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For young people, time seems to have no end. But, as time passes we suddenly realize that the number of remaining years is limited. The realization that we are growing old can be traumatic. Our ideas about and attitudes toward aging are very important in how well we cope with and enjoy the passing years. Some psychological characteristics of aging get passed down from generation to generation through our genes. Others can result from real or perceived changes in our bodies as we age (eg, mental or physical limitations). Social and cultural differences also affect how we deal with aging. Men and women think about aging differently, because of biological, social, and psychological differences between the sexes. For example, women tend to live longer than men, so they generally experience more losses of family members and friends. All these factors influence our overall well-being as we age.
How Our Minds Change as We Age Losing mental function is perhaps the most feared aspect of aging. In fact, the fear itself often begins to wear down our quality of life. We begin to believe the stereotype that we are losing (or will lose) our mental function. T his can lead to loss of self-esteem and withdrawal from others. However, mental function does not have to decrease with age. Our fears are usually groundless. Learning The ability to learn continues throughout life, although we may learn in different ways as we age. Older people often require more time and effort to absorb new information. We may need to read instructions more carefully to be able to organize and understand new information. As we get older, we tend to avoid learning things that are not meaningful or rewarding to us, or that cannot be linked to one of our other senses, such as sight or hearing. The reasons for these changes in learning are not known, but they may be partly caused by changes in our sight, hearing, and other senses that we use for memory. Memory Older people may have trouble remembering some things, but not others. Short-term memory (ie, less than 30 minutes) worsens as we age. Although we often hear that long-term memory (weeks to months) also worsens as we age, this may depend more on getting information into our memory, rather than remembering it later. Very long-term memory (months to years) is basically permanent, collected through a lifetime of day-to-day education and experience. This type of memory increases from the age of 20 to about the age of 50 and then remains essentially the same until well after 70. Most of us learn to adapt to changes in learning and memory. We slow down and do things more carefully. We think about things a little longer to remember them. We may avoid new or strange environments. As a result, any memory losses may not even be noticed until we experience a major life change, such as moving or the death of a spouse. Reaction time As we age, we tend to process information at a slower pace. This means it takes longer to figure out what is going on and what to do about it (if anything). Most of this "slow down" is caused by changes in the nervous system over time. We tend to slow down even further when doing tasks that require more thought or are more complicated. When an event is a surprise, we are particularly slow to respond. However, older people tend to make fewer mistakes in their responses than younger people. Intelligence Whether intelligence declines as we age is hotly debated. Although overall intelligence stays about the same throughout life, older people don’t do as well as younger people on many standardized intelligence tests. In formal tests of performance, older people also slow down with age–but, they make fewer mistakes. This is because we learn to value correctness as we age. So although we may be slower to respond, our answers are more accurate. We tend to be more cautious and less willing than younger people to make a mistake in judgment, which is a valuable characteristic in many real-life situations. Life skills You should keep in mind that most intelligence tests do not address things that we deal with in our daily lives. For example, older people tend to do better than younger people on tests that deal with practical activities, such as using a telephone directory. In fact, as we age, most of us get much better at being able to manage our daily affairs. It is usually only in times of stress or loss that we may be pushed beyond our limits, and having a support network to help us cope is very important. Older adults can continue to gain support, care, respect, status, and a sense of purpose by interacting with younger people. And younger people can learn from the experience, cultural meaning, stability, and continuity of older people. Stresses Older adults often must face a great number of stresses that can be caused by a broad range of events and situations. Stresses can be physical or social. They can be an ongoing part of day-to-day life, or caused by sudden traumatic events. Common stresses for older people include the following:
Stress often affects our physical health and can have an even stronger effect on our mental well-being. Too much stress can be associated with a number of psychological and physical conditions, such as anxiety, headaches, and ulcers. Caregiving Chronic diseases and conditions affect most older adults. Family members, especially spouses, are most often the caregivers. More than 44 million Americans (mostly women) care for family members of all ages. Many older adults are also caregivers for another family member. Although caregiving can be rewarding, it is also very stressful. Caregivers have twice the risk as others for mental and physical health problems (eg, burnout, substance abuse, depression, etc). They are also more than twice as likely to be taking medications to relieve anxiety or stress. Social isolation, family disagreements, and financial hardships are common problems associated with long-term caregiving. Caregivers can benefit greatly from training, information, and support. Programs that provide education, counseling, and behavioral therapy can decrease the stress of caregiving. Support groups for individuals with specific diseases (eg, Alzheimer support groups) often have information about support programs for caregivers. Loss and grief As we get older, the death of friends and family becomes more common. Losing and grieving for a spouse is one of the most traumatic situations commonly faced by older adults. More than 1 million spouses (mostly women) were widowed in the United States in 2003. This number is estimated to increase to 1.5 million every year by 2030. Other losses that may also cause grief include loss of sight or hearing and losses in function caused by illnesses (eg, trouble walking from arthritis). These and other negative life events place a heavy burden on older adults. Most people grieve intensely for 6-12 months after a major loss. Generally, we feel depressed and withdraw from others. After about a year, we begin to accept the loss and start to interact more with friends and family. Going through the grieving process is an important part of emotional healing, and we shouldn’t try to ignore it or pretend it isn’t there. Getting treatment for depression can also help avoid the mental and physical health problems associated with a grieving process that goes on far longer than usual. (See also Depression and Other Mood Disorders.) Changing roles as we age People shift through many roles throughout their lives. We are children, parents, friends, workers, patients, students, sports enthusiasts, artists, etc. One of the most dramatic changes involves retirement. When older adults retire, they leave work and social roles that likely provided economic rewards as well as social status. In addition, older people may find that there are changes in their personal relationships after retirement. For example, spouses may find themselves spending much more time together than they ever did before. Older parents may add the role of grandparent or even great-grandparent, which brings both new rewards and new demands. Losses in function may place older adults in the position of asking for help, rather than providing it. Similarly, another’s losses may place someone in a caregiving role. These role changes can be stressful and affect mental and physical health. Social status Many social factors affect how we think about ourselves and how others think about us. Our sex, race, and economic status all affect our real and perceived social status. These factors also can affect the resources that are available to us to help cope with aging and health. For example, it’s difficult for poorer people to use support programs or community activities that cost money. Ethnic or cultural backgrounds may also have a major effect on our outlook and how we deal with situations. For example, women from some cultures do not feel comfortable exercising in public. Many people are uncomfortable discussing some illnesses. Others may agree to only those treatments that are acceptable in their culture. Some cultures view hospice care as a wish to bring about the death of the person. Similarly, a procedure like autopsy may strongly violate certain cultural or religious beliefs. Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress Everyone must learn to manage both the stresses caused by major life events and the routine stresses of day-to-day life. Too much stress can greatly affect our physical health and ability to function, as well as our mental health and overall well-being. This includes enthusiasm for life and the ability to enjoy social interactions. Problems caused by stress often relate to how we deal with the stressful situation. There are positive ways to deal with stress, even when the stress is beyond our control (eg, the death of a loved one). Learning positive behaviors can improve how we understand and cope with stress. For example, we can learn how to take more control of a stressful situation. We can also become more aware of social services and programs that are available. Family counseling and therapy can also strengthen social relationships with family and friends. Belief in yourself One of the best ways to cope with all kinds of stress is through a strong belief in yourself and your ability to deal with situations. Believing in yourself has many positive effects on health, both physical and mental. The way a person deals with a stressful situation has a big effect on what happens and how he or she feels about it. This is true for many kinds of stress, including those related to disease, loss in function, and changes in social roles. In fact, feelings of self confidence and personal control can go a long way toward improving function and overall quality of life, even in the face of physical disability. Benefits of Believing in Yourself and your Ability to Control Situations
More good news is that there are effective ways to strengthen your belief in yourself. Your sense of personal control and self confidence increases when you succeed at something new or when you see others like yourself succeed. Encouragement and empathy also can increase self confidence and a feeling of personal control. A number of training programs are available for improving performance in specific areas. Examples include programs to reduce the fear of falling or to stick with an exercise regimen after a heart attack. Coping strategies Coping strategies are emotional and mental responses that help us deal with stress. They provide positive reinforcement and reinforce self-esteem. There are many coping strategies that we can try. For example, thinking confidently and optimistically in the face of bad news might help us meet the challenge and increase the likelihood of a good result. Another coping strategy that people tend to adopt with age is to cut down on the number and kinds of things they do, but to keep doing those activities that they like the most and do well. In other words, people spend more time doing a few selected activities and getting the most enjoyment from them. Although performance and abilities may lessen over time, you can continue to do the things you like, but perhaps you might simplify them. For example, a person who enjoys preparing fancy dinners might choose a simpler main course that he or she has prepared many times, along with several simple side dishes. Social involvement Participating in family and community activities is a major source of personal satisfaction. Being involved plays an important role in improving self-esteem and giving meaning to life. This is true for people of all ages, but is especially important for older adults. Becoming more involved and finding ways to contribute to the broader world can improve overall well-being. There are many ways to get involved, including providing family assistance (eg, baby sitting), participating in group activities, volunteering, and even taking a job. Social involvement also helps to fight depression, which is more common among those who withdraw from their friends, family, and community. Social isolation is a strong risk factor for health problems and early death. Social networks Social networks provide many benefits that improve our overall well-being. Social networks provide emotional and physical support in times of crisis. For example, family and friends can support older adults through the death of a spouse or close friend. They can also provide help if an older adult experiences functional losses. However, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to rely completely on social networks. Older people, particularly men, who receive too much assistance may be less motivated to manage and overcome a disability. If a person receives too much help or isn’t encouraged to care for themselves, permanent disability can result. So although the social network is very helpful, the person should also be encouraged to regain maximal function.
Having social relationships that are enjoyable and meaningful is more important than having a large number of social interactions. Close personal relationships, such as a happy marriage or close relationships with family or friends, seem to be the most important. However, close relationships that are filled with disagreements and conflict work in the opposite direction. Having a large social network can have both positive and negative effects. A large social network offers the opportunity for greater involvement and contribution. However, a large social network also means a greater number of losses (death or disability) within the network. Spiritual or religious involvement Religion plays an important part in the lives of many older adults, who are generally more actively involved than younger people in religious services and practices. More than 50% of all older adults report frequent attendance at religious events. This involvement generally has overall benefits. Religious activity contributes to social interaction and encourages involvement. Healthy behaviors Healthy behaviors have positive effects on overall well-being at any age. Positive behaviors include the following:
Although these are physical behaviors, they are also important psychologically and socially. For example, older adults with strong feelings of personal control and self-esteem are more likely to practice healthy behaviors. Similarly, healthy behaviors are likely to promote self esteem and feelings of accomplishment in older adults. Strong social networks generally encourage healthy behaviors, making them easier and more enjoyable. Seeing friends and family gain health benefits from exercise encourages a person to increase his or her physical activity as well. For example, an older adult may be able to join a friend or family member on daily walks or tai chi classes. |
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Published: 3/15/2005