Task 3: 

P4/M2: 

Disengagement Theory: This is a nature aspect and is acceptable for older adults to withdraw themselves from the society. This theory states as people age, they tend to withdraw themselves from the society and society withdraws from them. 

 They tend to grow more fragile as people age. When they withdraw themselves from society, their social circles as they start to pull away from social contact and being less active in most activities.. It also states that aging is inevitable. As people age, they have restricted opportunities  of involving in any activities or social contact with others. As they grow older, they are not bothered too much about modern living and technologies. This theory was made by Cummings and Henry in 1961 in the book 'Growing Old'. It was the first theory of aging that social scientists developed. In this theory, it was suggested that older people was to be less active and outgoing. This can cause heart risks. The social scientist argued that it was appropriate and healthy for older people to withdraw from other.  

An example of the disengagement theory is Zimbardo: The Stanford prison experiment. When this theory was made, there was no internet or text messaging in 1961. If my chosen celebrity, Lisa Lopes (Left Eye) was to retire, it is suggested she should be less active and withdrawn from society in this theory. Unfortunately, she could not live past the age of 30 so this could not have been certain. If Lisa Lopes was to grow older, she would have disengaged and start pulling away from others and herself. She would have had restricted opportunities because of physical health and loss of social interaction. 

  

Activity Theory:  

This theory was formed by Bromley in 1966, it is an optimistic view of ageing than the disengagement theory. Too much disengagement would lead to loss of mental and physical skills and stagnation. 

 This theory states that older people are needed to disengage but that they need to remain active in order to prevent disengagement from going too far in the direct of isolation. Studies about taking regular physical exercise suggests that it improves physical health in later life. Activities include: walking, gardening, yoga and swimming. Physical activity is very important because it improves our physical and mental health. Socialising, talking with friends and joining clubs can make us stay mentally active as we age.  

Bromley argued that they need to be educated to make use of facilities and encourage them to abandon apathetic attitudes and fixed habits. This will give them a positive attitude to life. Lisa Lopes has role as singer/rapper therefore she would have disengage later than earlier. This would involve her being social interactive. This means that Lisa Lopes would have been withdrawn socially until she was older. It is very important that Lisa Lopes stays active so she won't have too much disengagement that would lead to the loss of mental.  

P5:  

I am going discuss about physical and psychological changes which may be associated with ageing. As individuals grow older, many changes take place in our appearance and the inner body. This is linked with the physical and psychological changes. The ageing of every individual is different.  

Physical Changes:  

Each person's experience of ageing is different. Some people develop serious problems with ageing process in their fifties, it depends on the individual. There is no simple process that affects everyone in the same way.if we take regular exercise, we may expect to live longer and stay healthier than other people that don’t. Ageing can involve physical issues such as: 

• Skin becomes thinner because of less elastic and more wrinkled.  
• Bones can become more brittle and is more likely to fracture.  
• Joints can become stiffer and may become painful as the cartilage on the bone ends up becoming thinner. 
• The ligaments which reinforce joints become looser 
• An individual can lose their height because the cartilage that separates vertebrae in the backbone becomes compressed. The spine may become more rounded as usual. 
• Muscles become weaker. 

• The sense of balance can become impaired. 
• The ability to taste and smell can deteriorate. 
• Vision can deteriorate and cataracts can develop. 
• Hearing can deteriorate with a failure to hear high pitched sounds. 
• Nutrients from food are not absorbed as well as before.  
• Breathing can become less efficient because respiratory muscle are weaker. 
• Body metabolism is reduced due to lowered performance of the endocrine glands. 

Hormones and Menopause: Hormones control different body functions. Examples of hormones are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and thyroid hormone. In a women's body during menopause transition, before her final menopause, the levels of several hormones such as estrogen and progesterone either go up or down irregularly. This occurs as the ovaries begins to work less and less. Menopause is the normal part of ageing that occurs for women. This is when periods become irregular before they stop completely. Symptoms of Menopause are: night sweats and hot flushes, heart racing, difficulty sleeping, mood changes, poor memory and urinary problems.  

Skin: The elasticity of the skin reduces as people grow older. The appearance of the skin becomes loose and develops wrinkles on the area. The amount of fat that is stored underneath the skin decreases. The skin may become more fragile and thinner as you grow older. The skin also becomes bruised as it loses the support around the blood vessel walls. The nose may change if you lose the cartilage. Skin can be damaged due to exposed sunlight. The sun's ultraviolet damages certain fibers in the skin called elastin. This causes the skin to sag and stretch.  

Cognitive Changes: Ageing involves a loss of nerve cells in the brain and a reduction in the ability of nerves to transmit electrical signals. But this does not mean that people will lose their ability to think logically or reason. Many older people do report problems with memory recall for example ' where did I put my book?'  Older people often report that it take longer to do things; there may be a feeling of slowing down. Most of the times, it takes them so long to respond to questions. Slower response times and difficulty recalling recent and difficulty recalling recent memories are not symptoms of dementia.   

Loss of hearing: Older people experiences difficulty in hearing high pitched sounds. The sensitivity of nerve cells in the inner ear may decrease. There may be loss of nerve cells which results in hearing loss. Other older people experience an increase in wax in the outer ear and this blocks the transmission of sound to the sensory nerves.  

Musculoskeletal: Older people may experience things such as: muscle thinning, decline mobility and arthritis. As you grow older, ageing can result in shrinking and reducing the skeletal muscles. This loss of muscle may be due to cell death. Arthritis involves damage to joints within the body. Cartilage which is the substance that covers the ends of our bones and helps cushions our bones as we move. This cartilage becomes thinner and weak, less elastic as we age. Many older people with arthritis experiences stiffness and pain when they move their hips or knees. 

Psychological Changes:  

Every individual's experience of psychological changes is likely to be different. Some individuals may disengage from social activity as argues by Cummings ( 1975) but many people still remain in close in contact with friends and family. 

• Loss of partner - This will make the individual feel alone and sad losing a partner. This may lead to anxiety and depression. This can also result in a range of role changes.
• Ageism - As you grow older, you may be stereotyped as being useless, demented unable to cope etc. Older people will mostly experience prejudice from younger people who see them as having had their lives already. Older people get discriminated because of their age in health and social care settings.
• Role Changes - Most older people enjoys effective social networks with one person in five which they tend to experience isolation. For most older people retirement provides many opportunities socialise with grandchildren and family.
• Retirement - Retirement provides freedom for older people. This gives them a chance to be in closer contact with friends and family. Many older people are free from stress. While other people might different, it may be the worst outcome for them. This means loss of income, loss of interest in life and contact with work colleagues.