Aging Essay

off of a sample of 319 American and 235 Dutch people between 40 and 85 years old, they found that a youthful age identity and more positive personal experiences of aging were positively related to identity and self-esteem. (Westerhof, G. Whitbourne, S. Freeman, G; The Aging Self in a Cultural Context: The Relation of Conceptions of Aging to Identity Processes and Self-Esteem in the United States and the Netherlands). This being said, it is expected for an elderly person to become depressed when…

Fear of Aging I truly have not considered whether I am afraid to grow old, upon debating if I am afraid or not, I don’t think I am afraid to grow old. I agree with how Morrie viewed aging, you retain more knowledge and wisdom as you age, and I think that wisdom is a valuable aspect of the aging process. I am not afraid to grow old because it’s the natural occurrence of life, all things have a beginning and an end, I just don’t see a reason for myself to fear the inevitable. I think there are…

stereotypes and lack of understanding the changing lifestyle, may lead me into states of uneasiness and confusion about life in general. Although I do not think that I will experience problems with race or sex, there are still problems associated with aging. By this point, I would imagine my role within my family to be the grand mother. I would like to have all of my children moved out of the house, and potentially living farther away than preferred. Along with this, I would likely be retired at…

As always, it was wonderful to hear from an MGS alumni, who is experienced in the field of aging. It was not surprising that people find it weird to have a degree in gerontology to work for the older population. His journey seems fascinating as he had an interest in serving older adults, since his early age. It is understandable that being in a decision making position is not as easy as a pie. I can imagine how a person at his position has to deal with stakeholders, service providers and the…

Aging Care and Problems with Taste Most seniors over the age of 60 will lose some of their ability to taste. This is typically associated with a loss of the taste buds on the tongue and in the throat. The loss of taste is less common than the loss of smell, however, the loss of smell is directly tied to taste. In general, people have five "tastes" that they experience when something comes in contact with the taste buds: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and savory. These tastes do not tell us much…

When addressing safety for older people, the bathroom can be considered a dangerous room. According to the National Safety Council, about 70% of home accidents occur in the bathroom (Friedmann, 2014). Restricted mobility from the natural effects of aging along with the chronic diseases of arthritis and osteoporosis provides getting safely in and out of the shower/bath a primary concern for the elderly and their caregivers. One of the measures of the…

What can be done to prevent vision and hearing losses with aging? Aging also affects vision and hearing. With age, the elderly' vision and hearing deteriorate. The lens muscle fibers lose their elasticity and become rigid which decrease the ability to focus properly. Additionally, the pupils become smaller which makes their eyesight less accurate. The older adults also have problems seeing at night and are very sensitive to brightness. Presbycusis is defined as “reduces the ability to hear, s,…

Aging and Social Welfare Policy Early in the history of the United States the family was largely responsible for the care of the elderly. This is still important today, however, due to the longevity of life now and the unavailability of people these days to accomplish this, our government established some guidelines to accomplish this task. Older Americans Act of 1965 The Older Americans act of 1965 (OAA) was formed in 1965 to assist the elderly. There are numerous services provided by the OAA…

the past, or both. The memory loss may be for a short time and then resolve (transient). Or, it may not go away, and, depending on the cause, it can get worse over time Normal aging can cause some forgetfulness. It is normal to have some trouble learning new material or needing more time to remember it. But normal aging does not lead to dramatic memory loss. Such memory loss is due to other diseases. Some people can easily remember an event from 50 years ago but then…

There are many things that come with aging. Some people say they become wiser with age, or that they are looking forward to retirement. If a person does not take care of themselves then getting older could also come with a ton of health issues. One of the most common health issues that a person getting older can face is high cholesterol. Eating too much red meat, fried foods, or fatty foods can cause a person to have high cholesterol. Over time high cholesterol begins to clog arteries,…