In the Chinese tradition and some other far eastern societies those people of age have been highly revered and taken care of. The people of the Igabo tribe from Nigeria understand the significance of their elders and see to it that they take part in the child rearing responsibility as well as tribal administration. In Eskimo societies the grandmother was sent packing on an ice flow to perish when it became obvious she was no longer of use.
In today’s western world we are more closely aligned to the Eskimo than the Igabo. The difference is our ice flows are called “Shady Meadows” and “Pinedale Lodge” or something close to that. Younger relatives do not give position to the elder folks and they abandon many as the Eskimo culture as a normal part of life, the final part.
The inclination these days is to do away with independent living for the aged, placing these folks in some form of supportive care facility. The government will often step in at some point and provide assisted or long term care once their assisted home care services are deemed to be insufficient. For the most part these decisions are made out of a financial need rather than some form of humane gesture on the part of the bureaucrats.
Throughout parts of North America, older individuals are being pressed into service as foster grandparents by child care services and this seems to benefit all who take part.
Several Definitions Concerning Aging
Just What Is Aging?
Aging: Aging takes place as an innately occurring experience and has to do with alterations that happen during the course of a person’s life time. The net result is dissimilarities in physicality and functionality during the process of time between younger and older age groups.
Gerontology: This is the acquisition of knowledge having to do with all things linked to aging from the perspective of science, psychology and sociology.
Geriatrics: This has been a previously neglected specialty of medicine that deals with health issues of the elderly.
Social Aging: This is the study of social customs and the role that individuals have regarding their culture and societal situations. It has been revealed that when social aging occurs the person often will undergo a modification of their social circles and interaction often suffers.
Biological aging: This has to do with how the body and its systems become altered in the declining years of a person’s life span. This can easily begin occurring prior to the sequential age of sixty five years.
Cognitive aging: Is when a person’s capacity to absorb the latest information is decreased. They also have difficulty retaining any novel skills or behaviors.
Normal Difficulties With Aging
Noted psychoanalyst and developmental psychologist, Erik Erikson, came up with the theory of human development involving eight phases post birth. Each of these life stages concerned differing divisions constituting best and worst case effects. What follows are the contradictory phases of life and their significance.
• Infancy. From birth to two years old – involves trust, basic trust as opposed to suspicion.
• Early childhood. From three to five years old. Independence as opposed to a lack of confidence/ shame. Wilfulness.
• Age of Play. Five to eight years old – enterprising as opposed to feelings of guilt. Purpose.
• Age of formal education. Nine to twelve years old. Industrious as opposed to feeling inferior.
• Adolescence. Thirteen to nineteen years old. Individuality as opposed to character uncertainty Faithful.
• Becoming a young adult. Familiarity as opposed to segregation. Love.
• Adulthood. Procreation as opposed to self desire. Care.
• Age of Maturity. Character and truthfulness as opposed to hopelessness. Wisdom.
The final phase, stage eight, the age of maturity and mature adulthood starts at around the time of mandatory retirement and continues for the duration of life. Arriving at a place of truthfulness of character or ego integrity is an indication of having arrived at maturity and not realizing this phase is a signal of poor adherence and growth during the previous phases of the life path above.
The definition of ego integrity or truth of character signifies that an individual has come to terms with their entire life and can look back on it in a positive fashion, according to Erikson – it is achievement. Integrity is when one fully accepts one’s self and is able to accept the fact they will die. Being able to be held accountable for the life one has led and be able to recount the previous years with a sense of satisfaction is of considerable importance. When a person cannot achieve this they suffer from despair and that person will start to fear their approaching death. Wisdom is achieved if a good balance is found somehow during this phase.
Emotional And Character Traits
There are emotional repercussions to aging. Apart from actually passing away, our realization that we are growing old might just be among the most severe jolts we experience. When we cross through that transparent gate of age sixty five each year becomes a point of reference for the remaining time we have. There is no confusion anymore about how old we are or if we are in the middle mature age phase – we are simply known as old, or as a senior citizen. Our ability to handle these changes and the stress of modified position now has much to do with our character and personality. What follows are a trio of general personality variations that have been recognized. It might appear to be oversimplified but the message is clear regarding personality:
• The Autonomous – these are folks who appear to be able to renew themselves. Perhaps they are determined to achieve some objective or idea and are devoted to maintaining a productive life. This may safeguard them from certain aspects of physiological aging.
• The adjusted – these are individuals who live via rigidity and do without the capability to adapt, though this aids in supporting their strength, prestige or well organized regimen. However, if their circumstances are altered in any significant manner they suffer psychologically.
• The anomic – These people are lacking in any clear or certain inner values and have no defensive vision for life. They have been defined as being too early to accept their fate and thus might decline quite quickly.
Understanding The Stress Associated With Growing Old
• Lowering of income levels and halting work. Many of us derive our sense of personal value from our work. It is our basic identity and a social net where we interact with others. Compulsory retirement can be disheartening.
• The nervousness of damage and death. There is an elevated chance of becoming seriously ill and the chance of recovering is a nonstop source of worry. If that individual has a stroke or cardiac event, this level of stress is even harder to manage.
Some people stare down death with a sense of aplomb, often due to a spiritual connectedness or philosophical provision they adhere to. Some might well invite death and accept it as a means of ending suffering or a way to put an end to unsolvable problems, having no concern for the value of life or their own existence. While some others will stare death down while experiencing severe stress and no coping mechanism due to a lack of ego defences.
• Segregation and seclusion. Older people are faced with inevitable loss of those precious to them, friends and loved ones, even enemies who were a reason to get worked up. When a spouse is lost, a person one has depended upon for companionship and support it can be very upsetting. The offspring of that union grow older themselves, move away and marry or just become distant. As one’s memory, vision and hearing start to fail, remaining sociable becomes tough to do.
Should these developments mean that person becomes bitter and their attitude becomes less flexible, their chances for socializing are lessened and this person probably will not take advantage of any social time that is available to them anyway.
• Sexual prowess and physical attractiveness are decreased. Experts in sexual functionality in men have determined that there is a gradual decline in sexual activity as age progresses and that a plausible pattern of satisfaction can certainly carry on into exceptionally old age. The older person must also learn to get used to losing some sexual attractiveness while surviving in a society that places extreme importance on sexual appeal. This modification in self image and how we see ourselves can be a tough transition to make.
• Influences contributing to self depreciation. Too often the knowledge of the more experienced generation is perceived to have little or no use to the issues facing the younger age brackets. Hence, the elderly age group is left out of many of the decisive moments in families and occupational environments. Parents can be perceived as being redundant burdens and their children must secretly want them dead so they can be liberated from the chore and attain some financial reward or benefit. The seniors might well begin to feel they really are a burden and this is contributory to their personal self depreciation.
Major Sources Of Concern Or Need
Health – Housing – Income Sustainability – Interpersonal Relationships
Physical Transformation:
Physiological alterations: Catabolism or [the collapse of protoplasm] surpasses anabolism or [the accumulation of protoplasm]. All body functionality and mechanisms are affected and the ability to restore itself is influenced. The process of aging has a unique rate of occurrence for every individual.
How We Look From A Physical Perspective And More Alterations:
As we lose subcutaneous fat and our epidermis becomes less supple we begin to form wrinkles and fight sagging skin. Our bodies lose their contoured shape and innately smooth lines. Joints are becoming stiff tightened and painful to move and our range of motion is more limited.
Breathing Changes:
There is an accumulation of fibrous tissue in our lungs and chest cavity and this will mean a restricted amount of respiratory movement with less oxygen consumption. The elderly are known to suffer from more respiratory infections and the younger folks suffer upper respiratory infections.
Nutrition Modifications:
Tooth deterioration and loss can reduce the joy of eating. Atrophying taste buds leads to food becoming tasteless and caregivers need to be aware of this. Changes in their digestive function occur due to a lack of exercise [intestinal stimulation] and a diminishing of digestive liquid production. Constipation and indigestion become common complaints because of this.
If financially strapped the elderly take to eating less expensive carb loaded diets rather than eating protein based diets with vegetables and this only furthers the problem. The result is a loss of vitamin ingestion and issues like anemia and a greater likelihood of contracting infections are a problem.
Adjustment To Stress:
Stress is a problem we face at any age. Adjusting to cope with stress takes energy and as we age we can ill afford to lose any energy. There are three main stage of stress:
1. Early alarm reaction. 2. Resistance. 3. Exhaustion.
If stress is allowed to carry on than tissue damage will begin to happen and aging starts to occur. The elderly have spent their entire lives dealing with emotional stressors. Their reserve of energy becomes diminished and that older person then surrenders to stress much earlier than a younger person might. Stress builds up over a lifetime. Studies reveal, including those performed on animals that each stress will keep us more susceptible to the following one and even if we feel we have bounced back entirely, the fact remains that each stress we suffer leaves scarring behind.
Additionally, stress is experienced in the mind and body so this means it does not matter which kind of stress we are dealing with. Physical stress might mean we are more prone to emotional stress and the reverse. Rest alone will not entirely rejuvenate a person subsequent to a stressful period. Caregivers need to be attentive to this and recognize the types of things that could potentially cause stress in the elderly.
Wed, Jul 7, 2010
Anti Aging, Anti Aging Theories, Gerontology, Longevity