3. Cognitive development
1. Memory begins to decline slowly around age 50 years.
2. It takes longer to learn new tasks, and old tasks take longer to perform.
3. Practical judgment is increased due to experiential background.
4. May tend to withdraw from mental activity or overcompensate by trying the impossible.


4. Socialization
1. The middle years can be very rewarding if previous stages have been fulfilled.
2. The years of responsibility for raising children are over.
3. Husbands and wives usually find a closer bond.
4. There is less financial strain for those with steady employment.
5. Individuals are usually at the height of their careers; the majority of leaders in their field are in this age group.
6. Self-realization is achieved.
1. There is more inner direction.
2. There is no longer a need to please everyone.
3. Individual is less likely to compare self with others.
4. Individual approves of self without being dependent on standards of others.
5. There is less fear of failure in life because past failures have been met and dealt with.

Early Late Years (65-79 Years of Age)

1. Stage of development - psychosocial stage: ego integrity and acceptance versus despair and disgust.


2. Physical development
1. Continues to decrease in vigor and capacity.
2. Has more frequent aches and pains.
3. Likely to have at least one major illness.


3. Cognitive development
1. Mental acuity continues to slow down.
2. Judgment and problem solving remain intact, but the processes may take longer.
3. May have problems in remembering names and dates.


4. Socialization
1. Individual is faced with the reality of the experience of physical decline.
2. Physical and mental changes intensify the feelings of aging and mortality.
3. Increasing frequency of death and serious illness among friends, relatives, and associates further reinforces the concept of mortality.
4. Constant reception of medical warnings to follow certain precautions or run serious risks adds to general feeling of decline.
5. Individual is less interested in obtaining the rewards of society and is more interested in using own inner resources.
6. Individuals feel that they have earned the right to do what is important for self-satisfaction.
7. Retirement allows time for expression of own creative energies.
8. Overcomes the splitting of youth and age; gets along well with adolescents.
9. Learns to deal with the reality that only old age remains.
10. Provides moral support to grandchildren; more tolerant of grandchildren than was of own children.
11. Tends to release major authority of family to children while holding self in the role of consultant.

Later Years (80 Years of Age and Older)

1. Stage of development - psychosocial stage: continuation of ego integrity and acceptance versus despair and disgust.


2. Physical development
1. Additional sensory problems occur, including diminished sensation to touch and pain.
2. Increase in loss of muscle tone occurs, including sphincter (urinary and anal) control.
3. Individual is insecure and unsure about orientation to space and sense of balance, which may result in falls and injury.


3. Cognitive development
1. Has better memory for the past than the present.
2. Repetition of memories occurs.
3. Individual may use confabulation to fill in memory gaps.
4. Forgetfulness may lead to serious safety problems, and individual may require constant supervision.
5. Increased arteriosclerosis may lead to mental illness (dementia and other cognitive disorders).


4. Socialization
1. Few significant relationships are maintained; deaths of friends, family, and associates cause isolation.
2. Individual may be preoccupied with immediate bodily needs and personal comforts; the gastrointestinal tract frequently becomes the major focus.
3. Individuals see that they can provide others with an example of wisdom and courage.
4. Individuals come to terms with themselves.
5. Individuals are concerned with own immortality.
6. Individuals come to terms with the process of dying and prepare for own death.