ANSWER
Life Transitions’ Impact on Older Adults
Retirement is frequently the first major transition that older adults face. Its effects on physical and mental health vary depending on one’s attitude toward and reason for retiring. One-third of retirees struggle to adjust to certain aspects of retirement, such as reduced income and altered social roles and entitlements. Some people choose to retire because they have been looking forward to retiring; others are forced to retire (eg, because of health problems or job loss). Appropriate retirement planning and counseling for retirees and families experiencing difficulties may be beneficial.
Relocation to retirement housing with desirable amenities, to smaller quarters to reduce the burden of upkeep, to the homes of siblings or adult children, or to a residential care facility may occur several times during old age. Physical and mental health, as well as thoughtful and adequate preparation, are important predictors of relocation adjustment. People who have a negative reaction to relocation are more likely to be alone, socially isolated, poor, and depressed. Men react less effectively than women.
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The greater the stress of relocation, the less control people perceive they have over the move and the less predictable the new environment appears. People should become acquainted with the new environment as soon as possible. Moving away from familiar surroundings may exacerbate functional dependence and disruptive behavior in the cognitively impaired. Some older adults believe they must remain in problematic homes or neighborhoods despite their desire to relocate due to financial, social, and other complications. Social workers can assist such individuals in weighing their options for relocation or home modification.
Bereavement has an impact on many aspects of an elderly person’s life. Social interaction and companionship, for example, may decline, and social status may shift. Men and women react differently to the death of a spouse. The mortality rate in men tends to rise in the two years following the death of a wife, especially if the wife’s death was unexpected. Data for women who have lost a husband are less clear, but they do not show an increased mortality rate.
QUESTION
Discuss the various socioeconomic life transitions that the older adult will face in relation to:
· Declining function
· Shrinking social world
· Widowhood
· Late-Stage Divorce
· Late-Stage remarriage
· Grand parenting
· Reduced income
· Retirement, including the phases of retirement
· Role changes
· Awareness of mortality