Margaret J Meehan LATE ADULTHOOD 65 YEARS ONWARDS

Margaret J Meehan LATE ADULTHOOD 65 YEARS ONWARDS

LATE ADULTHOOD This is an area in psychology that has been neglected. v This is beginning to change, as people live longer nowadays. v There is now more interest and research being done in this area of late adulthood. v In Ireland a longitudinal study researching the lives of older people (TILDA) has been launched. v The information gathered will be used for policy formation and implementation to enable successful ageing in Ireland. Margaret J Meehan v

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT Young-old Margaret J Meehan people appear physically young for their actual age. Old-old people appear physically frail and show signs of decline.

PHYSICAL CHANGES Margaret J Meehan Some of the following changes are witnessed during old age. Individual variation must be taken into account. Loss of brain weight increases after 60 years. Neurons lost in visual, hearing and motor areas of the brain. Vision and hearing become increasingly impaired. Heart rate slows, as does blood flow. Sleep patterns change, and less sleep is needed. Appearance of skin continues to change, age spots develop. Loss of weight and height after 60. Muscle strength and flexibility decline

THE HEALTH OF THEOLDER POPULATION IN IRELAND Life Margaret J Meehan expectancy in Ireland for both men and women is the lowest in the EU. By the years 2011 -2021 the number of people over 65 is expected to increase. This will pose significant problems in our health and social services.

COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Reintegrative. Older adults look back over their lives, to make sense of life. The older person learns to be selective in using more limited energies. Legacy creating. The older person attempts to ensure that some part of them will continue after they are gone. Margaret J Meehan Schaie’s Stages of Cognitive Development. Reorganisation. This stage is marked by retirement. Cognitive tasks involve the reorganisation of life around new interests and pursuits.

PAUL BALTES DUAL-PROCESS MODEL This dual-process model draws on the fluid and crystallised intelligences theory. v It attempts to measure what aspects of intelligence are likely to improve or deteriorate with age. v Mechanics of intelligence are the brain’s ‘hardware’: physiologically based and involved in information-processing and problem-solving, declines with age. v Pragmatics of intelligence- culture based ‘software’ practical thinking, expertise and wisdom, continues to develop until very late adulthood. v Margaret J Meehan

SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT Margaret J Meehan Erikson’s integrity vs. despair –the final stage of Erickson’s theory of psychosocial development. Integrity – positive outcome- associated with a feeling of satisfaction with one’s life and achievements. Despair – negative- individual believes they have made many mistakes in their life and that it is too late to correct them. An individual in ‘despair’ may not be accepting of death.

LEVINSON’S SEASON OF MAN Late Adult Transition. (55 -60) The transition to late adulthood, opportunity to reflect upon successes and failures and enjoy the rest of life. Ageism and the Cohort Effect. This refers to the way lives can be influenced by social change, change in attitudes towards older people. Have attitudes towards older people changed in the last 50 years? Margaret J Meehan

THE EXPERIENCES OF IRISH ELDERLY PEOPLE Research carried out by Horkan and Woods (1986) highlighted some of the issues facing elderly people in suburban Dublin. The research explores the social changes and difficulties experienced by older people. Four themes were identified. q ‘Life has changed’ q ‘Life can be lonely and isolated’ q ‘Life can be dangerous’ q ‘Life can be difficult’ Margaret J Meehan

The authors argue that if older people are to continue living in the community we must be more aware of the issues facing them. For more information visit www. ncaop. ie Margaret J Meehan goal of the research was to highlight the issues facing older people and heighten public awareness of the problems they face.