{"id":1396,"date":"2018-12-20T06:29:37","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T06:29:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/wm-lifespandevelopment\/?post_type=chapter&p=1396"},"modified":"2021-04-08T16:48:49","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T16:48:49","slug":"physical-development-in-late-adulthood","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-hvcc-lifespandevelopment4\/chapter\/physical-development-in-late-adulthood\/","title":{"raw":"Physical Development in Late Adulthood","rendered":"Physical Development in Late Adulthood"},"content":{"raw":"In this section, you'll learn more about physical changes in late adulthood. While late adulthood\u00a0is\u00a0generally\u00a0a time of physical decline, there are no set rules as to when and how it happens.\u00a0We are continually learning more about how to promote greater health during the aging process.\r\n
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Watch It<\/h3>\r\nWatch this clip from Marco Pahor, a professor in the University of Florida department of aging and geriatric research, as he discusses his research about ways physical activity affects the mobility of older adults and how it may result in longer life, lower medical costs, and increased long-term independence.\r\n\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=b6Q_KvvM_o4&t=16s[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Defining Late Adulthood<\/h2>\r\n

Defining Late Adulthood:\u00a0Age or Quality of Life?<\/h3>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_2254\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"300\"]\"Ernestine<\/a> Figure 1<\/strong>. 82-year old body builder Ernestine Shepard is quoted as saying, \u201cYou\u2019re not getting old; you\u2019re getting ready.\u201d[\/caption]\r\n\r\nWe are considered in late adulthood from the time we reach our mid-sixties until death.\u00a0Because we are living longer, late adulthood is getting longer. Whether we start counting at 65, as demographers may suggest, or later, there is a greater proportion of people alive in late adulthood than anytime in world history.\u00a0A 10-year-old child today has a 50 percent chance of living to age 104. Some demographers have even speculated that the first person ever to live to be 150 is alive today.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAbout 15.2 percent of the U.S. population or 49.2 million Americans are 65 and older. This number is expected to grow to 98.2 million by the year 2060, at which time people\u00a0in this age group will comprise nearly one in four U.S. residents. Of this number, 19.7 million will be age 85 or older. Developmental changes<\/span>\u00a0vary considerably among this population, so it is further divided into categories of\u00a065 plus,\u00a085 plus, and\u00a0centenarians\u00a0for comparison by the census.\r\n\r\nDemographers use chronological age categories to classify individuals in late adulthood.\u00a0Developmentalists, however,\u00a0divide this population into categories based on physical and psychosocial\u00a0well-being, in order to describe one's functional age. The \"young-old\" are healthy and active. The \"old-old\" experience some health problems and difficulty with daily living activities. The \"oldest old\" are frail and often in need of care. A 98-year-old woman who still lives independently, has no major illnesses, and is able to take a daily walk would be considered as having a functional age of \"young old\". Therefore, o<\/em><\/span>ptimal aging\u00a0<\/em>refers to those who enjoy better health and social well-being than average.\r\n\r\nNormal aging\u00a0refers to those who seem to have the same health and social concerns as most of those in the population. However, there is still much being done to understand exactly what normal aging<\/em> means. Impaired aging<\/em>\u00a0refers to those who experience poor health and dependence to a greater extent than would be considered normal. Aging successfully involves making adjustments as needed in order to continue living as independently and actively as possible. This is referred to as\u00a0selective optimization with compensation. Selective Optimization With Compensation<\/b>\u00a0is a strategy for improving health and well-being in older adults and a model for successful aging. It is recommended that seniors select and\u00a0optimize\u00a0their best abilities and most intact functions while compensating for declines and losses. This means, for example, that a person who can no longer drive, is able to find alternative transportation,<\/span>\u00a0or a person who is compensating for having less energy, learns how to reorganize the daily routine to avoid over-exertion. Perhaps nurses and other allied health professionals working with this population will begin to focus more on helping patients remain independent by optimizing their best functions and abilities rather than on simply treating illnesses. Promoting health and independence are\u00a0essential\u00a0for successful aging.\r\n
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Watch It:\u00a0Aging Successfully<\/h3>\r\nSystematic examination of old age is a new field inspired by the unprecedented number of people living long enough to become elderly. Developmental psychologists Paul and Margret Baltes have proposed a model of adaptive competence for the entire life span, but the emphasis here is on old age. Their model SOC (Selection, Optimization, and Compensation) is illustrated with engaging vignettes of people leading fulfilling lives, including writers Betty Friedan and Joan Erikson, and dancer Bud Mercer. Segments of the cognitive tests used by the Baltes in assessing the mental abilities of older people are shown. Although the video clip show below is old and dated, it remains an intellectually appealing video in which the Baltes discuss\u00a0personality components that generally lead to positive aging experiences.\r\n\r\n[embed]\/\/plugin.3playmedia.com\/show?mf=3935403&p3sdk_version=1.10.1&p=20361&pt=375&video_id=g2JXyl-gek4&video_target=tpm-plugin-rby9119c-g2JXyl-gek4[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n
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Try It<\/h3>\r\nhttps:\/\/assessments.lumenlearning.com\/assessments\/16650\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Age Categories<\/span><\/h3>\r\nSenescence,<\/b>\u00a0or\u00a0biological<\/b>\u00a0aging,<\/b>\u00a0is the gradual deterioration of\u00a0functional\u00a0characteristics.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_4932\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"499\"]\"Elderly Figure 2<\/strong>.The word senescence, can be traced back to Latin\u00a0senex,\u00a0meaning \"old.\" Lots of other English words come from\u00a0senex\u2014senile, senior, senate, etc. The word senate to describe a legislative assembly dates back to ancient Rome, where the\u00a0Senatus\u00a0was originally a council of elders composed of the heads of patrician families. There's also the much rarer\u00a0senectitude, which, like\u00a0senescence,\u00a0refers to the state of being old (specifically, to the final stage of the normal life span).[\/caption]\r\n

The Young Old\u2014<\/em>65 to 74<\/span><\/h4>\r\nThese 18.3 million Americans tend to report greater health and social well-being than older adults.\u00a0Having good or excellent health is reported by 41 percent of this age group (Center for Disease Control, 2004).\u00a0Their lives are more similar to those of midlife adults than those who are 85 and older.\u00a0This group is less likely to require long-term care, to be dependent or to be poor, and more likely to be married, working for pleasure rather than income, and living independently.\u00a0About 65 percent of men and 50 percent of women between the ages of 65-69 continue to work full-time (He et al., 2005).\r\n\r\nPhysical activity tends to decrease with age, despite the dramatic health benefits enjoyed by those who exercise.\u00a0People with more education and income are more likely to continue being physically active.\u00a0And males are more likely to engage in physical activity than are females.\u00a0The majority of the young-old continue to live independently.\u00a0Only about 3 percent of those 65-74 need help with daily living skills as compared with about 22.9 percent of people over 85.\u00a0(Another way to consider think of this is that 97 percent of people between 65-74 and 77 percent of people over 85 do not require assistance!)\u00a0This\u00a0age group is less likely to experience heart disease, cancer, or stroke than the old, but nearly as likely to experience depression (U.S. Census, 2005).\r\n

The Old Old\u201475 to 84<\/span><\/h4>\r\nThis age group is more likely to experience limitations on physical activity due to chronic disease such as arthritis, heart conditions, hypertension (especially for women), and hearing or visual impairments.\u00a0Rates of death due to heart disease, cancer, and cerebral vascular disease are double that experienced by people 65-74.\u00a0Poverty rates are 3 percent higher (12 percent) than for those between 65 and 74. However, the majority of these 12.9 million Americans live independently or with relatives.\u00a0Widowhood is more common in this group-especially among women.\r\n

The Oldest Old\u201485 plus<\/span><\/h4>\r\nThe number of people 85 and older is 34 times greater than in 1900 and now includes 5.7 million Americans.\u00a0This group is more likely to require long-term care and to be in nursing homes.\u00a0However, of the 38.9 million American over 65, only 1.6 million require nursing home care. Sixty-eight percent live with relatives and 27 percent live alone (He et al., 2005; U. S. Census Bureau, 2011).\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"188\"]\"Image Figure 3<\/strong>. Kirk Douglas, actor and filmmaker, is a centenarian.[\/caption]\r\n

The Centenarians<\/h3>\r\nCentenarians<\/strong>, or people aged 100 or older, are both rare and distinct from the rest of the older population. Although uncommon, the number of people living past age 100 is on the rise; between the year 2000 and 2014, then number of centarians increased by over 43.6%, from 50,281 in 2000 to 72,197 in 2014. In 2010, over half (62.5 percent) of the 53,364 centenarians were age 100 or 101.\r\n\r\nThis number is expected to increase to 601,000 by the year 2050 (U. S. Census Bureau,\u00a02011).\u00a0The majority is between ages 100 and 104 and eighty percent are women.\u00a0Out of almost 7 billion people on the planet, about 25 are over 110.\u00a0Most live in Japan, a few live the in United States and three live in France (National Institutes of Health, 2006).\u00a0These \"super-Centenarians\" have led varied lives and probably do not give us any single answers about living longer.\u00a0Jeanne Clement smoked until she was 117.\u00a0She lived to be 122.\u00a0She also ate a diet rich in olive oil and rode a bicycle until she was 100.\u00a0Her family had a history of longevity. Pitskhelauri (in Berger, 2005) suggests that moderate diet, continued work and activity, inclusion in family and community life, and exercise and relaxation are important ingredients for long life.\r\n
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Blue Zones<\/h3>\r\nRecent research on longevity reveals that people in some regions of the world live significantly longer than people elsewhere. Efforts to study the common factors between these areas and the people who live there is known as blue zone research<\/strong>.\u00a0Blue zones are regions of the world where Dan Buettner claims people live much longer than average. The term first appeared in his November 2005 National Geographic magazine cover story, \"The Secrets of a Long Life.\" Buettner identified five regions as \"Blue Zones\": Okinawa (Japan); Sardinia (Italy); Nicoya (Costa Rica); Icaria (Greece); and the Seventh-day Adventists in Loma Linda, California. He offers an explanation, based on data and first hand observations, for why these populations live healthier and longer lives than others.\r\n\r\nThe people inhabiting blue zones share common lifestyle characteristics that contribute to their longevity. The Venn diagram below highlights the following six shared characteristics among the people of Okinawa, Sardinia, and Loma Linda blue zones. Though not a lifestyle choice, they also live as isolated populations with a related gene pool.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"500\"]\"Venn Figure 4<\/strong>. Blue zones share many common healthy habits contributing to longer lifespans.[\/caption]\r\n