Living Into Late Adulthood to Death Essay

PSY280
07/25/13

Aging and Living till the End of Life

According to the dictionary ageism is “prejudice or discrimination against a particular age-group and especially the elderly.” As people continue living year after year after year, they begin to age and grow old. With age come physical change, changes in health, and mental changes. Although men and women vary in life spans, both began to slow down and experience life changes as they move from middle age into late adulthood. When we think of aging, living to 80 years and above, some may think life is over. The elderly have always been stereotyped that when you grow old, you “lose it”, your mental faculties leave, physical appearance changes drastically and you slow down as your health begins to decline. Some elderly become sick with diseases that take a toll on family members and caretakers. However, growing old is Mother Nature’s way of saying you have lived a full life. As we age into the higher years, we began to lose their friends and relatives. But, age has its positives such as you are more knowledgeable, educated and more familiar with life. By this time, you are content with life as it is and most of all you may even happy with yourself (Dittmann, 2003). According to the United States Census in 2000, people 85 years and above make up the fastest-growing section in the United States. Currently there are 35 million folks aged 65 years old and above. By the year 2030, there will be twice as many older adults in the world. Ageism in America is affected by persistent illness and disease, such as arthritis, diabetes and heart disease, as well along with older adults disabled from falling and other injuries. Diabetes affects more than 10 million people 60 years and above. Every year seven out of 10 Americans live with acute illness and die from the disease. People in late adulthood should be taught to practice healthy living. These programs are critical to older adults. AOA has created nationwide partnerships that concentrate on community-based health, prevention, and wellness programs. This partnership was between the Health and Human Services Agencies, the National Council on Aging (NCOA), and other philanthropic organizations. These programs were established to increase self-efficacy, lower health service utilization, and allow the older adults to embrace wholesome self-management performance (Administration on Aging, 2013). Caring for a senior-aged friend or family member can be a real challenge—particularly if he or she has an illness or a chronic condition. Our seniors have an increased chance of type 2 diabetes; they experience depression along with sleep issues. Most of them want to continue driving although they are more likely to crash than any other age group. Our aged seniors are more likely to fall and break brittle bones that take longer than normal to heal. There are health prevention programs that empower our seniors to implement healthy changes, improve their health condition, and better control their acute illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. There is an increasing need to provide Self-Management Training on Diabetes to older adults. Nationally, diabetes affects 18% of all older adults on Medicare. Care for those with diabetes account for 32% of all Medicare costs (Administration on Aging, 2013). With health and wellness prevention, our aging seniors are able to live a healthy life. Most communities provide exercise programs for seniors. My 75-year-old mother attends a senior facility at least 3-4 times a week to exercise which she affectionately refers to as “getting revved” as in revved up. Her exercising regiment helped her recuperate and regain movement faster from knee replacement surgery. She maintains her health by keeping doctor appointments, taking prescribed meds as instructed, exercising regularly, and keeping busy. Although she is aged in years, mentally and physically she is mitigating the

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