Late adulthood brings physical and cognitive changes. Life expectancy in the US is 75 years for women and 85 for men, though maximum lifespan is around 115 years. Physical changes include declines in vision, bone density, and sexual functioning. Sleep issues like apnea become more common. Chronic conditions like arthritis, heart disease, cancer and strokes are leading causes of death. Cognitive changes involve some memory loss and increased risk of dementia or Alzheimer's disease. However, older adults are thought to possess wisdom from considering life's problems in broader context of past experiences.

1. Late Adulthood: Physical and
Cognitive Development
By: Latonya Hilliard

2. Longevity and Life Expectancy
The length of time one can live under the best of circumstances
depends on genetic programming. The right genes and environment
people have a maximum life span of 115 years.
Life expectancy is the number of years a person in a given population
group can actually expect to live. For example, a person, male or
female living in an urban environment with very high violence is
expected to live a short life.
The life expectancy for women is 75 years. The life expectancy for men
is 85 years this is because heart disease develops later in life for
women than in men also because men are more likely to die from
accidents, strokes, suicides, homicides, and HIV/AIDS. These causes
are due to drinking, smoking, and reckless behavior.

3. Physical and Social Changes
After we reach our physical peak in our twenties, our biological
functions begin a gradual decline. Aging also involves adapting to
changing physical and social realities.
Social changes for example stereotypes that paint older people as
sluggish, forgetful, and stuck in their ways.
Physical changes such as cataracts, glaucoma, and osteoporosis. which
start to develop in middle adulthood and progress to late adulthood.
Cataracts- A condition characterized by clouding of the lens of the eye
Glaucoma- A condition involving abnormally high fluid pressure in
the eye.
Osteoporosis- A disorder in which bones become more brittle and
subject to fracture, due to loss of calcium and other minerals

4. sleep
Sleep apnea- is temporary suspension of breathing while
asleep it is most common in late adulthood.
Sleep medications are the most common treatment for sleep
apnea. Alternatives include regular sleep schedule,
relaxation techniques, and exercise.

5. Sexuality
People do not loose their sexuality as they age but sexual
daydreaming, sex drive, and sexual activity decreases as you get older
but your sexual satisfaction may remain high.
Most older people report that they like having sex and most older
people with partners usually remain sexually active.

6. Changes in Women
Many of the physical changes in women is the estrogen
production. The vaginal walls lose their elasticity and
grow paler and thinner. This can cause sex to become
painful.
The vagina also shrinks and when women go through
menopause they produce less vaginal lubrication.
Women also have fewer orgasms as they get older and
they become less powerful.

7. Changes in Men
After age 50 men take longer to achieve an erection.
Testosterone production usually declines about age 40 to age
50.
Older men produce less ejaculate and the orgasms become
weaker and fewer.

8. Health Concerns
People over the age 65 make up about 12% of the
population, they occupy 25% of the hospital beds. As
the numbers of older people increase in the 21st
century so will the cost of health care.
Medicare partially covers the needs of older people
and the disabled.
More than 2 of 3 adults age 65 and older live in their
own homes. Less than10% of older adults live in
nursing homes or other long term healthcare facilities
The population of nursing homes is made up of people
age 80 and older.

9. Heart Disease, Cancer, and Strokes
The three major causes of death in Americans age
65 and older.
Cancer is the leading cause of death in women
ages 40 and 79 and men ages 60 and 79.
Heart Disease is the nations leading cause of death
among both men and women beyond the age 80.
The risk of most cancers rises as we age because
our immune system becomes less able to fight off
cancerous cells.

10. Arthritis
Arthritis- is joint inflammation that results from
conditions affecting the structure inside and
surrounding the joints. There are 2 common forms
of arthritis OSTEOARTHRITIS and RHEUMATOID
ARTHRITIS.
Osteoarthritis- is a painful, degenerative disease
characterized by wear and tear on joints.
Rheumatoid arthritis- A painful disease
characterized by chronic inflammation of the
membranes that line the joints.

11. Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
Dementia- a condition characterized by deterioration of cognitive
functioning.
Alzheimer’s(AD)- A severe form of dementia characterized by
memory lapses, confusion, emotional instability, and progressive loss
of cognitive functioning.
Causes of dementia are brain infections such as meningitis, HIV,
infections, strokes, and tumors.
About 1 and 10 americans over the age of 65 have AD it is the 5th
leading killer of older americans.

12. wisdom
Psychologist Lynn Hasher suggest that distractibility can enable older
adults to take a broader view of various situations.
They consider not only the present but the past as well as the contexts
in which the problems arise.
Older people approach life’s problems in a way that address the
meaning of life, this may play a significant role as to why we think of
older people as wiser