1. Older Adults

2. Older Adulthood in the U.S. (2007)
Individuals who are 65 years of age & older
Make up approx. 12.6% of the total population
Are a growing portion of the population = “the graying of America”
On reaching age 65, have an estimated average life expectancy of an additional 18.6 years
The portion of centenarians is projected to grow most rapidly of all during the first half of the 21st century

3. Older Adulthood in the U.S. (2007)
Aging is not identical to pathology
“Ageism is an erroneous unfair, & potentially harmful “process of systematic stereotyping of & discrimination against people because they are old”
A majority of older
adults are living
vigorous, productive,
& satisfying lives

4. Older Adulthood: Developmental Tasks
The principal normative developmental task in older adulthood is: To achieve ego integrity versus the danger of despair
Successful resolution of this developmental task results in the virtue of renunciation & wisdom
A sense of wholeness or integrity typically emerges
from a process of life review involving introspection,
self-reflection, & reminiscence

5. Encounters with Death during Older Adulthood (2007)
Age Groupings
“Young Old” yrs
“Old old” yrs
“Oldest old” yrs
Older adults
Experienced 1.76 million deaths, a little over 72% of all deaths in U.S.
Deaths by age group
65 to 74 yrs 389,238
75 to 84 yrs ,682
85+ yrs 713,647
Death rates by age group (per 100,000)
65 to 74 yrs 2,011.3
75 to 84 yrs 5,011.6
85+ yrs ,946.5

6. Five Leading Causes of Death among Older Adults (2007)
65-74 yrs yrs yrs
1. Cancer Heart diseases Heart diseases
2. Heart diseases Cancer Cancer
3. Chronic lower Chronic lower Cerebrovascular
resp. disease resp. disease diseases
4. Cerebrovascular Cerebrovascular Alzheimer’s
diseases diseases disease
5. Diabetes Alzheimer’s Chronic lower
disease resp. disease

7. Leading Causes of Death among Older Adults (2007)
Some Observations….
All of the five leading causes of death are chronic or degenerative diseases
Leading causes of death are essentially the same for both male & female older adults
Alzheimer’s Disease, a recent addition to the top five leading causes of death in older adulthood, was responsible for 69,813 deaths in 2007 among individuals ≥75, plus another 3,984 among those yrs of age

8. Encounters with Death during Older Adulthood (2007)
Two Variables in Deaths of Older Adults
Gender
Males die in larger numbers than females up to age 75 years, when, because of greater longevity in females, the number of deaths in the female age group is highest
Death rates for males remain consistently higher than those for females throughout older adulthood
Race
Among Caucasian Americans and older adults as a whole, the number of deaths increases sharply from “young old” to “old old” members, & then continues to increase more modestly among those 85 years of age & older
In the other racial & ethnic subgroups in Table 15.1, the number of deaths increases among “young old” & “old old” members, before falling slightly among those 85 years of age & older; this exhibits a “crossover effect” reflecting the fact that the oldest members in these groups are less numerous than their younger counterparts

9. Attitudes toward Death among Older Adults
Research strongly supports the notion that older adults are significantly less fearful of death than younger persons

10. Attitudes toward Death among Older Adults
Kalish (1985) offered three explanations for lower death anxiety among older adults:
They may accept death more easily than others because they have been able to live long, full lives
They may be accepting of their own deaths as a result of a socialization process through which they repeatedly experience the deaths of others
They may view their lives as having less value than the lives of younger persons & thus may not object so strenuously to giving them up

11. Older Adults Coping with Life-Threatening Illness & Dying
Four specific needs
Maintaining a sense of self
Participating in decisions regarding their lives
Being reassured that their lives still have value
Receiving appropriate & adequate health care services
(Cook & Oltjenbruns, 1998)

12. Older Adults Coping with Life-Threatening Illness & Dying
The self-worth of older adults can be enhanced by conveying that:
Their lives are still valued & appreciated
They are important to others & have much to teach those others
They can still find satisfaction in living
Recording precious memories
can be a valuable part of a
lifetime legacies project.

13. Older Adults Coping with Bereavement & Grief
Most older adults encounter many occasions for bereavement
Illness, disability, & other losses or deficits
Death of a spouse, life partner, sibling, friend, or other significant peer
Death of an adult child
Death of a grandchild or great-grandchild
Loss of a pet or companion animal

14. Older Adults Coping with Bereavement & Grief
Some Considerations…
Older adults are likely to experience losses in greater number, variety, & rapidity than members of any other age group
“Bereavement overload” occurs when older adults do not have the time or other resources needed to process their grief & mourn one significant loss effectively before another occurs
For these older adults, grief is a constant companion
(Kastenbaum, 1969)

15. Suicide among Older Adults (2007)
5,421 individuals 65 years of age & older completed suicide in the U.S. in 2007 = nearly16% of all suicide deaths in that year
Very high rates of suicide in U.S. were found among the oldest members
16.3 per 100, yrs
15.6 per 100, yrs
Caucasian-American males are by far the most likely to take their own lives