Question

To complete this assignment address each of the following in your paper: Describe the physical, social, and cognitive changes that occur in middle adulthood for men. Describe the physical, social, and cognitive changes that occur in middle adulthood for women. Describe the psychosocial stage: generativity versus stagnation. Describe how physical, social, and cognitive changes can impact this psychosocial stage. Identify the challenges of the sandwich generation. Provide recommendations 3 to 4 recommendations for someone currently in the sandwich generation. Describe historical changes from the past 40 years that have increased the strain on men and women in their middle adult years.

Answer 1

• Most middle-aged adults compensate well for gradual, minor declines in sensory and psychomotor abilities, including such age-related conditions as presbyopia and presbycusis, increases in myopia, and loss of endurance due to slowing of basal metabolism. Losses in bone density and vital capacity are common.
• Menopause occurs, on average, at about age 51, following the physiological changes of perimenopause. Attitudes toward menopause, and symptoms experienced, may depend on personal characteristics, past experiences, and cultural attitudes.
• Although men can continue to father children until late in life, many middle-aged men experience a decline in fertility.
• Among women, sexual dysfunction decreases with age; in men, it is just the opposite. A large proportion of middle-aged men experience erectile dysfunction. Sexual dysfunction can have physical causes but also may be related to health, lifestyle, and emotional well-being.
• The "double standard of aging" causes women to seem less desirable as they lose their youthful appearance. For both men and women, anxiety about getting older is heightened in a society that places a premium on youth.
• Postmenopausal women become more susceptible to heart disease and bone loss leading to osteoporosis. Chances of developing breast cancer also increase with age, and routine mammography is recommended for beginning at age 40.
  
• Adults showed stable and even increasing IQ scores until mid-30s and some to mid-50s, then declined.
• Carl define Midlife as stage where both men and women express their suppressed emotions. Erickson name this stage as a seventh psychosocial stage and explained in reference with two terms, Generativity and Stagnation.
• Generativity is the feeling of achievement and expressed in form of parenting and mentoring while Stagnation is the feeling of suppression and contributing little in the development of next generation. According to Erickson there is a continuous conflict between Generativity and Stagnation going on in the mind of individual.
• People who succeed in resolving this conflict tend to lead a better life, while those who are unable to resolve the conflict left with sense of rejection.
• The mental health in midlife goes through some tremendous changes. It is the period of time where an individual tend to assess and analyze his/her life. They become more sensitive and concerned towards their success and failures as compare to other phases in life. In evaluating their lives people are prone towards developing mental issues. The sense of failure is often lead to depression.
• Females outnumber males in major depressive disorders at a ratio of 2:1 during a woman's childbearing years.
• Couples who were more dependent on their children finds it extremely difficult to let go their children as they have to deal with earlier immersed marital problems. Middle aged parents are generally satisfied with their maturing children and the careers they choose to lead a life. It is the time of their life when they become very optimistic about their children’s future and develop a sense of relief . They directly associate the success and failure of their children with them and taking enormous pride on children’s accomplishments
• The sandwich generation is the generation of people who are facing the challenges of raising their families and simultaneously taking care of their aging parents. As these beleaguered "sandwich generationers" grow older themselves, the health problems that develop due to stress are going to become more severe as well. And the problems become far worse for adult children dealing with parents or other relatives suffering from dementia.
• Mothers in the “sandwich generation,” ages 35-54, feel more stress than any other age group as they balance the demanding, delicate acts of caring for growing children and their aging parents, according to the American Psychological Association’s 2007 Stress in America survey. And while nearly two-in-five men and women in this age group feel overextended, the survey reveals that more women than men report experiencing extreme stress and say they manage their stress poorly.
• Prioritize, and get organized: They should take care of what’s truly important to them and their family, and think about cutting back on other commitments.
• Seek information on supportive care services, whether in the home, or in a long-term care setting.
• With the unyielding responsibilities of caregiving, you may need to temporarily take step back from your role in order to rest and recharge. Respite care, in which adult children can arrange short-term overnight stays in senior living communities for their loved ones, can provide much-needed relief from caregiver burnout.
• Parents should focus on their own retirement plans as well and manage their finances for future.
• They should not ignore their own health,and excercise and eat healthy to keep themselves fit.
• Due to time constraints,some remaining questions can be asked as another question,they will be answered,thankyou