For various reasons we are living longer. The average lifespan for the world is now 66.12 years (2008 estimate) and is appreciably higher in developed countries such as Japan which tops the list at 81. The figure is higher for women than their male counterparts. The number of centenarians is rising at the rate of 7% per annum. Whereas in the past we have thought of life stages as childhood, student, working and retirement, do we now have a new phase of ‘emerging old age’? Central to the argument is the definition of ‘old age’. Given the greater longevity and flexible retirement age, many persons finish work with 25% or more of their active lives ahead of them. The answer, of course, is that the age of entering the elderly phase varies with the individual person according to the state of their mental and physical health. There is a lot of discussion in the press at the moment about senile dementia and Alzeimers disease, and quite rightly so. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, affecting more than 400,000 people in the UK. The generalised term ‘dementia’ is used to describe the signs and symptoms that occur when the brain is affected by specific diseases and conditions. Alzheimer’s disease, so called as it was first described by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer, is a physical disease affecting the brain.
During the course of the disease, ‘plaques’ and ‘tangles’ develop and grow in the structure of the brain, leading to the death of brain cells. People affected with Alzheimer’s also have a shortage of some important chemicals in their brains. These chemicals are involved in the transmission of messages within the brain. It is a progressive disease, which means that gradually, over time, increasing areas of the brain are damaged. As this happens, the symptoms become more severe. It is often worse for the relatives than the patient themselves, although this is hard to understand. The management and treatment are slowly improving, but all forms of dementia are difficult, even for the professionals, to cope with. This discussion and information in the press is essential for our understanding of the disease, but more importantly contributing to our societys’ understanding of ‘old age’ as being something that will happen to most of us.. So what are the specific problems of old age itself? We have already mentioned health as being the major factor, but there are also several other transitions to cope with. There is often and ‘empty nest’ syndrome when adult children leave home, retirement from work with subsequent economic changes and often loss of status, the menopause, or loss of parents. There will be a gradual deterioration in physical appearance regardless of any health problems, with which some will be able to cope mentally better than others.
Continue reading ‘Retirement – a New Start. Part 1.’ »