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