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Problem Solving

The document discusses the decline of problem-solving skills with age, while also highlighting that older adults can be efficient when they feel in control. It emphasizes the relationship between wisdom, age, and life experiences, noting that overcoming adversity and having higher education contribute to wisdom. Additionally, it covers factors related to cognitive change, the potential benefits of cognitive interventions, and the importance of lifelong learning for older adults.

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milagros mercedes olmos cervantes
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3 views

Problem Solving

The document discusses the decline of problem-solving skills with age, while also highlighting that older adults can be efficient when they feel in control. It emphasizes the relationship between wisdom, age, and life experiences, noting that overcoming adversity and having higher education contribute to wisdom. Additionally, it covers factors related to cognitive change, the potential benefits of cognitive interventions, and the importance of lifelong learning for older adults.

Uploaded by

milagros mercedes olmos cervantes
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Problem Solving

Problem solving skill declines as age advances. It is common for older people to not be able to maintain all the
details in their minds when dealing with complex problems.

However, older adults are very active and efficient when they feel that the problems are under their control.

Age does not only bring a decline in the problem solving skill, it also brings adaptive changes. For example, older
adults are faster and more efficient when deciding that they are ill and if they should or should not seek medical
help.

They also differ from other younger adults in the matter of seeking help. Older people tend to ask for help more
often and married couples often help each other more often than younger ones

Wisdom
When asked what characteristics describe wisdom, people usually describe it as:

a. Breadth and depth of practical knowledge


b. Emotional maturity
c. Altruistic creativity

Wisdom requires insight of the human condition and ways to apply that knowledge to everyday problems

Wisdom is usually related to age, this is why people tend to look for the elders’ expertise

But research has demonstrated that age does not guarantee wisdom. But the type of experience does. This is why
people with careers in human service tend to have higher levels of wisdom. They have many life experiences even
if it is through other people.

For instance, when age and relevant life experience combine, older people has higher levels of wisdom

In addition to age and life experience, having faced and overcome adversity also contribute to wisdom. This is
related to resilience, when people have overcome their problems, they are more efficient and active in finding
solutions and deciding when the same problems in their lives or others.

Wisdom also appears to be more prevalent in people with:

a. Higher education
b. Physically healthier
c. Forge more positive relations with others
d. Score higher in personality openness

Since wisdom seems to help people to overcome physical and psychological problems, wisdom contributes to
both,

1. Human welfare, and


2. Fostering old age
Factors Related to Cognitive change
• Factors that predict maintenance of mental abilities in late life:

1. Mentally active life – above average education

2. Frequent, supportive contact with family members and friends

3. Stimulating leisure pursuits

4. Community participation

5. Flexible personality

As noticed before, health status is related to intellectual performance. For instance, chronic conditions are
associated with cognitive decline.

Now, retirement also affects cognitive change. Leaving routine jobs and replacing them with leisure jobs and
finding substitutes when leaving complex jobs, greatly facilitate intellectual functioning because they not only feel
better with themselves, but also keep using their cognitive skills.

Still, as elders grow older, their scores on cognitive tasks become unstable. Researchers speculate that it signals
the end-of-life. A term called terminal decline, an acceleration in deterioration of cognitive skills. Findings differ
greatly in whether or not terminal decline affects only a few abilities or many of them and in its duration, but the
average is about 4 and 5 years

Maybe there are many types of terminal declines but what is sure is that a loss of cognitive performance and
mental health signals the end of life

Cognitive interventions
The question is “can cognitive interventions help older adults sustain their mental abilities?”

For most older adults, cognitive declines are gradual. But since the brain can compensate some of the loss of
cognitive abilities, cognitive declines may be due to disuse of particular skills.

Large-scale interventions like ADEPT and ACTIVE demonstrate that training can enhance cognitive skills in older
adults, with large benefits who had experience cognitive declines. Also they keep some of the gains after a few
years of the interventions, and keep most of the gains if they keep using that particular skill.

Lifelong learning
Increasing numbers of older people continue their education through university course, community offerings, and
programs such as Elderhostel and Osher Lifelong learning institutes.

Through these courses, elders get many benefits such as:

• Learning interesting facts

• Understanding new ideas in many disciplines

• Making new friends


• Develop a broader perspective on the world

Some of the ways to increase the effectiveness of instruction for older adults are:

• Provide a positive learning environment

• Allow ample time to learn new information

• Relate information to elders’ experiences

Even with such a good benefits, participants in these programs are usually financially well-off and much less are
available for low SES elders with low levels of education.

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