Chapter 25 Summary

1. Several self theories hold that adults make personal choices in ways that allow them to become fully themselves. Erikson believed that individuals seek integrity that connects them to the human community, present and past.
2. Longitudinal research finds substantial continuity in personality traits over the life span, as well as a positivity effect, an elder’s more positive view of themselves and others. Some elders cherish personal papers and objects to help them maintain identity—risking a disorder called hoarding
3. Stratification theories maintain that social forces—such as ageism, racism, and sexism—limit personal choices throughout the life span. The effects are cumulative, with deprivation early in life resulting in a cascade of problems lifelong.
4. Disengagement theory suggests that older adults are stratified by age, and willingly disengage. This theory is opposed by activity theory, which holds that older people are happier and healthier when they are active.

5. At every age, employment can provide social and personal satisfaction as well as needed income. However, retirement may be welcomed by the elderly who find other ways to stay active.
6. Some elderly people perform volunteer work, and many are active politically—writing letters to political leaders, voting, staying informed. These activities enhance health and well-being and benefit the larger society.
7. Common among elders is an increase in religious activity (but not necessarily attendance at services), which correlates with longer life.
8. Many of the elderly engage in home improvement or redecoration, preferring to stay in their own homes. If they move, they are likely to stay in the same neighborhood, near old friends and religious institutions.

9. A spouse is the most important member of a person’s social convoy. Older adults in long-standing marriages tend to be satisfied with their relationships and to safeguard each other’s health. As a result, married elders tend to live longer, happier, and healthier lives than unmarried ones.
10. Many of the elderly, especially those who have spent many years unmarried, have a supportive network of friends. They fare better than those who have recently been divorced or widowed.
11. Relationships with adult children and grandchildren are usually mutually supportive. If the elderly become full-time caregivers of grandchildren, this may have benefits for society and for the people involved, but it also adds stress to the older generation.

12. Some elderly people eventually become frail. They need help with activities of daily life, either with physical tasks (ADLs, such as eating and bathing) or with instrumental ones (IADLs, such as paying bills and arranging transportation).
13. Care of the frail elderly is usually undertaken by adult children or spouses, who are often elderly themselves. Most families have a strong sense of filial responsibility, although elder abuse may occur when caregiving stress is great and social support is weak.
14. Nursing homes, assisted living, and home care are of varying quality and availability. Each of these arrangements can provide necessary and beneficial care, with the need for many variations available and many people to be involved.