Essay on Ageism, Late Adulthood, and the End-of-Life Process

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of late adulthood, focusing on ageism and stereotypes associated with this stage of life. It examines the physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during late adulthood, including the reduction of brain function, memory decline, and emotional adjustments. The essay evaluates strategies for promoting health and wellness, emphasizing the importance of lifestyle choices, social interactions, and emotional well-being to mitigate the negative effects of aging. Furthermore, it explores the crucial role of relationships and social interactions in maintaining health and well-being as individuals approach the end of life. Finally, the essay delves into cultural and personal attitudes toward death and dignity, highlighting how these perspectives shape the experience of late adulthood and the process of dying. The paper uses peer-reviewed sources to support its arguments and adheres to APA guidelines.

Human Growth
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Ageism and Stereotypes associated with late adulthood
Ageing is defined as a complex procedure which is highly individualized and continues
to be stereotyped. Stereotyping regarding a specific group reflects the procedure of interaction.
Stereotypes of aging comprises of generalizations and assumptions of about how people behave
and experience at certain age. Ageing stereotype could be positive or neutral in relation to health,
wealth and wise. Therefore, opinions of late old age, and the insights are compound,
multidimensional and vibrant. Additionally, stereotypes of ageing are communal concepts which
socially and traditionally located as well separately understood (AL Chasteen, 2015).
Physical changes
Some degree of atrophy of the brain and a decrease in the rate of neural processes, less
efficient circulatory and respiratory systems, increased constipation, diminished bone mass,
flexible skin, hair loss, decreased sensitivity.
Cognitive changes
Reduction of response speeds, decrease in working memory, intellectual changes,
reduction in fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence and dementia.
Socio-emotional changes
Increased dependency in adulthood, feeling of guilt, shame, depression, loneliness,
connectivity and fear of confronting death which results in denial, anger, bargaining, depression,
and acceptance.

Promotion of health and wellness into late adulthood
A healthy lifestyle in late adulthood is promoted by numerous sources which range from
educational and counseling programs to providing financial incentives for a healthy lifestyle.
Health promotion requires the elderly in radical changes of diet and immediate initiation of daily
activities or exercise as a means to provide wellness and peace. Health promotional activities
should comprising of education to exercise, quit smoking, limiting the consumption of alcohol,
participation of learning activities and integration of the community helps in the development of
numerous disorders and prevention of the loss of functional capability (M O'Connor, 2017).
Connecting optimistic feelings of health, emphasis to the major approaches, empirical
findings, and improvement of methodological gaps serves as the mitigation of negative effects of
aging. Introduction of positive emotions reflects measurable health benefits like extended health
functioning. Essentially, individual differences in positive emotion might afford protection from
health risks by affecting the initiation and maintenance of positive health practices over time. By
improving the health behaviors, physiological systems, stressor exposure, stress reactivity and
recovery, healthcare professionals and care takers can mitigate the negative effects of aging
(Anthony D. Ong, 2011).
Importance of relationships and social interactions
Research and studies shows that interacting socially delivers numerous benefits to the
adult age group individuals. Socially active and maintenance of interpersonal relationships helps
in the maintenance of good bodily and demonstrative health. Social interactions and relationships
improve and boost the immune system. It potentially reduces cardiovascular issues, cancers, and
osteoporosis. Possibly reduces the threat of Alzheimer’s disorder. Decreases the blood pressure,

decreases the threat of mental health problems like depression. Emotionally, social interaction
also reduces the depression and loneliness, physically active, less risk of death and maintenance
of blood pressure. Therefore, social relations are reliably related with health biomarkers as
isolation constitutes a chief threat for mortality and morbidity specifically in older adults.
Further, evidence recommends that more varied social network leads to happy and healthy life.
As per theoretical perspective, social disengagement, recommended that adulthood
actively withdraws from social network and reduces count of friends. Therefore, it is important
to have social interactions and relationships in old adulthood (T Matthews, 2016).
Cultural and personal attitudes about death and dignity
There is indication that deviation in philosophy, life knowledge and development can
suggestively moves the way persons and assemblies can observe demise and disappearing.
Rendering to Becker, humanity disturbs the method individuals accomplish the terror related
with demises like trusting on national worldviews and spiritual understandings. Consciousness
about the prevailing condition about the thought of the demise is the purpose of the discharge of
the humanoid sensibility from the domination of traditional certainty and underdevelopment of
the observance, which are accountable for the inactivity in human thoughts and empathetic.
Snooping about demise can be matched with groundwork for death and delight around respite
founded on spiritual policy and national politics.
Late old age is a conclusive conclusion of the phases of lifetime. However, heredities
plays important role in the fitness of ageing correspondingly, diet and exercise is important.
Ageism, unawareness and partial stereotypes hurry the decease of some of the aging; many
preserve pleased, strong, and opulent lives until their final changeover to death. It is significant

to uphold a positive viewpoint and treat older grownups with the admiration and upkeep. Death
and disappearing are noteworthy involvements in every philosophy and the ceremonies and
principles which border these philosophies consent persons to complete the changeover
courageously (E Winterrowd, 2017).
Bibliography
AL Chasteen, L. C. (2015). Age stereotypes and age stigma: Connections to research on
subjective aging. Annual Review of Gerontology & Geriatrics, 35(1), 99.
Anthony D. Ong, D. K. (2011). The Health Significance of Positive Emotions in Adulthood and
Later Life. Soc Personal Psychol Compass, 5(8), 535-551.
E Winterrowd, S. C. (2017). Permissive beliefs and attitudes about older adult suicide: a suicide
enabling script? Aging & mental health, 21(2), 173-181.
M O'Connor, A. S. (2017). Does positive mental health in adolescence longitudinally predict
healthy transitions in young adulthood? Journal of Happiness Studies, 18(1), 177-198.
T Matthews, A. D. (2016). Social isolation, loneliness and depression in young adulthood: a
behavioural genetic analysis. Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 51(3), 339-
348.