Running head: MODELS OF AGING 1

Models of Aging

Name

School Affiliation

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Models of Aging

Introduction

Human aging and longevity are complex traits. Generally, aging is associated with

increased mortality and morbidity risks or decline in a person's physical activity (Cevenini et al.,

2008). However, it is vital to underscore that human beings have a very complex ageing

phenotype due to variations in genetic, environmental, and stochastic components. For this

reason, different people age differently and each must, therefore, be considered independently

(Partridge, Deelen, & Slagboom, 2018). For instance, considering two different people; an 80-

year-old woman and a former army officer, who is 83, have experienced variations in terms of

their physical, cognitive, social, motor, moral, and emotional development at different life

phases. Differences in factors such as socioeconomic, environmental, and genetic, influence the

development of people in old age.

My Models and How they are Ageing

The chronological age of my first subject of the interview was 80 years. The theme was

called Merissa. She has been less physically active for the past five years and her activity

continues to decline with age. Her bones are also weaker and the doctors have been associating

this condition with a continuous reduction in calcium and other valuable minerals in her body

(Partridge, Deelen, & Slagboom, 2018).

Similarly, her joints have become weaker and less flexible as they have lost a lot of fluids. Miss

Merissa also said she has problems with her vision and is forced to wear glasses for almost

twelve hours a day. Moreover, she also admitted to be experiencing a reduction in the sense of

touch and sometimes, she does not detect pressure on her skin very fast, which makes her get

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hurt most of the time. Because of her reduced physical activity, Merissa feels she might be at risk

of chronic diseases like arthritis, hypertension, diabetes, and lung complications.

Miss Merissa indicated that she could train on particular memory areas but could not

master some areas of cognitive development. According to her therapist, Merissa's reduction in

brain function can be associated with reduced physical training, which increases the risks of

brain atrophy. Despite experiencing a decline in different cognitive aspects, Miss Merissa said

that her reasoning has not been significantly impaired. Miss Merissa said that currently, she

pursues emotionally meaningful goals rather than goals that aim to expand her social

connections. Grandma Merissa has a vibrant personality with a positive attitude towards her

advancing age. Having retired however, Miss Merissa realized that her social network only

comprises of individuals with whom she has developed closer emotional bonds. From the

interview I also discovered that Miss Merissa also had a fairly higher motor level as compared to

women of her age.

The second subject of my interview was Mr. Dickson, a retired army officer aged 83

years. Although his age is advanced, Mr. Dickson is still physically fit. His bones are a little

brittle. His joints are also more flexible for a man his age because of his disciplined routine of

observing a healthy diet and physical fitness. Furthermore, his vision was better, although he

occasionally uses glasses to aid his vision, especially when reading. Mr. Dickson also noted that

his sensitivity levels had been slightly reducing for the past two years. However, he still has a

strong sense of touch, which gives him a better ability to detect pain and pressure. Mr. Dickson's

life has been accustomed to healthy eating and physical fitness and when I asked him whether he

has any fear for chronic diseases, he said that he felt he has been taking good care of himself in

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preparation for healthy ageing. However, he still expressed having a slight fear that he might get

some chronic diseases associated with old age.

Regarding cognitive and motor development, Mr. Dickson can train in many cognitive

areas. His active physical training has significantly influenced his present cognition and motor

development (Vineis, Kelly-Irving, Rappaport, & Stringhini, 2016). He also has an enhanced

brain function. Additionally, Dickson’s cognitive functions, like reasoning and memory, have not

been significantly affected by his age. His attention, special processing, and memory have only

declined slightly as he still has fine personal and general souvenirs. Regarding his emotional,

moral and social development, Dickson indicated that although he still keeps general networks,

most of his new connections are based on intimate and closer attachments. He also has a stronger

sense of morality as he believes in ethical conducts by all responsible individuals.

When I consider these two ageing models, I think of how different factors can

significantly affect a person’s ageing process. I also see that gender differences can also affect

ageing process and rates as seen in the work of Vineis, Kelly-Irving, Rappaport, and Stringhini

(2016). Besides, I understand how complex ageing can be. Moreover, individual ageing may also

be impacted by factors within the individual.

How Events and Experiences Occurring Earlier in Life Impacted their Development in

Late Life

Both Miss Merissa and Mr. Dickson had different experiences earlier in life, which

consequently affected their ageing. For instance, one of the early life experiences that can impact

one’s ageing is socioeconomic the status (Nettle et al., 2017). As a child, Mr. Dickson lived a

fulfilled life and had all that he needed, acquired a good education, and got admitted into the

army. Because of his socioeconomic status, he was always able to access excellent healthcare

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services. His father often trained him to live a healthy and physically fit life (Fontana, &

Partridge, 2015). As such, he grew up with the culture of healthy eating and physical exercise.

On the other hand, Miss Merissa’s parents were low-income earners who only earned

enough to take care of basic needs and could, therefore, not afford healthy a lifestyle. She,

however, went to school and attained a basic education, discontinued her education and worked,

before paying her school fees to attain college education. After college, she started focusing on

healthy living and has since been trying to maintain this. One of the linkages in this comparison

is that low socioeconomic status has a negative impact on a person's cognitive and physical

abilities at old age (Tacutu et al., 2017). Although she has been doing physical exercise and

practicing healthy eating, her early life has significantly impacted her ageing.

How the Influences of Gender, SES, Educational Level, Sociability, Ability Level, Physical

And/or Cognitive Health, Among Others, Contribute to their Aging Processes?

Regarding gender, women age faster than men because of women’s complicated

biological reproductive health. On the other hand, men exhibit varying features at different

phases in life (Komp & Johansson, 2015). The social and economic statuses determine the ability

of a person to access good quality education and healthcare services, which significantly

influence a person’s cognitive development at old age. Individuals who have higher SES tend to

be highly sociable with better and more intimate social networks than those from low SES

(Sutin, Luchetti, Stephan, Robins, & Terracciano, 2017). Furthermore, cognitive and physical

health at an early age determines what a person’s health will be at old age.

The Social Theories of Aging Embodied By the Models

Disengagement Theory

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According to this theory, individuals withdraw from their social relationships as they age.

The first model involving Miss Merissa, who seems to be having fewer networks with a change

in focus of emotional connections from broader to more intimate relationships, is an illustration

of this theory (Coleman, & O’Hanlon, 2018). Similarly, Mr. Dickson also shows some signs of

disengagement, even though he still values his other connections. However, in both cases, the

models try as much as possible to maintain their social relationships depending on need.

Activity Theory

Activity theory talks about the need for a person to remain acting in old age. For

example, the two models depict subjects who aspire to stay physically active at old age. Mr.

Dickson, a former army officer, still maintains a physically fit and healthy body (Coleman, &

O’Hanlon, 2018). Similarly, Miss Merissa also practices physical fitness to make her stronger.

How the Models have influenced my Perspective on and Approach on Ageing

The findings about the two models have significantly influenced my understanding of

age. I have developed a better understanding of the different factors that influence ageing

process. I have also understood why women age faster than men (Aiello et al., 2016). Moreover,

I have learned to view and describe ageing depending on an individual's experience and

environment.

Conclusion

Variations in factors such as SES, environmental, and genetic, among others, influence

the development of people in old age. A comparison of ageing processes between an eighty-year-

old woman and an eighty-three-year-old retire army officer shows that the woman has lower

physical, cognitive, and emotional wellbeing at old age compared to the man. The difference

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implies the possible impact of gender on ageing. Activity and disengagement theories best

explain social connections exhibited by the two models.

References

Aiello, A., et al. (2016). Nutrigerontology: a key for achieving successful ageing and longevity.

Cevenini, E., et al. (2008). Human models of aging and longevity. Expert opinion on biological

therapy, 8(9), 1393-1405.

Coleman, P. G., & O’Hanlon, A. (2018). Theories of ageing and adaptation. In Aging and

Development (pp. 82-104). Routledge.

Fontana, L., & Partridge, L. (2015). Promoting health and longevity through diet: from model

organisms to humans. Cell, 161(1), 106-118.

Komp, K., & Johansson, S. (Eds.). (2015). Population ageing from a lifecourse perspective:

Critical and international approaches. Policy Press.

Nettle, D., et al. (2017). Early-life adversity accelerates cellular ageing and affects adult

inflammation: experimental evidence from the European starling. Scientific Reports, 7,

40794.

Partridge, L., Deelen, J., & Slagboom, P. E. (2018). Facing up to the global challenges of ageing.

Nature, 561(7721), 45.

Sutin, A. R., Luchetti, M., Stephan, Y., Robins, R. W., & Terracciano, A. (2017). Parental

educational attainment and adult offspring personality: An intergenerational life span

approach to the origin of adult personality traits. Journal of personality and social

psychology, 113(1), 144.

Tacutu, R., et al. (2017). Human Ageing Genomic Resources: new and updated databases.

Nucleic acids research, 46(D1), D1083-D1090.

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Vineis, P., Kelly-Irving, M., Rappaport, S., & Stringhini, S. (2016). The biological embedding of

social differences in ageing trajectories. J Epidemiol Community Health, 70(2), 111-113.

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