...Late Adulthood and Death Paper Late Adulthood and Death Paper In regards to late adulthood and death, there are many complex and complicated sub topics that can surround this main topic. It is important to understand this though, and to be able to understand this will give you a better insight into how to deal with this. Every human being will be lucky to experience late adulthood, because there are some people who unfortunately don’t ever have the chance to live into their later life. This paper will go into detail about ageism and stereotypes as it pertains to today’s society. Health and wellness at this time is also very important to learn about and to apply to every day life when you are within your late adulthood timeframe. This paper will also discuss the importance and having relationships and social interaction; this will be a primary source of mental health. Last, this paper will go into detail about cultural and personal attitudes; this will be key when it comes to your behavior and view of yourself and others. Ageism and Stereotypes To begin, ageism and stereotypes related with late adulthood describes is known to be ones prejudice or discrimination that happens because of age. When thinking about ageism, we must look at the disconnection theory (Cumming & Henry, 1961) that suggests adults voluntarily decrease contact with society, rather than experiencing isolation later and the disappointment not selected. Other ageism statements describe older people being...
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...Late Adulthood and Death PSY/280 June 30, 2014 "Late adulthood is a time of reflection, enjoying friends, family, and grandchildren, and maintaining health in preparation for the final years of the lifespan. Although genetics play a significant role in the quality of life during these final years, individuals who modify destructive lifestyles and embark on healthier options will experience an improvement in their health and sense of wellbeing (Berger, 2008). During this stage of adulthood, older adults remain socially active and independent rather than subjecting themselves to isolation and withdrawal (Berger, 2008). As more aging adults continue to live healthy, socially active lives and maintain important family roles, it is important to refrain from stereotypical thought and the negativity of ageism, which can contribute to their premature decline. With technology and high quality medical care, aging adults continue to be a valuable resource for younger generations. Healthy habits and daily routines are essential for promoting health and wellness into late adulthood. Smoking, excessive drinking, lack of exercise, and overeating cost many individuals their ability to maintain an active and independent lifestyle as they age (Berger, 2008). Exercise and a healthy...
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...Late Adulthood and Death Paper Late Adulthood and Death The final years of an individual's lifespan mark the time for reflection of one's life while also spending time with family, including grandchildren, and maintaining physical and mental health throughout the entire stage of late adulthood. Quality of life in late adulthood is determined by genetics, the modification of destructive lifestyles and behaviors, and selecting healthier options not only throughout the earlier stages of development but especially in this stage for improvements to health and having an overall sense of well-being (Berger, 2009). Remaining socially active and independent for as long as possible instead of succumbing to isolating is key during this stage of adulthood (Berger, 2009). In the stage of late adulthood living socially active, healthy, and physically active lives while maintaining important family roles is very important , which illiminates some stressor of aging that may be brought on by negative and stereotypical thoughts of ageism which will assist in their premature decline. High quality medical care assisted by technology can provide aging adults comfort knowing they are helping to protect and safeguard younger generations as science learns from the older generations. Ageism and Stereotypes In late adulthood, there are a lot of stereotypes and misunderstandings of older adults (Emotional and Social Development in Late Adulthood, n.d.). Ageism and perceptions against someone’s...
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...Running Head: LATE ADULTHOOD & DEATH Late Adulthood and Death Paper Late Adulthood and Death The final years of an individual's lifespan mark the time for reflection of one's life while also spending time with family, including grandchildren, and maintaining physical and mental health throughout the entire stage of late adulthood. Quality of life in late adulthood is determined by genetics, the modification of destructive lifestyles and behaviors, and selecting healthier options not only throughout the earlier stages of development but especially in this stage for improvements to health and having an overall sense of well-being (Berger, 2008). Remaining socially active and independent for as long as possible instead of succumbing to isolating is key during this stage of adulthood (Berger, 2008). The more adults in this stage of aging that live socially active, healthy, and physically active lives while maintaining important family roles the more individuals will be refraining from the negative and stereotypical thoughts of ageism which will assist in their premature decline. High quality medical care assisted by technology can provide aging adults comfort knowing they are helping to protect and safeguard younger generations as science learns from the older generations. Ageism and Stereotypes In late adulthood, there are many stereotypes and unfavorable understandings of older adults (Emotional and Social Development in Late Adulthood, n.d.). Ageism...
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...Late Adulthood: Death and Dying Late adulthood (old age) is generally considered to begin at about age 65. Erik Erikson, a famous psychoanalyst, suggests that at this time it is important to find meaning and satisfaction in life rather than to become bitter and disillusioned, that is to resolve the conflict of integrity vs. despair. Integrity occurs when the individual can look back on the events of earlier life with pleasure about what has taken place and the people one has helped to develop, and a sense of having lived a complete life (Carducci 193). Despair occurs when the elderly individual looks back on his or her life with a sense of incompleteness about what has not been done or will never be done and realizes that his or her time on earth is running out (Carducci 193). In late adulthood, attitudes about death shift: anxiety decreases, hope rises. According to the text, “this shift in attitudes is beneficial…many developmentalists believe that one sign of mental health among older adults is acceptance of mortality, increasing altruistic concern about those who will live after them” (Berger 580). There are three proposed explanations for the relatively low level of fear of death among older adults: “(1) they may accept death more easily than others because they have been able to live long, full lives; (2) they may have come to accept their own deaths as a result of a socialization process through which they repeatedly experience the death of others; and (3) they may...
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...Late Adulthood and End of Life Verna Gillespie PSY/375 January 22, 2012 Dr. Lynn Seiser Late Adulthood and End of Life Life is a series of continuous ebbs and flows. Life span development goes through the cycles and stages of infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early or emerging adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood; it is the definitive culmination to the end of life (Berger, 2008). Descending toward the end of life in late adulthood can be despairing, but it does not have to be if one has psychologically prepared for and has accepted that death is inevitable. Senescence, primary aging and secondary aging each take place at this stage, but perspective, quality, and joy of life is still relevant. Eric Erickson, psychologist, defines the late adulthood stage—ages 55 or 65 to death, basically as adults assessing what their lives have cultivated throughout its development. Erickson’s theory of the final stage of development sequence is “integrity versus despair” (Berger, 2008). According to Berger, Erickson proposes in this eighth stage that the two opposing forces reference: Life brings many, quite realistic reasons for experiencing despair: aspects of the present that causes unremitting pain; aspects of a future that are uncertain and frightening. And, of course, there remains inescapable death, that one aspect of the future which is both wholly certain and wholly unknowable. Thus, some despair must be acknowledged and integrated as a component...
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...Late Adulthood and Death Vee Dubb PSY/280 September 8, 2012 Jones Adam Late Adulthood and Death Most people agreed upon that “whatever has a beginning must come to a halt or reaches climax eventually”. The race of one’s life begins at conception in the womb and ends with death. This stage of life is a period of reminiscing, socializing with friends, family especially grandchildren, and maintain a sustainable health as one journey’s to dying. Meanwhile, human growth and development study made us understand that the race of one’s life is in stages from the point of conception to an infant, to a childhood stage, to an adolescent stage, to an adulthood stage, to an elderly, and finally to end of life and the study as well made us understand the extensive changes throughout lifespan; Consequently, it is known the reason why most toddlers says “No”, and why many adolescent pay attention to their body without criticizing any stage of these lifespan stages. The same concept is applicable to elders or late adulthood people and having a discriminatory ideology towards a person because of his/her age or people of late adulthood stage would be considered uncivilized or uneducated act or a novice to the study of human growth and development. Late adulthood can be a challenge because of the signs of aging from middle adult continues and increased as one aged. Late adulthood individual may face with significant changes including brittle bones, hearing impaired, visual problems...
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...University of phoenix | Issues affecting the aged | | Aging is something that everyone goes through and there is nothing a person can do to prevent it. The older a person gets the more changes they go through. A person image changes dramatically the older they get. Throughout this paper information on the biological changes that can happen to elderly people in the late stages of adulthood, how health and fitness can affect the aging process, and the differences between the decrease in memory, language, and problem solving abilities in late adults with the benefits of their practical knowledge and their life experiences they offer. The paper will explain many biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors that can get in the way and affect people’s way of coping with dying. Finally the paper gives information on how grieving the loss of a loved one can be influenced by individual and circumstantial factors. There are many biological changes that occur in late adulthood. These changes include memory loss and many physical changes. The older a person gets the more problems they have with respiratory/circulatory systems, they have more constipation, they lose bone mass, they lose strength in their muscles, they get drier skin, their skin becomes loose, their hair begins to fall out, and they begin to have less sensitivity to sensory modalities like taste, touch, hearing, and vision (Cliff notes, 2000-2012). Health and fitness affect aging in many...
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... the loss of friends and the inevitable thought that death is around the corner. Learning to eat properly and recognizing the need to learn coping skills in order to deal with the loss of independence as well as the loss of friends and loved ones. When talking to adults who are in the late stages of adulthood about what they would do differently in order to feel better and prolong their life, they say that they would definitely change their eating habits to eat healthier and get some more physical exercise and make sure that it is enough to promote cardiovascular health. Physical exercise and diet can be the key to holding off the onset of diabetes and heart disease. Not to mention that good physical health can slow down the aging process and prolong the deterioration of muscles and strength. Eating the right foods can also promote good skin and slow the aging process that breaks down skin tissue and elasticity. Adults in the late stages of adulthood start to lose their memory. They may not be able to remember what they had for breakfast or what they did yesterday but they can remember their life stories and the wisdom they gained from their experiences. If they have suffered some medical issues they may have problems articulating their words and processing language, but they can still explain to you how things worked in their time and discuss what life was like when they were growing up. A common theme among the adults interviewed was to make sure that they reminded people...
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...Late Adulthood and Death Danielle Tate Psy 280 Debra Julian February 22, 2015 Examine ageism/stereotype When you consider ageism, you think about people being labeled as other's sees fit. It's just another term to judge or deny people of their humanity. When you think about people in their late adulthood what comes to mind? Some may think about gray hair, saggy skin, dentures, and a wheelchair. So my question is why? According to (Palmore, 2005, p. 90) “Ageism is a social disease, much like racism and sexism” in that it considers people as part of a category and not as individuals, creating “needless fear, waste, illness, and misery.” The more people grow and develop, they will learn that aging must go on. Promoting health and wellness As you age, the rate of your heart slows down, making the blood vessels in the arteries stiffen that cause the heart to work harder to pump blood. There are many ways to promote heart health. You can start by making physical activity a daily routine. When your body is in motion, it prevents high blood pressure, so blood vessels want to stiffen. Eating a balanced meal and getting the proper amount of rest are also important. To mitigate the adverse effects of aging, stay socially and mentally active to prevent memory loss. According to Alzheimer’s Association 2015, eighty-one percent of people age seventy-five in older declines in memory. Doing things to challenge your mind like playing Sudoku or chest are ways for older individuals...
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...Late Adulthood and End of Life Paper Yvonne Harris PSY/375 Matthew Warren 21 November 2011 Late Adulthood and End of Life Paper As one progresses through the many stages of life and eventually die, there are easily identifiable periods of growth; yet the older one gets the more indiscernible relative changes become. This paper will discuss late adulthood and death, placing emphasis on the following: how individuals can promote health and wellness into late adulthood and mitigate the negative effects of aging, an analysis of ageism and stereotypes associated with late adulthood, an exploration of different views of death and dying at different points in human development, and an examination of the attitudes of various cultures towards death and dying. Getting older does not have to mean that one gets sicker. Of course as we age our reflexes slow and the passage of time may appear more noticeably on one’s face. Yes we do get older, all of us; it is called senescence. Senescence is the process of aging and all humans go through it. But as previously stated one does not need to get sicker just because they get older. Some of the ways to promote wellness in an older adult include but are not limited to the following: exercise and dieting, eliminating unhealthy habits such as smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, and establishing healthy personal relationships. Older adults should be proactive in the pursuit...
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...one step closer to death. Biological, psychological, social and cultural factors can all affect the capacity for coping with death. Fry states that death is considered a natural part of life that disrupts life’s plans and can cause immense pain (1990). Often in religious communities death is welcomed as a better place than being here on earth. Individuals are encouraged to accept that death is a natural part of life and offer coping mechanisms to grieve. Younger individuals tend to see death as being far off into the future whereas an individual in late adulthood is experiencing the thought of death on a daily basis. As a young adult we live life in the fast lane and take many things for granted. Illness and disease can also affect how the aged cope with death. Suffering from cancer, heart disease and other serious disease can cause extreme fear of dying. If he or she is biologically unstable dealing with death may lead to an unhealthy acceptance of death or lead to one taking part in dangerous and risky behaviors. Ineffective coping skills can lead to emotions of depression, fatal illness and suicide. When death is sudden or unexpected people are not allowed the time to prepare mentally and can lead to feelings of loss and confusion. Losing a friend, spouse or loved due to murder, accident or war can make the process of grieving hard and difficult to accept. A death that is prolonged can also affect how an older adult copes with death and how close the adult was to the deceased...
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...2014 Luanne Mauro Atkinson Late Adulthood Development Report The stage of late adulthood starts, by the time an adult reaches 65. The phase of retirement becomes a reality; during the stage of late of adulthood people are very firm, in their beliefs about life. Many adults will think gracefully about their journey of life, yet many will look back, wondering if they have made the right decisions with their lives. Reaching the late adulthood can be hard for some adults, especially when there hasn’t been any planning for, health care coverage, housing, and financial support. Because all of these things come into effect to help, determine healthy living for later adults. Adults, who haven’t arranged for their senior years, tend to have regrets wishing they can rewind life’s time clock. Although later adults fear the talk of death, it is important for them to make arrangements. The fear of death is normal for later adults; it can cause a sense of despairing, which can precipitate later adults into having regrets, about how they conducted their life. During the years of late adulthood, many adults can develop a sense of depression due to the fact; usually by the time of retirement, there’s a reduction in activity. This is why it’s very important, for late adults to stay productive, during this stage of life. Staying productive can reduces the feelings, that the choices seniors have made in their lives aren’t right. The feeling of regret for late adults can cause; contrite, or remorse...
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...Late Adulthood and End of life PSY/375 Late Adulthood and End of Life There are numerous changes that take place during different stages of development from a child to an adolescent and beyond to adult. Changes in development in late adulthood are not as progressed as in the earlier stages of life (Preisser, 1997). Developmental stages in one’s life are an important part of the journey of life. Discussion on the end of one’s life is not a pleasant one, but it is something that everyone has to go through when it is the end of one’s life span and developmental process. Psychologist Erikson, expressed that the stages of life is a journey and when one reaches late adulthood, he or she comes to terms that his or her life path is at its end (Preisser, 1997). Erikson expressed that when one reaches late adulthood to accept his or her life and look at life in a positive manner. Integrity not despair is this stage of development according to Erikson. When an individual has a sense of integrity he or she is fully accepting his or her self, accomplishments, and can come to terms with mortality (Preisser, 1997). Once an individual can accept responsibility for what he or she achieved in life and undo any negative feelings on what his or her life portrayed this is the essential part of life. There are some individuals who have skepticism or misery over what he or she accomplished or did not accomplish in his or her life, and his is a result of thoughts of despair. When...
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...part in adult’s choices that they make throughout their early, middle, and late adulthood years. Some of the issues that play a part in the lifestyle changes for adults are married, divorced or single, kids or childless, addictions, jobs, siblings, and childhood experiences. All of the issues help to explain many of the lifestyle changes that adults make over the years. Early adulthood is the years from 20-40 years of age. They can bring many changes in a person’s life. Some may choose to get married, have children, and go to either work or college or attempt to do while others may choose a different route. At this stage of their lives he or she is still attempting to find themselves and to adjust to the “real world.” This is also the time when they move out of their parent’s house and into their own or share a place with their friends. By the age of 40 they should be settled down and have grown up and have become responsible members of society. At this stage relationships between friends and romantic relationships may begin to change also. Friendships from childhood and adolescence could become less important and he or she may begin to pull away from former friends seeking other friends. As the adult ages they may have a few friends left from their younger years but they have changed and have developed new friendships with other people. Romantic relationships may change with the young adults deciding that they want to meet other people and may want to date others...
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