CHALLENGES AND ISSUES IN AGEING PROCESS

• As we age, our bodies change in many ways that affect the function of both individual cells and
organ systems.
• These changes occur little by little and progress inevitably over time.
• The rate of this progression can vary differently for different persons.

AGEING PROCESS

• Ageing is a process that accumulates changes in organisms or objects over time.

• The ageing process in humans is a complex biochemical process which includes all the
changes taking place socially, psychologically and physically.
• The ageing process in women slightly differs from the ageing process in men.
• Overall, genetic factors seem to be more powerful than environmental factors in determining
the large differences among people in ageing and lifespan.
• Heredity, diet, exercise, social involvement, and spirituality all play a large part in your physical
wellbeing.
• Eating right and exercising will keep your body healthier and may stave off some of the effects
of ageing or at least slow the ageing process.

Ageing Process in Women

Physical Challenges

• Menopause is the word that immediately comes to one’s mind when we say ageing process in
women.
• The woman’s life is divided into two phases: premenopausal and postmenopausal.
• The body starts losing out on bone mass and muscle strength. These weakened bones often
result in osteoporosis and arthritis, which accompany the woman throughout the rest of her
life.
• The skin becomes sunken and sallow and eventually, wrinkles begin to appear.
• The immune system is no longer able to produce sufficient antibodies, thereby making the
body susceptible to various illnesses.
• Most vital organs show diminished performance, which affects the entire health of the woman.

Psychological Challenges

• The hormonal changes during menopause bring about plethora of behavioural changes in a
woman.
• The very fact that they are no longer fertile, is enough to send many women into depression.
 • Emotional insecurity haunts their mind due to the fear that since she is no longer physically
attractive, her spouse may not love her.
• She may become extremely moody and irritated as she may not be able to cope with the many
changes that happen all at once in her life.
• Lastly, there is this daunting feeling of ageing that she somehow relates with the ‘end’.
• However, some optimistic women may take this as an opportunity to fulfill their
unaccomplished dreams and lead a life the way they always wanted to.

Social Challenges

• During ageing process in women, their social life entirely depends upon their own attitude
towards life and most importantly their health.
• Some women, due to their poor health or some other reason, may completely shut themselves
away from the world.
• While the other, more outgoing group, may engage themselves in community activities or some
hobbies and interests.
• Most women in this age group are financially settled and have a family that is no longer
dependent upon them.
• Thus, this period poses a golden chance for them to live the life for themselves.
• Although, women face much different challenges than men in ageing process, the key to fight
ageing process in women, solely depends upon her perspective about life.
• If she decides to age gracefully, nothing can deter her from leading a beautiful life.

Ageing Process in Men

• Ageing, from the male perspective, is frequently associated with loss of physical and mental
function and vitality.
• The implied stigma that comes with ageing often prevents men from dealing with important
health issues associated with the process.
• Men, in their middle age, do bulge around the middle due to accumulation of a lot of unburned
fat and lack of exercises.

Whole Health

• When the ageing process starts, a whole foods diet high in fiber, low in saturated fat, and rich
in nutrients is the best health-promoting approach.
• Eating fresh vegetables and fruits rich in antioxidant nutrients and fiber helps reduce the risk
factors for cancer.
• Consistent moderate exercise promotes cardiovascular health as well as reduces the risk
factors for obesity, diabetes, and osteoporosis.
• Together with an approach to stress management, diet and exercise form the foundation of an
overall health plan.
Heart Health

• The most obvious concern for men as they age is heart health and disease.
• Cardiovascular disease is still among the most common causes of death among men.
• Diet and lifestyle play a significant role in the progression of cardiovascular disease and are
also central to its treatment.
• High fiber foods and a reduced intake of meats high in fat combined with a program of daily
exercise and stress reduction techniques have shown very positive results in even the worst
heart disease.

Skeletal Health

• Joint and bone health issues are also common problems for men in which past sports injuries
and wear and tear can lead to osteoarthritis.
• As one ages, our connective tissue is not able to repair itself as efficiently as when we were
younger.
• Additional nutrition is often necessary to promote cartilage healing and prevent further
breakdown of joint tissue associated with osteoarthritis.

AGEING ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN EARLY ADULTHOOD

• It is the first stage of adulthood in which the body physically changes and is one of the hardest
times in our lives after teenage years.

Maturity

• Children entering adolescence must begin to adapt to the adult world and its institutions while
coming to terms with emerging parts of themselves.
• They discover themselves as having new emotional and sexual needs.
• As they make these discoveries, adolescents begin to realize the limitations of their parents.
• Taking responsibility for aspects of their own character requires distancing from authoritative.

Friendships

• As an adolescent undergoes physical and emotional changes, he or she seeks out

relationships that enhance efforts to adapt to new needs and stresses.
• Adolescents seek to share their thoughts and feelings with those who are experiencing similar
changes.
• Intimate interactions increase between friends during this stage in life because they provide
teens with opportunities for self-clarification.
AGEING ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN MIDDLE ADULTHOOD

• Middle adulthood refers to the people who are experiencing changes and development in their
central lives.
• It is basically about the midlife transition or the period of life beyond young adulthood but
before the commencement of old age.

Physical Appearance

• The changes in physical appearance are some of the most notable parts for many people as
they experience middle adulthood physical development.
• Hair begins turning gray or white as teeth fade from white to yellow, more wrinkles appear,
especially on the face, and skin begins to sag.

Hearing and Vision

• The ability to hear high-pitched noises disappears during middle adulthood as most people
begin recognizing hearing loss around 40.
• Men experience twice as much hearing loss as women during this life stage.
• Vision also decreases for both sexes as their ability to focus declines, and they need brighter
lights to see.

Health

• This stage of development generally refers to the diseases experienced by the individuals and
the diseases are few infectious yet more chronic.
• Heart diseases and cancer are the two most common sicknesses for people in midlife period.
• Men are more prone to heart disease, cancer and stroke especially on the incidence that men
had experience or are experiencing divorce.
• For women, non-fatal illnesses like goiter, gout or arthritis and lung and breast cancer.

Strength and Coordination

• As adults pass through middle adulthood their strength begins to diminish as some of their
muscle is replaced with fat.
• Flexibility also decreases, and the reaction time of individuals in middle adulthood decreases
as well.

Disease

• Diabetes, heart disease and cancer are just a few of the common diseases discovered during
middle adulthood.
 • While chances are these diseases have been building up in an individual throughout their life,
the discovery and treatment of them often occurs when people are in middle age.

RELATIONSHIPS DURING MIDDLE ADULTHOOD

Marriage and Cohabitation

• During middle adulthood, the two primary long-term relationships characteristic are
cohabitation and marriage.
• Cohabitors are unmarried people living together in a sexual relationship, often state their
reason for cohabiting as either a trial for marriage or an alternative to marriage.
• Marital satisfaction is often described in terms of a U-curve: People generally affirm that their
marriages are happiest during the early years, but not as happy during the middle years.
• Marital satisfaction then increases again in the later years, once finances have stabilized and
parenting responsibilities have ended.

Divorce

• The reasons for dissolving a relationship are many and varied, just as relationships themselves
differ in their makeup and dynamics.
• In some cases, the couple cannot handle an extended crisis. In other cases, the spouses
change and grow in different directions. In still others, the spouses are completely
incompatible from the very start.
• However, long-term relationships rarely end because of difficulties with just one of the
partners.
• Both parties are usually responsible for the factors that may lead to a relationship’s end, such
as conflicts, problems, growing out of love, or empty-nest issues that arise after the last child
leaves his or her parent’s home.

Relationships That Last

• Long-term relationships share several factors, including both partners regarding the
relationship as a long-term commitment; both verbally and physically expressing appreciation,
admiration, and love; both offering emotional support to each other; and both considering the
other as a best friend.
• Essential to preserving a quality relationship is the couple’s decision to practice effective
communication. Communication is how intimacy is established and nurtured within a
relationship; it helps partners better relate to and understand each other. Communication
helps them feel close, connected, and loved.
Friends

• Friends offer support, direction, guidance, and a change of pace from usual routines.
• During this period, life responsibilities are at an all-time high, so having extra time for
socializing is usually rare.
• For this reason, middle adults may have less friends than their newlywed and retired
counterparts.
• Yet where quantity of friendships may be lacking, quality predominates.
• Some of the closest ties between friends are formed and nourished during middle adulthood.

Children

• Middle adults and their adolescent children are both prone to emotional crises, which may
occur at the same time.
• For adolescents, the crisis involves the search for identity; for middle adults, the search is for
generativity.
• These two crises are not always compatible, as parents try to deal with their own issues as well
as those of their adolescents.
• They may try to make their teenage children into improved versions of themselves.
• For example, some parents may force their teenagers to take music lessons or make them join
a sports team, while other parents may insist that their children attend a certain college or
enter the family business.

Parents

• Most middle adults characterize the relationship with their parents as affectionate.
• Indeed, a strong bond is often present between related middle and older adults.
• For the first time, middle adults can see their parents as the fallible human beings that they
are.
• In some cases, adults, who expected to spend their middle-age years traveling and enjoying
their own children and grandchildren, instead find themselves taking care of their ailing
parents.
• Some parents are completely independent of their adult children’s support, while others are
partially independent of their children; and still others are completely dependent.
• Children of dependent parents may assist them financially (paying their bills), physically
(bringing them into their homes and caring for them), and emotionally (as a source of human
contact as the parents’ social circle diminishes).
• Daughters and daughters-in-law are the most common caretakers of ageing parents and in-
laws.
AGEING ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN LATE ADULTHOOD

Elder Care

• Elder care includes a broad range of services including meals and socialization, personal care,
light housekeeping, residential facilities, and adult day care.

Physical Diversity

• If you check out the same group 65 years later, their physical differences outnumber their
similarities.
• Some will be the epitome of health, while others will be managing one or more chronic
conditions. Some will be vigorous, while others will be lethargic.

Physical Changes in Late Adulthood

• The human body goes through a variety of changes as it gets older. In general, muscles, blood
vessels and other tissues lose their elasticity. The heart becomes less efficient, bones become
weaker and the metabolism slows down.

Wrinkles

• Fibers in the skin called collagen and elastin break down and lose strength as a person gets
older. Without these fibers, the skin cannot hold its shape as well.
• Older skin retains less fat, making it look less supple.

Dry Skin

• Older people produce less sweat and oil, causing their skin to be drier. Excessively dry skin can
emphasize the appearance of wrinkles.

Age Spots

• Dark spots on the skin, particularly the arms, hands, face and feet, stem from cumulative
exposure to the sun. They stem from overproduction of the pigment melanin in areas of the
skin that have experienced the most exposure to the sun.

Other Health Issues in Late Adulthood

Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome

• Most of the adults aged 60 and older are overweight or obese.

 • Obesity is related to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast and colon cancer, gall
bladder disease, and high blood pressure.
• Women in perimenopause and menopause tend to accumulate fat around the waist and hips,
and men get the gut.
• The food intake should be in check by reducing calorie intake and alcohol intake because a lot
of alcohol calories go right to the gut.
• Foods sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup should be avoided.

Arthritis

• Arthritis affects nearly half the elderly population and is a leading cause of disability.
• The key to prevention is to do steady, regular exercise rather than in weekend spurts, and stop
if you feel pain.

Cancer

• Cancer is one of the most common causes of death in late adulthood.

• Prostate cancer is common among men and breast cancer among women. Lung cancer is
another major form that affects older adults, often linked to smoking.
• A key to cancer prevention is early screening and reducing lifestyle risks such as smoking, poor
diet, and lack of exercise.

Vision and Hearing

• Beginning in the late 30s and early 40s, an individual may notice some changes.
• With ageing, peripheral vision is reduced. A person may need to turn her or his head to see to
the sides.
• The flexibility of the eye decreases and it takes an older person more time to accommodate to
changes in light.
• Hearing loss affects the older person’s ability to talk easily with others.
• Older persons may be frustrated or embarrassed about not being able to understand what is
being said.