■Losing mental abilities.Alzheimers is one of several
different root causes of senility, a gradual or sudden
loss of cognitive function (thinking, reasoning, and
memory). But less than 5 percent of the elderly
develops any of the types (American Psychiatric
Association, 2007). Some decline in learning and
memory does occur after 70, but usually it is more
of a nuisance than a tragedy, forgetting where you
left your keys rather than forgetting your children’s
names. Even “nuisance” memory loss can be com-
bated by continuing to learn and seek out new expe-
riences. Seventy-three thousand elderly people are
currently enrolled in college (National Center for
Education Statistics, 2003). Some scholars believe
that lifelong education will become as important as
education for the young.
■Being alone. Some degree of loneliness is inevitable
as long-term family and friends die or move away,
but 71 percent of elderly men and 44 percent of el-
derly women live with a spouse or romantic part-
ner, and a sizeable percentage live with relatives
other than their spouses: 21 percent of White, 43
percent of African American, 49 percent of His-
panic, and 59 percent of Asian elderly (Wilmoth,
DeJong, and Himes, 1997; Fields and Casper, 2001).
Many others live with nonrelatives.
■Having nothing to do.This is usually a character-
istic of income rather than age: It takes money to do
things. The poor are likely to have nothing to do regard-
less of their age, but middle-class and affluent elderly
tend to be more active in sports, hobbies, and religious
and community groups than the middle-aged who are
busy with their children and careers.Nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of those surveyed by the
Washington Postnamed “dying” as their number one fear
about growing older, but only recently has death been asso-
ciated with old age (Levine, 1999). From ancient societies
through the European Middle Ages, poor nutrition, sanita-
tion, and health care meant that the end of life often came in
childhood, young adulthood, or middle age. The elderly
(which meant anyone over 40) were not viewed as waiting
for an inevitable decline and death but as very lucky to have
cheated death for so long.
Today we see a similar pattern in many nonindustrial
countries. The leading causes of death offer a clue. In
Bangladesh, they are pneumonia, respiratory failure, acciden-
tal poisoning, and diarrhea. These diseases and accidents
afflict young bodies more often than old and are fatal only
when the immune system is compromised by poor nutrition
and health care is inadequate.
AGE AND IDENTITY 359TABLE 11.2
BIRTHRATE
RANK COUNTRY (BIRTHS/1,000 POPULATION)1 Niger 50.73
2 Mali 49.82
3 Uganda 47.35
34 Haiti 36.44
50 Iraq 31.98
93 India 22.01
103 Mexico 20.69
107 World 20.05
117 South Africa 18.20
133 Turkey 16.62
134 Brazil 16.56
153 United States 14.14
169 Australia 12.14
173 France 11.99
183 Canada 10.78
186 United Kingdom 10.71
207 Japan 9.37
222 Germany 8.25
223 Hong Kong 7.29Source: CIA,World Factbook, 2006.Selected Birthrates Worldwide80604020AGE1900 1950 1970 2000 2004
YEAR
White women White men
Black women Black menFIGURE 11.2Life Expectancy at Birth,
United StatesSource:Data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006.