By Julie E 
Photo Credit ( Pixels )
The idea that elderly people can be happier defies logic. We become invisible and are viewed as a financial burden as we get closer to death.
All I could see when I turned sixty was deterioration. “I’m 82 and this is the best time in my life,” a man I met later declared. What does he know that I should know, I asked myself.
Laura Carstenson investigates happiness and aging. She discovered that middle-aged and younger people are less happy than elderly people.One Her findings have been repeated by several researchers.
Shifting Populations
The number of people 65 and older has grown by 34% during 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. According to the research, the “non-working-age, dependent” population has grown faster than the working-age population during the past ten years.
I disagree with the labels of “dependent” and “non-working” applied to this group. Compared to 1985, the likelihood of working adults 65 and older is doubled today. A large number of them are profitable.3. Over 20 percent of persons over 65 are employed or seeking employment. According to the Census Bureau, there are fewer young individuals taking care of elderly persons who are defenseless. Politicians are taking notice as they consider raising the Social Security eligibility age.
Elderly individuals are a wealth of knowledge and expertise. Even though they labor more slowly, they nonetheless contribute significantly to the workforce. One resource that can help with the workforce shortfall is the elderly.
Life has purpose when you have an encore job. Even though I’m 80 years old, I still work. My life has purpose because of my work. After I was sixty-five, I authored two books. I’m not reliant! Naturally, our ability to work past the conventional retirement age depends on our level of education and the kind of work we conduct.
The Age Paradox
During the 1980s, people believed that aging was pathological and that memory loss, anxiety, and despair were normal side effects.
Every year, Americans spend billions of dollars chasing youth, which they idolize. We are instructed to purchase this stuff in order to prevent falling into despair.
The paradox of aging4 is that while people’s physical health and abilities deteriorate as they age, their level of happiness remains constant. Numerous studies demonstrate that as people age, their levels of worry, anger, anxiety, and melancholy all decline.
Understanding that life is short alters our viewpoint in a constructive way.
Age-Related Improvements in Mental Health
Dementia is an illness, not aging. Regretfully, aging and dementia are frequently used interchangeably. Aging does not always result in dementia. The fact that 10% of the elderly population suffers from dementia is concerning. However, when we recognize that 90% of the elderly do not suffer from dementia, things appear very different.
Information processing slows down with age. The elderly person may become frustrated and worry about dementia as a result, as may their loved ones. However, a longer response time reduces impulsivity because it gives us more time to reflect on the issue and provide a thoughtful answer.
Age in chronology is merely a number. We have three different ages: sexual, psychological, and physical. They change periodically and from person to person.