The document discusses aging and what contributes to a successful old age according to biblical texts and research. It notes that good physical and mental health, financial security, independence, activity, social relationships, and sense of purpose are important. While aging involves physical and cognitive declines, the Bible presents both positive and negative views of old age. Successfully aging individuals maintain interests and roles, and see continuity between earlier and later life.

2. Gen. 25:8
Eccl. 12:1

3. It has important and far-reaching implications for
individuals, all aspects of society and the Seventh-day
Adventist Church
Joseph Chamie, Why Population Aging Matters: A Global Perspective, Congressional Briefing 21 May 2007,

4. 32% over 65 years
“The median age of
Seventh-day Adventist in
North America is 51.
David Beckworth, S. Joseph Kidder, Reflections on the future of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America: Trends
and challenges, MINISTRY, Dec.2010
OLD SDA MEMBERSHIP
65+years
85+

8. “The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of
strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble;
they are soon gone, and we fly away. Psalm 90:10 ESV
71.8
74.3 74.5
76.2
78.8
79.7 79.9
81.17
82
80
78
76
74
72
70
68
66
1991 2000 2002 2010
Life Expectancy (in Years)
Men Women

9. 1 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them”—
2 before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds return after the rain;
3 when the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
when the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows grow dim;
4 when the doors to the street are closed
and the sound of grinding fades;
when people rise up at the sound of birds,
but all their songs grow faint;
5 when people are afraid of heights and of dangers
in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms
and the grasshopper drags itself along
and desire no longer is stirred.
Then people go to their eternal home and mourners go about the streets.
6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed, and the golden bowl is broken; before the
pitcher is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel broken at the well,… Ecclesiastes 12:1-7

10. Ecclesiastes
View of Old Age

11. Ecclesiastes
View of Old Age:
Interpretation
Rising up early,
not able to
sleep late.
Hearing loss
Back slumping
and becoming
feeble
Tooth decay
& loss
Arms and
hands shake
Vision suffers
Afraid of a
high place &
fear of
injury, falling
Halting walk,
can’t carry
burden
Aphrodisiacs
no longer work
White hair
30% over age 65
have impairment
Resting cardiac
output is
decreased
to70% of capacity
by age 70

12. 60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Percent of Adults with Disabilities
(National Center for Health Statistics, 1999)
Most Prevalent Chronic Conditions in Later-life
1. Arthritis
2. Hypertensive Disease
3. Heart Disease
4. Hearing Impairments
5. Musculoskeletal impairments
6. Diabetes
7. Visual Impairments
8. Dementia
9. Cancer
65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84 85+
Percent
Age Group
48%

13. Cognitive Changes with Age
• Verbal
intelligence
scores hold
steady with age,
while nonverbal
intelligence
scores decline
• (adapted from Kaufman &
others, 1989).
Verbal scores are
stable with age
Nonverbal scores
decline with age
20 25 35 45 55 65 70
Intelligence 105
(IQ) score
100
95
90
85
80
75
Age group
Verbal scores
Nonverbal scores

14. Difficulty with Activities of Daily Living
Difficulty with Activities of Daily Living
28 %
34%
47%
53%
80-84 85+
28 %
34%
47%
53%
Age 80-84 85+
Dressing
Ambulating
Hygiene
Shopping
Housework
Transportation
Dressing
Ambulating
Hygiene
Shopping
Housework
Transportation

15. MD

17. Does that mean that you can’t
enjoy life?

18. The glory of young men is their strength, but
the splendor of old men is their gray hair.
Proverbs 20:29
“Older men are to be self-controlled,..
sensible, and sound in faith, love, and
endurance.
In the same way, older women are to be reverent…,
not slanderers, not addicted to much wine…”
(Titus 2:2-3).

19. “Follow the instruction the Lord your God has
commanded you, so that you may live, prosper, and have
a long life…” (Deuteronomy 5:33).
“If you walk in My ways and keep My statutes and
commandments …I will give you a long life” (1 Kings 3:14).
“Honor your father and your mother so that you may have
a long life in the land …” (Exodus 20:12).
For by Wisdom your days will be many, and years will
be added to your life” (Proverbs 9:10-11).

20. Remember the days of old; consider the
generations long past. Deuteronomy 32:7
“Age should speak; advanced years should
teach wisdom.” Job 32:7
“Wisdom is with aged men. With long life is
understanding” Job 12:12
Hear this, you elders; …Tell your
children about it,..” (Joel 1:2-3).

21. “As Solomon grew old, his wives turned
his heart after other gods. “
1 Kings 11:4
Old must be careful
because Fluid
Intelligence declines
rapidly in old age
Inductive reasoning
Kassin, S. (2001). Psychology

22. Respect them
“You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor
the old… I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:32).
“Listen to your father who gave you life, and don’t
despise your mother when she is old” (Proverbs 23:22).
Families have an obligation
“Now if anyone does not provide for his own relatives,
and especially for his household, he has denied the faith
and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).

23. I will be the same until [your] old age, and I will
bear [you] when you turn gray. I have made
[you], and I will carry [you]; I will bear and
save [you]” (Isaiah 46:3-4).

25. Successful aging occurs when people
maintain the interests, activities, and
social interactions with which they were
involved during middle age.
The well-adjusted older adult takes on a
variety of productive activities in voluntary
work, churches, leisure organizations
The more active, the greater life
satisfaction, positive self-concept, and
adjustment in late-life
World’s Oldest
Marathoner, 94
Havighurst & Colleagues, 1963

26. They will still bear fruit in old age… (Ps. 92: 14a)
Hear this, you elders; …Tell your children about
it,..” (Joel 1:2-3).
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with
thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor
knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou
goest. Ecclesiastes 9:10

27.  Individuals play variety of social roles in
their lifetimes …
Successful Aging
How well individuals adjust to aging
depends on how well they accept the role
changes typical of later years
Older adults must deal with role losses;
these can lead to an erosion of social identity and
self-esteem

28. Gradual withdrawal from the world on physical,
psychological, and social levels;
people withdraw from the world and the world compels the
elderly to withdraw (e.g., retirement)
 Older adults withdraw from participation in activity
 Elders disengage emotionally from others and from
events
 Decreased interaction
Disengagement is beneficial for both the aging
individual and society in order to minimize the
social disruption caused the eventual death
Cummings & Henry, 1961

29. Maintain a balance of continuity and
change in both the internal and
external structures of their lives.
 Substitutes similar roles for lost ones
 As we age we become more of what we were
 Past counts - basic personality, attitudes, and
behaviors remain constant throughout the life span
• Successful aging is characterized by how much
continuity the elder has with similar activities and how
willing he/she is to accept inevitable changes
Atchley, 1989

30.  Disintegrated & disorganized personalities
 Unable to accept aging
 Experience despair as they age
 Passive-dependent personalities
 Lead lives filled with fear of illness, future
 Inability to cope
 Defended personalities
 Seek to ward off aging
 May try to act young
Exercise vigorously
 Youthful activities
 Integrated personalities
 Most successful
 Cope comfortably with aging
 Accept becoming older &
maintain self dignity
~Most people studied fell into
the final category

31. John Peter Paul Mark
Sanguine - phlegmatic melancholic - choleric
Albrecht Dürer, The Four Apostles , 1526
Disintegrated & disorganized personalities
“yet the span [of life] is but toil and
trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly
away. Psalm 90:10 ESV
Passive-dependent personalities
Defended personalities
Integrated personalities
Abraham “…died at a ripe old age, old and
contented,…” (Genesis 25:8).
“Though our outer self is wasting away,
our inner self is being renewed day
by day” 2Cor 4:16

32. These people continued to have a
successful life and a
“GOOD OLD AGE” (80s/90s)
 Giuseppe Verdi,
 Pablo Picasso,
 Henri Matisse,
 Arthur Rubenstein,
 Martha Graham,
 George Bernard Shaw,
 Georgia O’Keefe,
 Winston Churchill,
 Frank Lloyd Wright

33. 1. Depends on certain circumstances
2. Personality type
3. And personal decisions

34.  Good physical and mental health are important in determining an
 elderly person's sense of well-being. (Arthritis & Dementia
most common causes of disability among people age 65 and older)
 Financial security
 Sense of autonomy and independence
 A positive outlook on life
 A person must remain as active as possible.
“Activity Theory” & Bernice Neugarten
 Importance of Social Relationships
 Meaning and Purpose of Life. If a person
believes his or her life has worth and “life
contributions” will live on after death, the
person experiences great satisfaction . Robert Peck
 Religious older people are physically and mentally healthier