Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books Saylor.org
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Most older adults maintain an active lifestyle, remain as happy or happier as when they were younger, and
increasingly value their social connections with family and friends - Although older adults have slower cognitive processing overall (fluid intelligence), their experience in the form of
crystallized intelligence—or existing knowledge about the world and the ability to use it—is maintained and even
strengthened during old age. - Expectancies about change in aging vary across cultures and may influence how people respond to getting older.
- A portion of the elderly suffer from age-related brain diseases, such as dementia, a progressive neurological disease
that includes significant loss of cognitive abilities, and Alzheimer’s disease, a fatal form of dementia that is related to
changes in the cerebral cortex. - Two significant social stages in late adulthood are retirement and dealing with grief and bereavement. Studies show
that a well-planned retirement can be a pleasant experience. - A significant number of people going through the grieving process are at increased risk of mortality and physical and
mental illness, but grief counseling can be effective in helping these people cope with their loss.
EXERCISES AND CRITICAL THINKING
- How do the people in your culture view aging? What stereotypes are there about the elderly? Are there other ways
that people in your society might learn to think about aging that would be more beneficial? - Based on the information you have read in this chapter, what would you tell your parents about how they can best
maintain healthy physical and cognitive function into late adulthood?
[1] Angner, E., Ray, M. N., Saag, K. G., & Allison, J. J. (2009). Health and happiness among older adults: A community-based
study. Journal of Health Psychology, 14, 503–512.
[2] Kennedy, Q., Mather, M., & Carstensen, L. L. (2004). The role of motivation in the age-related positivity effect in
autobiographical memory. Psychological Science, 15, 208–214.
[3] Myers, D. G., & Diener, E. (1996). The pursuit of happiness. Scientific American, 274(5), 70–72.
[4] Rubin, L. (2007). 60 on up: The truth about aging in America. Boston, MA: Beacon Press; Sroufe, L. A., Collins, W. A., Egeland,
B., & Carlson, E. A. (2009). The development of the person: The Minnesota study of risk and adaptation from birth to adulthood.
New York, NY: Guilford Press.
[5] Nemmers, T. M. (2005). The influence of ageism and ageist stereotypes on the elderly.Physical & Occupational Therapy in
Geriatrics, 22(4), 11–20.