Changes in later life

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1. One of the most challenging changes that I believe occur in late adulthood are the inevitable physical changes. In the reading there was a large section that discussed stress. Stress is something I also believe is inevitable for everyone to go through. This is because we arent perfect people and things are bound to happen in our lives that we do not plan for or expect which can turn into stressors. “One major factor for adults is the impact of stress in development. Most stress is caused by change.” It also stated that adults need to develop strategies for dealing with stress to overcome it. There is nothing someone can do to stop their bodies from physically changing as they age, but as far as alleviating stress, I think it is important to understand yourself and what helps you personally deal with stress. Some people may benefit from writing, drawing, or going somewhere to relax their minds and take a break from reality. Some people may benefit from talking it out with somebody they trust. For me personally, I manage my stress by making lists and checking things off one at a time while also calling my mom and just feeling comfortble and safe in that conversation. While stress on the body is hard to identify sometimes its important to know when you need to rest to be your best self.

Another factor of physical changes found in the reading was regarding sex. “Sex changes quite a bit because of physical changes” with men having lower levels of testosterone and fewer viable sperm and women having a reduction in estrogen during and after menopause. It stated that sex may take longer than before. However, something interesting that I read was that sex during this age actually increases rather than decrease. I could assume that this is because there is more free time in these years especially for those adults whos kids are adults and no longer in their care.

References

Readings: Stress in Adulthood

Family Environments and Supportive Networks (Sex and Love)

2. This was a very interesting reading week for me. What I find the most challenging change that later adults experience would be cognitive deterioration. Many older adults develop diminishing mental capacity. Examples of this include struggles with memory retention and attention. As stated in our earlier reading adults in their later years find it difficult to learn new things, especially where it applies to technology. While some deterioration is unavoidable there are many ways to slow the transition as long as possible. Examples include keeping overall physical health, maintaining a steady nutritious diet, and controlling stress are just a few things that can help. I believe that mental decline is inevitable. Not saying that dementia or Alzheimer’s IS inevitable but that cognitive decline is studies have proven that with age the brain runs slower and multitasking becomes increasingly difficult.

https://www.cdc.gov/aging/publications/features/dementia-not-normal-aging.html#:~:text=As%20we%20age%2C%20our%20brains,it%20comes%20to%20brain%20health.

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