Assignment task: Tell me something new you learned from this reading, or ask a question about this reading.
Although change is inevitable throughout life, the essential core of the human being is not likely to be altered by the aging process alone. As people age, if they experience typical aging, they tend to exhibit the following characteristics:
- Take longer to learn new tasks and process information a little more slowly
- Become more forgetful, especially of short-term information
- Prefer somewhat slower-paced activities
- Retain essential personhood
Many cognitive, psychological, and personality changes can and do occur over time. These changes can be positive, such as when someone makes an effort toward self-improvement by making significant adjustments in lifestyle patterns. Other times, disease, misfortune, or injurious lifestyle choices impose detrimental influences on cognitive functioning, personality, and thus quality of life. Each age cohort becomes more diverse as their ages increase. Although as a group the members tend to show the signs of aging already mentioned, within each age group there are individuals who continue to perform essentially as well as they ever did (or even better) and persons who have succumbed to the "ravages of old age."
Although no one is guaranteed a long life that includes success or happiness throughout the aging process, everyone can take steps to improve their odds of living well into old age. The PACES program reminds us of the value of having a life purpose, partaking in physical and mental exercise, maintaining close human connections, and pursuing ongoing involvement in challenging and desirable occupations, including the essential and often overlooked occupation of sleep.
By being good listeners, who are supportive and considerate, and by promoting a personal level of independence and desired life change (if the client is motivated), and by making referrals as appropriate, we can help older persons promote healthy brain aging, and remain as productive or engaged as they choose. Our goal, as a caring, highly developed society, should be to promote meaningful involvement in life endeavors at a level of challenge fitting the person throughout life, right up until his or her final days.