Adulthood is a period of many changes. According to Castro & Skirts- Ashman, “Later adulthood is the last major segment of the life span” (p. 587). Individuals who are in going through their later adulthood are experiencing and dealing with an immense amount of emotions and feelings. There are several areas of an Individual’s life that are effected by later adulthood. An Individual’s work life, health, marriage, living situation, family relationships, and social relationships are all hinges that can be affected In some way by later adulthood.
It Is Important for one to understand to the best of their ability the processes and events that take place In later adulthood, because It Is something that almost everybody will eventually experience. During the stage of later adulthood Individual’s roles In life begin to change. “Older people are erroneously thought to be senile, resistant to change, inflexible, incompetent workers, and a burden on the young” (Castro ; Skirts;Ashman, 2010, p. 642). Individuals entering later adulthood were once young, energetic, and thriving in the work field and are now viewed negatively by society.
The older an individual becomes, the less energy they may have because their bodies may not be as physically fit as they once were. This may cause them to not be able to participate in activities that they may have once enjoyed doing. For example, a person may drive a car to where they need to be every single day of their life, but then lose their ability to drive a car during their later adulthood stage. Getting used to being without a car ND depending on others or public transportation can be a huge change in life. Role changes like these can cause an individual to develop low self-esteem.
Castro and Skirts-Ashman suggest that, “Older adults who want to work and are still performing well should be encouraged to continue working past age 65 or 70” (p. 660). If older people who are still able to perform well continue to work, it will help develop a more positive and meaningful role for them in our society. Many times in later adulthood individuals lose their spouse and must adjust to living at home alone. Sometimes they fall ill or are Just no longer physically capable to take care of themselves so they move In with their children or other family members.
Sometimes moving in with family can be hard to deal with. It can cause stress on the whole family because the family may not have enough time and energy to take care of an elderly person plus their normal work and family life. It can be hard on the Individual as well because they have played the “parent” role their whole life and now must abide by other people or even their children’s rules. The Individual ay feel scared that they are Invading others privacy and being a burden. They may be worried that their new roommates will change who they are by changing eating habits, or smoking habits, or other habits they may have.
Health care Is Important, and many times family members are unable to provide It to their elderly loved ones. Nursing homes are an alternative to living alone, moving in with incapable family. Care they provide” (Castro & Skirts-Ashman, 2010, p. 656). There are some nursing homes that simply provide room and board and minor assistance and then here are other nursing homes that provide 24 hour around the clock skilled nursing care. Usually the more medical attention giving nursing homes tend to be more expensive.
However, according to Castro and Skirts-Ashman, “Nursing homes were created as an alternative to expensive hospital care and are substantially supported by the federal government through Medicaid and Medicare” (p. 656. ) Medicaid and Medicare are insurance plans that can help older individuals with their medical expenses so that money isn’t a huge issue adding to the stresses already being aired. When retirement is thought of, it is thought of as never having to work again and endless leisure time to do whatever is dreamed of.
However, this is not the case for many individuals in later adulthood. Not all individuals can afford to be retired, but have to because they are not physically capable of working anymore. According to the article Life Review and Art Therapy in Late Adulthood by Charlene Slovakian Taylor, “When individuals fail to successfully master the developmental challenges during nee stage of life they face increasing problems trying to master the developmental crises of the next”. There are some that retire, and then continue to work to supplement their retirement income.
Even those who can afford to be retired start to feel bored with life and useless because they no longer have work to do every day. Some retirees have a hard time adjusting because they made their Job a part of their self-image, and now have to find a new one. Other retiree’s enjoy their leisure time and continue to self-develop and build on their social relationships. This stage of life is a stage that most people will have to go through because as long as we’re alive, we’re constantly aging.
We look at older adults and see them as wise, strong, independent individuals. We now know that later adulthood brings on many stressful situations and burdens, and unpleasant realizations. It isn’t so easy growing old and becoming less independent. It is important for people to understand the needs of the older people in the world’s population. They need support and comfort during their hard times in later adulthood. The more we understand, the less the chances of developing institutionalism and role loss are.
