Life-Span Development in
Late Late Adulthood
dealing with end of life
developmental tasks and issues
Caitlyn Andrews
Vanessa Barriga
Anna Clark
Jennifer Jaber
Beth Lee
Alisa Meyer
Agenda
•
Relationships
 Vanessa Barriga
•
Physical Health
 Caitlyn Andrews
•
Brain Changes
 Anna Clark
•
Mental Health / Behavioral Health
 Alisa Meyer
•
Death and End of Life Preparation
 Beth Lee
•
The Best Parts of Being at Late Late Age
 Jennifer Jaber
•
Age Groups
 Level two
•
Life Expectancy
 Level two
•
Stereotypes
 Level two
•
Work and Retirement
 Level two
•
Theories
 Level two
•
Religion
 Level two
•
Political Issues
 Level two
•
Social Support and Integration
 Level two
•
Friendship
 Level two
Vanessa Barriga
• Statistics
Level two
• Level 3
• Romance and Sex
Level two
• Level 3
Vanessa Barriga
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT4KovVUc78
Vanessa Barriga
• Marriage Statistics
Level two
• Level 3
• Divorce and Remarriage
Level two
• Level 3
• Cohabitation
Level two
• Level 3
• Grandparents, Parents
Level two
Vanessa Barriga
• Problems and Prevention
• Alzheimer’s
Caitlyn Andrews
• Brain Shrinks and Slows
Level two
• Level 3
• Neurogenisis and Enriched Environment
Critical Thinking
Exercise
• 30 mins, 3x a week
• Prevention
Includes specific dietary changes
• More antioxidants
Caitlyn Andrews
• Decrease in Brain Lateralization
Similar to that of young adults
Caitlyn Andrews
• Synopsis
Shorter in Height
Drop in weight
Lose muscle
Move more slowly
• Prevention can also Decrease Disability
Regular walking
Regular exercise
Caitlyn Andrews
• Vision
Level two
• Hearing
Level two
• Smell and Taste
Level two
• Touch and Pain
Level two
• Level 3
• Changes in Sexuality
For Men
Caitlyn Andrews
• Arthritis
Level two
• Level 3
• Osteoporosis
Level two
• Level 3
• Accidents (increased danger)
Level two
• Level 3
Caitlyn Andrews
• Alzheimer’s Disease
Personal reflection
•
Caitlyn Andrews
• 7 Ways Exercise can Improve Quality of
Life
Level two
• Level 3
• Importance of Diet & Risk of Malnutrition
Dangers of Low Weight
• Level 3
Caitlyn Andrews
• Cellular Clock Theory
Level two
• Level 3
• Free Radical Theory
Level two
• Level 3
• Mitochondrial Theory
Level two
• Level 3
• Hormonal Stress Theory
Level two
• Level 3
Anna Clark
• Effects of Brain Shrinkage
Level two
• Level 3
• Effects of Brain Slowing
Level two
• Level 3
• Reduction in Neurotransmitter Production
Level two
• Level 3
Anna Clark
• Neurogenisis
Level two
• Level 3
• Dendritic Growth
Level two
• Level 3
• Rewiring
Level two
• Level 3
• Lateralization
Level two
• Level 3
Anna Clark
• What is Depression?
Level two
• Research Findings
Level two
• Level 3
Alisa Meyer
• Studies
Level two
• Level 3
• Gender?
Level two
• Level 3
• Predictors
Level two
• Level 3
• Treatment
Level two
• Level 3
Alisa Meyer
• Fear
Level two
• Level 3
• Crimes
Level two
• Level 3
Alisa Meyer
• Abuse – How often does it occur?
Types
• Level 3
Institutional Abuse
• Level 3
Alisa Meyer
• Affect and Outlook
Level two
• Level 3
• Self Esteem
Level two
• Level 3
Alisa Meyer
• Erickson Theory
Level two
• Level 3
• Activity Theory
Level two
• Socio-Emotional Selectivity
Level two
• Level 3
• Selective Optimization with
Compensation Theory
Level two
• http://helpguide.org/mental/depression_elderly.htm
Alisa Meyer
• Know the psycho-social aspects of Death
among the elderly
Elder death touches everyone at some time
Counselors often serve as
• Containers of difficult or awkward feelings
• The neutral party who can raise important
topics
• Theorists and researchers consider
Awareness (insight)
Increasing certainty in a culture that denies it
Temporal nearness (salience)
Qualitative nature of preparedness
(developmental tasks)
• Cultural definitions of a “good death”
Beth Lee
 Elderly people think and talk readily about death
• Non-institutionalized more frequently
• Institutionalized, less opportunity
– “the belief that discussing death creates a negative mental
framework and self-image that may interfere with the best
possible client care” (Leif, 1982)
 More thinking and talking than preparedness
• 74% have a will, but only 53% & 65% spoke to family &
friends about end of life wishes
Beth Lee
Schrader, Nelson, & Eidsness (2009)
• Existential Definition
It's not that
I'm afraid to
die, I just
don't want to
be there when
it happens.
Woody Allen
Beth Lee
Although the physicality of death destroys us,
it is the idea of death that saves us (Yalom, 1980)
Death is the condition that makes it possible for
us to live in an authentic fashion (Heidegger, 1926)
• By allowing us to embrace our possibilities
and limits
• Boundary pressure drives choices towards
authenticity
• This is the death driven developmental task of
late late age
• Geriatric care providers (medical, behavioral,
pragmatic) encounter DA daily in clients and
their families
 May impair the ability to make unbiased decisions
 May prevent the flow of information, sometimes
against the law (Sinoff, et al, 2008)
 DA on the part of care givers may obstruct an
elderly person’s right to die naturally
• 4 out of 5 people would prefer to die at home
(Hine, 1979)
• DA is functionally two constructs:
 Fear of death
 Fear of the dying process
• DA as a function of age
 Peaks in middle- age
 All but disappears in elderly (Twelker, 2006)
Beth Lee
Death Anxiety as a Function of Age
Sinoff, Iosipovici, Almog, & Barnett-Greens (2008)
• Cultural Sensitivity about Death rituals requires
investigation
 In the US, preparedness for death has a legal and
psycho-social component
 Excellent resource on emerging ritual:
http://www.dailyundertaker.com
Beth Lee
• Emerging EOL Traditions
 There’s an app for that….
• Kaddish, the Jewish Mourner's prayer, is recited publicly every day for
11 months after a parent's death as a reaffirmation of faith. This
requirement can be difficult for many to fulfill properly though, as the
prayer is in Aramaic. Now there is help in the form of an iPhone app
to tutor mourners in the pronunciation of this important prayer.
• Bosan, which in Japanese means grave honoring, is a newly
released iPhone app from KnowledgEx which allows you to
register information about and carry photos of a loved one’s
grave, as well as photos of the deceased. Whenever you want and
where ever you are in your busy schedule, you can virtually
honor the grave of your loved one with a prayer, along with
offerings of incense, flowers, food and water.
Beth Lee
Jennifer Jaber
Benefits of Late Late Adulthood
Jennifer Jaber
• Positive Aspects being studied
 Growing subject
• Level 3
• Factors linked with Successful Aging
 Active lifestyle
 Positive coping skills
 Good social relationships
 Support
 Absence of disease
• Being Active is especially important to
successful aging
 Level two
• Level 3
• Self -efficacy
 Control over the environment
 Positive attitude
 Result: higher levels of happiness
Jennifer Jaber
• Felice News
Not for profit based in Toronto that tells only
good news
•
http://www.felicenews.com/the-five-best-things-about-getting-older.html
Late Age gives you ready made excuses!
• Failing memory (even if your hearing is fine!)
• Hearing loss (selective hearing)
• Other people get to take care of you
• Freedom to do what you want
•
Jennifer Jaber
Secrets of the Centenarians - NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/10/19/health/20101018-centenarians-voices-photos.html
Jennifer Jaber
Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.
Mark Twain
1855, aprox 20 yrs old
Jennifer Jaber
Much older:
Be good, and you will be lonesome.
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Second Page
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references
Lieff, Jonathan D. (1982). "Eight reasons why doctors fear the elderly, chronic illness, and death." Journal of Transpersonal Psychology 14, no. 1:
47-60.
May, R., & Yalom, I. (1989). Existential psychotherapy. Current psychotherapies (4th ed.) (pp. 363-402). Itasca, IL US: F E Peacock Publishers.
Schrader, S., Nelson, M., & Eidsness, L. (2009). 'South Dakota’s dying to know': A statewide survey about end of life. Journal of Palliative
Medicine, 12(8), 695-705.
Sinoff, G., Iosipovici, A., Almog, R., & Barnett-Greens, O. (2008). Children of the elderly are inapt in assessing death anxiety in their own
parents. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 23(11)
Twelker PA. 2006. The relationship between death anxiety, sex, and age. Internet resource available at URL:
http://www.tiu.edu/psychology/deathanxiety.htm
Yalom, I. (2008). Staring at the sun: Overcoming the terror of death. The Humanistic Psychologist, 36(3-4), 283-297.