Great Myths of Aging

Acknowledgments xi Introduction 1 1 The Body 6 "Speak up! I can't hear you!" 6 #1 It is best to speak to an older person as you would to a small child - loudly, slowly, and with exaggerated emphasis 7 #2 Hearing aids are beneficial for older adults in just about any situation, but many are just too stubborn to use them 9 You can't be too careful (or ... falling down and crashing cars) 12 #3 Older people worry too much about falling 13 #4 Older people get into more car accidents than younger people 15 Now that you don't have sex anymore... 20 #5 Older people lose interest in sex 20 #6 Older women do not care about their looks 25 #7 Older people need to wear diapers, and how sexy is that? 29 #8 It's always best for older adults to be married rather than single 32 2 The Mind 37 "I'm just having a senior moment" 37 #9 Brain power declines with age 38 #10 Older adults can't or won't learn new things - like technology. They would rather get a stupid phone than a smart one 42 "Did I tell you this already?" 46 #11 As people grow older, they get forgetful, and this is always a sign of dementia 46 #12 Alzheimer's disease, dementia - they're one and the same 50 #13 There's no help for Alzheimer's, so don't waste time or money on diagnosis of memory problems 52 Older but wiser 55 #14 Wisdom comes with age, so older adults are wise 56 #15 Older adults are suckers and are easy prey for scam artists 59 #16 Older people are extra cautious when they have to make decisions 63 3 The Self 66 Older people are a disagreeable bunch 66 #17 Older people are hypochondriacs 67 #18 Older people are stingy 71 #19 Older people are grouchy 75 "Give me my lunch. Now go away." 78 #20 Older adults prefer to be taken care of - they don't want a lot of responsibilities 78 #21 Older people are introverted and prefer to spend time alone 81 Why try to improve your life if the future is so brief? 85 #22 Older adults have given up any hopes and dreams 85 #23 Older people are set in their ways 87 #24 Growing old is depressing; no wonder older people are more depressed than younger people 90 #25 Older adults do not benefit significantly from therapy 92 4 Living Contexts 98 Growing old can only mean there is more opportunity to enjoy the bliss of family relationships 98 #26 Older adults would choose living with kids and grandkids rather than living alone 99 #27 Older adults want to spend all their time with grandkids and they never have favorites 102 #28 Sibling relationships are stable throughout life 105 Retirement is for sissies 108 #29 Older workers are inferior to younger workers 109 #30 Older adults hardly ever have trouble getting work 111 #31 Retirement is depressing, so older adults only retire when they are forced to do so 113 #32 Retired older adults are privileged financially 117 #33 After they retire, older folks want to move to where it's warm 122 5 Endings and Loss 124 All the good ones are either gay, married, or dead 124 #34 If older widows date, it's to find a new husband 125 And then you die... 127 #35 A majority of older adults end up in nursing homes and stay there till they die 128 #36 Suicide is more common among adolescents and young adults than it is among older adults 131 #37 Older people have the greatest fear of death of any age group - they are the closest to it, so they should know 135 References 140 Index 161