The aging process often results in a loss of memory, deteriorated intellectual function, decreased mobility, and higher rates of disease. Late adulthood is the stage of life from 60 years of age onward and it constitutes the last stage of physical change.

In general, women tend to live longer than men by an average of five years. During late adulthood the skin continues to lose elasticity, reaction time slows further, and muscle strength diminishes.

Hearing and vision decline significantly, with an increased possibility of cataracts, or cloudy areas of the eyes that result in vision loss. The other senses, such as taste, touch, and smell, are also less sensitive than they were in earlier years.

The immune system is also weakened, and many people in late adulthood are more susceptible to illness, cancer, diabetes, and other ailments. Cardiovascular and respiratory problems become more common. These people also experience a decrease in physical mobility and a loss of balance, which can result in falls and injuries.

In late adulthood there are also changes in the brain.

The aging process generally results in changes and lower functioning in the brain, leading to problems like memory loss and decreased intellectual function. Age is a major risk factor for most common neurodegenerative diseases, including mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, cerebrovascular disease, Parkinson's disease, and Lou Gehrig's disease.

While a great deal of research has focused on diseases of aging, there are only a few informative studies on the molecular biology of the aging brain. Many molecular changes are due in part to a reduction in the size of the brain, as well as loss of brain plasticity.

Brain plasticity is the brain's ability to change structure and function. The brain's main function is to decide what information is worth keeping and what is not. If there is an action or a thought that a person is not using, the brain will eliminate space for it.

Brain size and composition change along with brain function. Computed tomography or CT studies have found that the cerebral ventricles expand as a function of age in a process known as ventriculomegaly.

More recent magnetic resonance imaging or MRI studies have reported age-related regional decreases in cerebral volume. The brain begins to lose neurons in later adult years, where there's a loss of neurons within the cerebral cortex occurs at different rates, with some areas losing neurons more quickly than others.

The frontal lobe (which is responsible for the integration of information, judgement, and reflective thought) and corpus callosum tend to lose neurons faster than other areas, such as the temporal and occipital lobes.

The cerebellum, which is responsible for balance and coordination, eventually loses about 25% of its neurons as well.

As a person enters late adulthood, psychological and cognitive changes can sometimes occur. A general decline in memory is very common, due to the decrease in speed of encoding, storage, and retrieval of information.

This can cause problems with short-term memory retention and with the ability to learn new information. In most cases, this absent-mindedness should be considered a natural part of growing older rather than a psychological or neurological disorder.

People in late adulthood also tend to have a harder time remembering and attending to

information. In general, an older person's procedural memory stays the same, while working

memory declines.

Procedural memory is memory for the performance of particular types of action; it guides the processes we perform and most frequently resides below the level of conscious awareness. In contrast, working memory is the system that actively holds multiple pieces of transitory information in the mind where they can be manipulated. The reduced capacity of the working memory becomes evident when tasks are especially complex.

Semantic memory is the memory of understanding things, of the meaning of things and events, and other concept-based knowledge. This type of memory underlies the conscious recollection of factual information and general knowledge about the world, and remains relatively stable throughout life.

Distinct from a normal decline in memory is dementia or neurocognitive disorders, a broad category of brain diseases that cause a gradual long-term decrease in the ability to think and remember to the extent that a person's daily functioning is affected.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of neurocognitive disorder, accounting for 50% to 70% of cases. Neurocognitive disorders most commonly affect memory, visual-spatial ability, language, attention, and executive function such as judgment and problem-solving.

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Most of these disorders are slow and progressive. By the time a person shows signs of the disease, the changes in their brain have already been happening for a long time. About 10% of people with dementia have what is known as mixed dementia, which is usually a combination of Alzheimer's disease and another type of dementia.

At present, there is no cure for dementia, but people who suffer from these disorders and for their caregivers, many measures can be taken to improve their lives. These can include education and support for the caregiver and daily exercise programs or cognitive or behavioral therapies for the person with the disorder.

Entering late adulthood means confronting many psychological, emotional, and social issues that come with entering the last phase of life.

Late adulthood also means an increased dependency on others. Many in late adulthood need assistance in meeting daily needs as they age, and over time they may become dependent on caregivers such as family members, relatives, friends, health professionals, or employees of senior housing or nursing care.

Some spend their later years in assisted living facilities or nursing homes, which can have social and emotional impacts on their well-being. Older adults may struggle with feelings of guilt, shame, or depression because of their increased dependency, especially in societies where caring for the elderly is viewed as a burden.

If a person has to move away from friends, community, their home, or other familiar aspects of their life in order to enter a nursing home, they may experience isolation, depression, or loneliness.

As we get older, socioemotional selectivity theory suggests that our social support and friendships dwindle in number, but remain as close as, if not closer than, in our earlier years. A central aspect of positive aging is believed to be social connectedness and social support.

Many older adults contend with feelings of loneliness as their loves ones, partners, or friends pass away or as their children or other family members move away and live their own lives. Loneliness and isolation can have detrimental effects on health and psychological well-being.

However, many adults counteract loneliness by having active social lives, living in retirement communities, or participating in positive hobbies. Staying active and involved in life counteracts loneliness and helps increase feelings of self-esteem and self-worth.

As people enter late adulthood, they have what developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, Erik Erikson described as a crisis over integrity versus despair.

In other words, they review the events of their lives and try to come to terms with the mark (or lack thereof) that they have made on the world.

People who believe they have had a positive impact on the world through their contributions live the end of life with a sense of integrity. Those who feel they have not measured up to

certain standards, either their own or others' develop a sense of despair.