The Search for Personal Meaning

The Search for Personal Meaning
i. Life review: a developmental task of late adulthood which involves the process of evaluating and making sense of one’s life
a. Can lead to both positive and negative outcomes
ii. Reminiscence: recalling and recounting past events

X. Resources for Meeting the Needs of Elderly Persons

A. Informal Resources
i. Family
ii. Friends and neighbors
iii. Religious and community groups
B. Formal Resources
i. Social security trust funds

XI. Technology and the Late-Adult Population
i. Exhibit 9.9 Innovations in Technology in the Last 100 Years
ii. Many do not feel comfortable in their ability to use and master technology
iii. Almost 70% of those over age 70 use some form of technology to stay connected
iv. Assistive technology: technology developed and used to assist
individuals with physical impairments to perform functions that might otherwise be difficult or impossible

XII. Risk Factors and Protective Factors in Late Adulthood

i. Childhood events are significant
ii. Exhibit 9.10 Variables That Affect Healthy Aging
XIII. Implications for Social Work Practice
i. Apply knowledge of late adulthood to recommend guidelines for social work engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation

Take note of these central ideas:
1. People aged 85 and older are the fastest growing segment of the older-adult population. Never have so many people lived so long.,
2. Among very-late-life adults women outnumber men 2 to 1 and 4 out of 5 centenarians are women.
3. Because the more frail individuals die sooner, those surviving to very late adulthood tend to be a relatively robust group, but they face an increased incidence of chronic disease and disability.

4. In very late adulthood, individuals continue to desire and need connections to other people.
5. In very late adulthood, spirituality is often associated with making meaning of loss and finding a way to stay connected to others.
6. Very late adulthood is the one life course phase when dying is considered “on time,” and very-late-life adults seem to have less denial about the reality of death than those in other age-groups.
7. Theoreticians and researchers continue to try to understand the multidimensional process of grief. APA