Current Political Issues of the Older Adult

As people age, they experience changes in mental ability, social relations, and social status. Aging poses challenges to a person's sense of self. These challenges result from social attitudes toward older people, physical decline, and loss of social roles. Social psychologists propose that people adapt well to aging through disengagement, activity, or continuity. The life course perspective proposes that development is a lifelong process. A person's individual life course development depends on their physical condition, …

…as they can. Aging in place requires that people have the resources they need to live in the setting they choose. Many housing options exist for older people today. The most common types of housing, ranging from the most demanding to the least demanding environments, include single-family homes, apartments and condominiums, life-care communities, granny flats, congregate housing, shared housing, assisted living, and nursing homes. This housing continuum offers options that fit older people's varied needs.