Do you intend to donate your organs if you die in an accident? Why or why not? Have you signed an organ donor card or the back of your driver’s license, enabling survivors to donate your organs when you die? If you have not signed an organ donor card on the back of your license, explain why.
Chapter 15
Aging, Dying,
and Death
Aging
• Aging: The sum of all changes that occur in an
organism during its life.
• Life span: The maximum number of years that
members of a species can expect to live when
conditions are optimal.
• Senescence: The stage of life that begins at 65 years of
age and ends with death.
• Life expectancy: The average number of years that an
individual who was born in a particular year can expect
to live.
Aging: Characteristics
of Aged Americans
• The majority of people who are over 65 years of age
own their own homes or live with family members.
• The oldest of the old (people over age 85) are more
likely to be severely disabled and poorer than the
“young-old” who are 65 to 74 years of age.
Aging: Characteristics
of Aged Americans
• A significant number of older adults are independent
and financially secure.
• Fewer live in poverty than in the late 1960s.
• Elderly members of certain minority groups (e.g.,
African Americans and Latinos) are more likely to
have lower retirement incomes and live in poverty
than white elderly people.
Aging: Why Do We Age?
• Cells have a limited number of cell divisions.
– As people age, rate of new cell production declines.
– Telomeres at the ends of chromosomes may be
“biological clocks.”
• Damage to genes can result from exposure to radiation,
pollution, drugs, and viruses.
– Damaged genes make mistakes in the production of
proteins.
– Faulty proteins may hasten cellular death.
Aging: Effects of Aging
on Physical Health
• People begin to experience gradual decline in
functioning of the body at about age 30.
• Signs of normal aging include:
– Menopause (in women)
– Delayed sexual responsiveness
– Graying and thinning hair
– Loss of height
– Presbyopia (the inability to see close objects clearly)
Aging: Effects of Aging
on Physical Health
• Age-related macular degeneration
– Disorder of the eye resulting in distorted and blurry
vision, often leading to irreversible blindness in
older adults
• Cataracts
– Clouding of the lens of the eye which impairs vision
Aging: Effects of Aging
on Physical Health
• Glaucoma
– Abnormal fluid accumulation in the eyeball, causing
vision loss
• Arthritis
– Group of diseases involving inflammation of the
joints
• Urinary incontinence
– The inability to control the flow of urine
Aging: Effects of Aging
on Physical Health
• Alzheimer’s disease
– Characterized by memory loss, confusion, loss of
control over behavior and body functions
– Progressive condition that has no cure
– Cause unclear, but some forms may be inherited
– Brain imaging can now detect signs of shrinkage in the
brain, a sign of Alzheimer’s.
Aging: Effects of Aging
on Psychological Health
• Retiring can causes distress.
– Some have concern over loss of income.
– Some people choose to continue working.
– Others adopt new interests to remain productive.
• Planning for retirement years while still young can
result in financial security during the last stage of life.
Aging: Effects of Aging
on Psychological Health
• Poor health and economic conditions, isolation, and
deaths of friends and family members can result in
depression.
• Staying physically and socially active can relieve
stress.
• In severe cases, antidepressants and psychotherapy
may be necessary.
Aging: Effects of Aging on Social
Health
• Ageism is negative bias toward the elderly.
– Can results in mistrust and conflict between
generations
• Elderly Americans
– Can be a valuable social asset
– Experienced consultants or advisors
Aging: Successful Aging
• People who age successfully are independent, socially
active, and in good health.
• Physically active people live longer than people who
are sedentary.
• Having a positive outlook, maintaining good spiritual
health, and engaging in social activities may also
enhance successful aging.
Dying
• Dying was very different 100 years ago.
– Some of the old practices helped survivors accept
dying and death as a part of life.
• Spiritual aspects of dying
– A person’s cultural and religious backgrounds
provide the foundation for his or her feelings about
life after death.
– People who believe in an afterlife may have less fear
of dying and death.
Dying
Dying: Terminal Care
• Hospice is specialized care for patients with a few
months to live.
– Designed to give emotional support and pain relief
to terminally ill persons
– Care may be provided at home or in a special center.
• Hospice staff also provide support for family members
and grief counseling for survivors.
Death: Signs That
Death Has Occurred
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Heart or lungs stop functioning.
No electrical activity in the brain
No spontaneous muscle movements
Bladder and large intestine eliminate their contents.
Reflexes absent
Body cools to match environmental temperature.
Decomposition occurs.
Death: Euthanasia and the Right to
Die
• The practice of allowing permanently comatose or
incurably ill persons to die
• Active euthanasia—physician hastens death by
giving an overdose of pain-relieving drugs that
depress breathing
• Passive euthanasia—physicians do not provide
life-sustaining treatments or withdraw such care
Death: Preparing for Death
• Consider preparing advance directives that indicate
wishes concerning treatment if incapacitated.
• Discuss wishes with family.
– Durable Power of Attorney document specifies your
wishes and identifies a mentally competent person to
serve as your health care proxy.
– Proxy makes health care decisions if you are
incapacitated.
Death: Preparing for Death
Grief
• Grief—the emotional state one experiences when one
loses something special or someone beloved
• Bereavement—process of resolving grief
– A grieving person regains emotional balance and
stability.
• Mourning—culturally defined way in which survivors
display grief and observe bereavement.
– For example, crying and wearing somber clothing
Grief: Signs of Abnormal Grieving
Across the Life Span: Children’s
Response to Dying and Death
• While preschool-age children may miss a familiar
person who has died, they do not express grief as older
children or adults do.
• They may act indifferent about the death, become
intensely involved in play activities, or misbehave.
• Older children often associate death with being old;
they may have a great deal of difficulty coping when a
peer dies.
• Professional counseling may be needed.
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