Late Adulthood Interview Essay

For this report I interviewed my great grandmother, Margaret Westphal, about the changes she is encountering within each domain throughout late adulthood. Last April she celebrated her 76th birthday and appears to be aging successfully according to John Rowe and Robert Kahn (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 462). Rowe and Kahn define successful aging as maintaining physical health, cognitive abilities, being involved in social and productive activities, and being satisfied with life. (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 462). When asked questions regarding the physical domain, several things my grandmother mentioned are common changes that occur in late adulthood. At age 75 she had surgery to remove cataracts in both of her eyes. Cataracts occur when the lens of the eye …show more content…
440). More than 60% of adults over the age of 75 are affected by cataracts (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 440). My grandmother also commented on how she tries to avoid driving in the dark. This is likely due to it being difficult for the pupils to dilate or constrict in response to light or darkness (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 397). The final visual difference mentioned was that she has become farsighted. She said she typically holds items, such as a newspaper, farther away to obtain an improved view of it. These changes are collectively referred to as presbyopia (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 396). Presbyopia is defined as the normal loss of visual perception, especially difficulty focusing on near objects (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 396). When questioned about differences in hearing she said, “I know I do not hear as well as I used to”. Normal hearing loss that occurs as one ages is called presbycusis (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 397). Another change in hearing my grandmother has experienced is tinnitus, or a ringing sound in the ears (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 440). My grandmother has worked in an office with persistent, loud sounds. Although it is not certain, tinnitus could possibly be caused by exposure to noise (Boyd & Bee, 2012, p. 440). Regarding her