Late Adulthood Interview

Working as a Certified Nursing Assistant, I’ve been able to meet lots of patients and residents who dwell within the Late Adulthood stage of development. I decided to interview and speak with one of my facility’s residents who was a white, middle class, 81 year old male. This man showed signs of the late adulthood development stage, such as showing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, having optimism about his life as describe in Activity Theory, and a gradual change in health that resulted in increased manifestations of arthritis. These factors demonstrated by the resident are a clear indication of what developmental stage he is in, and can help others, including myself, understand what else he could begin to experience in the next phases of his

As mentioned in the book and slideshow, “word finding/generating” is among one the earliest symptoms to be noticed, and thought my discussion with this resident, he was persistently having a hard time remembering some words. When we talked about different large events he has had in his life, he could remember those easily, and he could even still recite a few pages of Shakespeare’s Hamlet for me that he memorized in college. But when I ask him about his breakfast he had 10 hours earlier, he was having trouble remembering the specifics of what he ate. By the end of our interview, he was beginning to show some of the behavioral aspect of Alzheimer’s such as being agitated with himself when he couldn’t remember the word or detail of a

These concepts are very important to the Late Adulthood state of development because as we understand them, we can begin to observe the declining physical health in these people and predict and prepare for the future health concerns that can arise. We can also take these idea and apply them to their emotional and mental health as well. If we are able to identify and recognize and look for certain behaviors, we can identify the quality and of the person’s life as well as their self esteem as they continue to age to help them progress through their age with confidence and