The Growing World of Senior Citizenship
Stating the Facts
You probably have heard that 60 years of age is like the new 40 years of age in our world today. You may have heard that grandpas and grandmas are not like they were 40 and 50 years ago, and you probably heard growing old ‘aint’ for sissies. There are lots truth to these statements as you will see as you get a bird’s eye view of the growing world of senior citizens.
According to the census bureau, taken in 2016, there are many trends and disparities among adults ages 65 and older and the baby boom generation, born between 1946 and 1964, will reshape America’s older population. In 2016, baby boomers were between the ages of 52 and 70. Below are some key findings and studies completed with aging in America and important demographic shifts. The number of Americans ages 65 and older is projected to more than double from 46 million (in 2016) to over 98 million by 2060, and the 65 and older age group’s share of the total population will rise to nearly 24 percent from 15 percent.
The older population is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Between 2014 and 2060 the share of the older population that is non-Hispanic white is projected to drop by 24 percentage points, from 78.3 percent to 54.6 percent. The changing racial/ethnic composition of the population under age 18, relative to those ages 65 and older, has created a “diversity gap” between generations. Older adults are working longer. In 2014, 23 percent of men and about 15 percent of women ages 65 and older were in the labor force, and these levels are projected to rise further by 2022, to 27 percent for men and 20 percent for women. Many parts of the country, especially counties in the rural Midwest are “aging in place” because disproportionate shares of young people have moved elsewhere.
Positive developments include:
Education levels are increasing. Among people ages 65 and older in 1965, only 5 percent had completed a bachelor’s degree or more. By 2014, this share had risen to 25 percent. Average U.S. life expectancy increased from 68 years in 1950 to 79 years in 2013, in large part due to the reduction in mortality at older ages. The gender gap in life expectancy is narrowing. In 1990, there was a seven-year gap in life expectancy between men and women. By 2013, this gap had narrowed to less than five years (76.4 years versus 81.2 years). The poverty rate for Americans ages 65 and older has dropped sharply during the past 50 years, from nearly 30 percent in 1966 to 10 percent today.
Some of the challenges with the growing senior citizen population include:
Obesity rates among older adults have been increasing, standing at about 40 percent of 65-to-74-year-olds in 2009-2012. There are wide economic disparities across different population subgroups. Among adults ages 65 and older, 18 percent of Latinos and 19 percent of African Americans lived in poverty in 2014 more than twice the rate among older non-Hispanic whites (8 percent).
Older adults are divorced compared with previous generations. The share of divorced women ages 65 and older increased from 3 percent in 1980 to 13 percent in 2015, and for men from 4 percent to 11 percent during the same period. More than one-fourth (27 percent) of women ages 65 to 74 lived alone in 2014, and this share jumps to 42 percent among women ages 75 to 84, and to 56 percent among women ages 85 and older.
The aging of the baby boom generation could fuel a 75 percent increase in the number of Americans ages 65 and older requiring nursing home care, to about 2.3 million in 2030 from 1.3 million in 2010. Demand for elder care will also be fueled by a steep rise in the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s disease, which could nearly triple by 2050 to 14 million, from 5 million in 2013. The large share of elderly also means that Social Security and Medicare expenditures will increase from a combined 8 percent of gross domestic product today to 12 percent by 2050.
Senior Adults and Depression
According to a recent report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, depression is one of the major causes of decline in the health-related quality of life for senior citizens. Approximately a quarter of people age 65 or older suffer from depression. More than half of doctor’s visits by the elderly involve complaints of emotional distress. Twenty percent of suicides in this country are committed by seniors, with the highest success rate belonging to older, white males. Depression with senior adults doctor Rafi Kevorkian, calls them the five D’s: disability, decline, diminished quality of life, demand on caregivers, and dementia. To combat senior depression, then, requires coming up with creative methods to counter the five D’s. Below are different ways to help senior citizens break free from the prison of depression and anxiety.
Depression in seniors is more complicated to identify and treat than that of younger folks because of all the other illnesses involved with seniors. For example, Parkinson’s disease directly affect brain chemistry and can exacerbate depressive symptoms. Estimates show that 25 percent of cancer patients are depressed and as many as 50 percent of stroke patients suffer from depression. Treating depression in seniors you must separate the illness from the depression. Seniors with co-existing depression and chronic illnesses tend to focus more on the physical ailment, and therefore delay or impede full recovery from a mood disorder. Treat both the depression and the chronic illness simultaneously, setting aggressive treatment goals for both, and do not settle for substandard treatment results if one or both conditions is/are not responding to treatment, intensify or switch approaches. Also be sure there is cooperation and clear communication between your doctor and your mental health provider.
Often we think teenagers were most at risk for substance abuse, actually, alcohol and drug abuse are very prevalent among people over age 60, affecting 17 percent of older adults. It’s not uncommon for seniors to self-medicate with alcohol and drugs as a way of coping with their loneliness or dealing with chronic pain. For one, alcohol is a depressant and is going to depress you even more once you come off the alcohol driven high. Taking sedatives can be lethal, especially when taken in combination with alcohol. Alcohol and drugs can also interfere with the effects of medications taken for diabetes, heart disease, and other common conditions among seniors. And finally, substance abuse increases the risk of suicide, especially in older men.
Disability and diminished quality of life are two of the D’s of senior depression. The fear of falling is legitimate among the elderly because approximately 33 percent of Americans ages 65 or older fall at least once a year. And when you consider the rates of osteoporosis, arthritis, and weak cardiopulmonary systems among elderly, healing from a fracture isn’t so easy. Therefore, take up an exercise program like Tai Chi, a martial art that teaches agility, slow movement, and coordination between body and mind. Tai Chi has been proven to prevent falls among seniors because it builds balance, core strength, and confidence. Strength training with either free weights or resistance rubber bands is also beneficial. Water aerobics can be helpful for seniors as well with anyone who suffers with the pain from osteoporosis and arthritis. The resistance the water gives without causing more discomfort or pain can build and tone muscles and help seniors with extra pounds lose weight. The water is great therapy as it relaxes and can help stimulate overall feeling well and healthy. As of 2015, the most important predictor of a person’s mobility in the later years is one’s health behavior, states the International Encyclopedia of Rehabilitation. Obesity, smoking, consuming alcohol and poor nutrition also significantly limit mobility as a person ages. Gender, age, diseases and socioeconomic status also have an impact.
David N. Neubauer author of “Understanding Sleeplessness: Perspectives on Insomnia” wrote, “As we age, we typically spend less time in the deepest levels of non-REM sleep (Stage 3 and Stage 4) and more time in the lighter levels. Consequently, older people often suffer from fragmented sleep, waking up more often during the night and early in the morning. In response to these changing sleep patterns, many senior adults develop poor sleep habits that compound the problem.” Dr. Neubauer reports that 80 percent of people who are depressed experience sleeplessness, and that the more depressed someone is, the more likely it is that he or she will have sleep problems. And vice versa! So absolutely essential to a senior’s depression treatment is addressing any sleep problems and to practice good sleep hygiene: like going to bed at the same time every night, waking at the same time in the morning, and cutting down on or eliminating caffeine.
Treating senior citizens with depression means distinguish grief from depression. By the age of 65, half of American women will be widows. And in 10 to 15 percent of spouses, the loss of their loved one leads to chronic depression. The questions is: what’s normal grief and what’s depression? Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, distinguishes the two in this way, “The sadness of grief usually comes in waves, with varying degrees of intensity and bouts of crying, and feelings of intense sadness, guilt, anger, irritability, or loneliness. A person experiencing grief, however, can enjoy some of life’s activities. Grief is generally time limited and resolves on its own. Depression is a more persistent and unremitting sadness.” In other words, a depressed person is unable to enjoy life activities, merely slogging through life. They may also start to abuse alcohol or other drugs, experience difficulty eating (or overeating), and suffer from sleep disturbances.
Here’s a simple way you can buffer yourself from the beast of depression: carry photos of your loved ones and friends in your wallet. A new study by UCLA psychologists found that by simply looking at a photograph of their significant others, a group of women reported less pain than when they looked at pictures of an object or a stranger. The study’s co-author Naomi Eisenberger says, “The mere reminder of one’s partner through a simple photograph was capable of reducing pain. The study fits with other work emphasizing the importance of social support for physical and mental health.”
Countless studies have demonstrated that people with strong social networks are more resilient to depression and anxiety, especially in their senior years. And since losing friends and family is part of growing older, it is especially important for seniors to make an effort to meet new people. A few ways seniors can utilize to make new friends may be trying out a book club, volunteering, taking a night class, and connecting with your alumni association, join a bowling league, getting involved in your church, or making a local restaurant or coffee shop your place to hang out.
A new report suggest getting senior citizens to use the internet. Spending time online reduced depression by 20 percent in senior citizens. Maintaining relationships with friends and family at a time in life when mobility becomes increasingly limited is challenging for the elderly. Increased Internet access and use by senior citizens enables them to connect with sources of social support when being with family and friends becomes more difficult.
You are never too old for a little exercise. You may not like it, but you are never too old. Let’s say you’re 84 years old and have never worn a pair of tennis shoes. You don’t like to move fast. Let’s say you eat steak and fries every night, the fries being the only vegetable to go near your mouth. Are you really going to benefit from exercise at this point in your life? The “Archives of Internal Medicine” says, “Senior citizens who exercise even if they take it up at age 85 live longer, healthier, and happier lives. The seniors who exercised regularly experienced fewer declines in their quality of life, were less lonely, and were more likely to stay independent.”
It should not be surprising that when seniors lose their independence and mobility they end up depressed. In fact, the Journal of Leisure Research recently published a study by four researchers that confirmed a very basic theory: humans thrive when they have choices and feel in control. When they don’t? They become helpless and lose the will to live. Purpose is the glue that holds the good life together. A sense of purpose is what is truly important. Even more so than money or health. And as people age, a sense of purpose becomes even more important. So get a purpose, no matter how big or small: recycling the plastic bags of everyone in your apartment complex, providing free babysitting for your daughter or son so they can have a date night with their spouse. Spend time with your grandchildren spoiling them with ice-cream, or visiting a lonely neighbor once a week. It doesn’t have to require lots of time, energy, money, or brain power. All you need is a little motivation and a touch of kindness.
We all will grow older that is inventible, the moment you were born, the first breath you took in this world, you began the journey of growing older. There is no escaping the pain of growing older. As I stated in the beginning of this blog “growing old aint for sissies”. Consider all the physical ailments and chronic conditions you will experience by becoming a senior citizen and the agonizing pain of losing loved ones to death and grieving that loss, it is understandable that you may have times of feeling depressed and anxious. But becoming and embracing your senior life with hope, happiness as a new adventure see it as you have arrived, thus is your time ,will make much difference how you can live and cope with being a senior citizen. Growing old and becoming a senior is just a season of this life like all the other seasons you have weathered. Your Creator speaking through the Prophet Isaiah says this, “even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (Isaiah 46:4, NIV).
Jim Katsoudas
