It has been suggested that people in Western society typically avoid, or are generally uncomfortable, talking and thinking about death. If so, what factors contribute to this attitude?”

The eighth and last stage is late adulthood and covers the age of sixty-five years and above. It is named integrity versus despair, but there are physical, psychological, as well as social reasons. Physical factors have a profound effect on late adulthood. To start with, at the age of sixty-five years and above, reaction time reduces significantly the sensory abilities decline and diseases such as Alzheimer's and osteoporosis become very common (Fiore, 2010, p. 260). Heart complications may also increase with this and when compounded with mental diseases, it will impact negatively on aging. As they struggle with these medical conditions, they become increasingly dependent on drugs and this may lead to substance abuse. Older persons may also have a difficult time understanding language, because of failing memory. Similarly, older people experience a decline in sensory abilities of sight, hearing, and vision because they do not participate in sports or in any activities that can lead to sensory stimulation. In as much as all the five senses are affected during aging, hearing, and vision suffer the most effects. They also lose the ability to perceive depth or how close or far an object may be. Diseases of the eye like glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration farther complicate aging.

The mental health of the aging is also affected by several factors. For instance, medical complications or the passing on of a spouse can prompt them into suicide; depressed older adults are at a much higher risk of physical disabilities than of those that are termed non depressed (Fiore, 2010, p. 264). A history of isolation, alcohol abuse, and depression predisposes risks of committing suicide. Cognitive development is also negatively affected as the aging find it hard to learn a new language or remember things that do not directly affect them. Psychological factors affect aging in a way that they feel neglected and may begin to despair. People who used to be active and do their own chores find loss of independence quite hard to cope with. Similarly, there is discriminatory behavior of people based on their age and this psychologically affects them. Such prejudices become traumatic, forcing them into withdrawal and despair (Fiore, 2010, p. 256). In as much as social networks and relationships do not directly affect aging; they have a profound effect on their quality of life. It should be understood that what concerns the older adults is how they perceive themselves and the lives they have lived, how they relate with their families as well as with friends and the greater society. Suicide rates may increase significantly among the old and it is much higher in men than in women. The care that the elderly receive profoundly affects how the age. When they have grown sons and daughters to take care and provide for them, they age more gracefully. In addition, since women generally outlive men, they will be widowed at some point (Fiore, 2010, p. 269). This can be very stressful to the woman and generally alters her life with feelings of shock, grief, depression, and anger. If the death of the husband is sudden, it is worse than if she had time to contemplate and expect the death.

As people age, there is a reversal of roles where by men tend to behave more like women and vice versa. This role discontinuity affects the way they relate in that women will be more aggressive while men become more caring and concerned. However, aging has a profound negative effect on sexuality whereby they feel embarrassed discussing it. Similarly, men have a great fear concerning erectile dysfunction. This is normally reinforced by the physical changes that they are undergoing, partners who are not sexually supportive or any inherent fears about performance (Fiore, 2010, p 268). For women, most of the sexual changes that they experience are due to hormonal adjustments. Erickson does not view old people as rocking in chairs. Nevertheless, the moment people reflect back on their lives and critically examine the actions they may have taken, or failed to take, they have feelings of integrity or despair. If they had gone through the first seven stages successfully, there is a sense of integrity, but when there is the feeling that many wrong decisions were made, there is a negative resolution leading to despair. It is therefore important for health practitioners to understand the eighth stage in order to know whether someone is aging in the right manner. This information is crucial because late adulthood has been misunderstood for a long time dealing to despair in some cases that might have been controlled.

Reference

Fiore, L. (2010). Life Smart: Exploring human development. New York, NY; McGraw Hill.