Aging
By 2060, according to the US Census, the number of adults aged 65 years or older will total about 98 million, or one-quarter of the population. The aging adult may need to manage such milestones as menopause, empty nest, retirement, not to mention being the sandwich generation that cares for parents and children.
You might think that older people are grumpy, doddering, frail, and feeble; and that how you age is dictated by your genes. This is not the case, not in the least. Overall, they are more conscientious, agreeable, and better able to regulate emotions. They also have higher levels of happiness than their midlife counterparts, and they’re often more mellow, have flexible mindsets, and are more grateful. Many older people today report better health, greater wealth, and higher levels of education than elders in past decades.
Science is paying a lot of attention to the well-being of people in their later years. One area of concern is cognitive function and the effects of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Physical health is another important area of concern for an aging population; keeping the body moving and healthy helps to ensure the quality of a long life. Additionally, surveys find that more young people are turning to elders for advice and wisdom in a range of domains.
And today, people age 65 and older suffer less debilitating disorders, people aged 75 to 84 report fewer impairments, and fewer people are living in nursing homes or in assisted-living arrangements. Plus, life expectancy has increased by a wide margin; men can expect to live to around age 83, and a woman can expect to live to about age 85.
For more on how the brain ages and the impact on mental health, visit The Aging Brain and Mental Health in the Aging.