LATE ADULTHOOD
Physical Development
Myths
􀂄 Myth: Most persons age 65 and over live in hospitals,
nursing homes
􀂄 Myth: The elderly are incapacitated and in bed because
of illness
– Reality: 3/5 function without limitation
􀂄 Myth: Most elderly people are “prisonersof fear” by
virtue or their fear of crime
More Myths
􀂄 Myth: Most people over 65 are in serious
financial straits
􀂄 Myth: Most grown children live away from their
elderly parents and abandon them
Gender
􀂄 Women Live Longer Than Men
􀂄 The ratio of women to men is 4 to 1 in people
over 65
Health
􀂄 Nutrition and Health Risks
􀂄 Osteoporosis: a condition associated with
a slow, insidious loss of calcium that
results in porous bones
􀂄 Drug Dosages and Absorption Effects
􀂄 Health problems result from
overmedication and mixing medications
􀂄 Normal, healthy elderly take 11-12
prescriptions/year
Mental Health
􀂄 Mental Health and Depression
􀂄 Depressed elderly often do not seek
treatment.
Biological Aging
􀂄 Biological aging: changes that occur in the
structure and functioning of the human
organism over time.
􀂄 Primary aging: time-related changes; a
continuous process that begins at
conception and ceases at death.
Physical Changes
􀂄 Hair grows thinner and turns gray
􀂄 Skin changes
􀂄 Fat and muscle bulk decrease
􀂄 Wrinkling
􀂄 Collagen: substance that constitutes a very high % of total
protein in the body, appears to be implicated in the aging
process
Vision and Hearing
􀂄 Retinal detachment: a serious condition in which the retinal layer
at the back of the eyeball begins to “peel away.”
􀂄 Hearing loss
–Loss of memory ability linked with loss of hearing
Hypothermia
􀂄 A condition in which body temperature
falls more than 4 degrees Fahrenheit
and persists for a number of hours.
Sleep Changes
􀂄 Sleep patterns change
􀂄 Sleep apnea: a disorder in which the
person occasionally stops breathing
during sleep
Sexuality
􀂄 Many factors may influence a decline in
sexual activity as individuals age.
Biological Theories of Aging
􀂄 Genetic Preprogramming
􀂄 Aging Effects of Hormones
􀂄 Accumulation of Copying Errors
􀂄 Error in DNA
􀂄 Autoimmune Mechanisms
􀂄 Accumulation of Metabolic Wastes
􀂄 Stochastic Processes
􀂄 Longevity Assurance Theory