10.1: Defining Late Adulthood - Age or Quality of Life? (Ob1)

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We are considered to be in late adulthood from the time we reach our mid‐sixties until death. In this lesson, we will learn how many people are in late adulthood, how that number is expected to change, and how life changes and continues to be the same as before in late adulthood. About 13 percent of the U. S. population or 38.9 million Americans are 65 and older (U. S. Census Bureau, 2011). This number is expected to grow to 88.5 million by the year 2050 at which time people over 65 will make up 20 percent of the population. This group varies considerably and is divided into categories of 65 plus, 85 plus, and centenarians for comparison by the census. Developmentalists, however, divide this population in to categories based on health and social well‐being. Optimal aging refers to those who enjoy better health and social well‐being than average. Normal aging refers to those who seem to have the same health and social concerns similar to most of those in the population. However, there is still much being done to understand exactly what normal aging means. Impaired aging refers to those who experience poor health and dependence to a greater extent than would be considered normal. Aging successfully involves making adjustments as needed in order to continue living as independently and actively as possible. This is referred to as selective optimization with compensation, and means that a person who can no longer drive, is able to find alternative transportation. Another example would be when a person compensates for having less energy by learning how to reorganize the daily routine to avoid over‐exertion. Currently nurses and other allied health professionals are working with this population to focus more on helping patients remain independent rather than on simply treating illnesses. Promoting health and independence are important for successful aging.