Late adulthood

Physical Development
Can We Help Each Other?

Gains
Wisdom
Growth with the Lord
Experience
Integrity
Becoming grandparents
Inner strength
Losses
Loss of brain cells
Loss of intellectual capabilities
Loss of energy
Loss of sex drive
Loss of friends & family
Late Adulthood

1- Negative attitudes about older people regarding competence & attractiveness
2- Identical behavior by an older person and a younger one is interpreted differently.
3- People use baby talk to address older people in nursing homes
4- Job discrimination
5- Misinformation
Ageism
Prejudice Against Older People

Society influence

The skin loses it’s elasticity and collagen , the protein that forms the basic fibers of body tissue.
Osteoporosis
Bones become brittle and fragile
Brought about by lack of calcium
25% of women over 60 have osteoporosis
It is the primary cause of broken bones
It is preventable with sufficient calcium and exercise.
Wrinkles

A reduction of the blood flow to the brain
The space between the skull and the brain doubles
The number of neurons declines in some parts of the brain, though not as much as was once thought
Digestive System
Produces less digestive juice
Is less efficient in pushing food through the system
The result is constipation
The Brain

The arteries harden
The blood vessels shrink
Reduction in the capacity of the heart to pump blood through out the circulatory system
A 75-year-old’s heart pumps less than three-quarters of the blood it pumped during early adulthood
The Heart

The overall processing speed declines in the peripheral nervous system.
It takes longer for information to reach the brain.
It takes longer for commands from the brain to be transmitted to the body muscles
1- The Peripheral Slowing Hypothesis

Processing in all parts of the nervous system is less efficient due to loss of neurons
They are unable to receive efficiently information from the environment to indicate a dangerous situation
Their decision process may be slower and their ability to remove themselves from harm is impaired
2- The Generalized Slowing Process

Lens becomes less transparent and the pupils shrink
The optic nerve becomes less efficient
Distant object becomes less acute
More light is needed to see
It take longer to adjust to a change from light to darkness and vice versa.
Driving at night becomes difficult
Reading becomes more of a strain
Vision

50% of adults over 75 have hearing loss
High frequencies are the hardest to hear
Hearing aids would be helpful 75% of the time, but only 20% of people wear them
Hearing aids amplify all sounds so it is difficult to discern conversations
Some people withdraw from society because they feel left out and lonely
Hearing

Progressive brain disorder that produces loss of memory and confusion
Drugs only help about 20%
Symptoms:
Unusual forgetfulness
Trouble recalling certain words
First recent memory goes, then older ones
Confusion and inability to recognize family members
Loss of muscle control
Alzheimer’s Disease

Results show no uniform pattern of adulthood age-related changes across all intellectual abilities
Fluid intelligence decline starting age 25
Crystallized intelligence stay steady or increase
Training can improve reasoning and spatial skills
Cognitive Development
Schaie’s Studies

Intelligence

Good health
High SES
Involvement in an intellectually stimulating environment
A flexible personality
Being married to bright spouse
Feeling self-satisfied with one’s accomplishments in middle and early old age
Lesser Declines in Intellectual Abilities Are Due to:

People are less likely to experience memory loss in societies where older people are held in high esteem
Memory losses occur primarily to episodic memory
Semantic memories and implicit memories are largely unaffected by age
Short-term memory declines gradually until age 70
Memory

Information presented quickly and verbally is forgotten sooner
New information is more difficult to remember because it is not processed as efficiently
Autographical memories follow the Pollyanna Principle, in which pleasant memories are more likely to be recalled
Memory

An expert knowledge system focusing on the pragmatics of life that involves excellent judgment and advice on critical life issues , including the meaning of life and the human condition; wisdom represents the capstone of human intelligence.
Wisdom

1976 35
1900 47
1996 74
2050 80
Life Expectancy