Authors put forward this disengagement theory that older people would naturally tend to withdraw from social involvement with others as they get older; older people would have restricted opportunities to interact with others due to reduced health and social opportunities (Aldworth, Billingham and Connor, 2010). I shall now discuss the activity theory. It has been argued that older people needed to disengage, but that they also needed to remain ‘active’ in order to prevent disengagement going too far. Bromley said ‘It is not sufficient merely to provide facilities for elderly people. They need to be educated to make use of them and encouraged to abandon apathetic attitudes and fixed habits.’ Too much disengagement would lead to ‘stagnation’ and a loss of mental and physical skills.
Lifestyle choices often can be a cause of ageing as damages to body systems such as high cholesterol diets causing Coronary Heart Disease or being out in the sun a lot causing the wrinkling of skin. Hormonal control Women usually experience a major decrease in the hormone oestrogen following the stage of menopause where a women stops having her periods, meaning she is not able to have any more children. This decrease in oestrogen is associated with osteoporosis. Women are more at risk of having osteoporosis than men because bone strength is influenced by the reduction of osteoporosis. Some people may be more at risk of osteoporosis than others because osteoporosis may be influenced by genetic inheritance.
Critics point out that often this disengagement is enforced, rather than voluntary; someone who needs to move to a nursing home, for example, experiences a restriction of her social circle as her friends may not be able to visit, and may start to die, leaving her with fewer connections. Activity Theory: The activity theory suggests that as people get older their ageing process will be more successful if they maintain their roles and responsibilities as they did when they were younger this is if they continue to occupy themselves with activities and keep a positive outlook on life. As people engage in activities, they are influenced by the roles they play and are assigned by society, and the rules dictated for people in those
Physical Development Mdm Y belongs to the young-old category which is 65-74 years old. The physical development of elderly causes changes to their bodily system. The sensory system have reduced sensitivity due to aging like blur vision. The musculoskeletal system restricts movement due to the changes in her muscle and bone functions. The cardiovascular systems causes accumulation of fatty material in the heart muscle and arteries, and can contribute to high blood pressure.
The lack of mobility can have a bad effect on service users’ physical and mental health. The service user may put on weight. This is because they would rely on their mobility aid getting them around everywhere and they wouldn’t be exercising very much at all. As they aren’t very mobile once they have gained the weight it would be very hard for them to lose it again. The service user is likely to develop a low sell-esteem.
Dementia is most commonly associated with the elderly, therefore a younger person may find it more difficult to access help and advice as it is less common in younger people. They may still be working at the time of diagnosis, have financial commitments, dependant children to look after and it may have a greater impact on their social life. The younger you are the more likely you are to get an early diagnosis, meaning the individual might have a greater understanding of how dementia will affect them compared to an older person with dementia. Being diagnosed as an elderly person is different because they tend to not have as many commitments and may find it
Holahan (2004) also adds that “decades of exposure and use take their toll on the body as wrinkles develop, organs no longer function as efficiently as they once did, and lung and heart capacities decrease. Other changes include decreases in strength, coordination, reaction time, sensation, and fine motor skills” (p. 298). There are some physical changes that affect women and men differently. A hormonal change in women through middle adulthood is known as menopause.
When we get old our lenses changes and become hard and cloudy and it gets stop by cataracts from changing shape or transmit light. Hearing: - older people find it very hard because of the nerves cell in the inner ear may decrease and from the wax in the outer ear that prevent them to hear. Menopause Menopause is a normal part of ageing. It is not a disease or disorder. Women who have symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats may decide to use hormones like estrogen because of the benefits, but there are also side effects and risks to consider.
Older Adults sexuality is often an awkward and unaddressed topic due to a lack of education of staff, or family ties to the older adult. Life expectancy and the growth of the elderly population needs to induce change. Long term care facilities as well families need to recognize the potential for a sexual life to provide satisfying lives as they age. Physicians and caregivers should be open and willing to communicate with a resident about intimacy if residents desire to convey the issues they may have with sexual encounters. The elderly, particularly those in nursing homes are subject to ageism with regards to the topic of sexuality.
Physical changes during Middle Adulthood For those in middle adulthood, aging is a part of life. Physical appearance is the most obvious change during middle adulthood, such as thinning and gray hair, wrinkles, the need for reading glasses, and some hearing loss. The hair may become thinner due to a decrease in the replacement rate, and grayer because of the production of melanin. Midlife physical changes take place more gradually. Because of the “loss of fat and collagen in underlying tissues” the skin will start to wrinkle and sag (Santrock, 2011).