Late Adulthood and Death Paper

The text states that young adults report a strong sense that those who die in young adulthood feel as if they would be cheated out of their future. This is something I could relate to. Being a young adult means having more days in front of you than behind you. You have a whole life to live out. It makes sense why young people feel this way toward death during young adulthood. I'm not so much afraid or death as I am the unknown. While I have religious beliefs that define death and its meaning; no human knows what death truly is until they die. The same way we did not know of our birth until we were born. We know about dying because it's not personal, we may experience it secondarily through the loss of a loved on or friend; but death is an experience

These stereotypes, however, are very far from the truth about what occurs during the late adulthood stage. They stem from a form of prejudice referred to as ageism (Berger, 2008). Gerontologists define ageism as “A form of prejudice used to categorize and judge individual based on their chronological age only” (Berger, 2008, p. 615). The issue of ageism can promote patronizing treatment toward persons in the late adulthood stage and even foster discrimination. For example, people in the West unconsciously process

Humans are born already aging. There is know way to stop the process of getting older. As people age it is important that services and rescores are set up to

As a person ages, theirs body cannot perform the way it used to. This will cause many elderly people to loose their job or choose to go into retirement. Both of these options cause a loss in health care as well and a reduced or exterminated income. Here alone lies a reason that the elderly population is challenged. The elderly population also has a tendency to develop a chronic illness that can be life threatening if not treated or controlled properly. This means that need for health care treatments also increases. At least 40% of those over age 65 will have nutrition-related health problems requiring treatment or management (Gigante, 2012). It is important to realize that 10% of people over the age of 65 and will develop Alzheimer’s disease and 50% of those over the age of 85 will develop this disease (Gigante, 2012). More elderly African American men and women use government aid than white men and women. Therefore, this population will be vulnerable because of the lack of funding, proper health care and insurance.

Modern society view’s aging as a form of sickness and the elderly as persons who are closer to dying and death. This is what is often portrayed in our mass and social media. When considering issues of aging sociologists have found that more positive characteristics are often said for persons under sixty five years than for over sixty five years.

The young old entering the 65 and over have a larger burden of lifestyle related diseases e.g. type 2 diabetes.

According to (Zastrow & Kirst-Ashman, 2016) there is a myriad of challenges facing older adults throughout their later years of life. The issues range from failing eyesight to aching joints, but the good news is that the aging process is an individual process. The bad news is that it is a process no human being can escape this process in the genetic makeup of every human on planet earth. Our voice weakens, our skin wrinkles, our gums in our mouth

Getting older can bring health challenges. By being aware of these common chronic conditions, you can take steps to stave off disease as you age.

The good news is, we are not victims of the aging process like our parents and grandparents believed. We do not have to surrender our health, freedom and independence once we hit “a certain age.” Instead, we can make healthy choices on a daily basis that will keep our bodies and minds working optimally so we can enjoy our lives fully.

As seen, daily exercise and staying active, a healthy diet, and avoiding substance abuse are common actions, across the board, that can be taken to aid in a healthier aging process. Furthermore, while there are many negative changes that take place during the aging process, it is important to understand that aging comes with great reward and benefits as

Growing older comes with many problems and the one of the big problems is ageism. We live in a culture that believes that younger is always better. This creates a problem for people as they age. They are often pushed out of jobs before they are ready to retire and then have difficulty finding a new one.

Unfortunately, aging is inevitable, and there is no way to reverse the process. However, the experts believe we can slow it down. But why do people age? According to Kathleen Berger, author of The Developing Person Through the Life Span, “hundreds of theories and thousands of Scientists have sought to understand why aging occurs” (688). The Wear and Tear Theory, “a view of aging as a process by which the human body wears out with age” (Berger), states that once our body wear out, it can no longer function correctly, because “organ reserve and repair processes are exhausted as the decade pass” (689). A range of things can damage some parts of our body system such as “exposure to the elements, or things in the diet, or pollution, or radiation” (Berger, 2014). However, as stated by Berger, this theory does not explain the whole aging process since some body functions benefit from use. “Exercise improves heart and lungs functioning; tai chi improves balance; weight training increases muscle mass; sexual activity stimulates sexual-reproductive system, [and] foods that

In addition, retaining physical and cognitive function becomes a major challenge, as well as the avoidance of debilitating mental illnesses such as depression and dementia.” All of the above draw the conclusion of why older adults are a key priority group. (Start Active, Stay Active, 2011)

Good health allows many aging adults to live a life of independence, productivity, and security. Unfortunately, most of this population will experience health or safety challenges due to chronic illnesses and mental health issues that can greatly affect their quality of life. The leading causes of death in people over the age of 65 are heart disease, cancer, and chronic

What is healthy aging? By definition, healthy aging is the “development and maintenance of optimal mental, social and physical well-being and function in older adults. This is most likely to be achieved when communities are safe, promote health and well-being, and use health services and community programs to prevent or minimize disease.” There are five critical areas that are important to consider and incorporate into daily living when trying to accomplish healthy aging. These five critical areas include tobacco control, physical activity, social connectedness, and healthy eating and falls prevention.