society, what was once said to be true and taken as fact regarding older people is no longer the whole story. As Laslett states, “At all times before the middle of the twentieth century and all over the globe the greater part of human life potential has been wasted, by people dying before their allotted time was up.” (1989a), and to a great extent a lot
The concept of successful aging is also termed as super aging or optimal health, coined by Rowe & Kahn in 1987. Fundamentally, successful aging in the elderly illustrates neither usual aging (a gradual decrease in biological and psychological functioning) nor pathological aging. Instead, it illustrates a form of aging connected to a reduced possibility of disability or disease, increased physical and cognitive functioning, including autonomy maintained. Aging and old age for a long time presented as dominated by negative traits and states such as sickness, depression and isolation. The aging process is not simply senescence; most people over the age of 65 are not senile, bedridden, isolated, or suicidal (Aldwin & Levenson, 1994).
The existing U.S. population is over 315 million and rising. In the year 2030, 72 million Americans will be 65 or older, a 50 percent change in age demographics since the year 2000. The change is primarily due to the aging baby boomers, who were born at the end of World War II. Americans are living longer than ever befo...
Today, the world’s population is aging at a very fast pace and the United States is no exception to this demographic change. According to the U.S Census Bureau, senior citizens will account for 21% of the American population in 2050 (Older Americans, 2012). Although living longer lives may not seem like a negative sign, living longer does not necessarily mean living healthier. Older adults of today are in need of long-term health care services more than any generation before them (Older Americans, 2012). Because of the growing need for senior care, millions of families are facing critical decisions on how to provide care for their parents.
Middle adulthood is a complex time period that requires a multidimensional outlook to understand all of the processes and changes that are taking place. The many changes during middle adulthood include physical, cognitive and social differences. Many of these changes create significant stress and it is important to understand ways of coping with the anxiety. Many of these coping mechanisms include mindfulness and cultivating a sense of self-efficacy and mastery (pg. 482). There are many changes during middle adulthood that may require stress management techniques and interventions.
Viewing the video about late adulthood has open up my eyes about life. I look at my parents which are 67 and 68 years old. They are experiencing all the things that highlighted in the video. My parents’ health has deteriorated. Even though my father had a stroke about 14 years ago, it seems to be getting worse. I have notice that my father’s muscle mass has gone down even though he still weigh the same. He seem frail now. This is the same for my mother. She seems shorter now. My mom and I are 5’4 in height but I notice that she is a couple inches shorter now. I noticed that their skin is losing their elasticity however, my parents skin is still smooth and not a lot of wrinkles. My father gets frustrated with himself when he cannot
Late adulthood should be a time in a person's life where they feel fulfilled. They can look back on their memories and be happy with the way they have lived their life. Now, too many elderly people are not satisfied and look at this stage as depressing. Most fear death of either a loved one or for themselves. This topic is interesting to me because elderly people should make the best of their last stage of life. This topic discusses about getting older, the life changes that they go through physically, emotionally, and mentally. We should know more about it so that we can help our family and friends get through one of the best, yet toughest part of our mortal life.
First of all, a human being is able to have a longer life expectancy due to their geography, where they live will help them prevent disease's. According to Picard (2009), “Canada's poor have a worse life expectancy than the well off” (p. 01). Picard (2009), provides evidence that shows, people who are the healthiest and live longer are
“Though the age boundaries are not set in stone, we will consider middle adulthood as the developmental period that begins at approximately 40 to 45 years of age and extends to about 60 to 65 years of age” (Santrock, 2013, p. 485). I interviewed two individuals for this paper. Each person was asked the same fifteen questions (Appendix). I interviewed a male and a female who fell in the midrange of middle adulthood.
As human beings we can not stop aging. It is in our genes to be born, live a long life, and die when we reach old age. However, there are a group of regions that have been reported to have the longest-lived people. In 2004, Dan Buettner teamed up with National Geographic and hired the world’s best longevity researchers to identify pockets around the world where people lived measurably better. They found five regions known as “Blue Zones”, places where people reach ages over 100. The people inhabiting the Blue Zones share common lifestyle characteristics that contribute to their longevity. These characteristics were called the “Power 9 Principles” and included diet, physical fitness, mental health, and social and environmental factors.
stage (age 40 - 65), the late adulthood stage (age 60 - 85) and the late late
Technology in terms of medicine has also increased the life expectancy of the average person. With new technological advancements in surgeries, medicines and treatments the average life expectancy is still on the increase. A recent study shows that the average life span for 2004 of a United States Citizen is 77.4 years old. This has increased significantly from 1900 where the average lifespan for a male was 48.2 and for the female 51.5. Thanks to technology we can now live longer.