Brian, Jayden, Alli, Catherine

Section 5.2: Old Age

Attitudes Toward Aging

•Peoples’ attitude towards the elderly is highly based on the decremental model of aging, which is the idea where physical and mental decline with age.

•This is false because elderly’s health is determined by genetic makeup and environment factors

•The view on the elderly is based off the lack of contact creating ageism or prejudice against the old

Attitudes (Con.)

•The younger generations have stereotypes for the elderly (they live in poverty, don’t do anything, etc.)

•The view that the elderly get inflexible and senile with age is also false.

•Senility is a cause of disease, not age.

Changes in Health

•After adulthood your strength and senses decline 1% every year.

•They get sick just like the youth do•40% of the elderly suffer from chronic

disease like heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and arthritis.

•Because of poor economic conditions and biased doctors, the elderly don’t seek help.

Changes in Life Situation

•As you get older, the changes in your life become more negative and can lead to depression.

•However, the elderly are still able to learn new skills.

•One big change is the loss of a spouse. At 65 20% of men and 50% of women are widowed

Changes in Sexual Activity

•It is a common misconception that the elderly are no longer sexually active.

•The main reasons an elderly person would refrain from sex is either severely declining health or a loss of spouse.

•They may also stop because they feel that it is socially inacceptable.

Adjusting to Old Age

•As the elderly lose control of their environment, their quality of life can drop

•The elderly need to remain active in their community or active in general to maintain their happiness.

Changes in Mental Function

•The elderly are still smart but just in a different way.

•The elderly excel in crystallized intelligence which the ability to use knowledge and learning in appropriate situations.

•Youth excel in fluid intelligence where abstract thinking allows for new ideas to be created.

Senile Dementia

•Only a small percent of people develop senile dementia.

•In senile dementia people’s cognitive thought deteriorates.

•The most common form that affects over 4 million people is Alzheimer's Disease