16 Introduction to Late Adulthood
Learning Objectives
Objectives: At the end of this lesson, you will be able to
- Differentiate between impaired, normal, and optimal aging.
- Report numbers of people in late adulthood age categories in the United States.
- Discuss changes in the age structure of society in the U. S. and globally.
- Report life expectancies in the United States based on gender, race, and ethnicity.
- Explain the reasons for changes in life expectancies.
- Identify examples of ageism.
- Compare primary and secondary aging.
- Report on the leading sources of secondary aging.
- Describe changes in the senses in late adulthood.
- Discuss the impact of aging on the sensory register, working memory, and long-term memory.
- Describe theories of aging.
- Define Hayflick Limit.
- Evaluate previous ideas about aging and cognition based on new research.
- Describe abnormal memory loss due to Alzheimer’s disease, delirium, and dementia.
- Differentiate between organic and nonorganic causes of dementia.
- Describe Erikson’s psychosocial stage for late adulthood.
- Contrast disengagement, activity, and continuity theories of aging.
- Describe ways in which people are productive in late adulthood.
- Describe grandparenting styles.
- Compare marriage, divorce, being single, and widowhood in late adulthood.
- Report rates at which people in late adulthood require long-term care.
- Examine caregiving for dependent older adults.
- Define socio-emotional selectivity theory.
- Classify types of elder abuse.
Defining Late Adulthood: Age or Quality of Life?
We are considered in late adulthood from the time we reach our mid-sixties until death. In this lesson, we will learn how many people are in late adulthood, how that number is expected to change, and how life changes and continues to be the same as before in late adulthood. About 13 percent of the U. S. population or 38.9 million Americans are 65 and older (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011). This number is expected to grow to 88.5 million by the year 2050 at which time people over 65 will make up 20 percent of the population. This group varies considerably and is divided into categories of 65 plus, 85 plus, and centenarians for comparison by the census. Developmentalists, however, divide this population in to categories based on health and social well-being. Optimal aging refers to those who enjoy better health and social well-being than average. Normal aging refers to those who seem to have the same health and social concerns as most of those in the population. However, there is still much being done to understand exactly what normal aging means. Impaired aging refers to those who experience poor health and dependence to a greater extent than would be considered normal. Aging successfully involves making adjustments as needed in order to continue living as independently and actively as possible. This is referred to as selective optimization with compensation and means, for example, that a person who can n