There are many elderly people today. More and more are coming, we call this aging. Here are some characteristics of the elderly.
Social characteristics:
The social position changes:
The social position of people is sometimes quite complicated. You never fulfill one social position. It is completely complicated for the elderly, because their position also changes. Elderly people take on a different role in, for example, the family and in their circle of friends.
Social activities:
Social activities are activities where you meet other people.
Such activities are important for everyone. Some social activities you can do almost your entire life, such as playing cards, golf, singing and darts. But there are also activities that an elderly person can no longer do. Because he is no longer fit and mobile enough for that.
Mental Characteristics:
Changes in thinking and feeling:
When you get older, it’s not just your body that changes. Thinking and feeling also changes. These changes are not visible from the outside, but they are noticeable. For example, the older person may notice that he or she is less able to remember certain things. Or he notices that a conversation with a young person is going too fast for him.
The memory:
People’s memory is important in all kinds of activities in life. In the elderly, something changes in the brain, causing them to have difficulty with certain activities, such as:
- the thinking
- the concentration
- the orientation
Spiritual maturation:
As people get older, the way they view their lives also changes. Such a change is necessary to cope well with aging. We call this change spiritual maturation. Spiritual maturation consists of two parts:
- Closing previous periods of life.
- Accepting a new period in life.
Physical Characteristics:
Visible consequences of aging:
- Both older men and older women grow less hair
- The hair becomes more brittle. Older women therefore often wear their hair short.
- The hair of the elderly turns gray.
- An elderly person becomes smaller.
- The body weight of the elderly decreases.
- The skin loses its suppleness, causing wrinkles to appear.
- The skin of the elderly becomes thinner, making blood vessels clearly visible.
- The skin of the elderly starts to sag.
- The posture changes, the older person starts to walk more crooked.
Non-visible consequences of aging:
- The hearing of the elderly is declining.
- An older person sees less well up close.
- The condition of the elderly decreases.
- The older person has less muscle strength.
- The bones of the elderly break more quickly.