Clyde's Corner

Clyde Lindley

Quotable Quotes

"Age is a matter of mind; if you don't mind, it doesn't matter."
-- Unknown

"So live that your friends can defend you, but never have to."
-- Arnold Glasow

"Nature give to every time and season some beauties of its own."
-- Dickens

"There are no illnesses; there are individuals who are ill."
-- Andrè Gide

"I always find that statistics are hard to swallow and impossible to digest. The only one I can remember is that if all the people who go to sleep in church were laid end to end they would be a lot more comfortable."
-- --Mrs. Robert A. Taft

"Grow old with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life, for which the first was made."
-- Robert Browning: Rabbi Ben Ezra (1812-1889)

Understanding Aging

We know now that the explosive growth of the older population will be with us soon. (See Clyde's Corner, "The Aging of Americans," ACN, October 1996). Yet, the problems with acquiring a better understanding of older persons are complex. The first difficulty is in determining when a person is old. Our concepts about when a person is old are frequently based on the criterion of chronological age since the U.S. Census defines the elderly as persons 65 and over and Social Security pays full benefits at this age. Yet many persons retire much earlier. For demographic purposes chronological age is a needed reference point. However, based on observations of behavior it is obvious that people do age differently; a person 50 years of age may already appear old, while another person over 70 years may be regarded as "not so old." Chronological age doesn't tell us much about the capacity of an older person to function effectively in society or to be productive in the workplace. (Lindley, C.J., "Who is the Older Person." (1989) pp. 9-10 in Hunt, T. & Lindley, C.J. (Eds.) Testing Older Adults: A Reference Guide for Geropsychological Assessments. Austin, TX: PRO-ED, Distributed by Center for Psychological Service.)

Another problem is that most of us are not familiar with the demographic terms used by the Census Bureau or the designations stated by researchers in aging. Here is a brief explanation of the terms most frequently used:

Elderly	65 & older (a demographic term, I prefer older persons)
Young-old	65 to 74
Old-old	75 & older, multiple chronic diseases/disabilities
Frail elderly	65 & older, significant physical and cognitive health problems
Oldest old	85 & over
Centernarians	100 & over (4 in 5 are women)
Baby-boomers	those born between 1946 & 1964
Baby-Echo	children of Baby-Boomers
Generation X	young adults, 20's - 30's (early 30's)
Sandwich generation	middle-aged Baby-Boomers who support children in college and assist older parents
Low Series projections Middle Series projections Highest Series projections	The Census Bureau bases its projections on the various levels of fertility assumptions - projections here are from the middle series

Many studies of older persons are called "Longitudinal." i.e. "The Baltimore Longitudinal Studies of Aging," (BLSA) conducted by J.L. Fozard. A longitudinal study deals with a large number of some individuals over a long period (several years) and analyses their development during that period emphasizing a number of health and behavioral factors in the study. Several longitudinal studies may be underway simultaneously with different starting dates. The analysis of results generally require different statistical techniques. Sampling of a population is important for some persons drop out of the studies because of unavailability or illness, etc. Depending on the study, persons may examined twice a year, once a year, or differently depending on the objective of the study. The BLSA will investigate several health, behavioral and mental functioning, i.e. Body Composition, Renal Function, Blood Samples & Urine Samples, Cardiovascular Functioning, Exercise & Strength, Cognitive performance in learning, memory, problem solving and information processing to measure key aspect of personality, stress management and coping.

Another complicating facto in understanding older persons is the mass of misinformation about the aging process. A common stereotype is that older people are all alike. Many are called chronic complainers and cranks. They are characterized as lacking initiative, being lonely, becoming senile after 65, and showing a decline in intelligence. In the work environment, some employers believe that older workers are inefficient, less capable and unproductive.

Many research studies of the aging process contradict these negative perceptions. A multinational (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, the United Kingdom, the United States and West Germany) survey on human values and well being over the life span found that the vast majority of the population over 65 years of age is reported to be well and independent. Studies of older people in retirement communities generally emphasize how involved and active they are. Gerontologists agree that older persons are very heterogenous in their characteristics. They are not alike. They adapt differently to life situations, feel and react differently about similar situations even though their commonality is older age.

A national survey, conducted for the Commonwealth Fund,¹ of almost 3000 Americans (1069 men and 1930 women) age 55 and over found that older persons reported very positive attitudes about their health and satisfaction with life. For the respective age ranges 55-64, 65-74, and 75 and over, the percentages of persons rating their health good to excellent were 71%, 62%, and 53%; for very satisfied with life, 61%, 63%, and 59%. The survey estimated that there are approximately 37.9 million Americans age 55 and older. More than 70% are actively engaged in helping American Society. And 14.3 million are in the paid workforce. Another interesting finding is that persons between the ages of 50 and 64 who are willing and able to work but unemployed are much less satisfied with their life than those who are working. These studies demonstrate that many older persons remain very active and contribute valuable services to their communities.

¹ Survey by Louis Harris and Associates, Inc., conducted between October 1991 and January 1992 for the Commonwealth Fund, One East 75th Street, New York, NY 10021.

Clyde is the Director of the Center for Psychological Services, 1608 Sanford Road, Silver Spring, MD 20902. Phone: (301) 754-1070.