Marital satisfaction remains high until…
- Health problems begin to interfere with the relationship
→ increases shortly after retirement, but then decreases with health problems (when one of the partners gets a chronic condition or disease that may be very difficult to manage, p.ex dementia) and advancing age
Marriage satisfaction is directly related to level of ___ ___; it is less related to the amount of ___ ___ or ___, but to the degree of ___ ___
Perceived support; sexual interest or activity; social engagement
True or false: Marriage helps people deal with chronic illness, functional problems, and disabilities
True
Older couples have reduced potential for marital ___ and greater potential for ___. Elaborate on this
Conflict; pleasure
→ there is a positivity affect with older adults, also because they’ve been together for a long period of time and have learned to adapt to changing situations and problem solve together - develop coping strategies and adaptive ways to avoid conflict and to grow more alike
True or false: Marital satisfaction remains the same in relationships with a chronically ill person as when both people in the relationship are healthy.
False: Marital satisfaction is much lower in relationships with a chronically ill person
→ p.ex: one person needs care while the other remains healthy
→ chronically ill meaning someone who needs to be cared for by the other person
→ but there can always be small rewards that come with it, but these aren’t very frequent
Explain what occurs in a marriage when one person needs to care for their partner.
- Caring for a partner can be difficult because the caregiver assumes new roles after decades of shared responsibilities
- Depending on the condition, it can completely change the relationship you had
→ the person can have a shift in temperament very quickly - The caring partner sees a loss of companionship, intimacy, and emotional support
What occurs during widowhood?
- Because our spouse tends to be biggest form of social support, losing them will increase social isolation
- Spousal death increases risk for morality in the other spouse for up to 10 years
- Women are more likely to be widowed than men
→ can be very lonely, this is why friendships are especially important - Widows (females): have more financial difficulties (may then cohabitate or re-marry)
→ often because they have lower pension amounts and rely on their husband’s pension - Widowers (males): recover more slowly unless they have strong social supports
→ report decreases in self-esteem, but if their partners have passed away and can carry on with their responsibilities, it can boost their self-esteem
How does social isolation play into older adulthood?
- Lack of social interactions and meaningful relations that can lead to feelings of loneliness and diminished quality of life
→ 19.3% of adults aged 65 and older report feelings of loneliness - Many older adults report being social isolated and experience loneliness
- Social isolation negatively affects quality of life, physical health, and mental well-being
- Can be exacerbated or diminished by certain factors or events
→ p.ex: losing finances, kids ends up taking your money, grandchildren don’t wanna speak with you
→ these can lead to depression and cognitive decline down the way
What happens in older adulthood with kids vs. without kids?
- Those without children may experience a feeling of incompleteness, lack of care, and lack of informal support
→ Many older adults report being social isolated and experience loneliness
→ those without kids create their own network of friends and report high life satisfaction and happiness and have the same satisfaction as married people with kids, however there is little research done of people without children
→ They form strong bonds with siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews as well as siblings, neighbors, and close friends - Social isolation negatively affects quality of life, physical health, and mental well-being
- Can be exacerbated or diminished by certain factors or events
What is the primary source of social support for older parents?
Their adult children
Friendships are most important for…
High life satisfaction and well-being in youth and older age
Do older adults get more enjoyment visiting friends or family? Why is this?
- Friends
→ you get to pick your friends but not your family, your friends are more relatable because you grew up in the same era
→ visiting with family is like a sense of obligation, they might not be doing so out of choice, however when seeing a friend it’s more voluntary
→ they tend to have more in common with friends like shared interests
→ Friendships result in a more positive happy feeling and increase our positive outlook vs. family
→ great for discussing health concerns, to turn to when lonely or sad, but many still are hesitant to talk about health issues or sharing financial insecurity with friends
Having at least __ friend reduces social isolation.
One
True or false: The amount of support one gets from their social circle does not change across generations.
True
Life satisfaction is strongly correlated with the ___ and ___ of friendships.
number; quality
Why are older adult friendships particularly important?
→ friendships can help foster independence by providing transportation, checking in on neighbors, helping out with household tasks
→ most importantly, they provide a lot of support during the death of a loved one or during retirement as well
Older ___ have more numerous and intimate friendships than older ___ (as is with younger men and women).
women; men
How do siblings influence older adulthood?
- The supportive role of a sibling change throughout our lives, and most people report having positive and frequent contact with siblings
- Older women tend to have more active sibling ties (than men), and ties between sisters are stronger than others
- Tend to provide support after the loss of a partner (widowhood) and provide emotional support
- Siblings tend to engage in more mutual assistance than friendships (with practical tasks, managing health issues, coordinating medical care, providing physical support during illness and recovery, etc.)
- Their shared history and experiences can be comforting, especially as they face age related changes and losses
What are the 2 dimensions that influence grandparents?
1) Social dimension: includes societal needs and expectations of what grandparents should do
→ some grandparents adhere to this and try to “meet their quota”
→ some grandparents just tend to do it naturally, i.e., they want to see their grandkids and have fun with them
2) Personal dimension: includes personal satisfaction and individual needs of the grandparents
→ so they may feel pride and satisfaction with helping their grandkids grow, improving their lives
How does being a grandparent influence a person in their old age?
- Being a grandparent is meaningful for both the grandparent (generativity) and child
→ generativity: guiding the next generation contributing to society
→ grandkids get positive things out of this; more likely to see their grandparents as role models as they age, children see the positive and the negative because they see you helping them and take care of them, which can both be stressful and rewarding
How do ethnic differences playing into grandparent-hood?
- There are ethnic differences
→ p.ex: in african-american and latino families, the grandparents play an important role in the grandchildren’s lives such as religion, story-telling, etc.
→ provide a great deal of care and continue on the cultural values and passing on traditional values (teaching them a language) – helps meet this generativity
What are the 3 main sources of satisfaction and meaning in great-grandparents?
1) A sense of personal and family renewal
→ sense of integrity, renewing their sense of excitement for life and the continuity of their lineage
2) They provide new diversions in their lives
→ new people with whom they can share their experiences
3) Grandparenthood is a major milestone
→ mark of longevity that most people never achieve
What are the 7 types of elder abuse?
1) Physical: physical force that inflicts harm
2) Sexual: unwanted or non consensual contact of any kind
3) Emotional: infliction of anguish, distress, pain
4) Financial: includes illegal or improper use of an older adults funds, property or assets
5) Abandonment: desertion of an older adult by someone who had physical custody or was caring for the older adult
6) Neglect: refusal or failure to fulfill any part of a person’s obligation or duties to an older adult
7) Self-neglect: behaviours of an older person threaten their health or safety, excluding those people who make a voluntary and conscious decision - excludes people with cognitive decline, don’t have executive decision making
What type of elder abuse is most common?
- Neglect
→ this can happen at home (family member neglects you) or at a long-term care facility
→ it’s a single or repeated act or lack-there-of occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which essentially causes harm or distress to an older person
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1 - What is aging?35
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2 - Research methods28
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3 - Retirement29
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4 - Social changes51
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5 - sleep16
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5.1 - Sleep21
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6 - sensory and perception56
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7 - The aging brain80
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10 - AD26
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11 - Frontotemporal dementia38
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12 - MCI and SCD37
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13 - Successful aging25
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14 - cultural attitudes27
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15 - Death and dying37
