SPONGE 5.What do you look forward to in adulthood? 6.As you age throughout adulthood, how can you keep your mind and body healthy? List one way each. Growth and Development, Day 3

Growth and Development Section 3: Adulthood and Aging

Aging into Adulthood After adolescence you become an adult, able to be independent and to take care of yourself. Even adulthood is just the beginning – most people will live another 50 to 60 years after they reach this stage. The average male will die at age 72, the average female at age 80.

The Stages of Adulthood Early adulthood: –In their twenties most people feel a need to share their lives with another person. For many, that need is met by marrying and beginning a family. –This is a time when a people often reconnect with their families because they are more mature and do not live with their parents or siblings. –This is also a time when most people begin a career.

Middle Adulthood Middle adulthood takes place in a person’s 30’s, 40’s and 50’s. Advancing in their jobs is a key goal for many people at this age. Adults this age often gain fulfillment by helping young people, therefore middle adulthood is a time of raising a family.

Late Adulthood People in their mid 60’s and beyond often look forward to retirement during late adulthood. They also look back on a whole life full of memories. Hopefully they have accomplished much and can enter these years feeling content and financially comfortable.

Age Age is measured in 3 different ways: –Chronological age is your age measured in years. –This is the traditional way to determine one’s age – by the number of birthday’s you’ve had.

Biological Age Biological age relates to how well parts of your body are working for how old you are. –You’ve probably heard the expression, “You look young for your age.” This could be described as biological age. –Biological age is affected by heredity, health habits, exercise and diet.

Social Age Social age is the age that society expects you to behave at. –Think of the expression, “Act your age.” –As a teen, you are expected to start behaving in a more mature and respectful fashion. –Middle aged adults who behave like college students are often looked down upon and told they are going through a “mid-life crisis.”

Physical Aging Most people will reach their physical peak in their 20’s. At this time your cells will start to divide and multiply more slowly. All five senses begin to weaken. Joints begin to stiffen and bones become more brittle.

Mental Aging While many people will have active minds well into old age, most people’s mental abilities peak in their 40’s. Some people will suffer from dementia – a disease that interferes with normal thinking. Alzheimer’s Disease is a form of mental slowdown. People who suffer from this will often lose memories.

Facing Death Everything that lives will eventually die. Death is frightening, but healthy people accept the fact that it is a part of life and don’t spend much time fearing it. Instead, they focus on doing great things with the time they do have.

Facing Death We all lose people we love and the experience can be extremely painful. When this happens, try to focus on good memories of that person. Share your feelings with others and don’t bottle up you emotions; it’s important to allow yourself to grieve.

The Stages of Loss When someone learns that they (or a loved one) are dying, they will typically go through five emotional stages. A person will usually, but not always, go through these five stages of loss in order. 1.Denial: Many people will refuse to believe they are dying. 2.Anger: Unable to deal with their emotions, some people will lash out at others.

The Stages of Loss 3.Bargaining: The dying person will try to find ways to live longer (praying, a miracle cure.) 4.Depression: Anger fades and depression sets in as the person realizes that he or she will not be able to accomplish everything they wanted to in life. 5.Acceptance: The dying person finally accepts that they will die and tries to make peace with the world.

Death See what factors determine when a person dies. See what factors determine when a person dies. How can your emotions affect how long you live? How can your emotions affect how long you live? How can your behaviors affect how long you live? How can your behaviors affect how long you live?