Purpose and Meaning in Old Age

As a lofty and delicate construct, many individuals might associate purpose in

life with factors found in old age, such as wisdom, experience, and maturity.
Yet, while it is true that children and young adolescents typically do not
possess a sense of purpose, it is equally as true that adults tend to feel less
and less purposeful as they age.
A recently accumulating body of research (more than 70 studies) regarding
purpose across the lifespan has evidenced a surprising and remarkably
consistent pattern: the sense of purpose in life tends to peak during
late adolescence/young adulthood and then actually begins to decline
throughout middle adulthood and drops sharply through late adulthood.

Researchers believe that adults begin to feel a diminished sense of purposeful

pursuit and experience due to the gradual changes in social roles that
accompany increasing age. Consider for a moment an individual in his or her
55th year. It is possible that this person has already achieved the goals that
previously imbued their life with purpose and meaning. For example, this
person is likely to have already reached the pinnacle of his or her career. At
the same time, children may have already left the home, causing once
prominent and meaningful roles as parents and caregivers to become less
salient. Finally, this person may have also developed the sense that certain
purposeful aims no longer seem realistically attainable. If and when the roles
from which older adults had once derived meaning disappear, purpose
presumably fades.
This decline in purpose with old age is particularly troubling, given that
purpose has been shown to play a key role in markers of physical health and
well- being during the later years. Research from the Rush Alzheimer's
Disease Center has found that people who have a greater sense of purpose in
life are more likely to have slower rates of mental decline, even as plaques
and tangles develop in their brains. Purpose has also been linked to
decreased mortality and happiness in old age.
Importantly, studies have also examined factors that tend to buffer the age-
graded declines of purpose in life. Unsurprisingly, results highlight protective
factors as those that center around social contribution and inclusion:

 Living in private residences (non-nursing homes)

  Continued employment
 Marriage
 Frequent contact with family
 Volunteering (of particular benefit to older adults appears to be the act
of volunteering)
Preventing older adults from withdrawing socially appears to be an imperative
in preserving a sense of purpose. As a sort of double-edged sword, modern
technology will likely continue to increase the age span of our older adults
while simultaneously crafting technologies that might make them feel
detached from the broader social world. Practitioners face challenges in the
coming decades in facilitating older adults’ passions, goals, and aspirations in
the context of our hierarchical age-based society.