Concepts, Principles, and Theories in the Care of Older Adults

Perspectives on Aging Legacy

Aging is a Developmental Process ➢ stage in life where a person has achieved self-actualization,
radiating goodness accumulated over time
- Sr Lety Kuan views life as a 3-pronged course
➢ when one has been inspiration for others and has made a big
- 3 components of life course:
contribution to society
o Acquisition
o Struggle Life Perspective/ Graceful Aging Theory
o Legacy
- Developed by Sr Lety Kuan
- Components are the sum of experiences an individual has
- Good education is crucial in stablishing a good legacy
gathered throughout existence (positive and negative)
o Good education is the best we can give to children
- Continuous process that starts from conception up to old age
- Economic status is not a hindrance to establish a good legacy
Acquisition o What a child has grown up with (ex: presence/absence of
affection, attention, etc) is what he/she will bring up ito
➢ Affects one’s capabilities to face challenges and struggles
adulthood
in life
o Honesty and love are what matters in the upbringing of a
➢ Good acquisition in early stage of life is crucial
person
➢ Usually handed over by parents, but as individual grows
- Regardless of religion, as long as one is spiritual, one cannot be
he/she now performs the acquisition alone or with others
cruel or selfish (sharing is a key factor)
➢ Environment and relationship with others shape how one
- In terms of dealing with people without good acquisition, it is the
acquires life
therapeutic role of a nurse/caretaker to let them acquire what
➢ Obstacles may present itself along the way to test
they missed early in life
acquisition
o One must reflect the things they missed in the past in
➢ positive acquisition
order to help them acquire it
o lightens the burden, resulting in
o What the person lacks, the nurse must fill in
successful problem solving and bright
achievements
o cheerful disposition
➢ negative acquisition
o can lead to increased struggles, regrets,
and dissatisfaction
o grumpy, antisocial demeanor

EMP 2020
Concepts, Principles, and Theories in the Care of Older Adults

Demography of Aging & Implication for Health and Nursing Care Implications of Increasing Global Aging

Global Aging 1. Chance to pursue new activities

- proportion of world’s population over 60 y.o will nearly double
(12% to 22%) between 2015 and 2050
- indicates that people worldwide are living longer
- population aging is 1st century’s dominant demographic
phenomenon
- reasons:
o declining fertility
o increasing life expectancy of older ages causing elder
shares to rise worldwide
- Reasons for changes in life expectancy:
o Improved sanitation
o Advances in medical care
o Implementation of preventive health services
- Life expectancy on a global level:
o Men: 69.9 years; 65 y.o and above (between 2015-2020)
can expect to live for an additional 17 years
o Women: 72.3 years (5 years longer than men)
Aging in the Philippines
- There exists a 4.2% increase in persons aged 60 years, and a 0.4%
increase in persons aged 80 years and above (between 2010-
2030)
- Improvement in life expectancy due to advances public health in
the Philippines
2. Set a new career
3. Pursue a long neglected passion
4. Able to contribute in many ways for families
Selected Theories of Aging
Psychosocial Theories of Aging
1. Disengagement Theory
- Created by social scientists Elaine Cumming & William Earl
Henry
- Notable to note that this is the 1st social science theory of aging
- States that this is a process of disengagement in social life that
people experience as they age and become elderly
- Cites that over time, elderly people experience mutual
withdrawal and gradual disengagement from society and
relationships that were central to their life during adulthood
period
2. Activity Theory
- Developed by Robert Havighurst & Albrecht
- Focuses on the concept of activity engagement and positive
adaptation among aging individuals
- There is a need to remain involved in activities that continues
into older life but the meaning and focus changes
- Finds satisfaction in achieving level of physical and social
activities

EMP 2020
Concepts, Principles, and Theories in the Care of Older Adults

3. Continuity Theory/ Development Theory 2. Cellular/Biological Aging

- By Havighurst and associates
- States that older adults will maintain the same activities,
behaviors, and relationships as they did in their earlier years of
life
- Older adults try to maintain the continuity of lifestyle by
adapting strategies that are connected to their past experiences
- Suggests that personality is well-developed by the time one
reaches old age and tends to remain consistent across the
lifespan
- 4 types of personality:
a) Integrated- older persons are able to adjust to aging
process where there is broad engagement and are more
focused and selective particularly in terms of activities and
in relating to other people
b) Armored-Defended- continues activities and roles held
during middle age
c) Passive Dependent- older individuals who are either highly
dependent or exhibits disinterest in the external world
d) Unintegrated- least well-adjusted individuals who fails to
cope with aging successfully
- Aging results from impact of the accumulation of a wide
variety of molecular and cellular damage over time
- Leads to a gradual decrease in physical and mental capacity
- Changes are neither linear nor consistent and are only loosely
associated with a person’s age
- Cells are programmed to follow a biological “clock” and stop
replicating over time
3. Immunological/ Autoimmune Theory
- Regards normal aging process as being related to faulty
immunological function
- Decreased immune function among elderly
- Body’s immune system will attack ad destroy its own body
cells
- Thymus gland shrinks in size slowly loses its ability to function,
causing the body to be prone to infections

Biological Theories of Aging

1. Wear and Tear Theory

- Over time, cumulative changes occurring in cells age and
damage cellular metabolism
- Bod and its cells are damaged at a tissue and cellular level
- Due to the wearing out, overuse and abuse of the body
- Viewed as a result of aging and not a cause of it
- Examples: occurrence of osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, etc

EMP 2020