How old are you?
                                                            Changes associated with old age
                                                                     

                                                                     By: Farahnaz Lakhani

The night was dark and silent. The moon was shining and the stars were glowing. An old man was sitting in the corner of his room. He was recollecting his golden memories. He recalled his initial days when he strived hard and laid all his efforts to get his younger siblings educated. He himself remained illiterate, as his parents expired in an accident when he was very young. He was the eldest brother; therefore, he took all the responsibilities on his shoulders. He fulfilled all the responsibilities by getting his sisters married and by settling all his siblings. At last he got married and initiated his new life. He got two sons and one daughter. To give all the facilities and comforts to his family, he worked day and night. He got his daughter married. Both of his sons wanted to settle down abroad. For the future of his sons, he gave them the freedom to choose their own destiny. Both his sons got settled abroad. They initiated their own life by getting married and having their own family. He reflected back that he had fulfilled all his responsibilities. Now he was sick and not capable to work any more. He wanted the support and help from his children. But they were busy in their own world. His wife was also sick and suffering from a renal disease. This old couple had lost their health, capabilities and skills and no one was there to help them out. Now they are alone and they need support. This is not the story of only this man; this is the story of their age. According to Clarke, (2004), �How old would you be if you didn�t know how old you are really?� As a person becomes older his all abilities start declining. Getting older is a normal phenomenon. As days pass by, the psychology and emotions of the people change their way. There is a marked increase in old aged people all over the world as well as in Pakistan. According to the population census of Pakistan, as cited by Jillani, (2005), �Pakistanis who were 60 or more were 7.162 million in 1998 � 4.5 million of them over 65. They were 5.5 and 3.5 percent of the population, respectively�. Old age signifies the end of human life cycle. 60 years of age is considered as the beginning of old age. Aging is a highly personal experience and it brings physical, behavioral and psychological disturbances in the life of individuals.

Old age is associated with physical decline; many people undergo health related problems. Health in old age is a controversial issue. As the age advances, all the systems of the body lose their capability to function effectively. Smith, Borchlet, Maier and Jopp (2002) stated, �There is consensus that health in old age cannot meaningfully be defined as the absence of disease because the prevalence of diagnosable disorders in elderly populations is high� (p. 717). In older age the person is no more capable to work efficiently. However, there are exceptions to that; people who take good care of their diet and health are able to enjoy their vitality. As the age move forward ones activities start declining. Many individuals get retired from their jobs, which decrease their activities. Thus age brings physical loss to the life of individuals.

Old age brings many behavioral changes as well. In some families, older people are considered worthless. Families don�t involve them in any decision-making. In fact they don�t even share any thing with the older people. Society thinks that the older people are a burden on the families, as they are not capable of supporting and earning any more. Moreover, their expenses are more due to health problems. Because of these consequences people do not accept them. Attitude of the family as well as that of the society towards older individual is not at all appropriate. There are families in which members verbally and physically abuse the older people. All these actions bring behavioral changes in the nature of older people. They usually remain silent and keep themselves detached from their environment. They don�t even share their problems and concerns with any one. All these behavioral changes lead to many mental illnesses.

Old age has a lot of impact on the psychology of an individual. Older individuals feel lonely and secluded from their environment. Old age also brings cognitive decline in the individuals. People�s ability to remember things and events is no more evident. Moreover, older people come across many life stressors including physical illness, loss of the loved ones, loss of freedom, loss of power and unemployment. All these stressors contribute to the low self-esteem of older people. Their children throw many older people into the old age homes. In case of an old age couple, where wife is living in female old age home and husband in male old age home, also increases their stressors. In the last days of life most of the people want to spend their life with their spouse and children but many internal family conflicts don�t allow them to fulfill this wish. As a result, elderly people go through many psychological problems. According to Sorocco, and Mc.callum, (2006), �Older adults are more likely to experience certain life stressors that may increase their risk of developing mental health disorders�. Mental illnesses are more prevalent in the older people. The most common mental disorder observed in old age is depression. All the mental disorders are because of the psychological changes that occur in old age.

Thus old age comes with many stressors and changes. It brings physical, behavioral and psychological changes in the life of individuals. Health of an individual declines as his/her age advances. Therefore, an individual needs to take care of his/her health and diet in order to minimize the health related problems in old age. Furthermore, the respect they expect from their children is mostly not given. Attitude of family towards elderly brings behavioral changes in personality of individuals. Un-acceptance of aged people in the society is another main issue that causes mental problems in the old age people. Hence special consideration needs to be given to old age people in order to reduce all these prevalent problems and portray a better image of elderly. The golden truth is �Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that can happen to a man� (Trotsky, nd).