Development in Late Adulthood

Physical and psychological changes occur over time and depending on our lifestyle, genetics, nutrition and environment, these factors will determine how we age and what our body will go through. As we age we start to see changes in our body that are not pleasant, nor can we change certain occurrences. For instance, our mental level decreases, as well as, strength, flexibility and balance and our mood and energy level diminishes, for these reasons the elder person is at high risk for falls and injury and also are prone to depression. Many elderly people lose their ability of living independently due to decreased mobility, frailty and other physical or cognitive health issues. Many will seek some sort of long-term care, such as, home and community care, assisted living, residential care and long stays in hospitals.

A significant population growth occurred between 1946 and 1964; approximately 76 million people were born in the United States; this group of individuals is known as the “Baby-boom” generation (Dohm, 2000). These individuals now average between the ages of 51-70, and make up a vast majority of those in American whom fall in the late adulthood period of their lives. According to Boyd and Bee (2015, p 418), young old is defined at ages 60-75, old old is 75-85 and oldest old is 85 and older. In the United States in 2010 there were approximately 40,267,984 adults over the age of 65; in 2014 there was an estimated 46,243,211 adults over the age of 65 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2016). Additionally when looking at the numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau

Much of the decline that people experience with aging comes about due to the belief that decline in function and quality of life is part and parcel of aging. In addition, many of the problems of age are not due to the process of aging itself, but rather due to the effects of a lifetime of stress and poor health habits.

Marianne Williamson said, “In our society, as people pass out of young adulthood, they tend to relate to themselves more in terms of what they are no longer than what they are now, and that’s psychologically low-grade devastating”. As we age, we tend to look at the future, that growth with fear or trepidation. We mourn the loss of our “youth” rather than embrace the new changes we are heading toward. These changes we will experience are vast and necessary for each stage of development. As we grow become adults we will experience a variety of psychological changes as we adjust to aging and any changes that will happen to our lifestyle. These changes should not be feared, they simply mark the growth and experience

Physical development through exercise, combine with strength training, improves various cognitive components, with the strongest of the effects on the executive function (Stint-Morrow & Chui, 2012). Health and fitness is another important factor of physical development during early adulthood. Economically advantaged, well-educated individuals usually have good health over most of their lives, but lower-income individuals with limited education do not have good health mainly due to their living conditions and habits (Stint-Morrow & Chui, 2012).

In the United States, a substantial amount of elderly adults do function reasonably effectively. But physical impairment does usually accompany the elderly. It should be noted that it is important to distinguish between normal physical changes of aging from physical changes caused

For the Adult Development and Aging class projects, interviewed three people of different ages about their work, social, relationships, and stress. Information was collected by student interviews. The data sample consisted of 96 participants, with 32 in each age group. The three age groups include early adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults. The mean age for each age group include 28 years old for early adults, 53 for middle-aged adults, and 75 for older adults. There were significantly more women than men in the study. The young adults were less likely to be married and a vast majority of the young adults had no children. Constantly, most middle-age and older adult had

Hi Jennifer, you brought up a great point about research conducted on older adults. This research showed that preconceived ideas about older adults are incorrect. Older adults do not go into a decline and deterioration as they age. Cognition and memory studies indicate that “older adults continue to develop intellect as they get older” (Nugent & Jones, pg. 230). Developmental theorists have begun to expand the idea of the elderly into three groups instead of one. Prior to this the elderly encompassed the age range of 65 – 90 years old and beyond. Today they are separated in three categories called “young-old 65-75, and old-old 75-85 and the oldest-old 85 and beyond” (Nugent & Jones, pg. 230).

People in the U.S. are living longer than ever before. Many seniors live active and healthy lives. But there's no getting around one thing: as we age, our bodies and minds change. There are things you can do to stay healthy and active as you age. It is important to understand what to expect. Some changes may just be part of normal aging, while others may be a warning sign of a medical problem. It is important to know the

Growing old is something that no one looks forward to. Elderly people face a number of changes that come with age in both the body and mind. I explored some of these challenges that they deal with by putting my feet into their shoes. I got to experience first hand what it was like to feel many of the physical ailments that afflict the elderly, such as hearing and vision loss, difficulty walking and a hunched posture. I will address what it was like experiencing these challenges as well as the natural causes behind them. Additionally, many people in very late adulthood need a caregiver to assist with their everyday life. I also took on that role as well and will explain the emotional and physical difficulties that caregiver’s face, especially those who are related to their patients.

Aging is simply the procedure of growing old. Ironically, the process is not that simple. With enhanced medicinal attention and living circumstances in developed nations have improved both healthiness and life expectation, from approximately 50 years in the early 1900s to over 80 years at the current time. Nevertheless, age is the foremost risk factor for the primary devastating and life-threatening conditions such as diseases related to loss of neurologic functions, cancer, and heart and blood vessels.

Although the physical aspect of ageing will be looked at separately the psychological and social aspects are intertwined and will be looked at together, since these two aspects have a significant impact on each other. For example, where a person lives, might impact on a person’s physical ageing process. ‘Older age’ is a stage of life which is known as older adulthood and it is the final stage of life, beginning

Jason has two best friends, Isaac and Chris. They enjoy biking together, playing video games, and hanging out. According to Jason, one of the most important aspects of a friendship is being able to trust them. Friendships aren’t always perfect, and his mom observes Jason and his friends arguing and fighting often. Overall, Jason is perceived as an extrovert. His teachers like him, but say he is very social and doesn’t sit still.

Robert Havighurst was born in 1990 in De Pere, Wisconsin. He attended public school in Wisconsin and Illinois. He earned many degrees and educational achievements. In 1918, he obtained his degree of Bachelors from Ohio Wesleyan University. He got his masters degree from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1922. Later on, he also got his Ph.D. Degree in chemistry from Ohio Wesleyan University.

With these themes on articles which returned during the course of the literature review it is evidential that there had been a continued interest in older adults by professionals in different fields or disciplines. Geriatric, elderly, seniors are words which may be used synonymously to older adults.