Paper Example: Late Adulthood Development Assessment

Late adulthood is a period of different developmental events in the life of a person; a change of several psychological concepts characterizes it. However, different people may have a different game at this period. Various identified events have been established in the medical, social, and psychological fields that are associated with the late adulthood stage of life (Kroger, 2015). This paper assesses the growth of Mark (not his real name) in his late adulthood based on the cognitive, social, emotional, and psychological aspects. This information was extracted from him, his family members, work colleagues, and some of the health records from various hospitals he has visited. From the information gathered, his experiences can be compared and contrasted with the expectations of a person who is in his or her late adulthood.

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Mark is a 70-year-old man who retired ten years ago. He is a veteran, having worked in the military for 25 years. Mark is currently staying at his home, which is situated in an upcountry. Mark enjoyed good health in his childhood and middle adulthood, but now he is experiencing some health problems. He stays with his wife, who is ten years younger, and is currently helping him with simple activities at home. They have a garden and rear a few animals in the farm, which are taken care of by an employed servant. His children stay far away and visit once in a while. He is, however, not lonely since they spent time with his wife and are in touch with his children and grandchildren over the phone. He is a believer and attends a Christian church nearby every Sunday. During his working period, he achieved a lot, and he had been promoted to captain. He enjoys his retirement benefits and is stable financially. He has a private doctor who attends to him whenever he has a health issue.

Physical

Mark's physical appearance is quite good, as an older man, his skin has normal wrinkles, and his body joints are not so strong. He works in three and can barely function for a long distance and has to be driven to town for shopping or to church during Sundays with his driver. All these physical states of Mark are typical to a person who is in his late adulthood and especially those who have hit seventy years. He can attend to himself with almost all activities like bathing, working himself around, and eating. Though he is slow in the events, he is still able to do them quite well. We asked his wife if he sometimes requires some help while working, and she said she only helps him go upstairs. She also told us that he once fell while working in the farm, and he no longer goes there to examine the animals since then. Generally, Mark is doing well physical wise and will continue enjoying his physical health for a couple of years ahead of him, mainly from the support he gets from his wife, doctor, and driver.

Cognitive

Mentally, Mark exhibited a severe conversation during the interview. He is mentally active, and he helps out in the management of his farm.Mark reads books and newspapers during his free time, and he is a very busy and informed person. After his retirement, he secured himself a small job, which kept him engaged for long before quitting taking a rest. His mind can be compared with that of a person who is in his middle adulthood.

His church members describe him as a very active member of the church, and he sometimes takes part in the sermon. They are amazed by his mental abilities with his age, he was considered as one of the church leaders, but he had to take a break since he could not afford to attend their regular meetings. From the doctor, he said that he has never portrayed any mental problems like Alzheimer's disease. He also has enough sleep, and there has never been any sign of insomnia. It was sporadic for him to be sleeping like a young person. The doctor explained it with the fact that he likes engaging in some physical and mental activities, which make his mind and body to want enough and long sleep (Zienglar, Cengia, et al., 2015). The other thing that may have contributed to his mental abilities is the active engagement in spiritual activities like reading books and taking part in a leadership role in the church and at home. He also eats well with a balanced diet daily.

Social

Mark is a very interactive person. He likes talking to people who are close to him and interacts with anyone freely. Mark is an introvert and an outgoing person. Despite aging, Mark can maintain a conversation without dozing off. He relates well with his wife and children who are living a distance from them. The only challenge with his is that he is not as fast as a young person who is normal to an older adult. He sometimes engages with arguments about politics with friends and could probably catch feelings and become upset. He strongly believes in his opinions, but that has not made him unsociable since people have understood and appreciated him. He is a famous person and is a very respectable man.

Emotional

Mark is a very emotional person and sensitive to different events in life. He can get angry and happy easily. He enjoys the company of her wife even at that age. He seemed to still be in a deep relationship with his and would be over-excited about him or upset sometimes. He recounts some of his friends whom he lost at work as militants.He was in deep connection with them, and their loss made him so sad. He accepted the situation and managed to get over it though it took some time. That was ten years ago, but he was already in his late adulthood, and his behaviors could count in the late-adulthood assessment.

Mark is enjoying his late-adulthood life. Contrary to many older adults who experience different ups and downs concerning their physical, emotional, social, and cognitive changes. Several older adults experience mixed emotions in their late adulthood, and they cannot cope with them at times. With the case of Mark, although he is an emotional person, he has been able to manage it. Most adults experience physical challenges in their bodies, which are accompanied by health problems. Mark has a problem with it, too, where he sometimes experience joint pains. He, however, manages it with the help of his doctor. In conclusion, Mark is among the few who are experiencing the best late adulthood life contributing to several factors like financial stability.

References

Kroger, J. (2015). Identity development through adulthood: The move toward "wholeness.". The Oxford Handbook of identity development, 65-80.

Ziegler, M., Cengia, A., Mussel, P., & Gerstorf, D. (2015). Openness as a buffer against cognitive decline: The Openness-Fluid-Crystallized-Intelligence (OFCI) model applied to late adulthood. Psychology and Aging, 30(3), 573.