Late adulthood and end of life - Research Paper Example

Late adulthood and end of life Late adulthood and end of life Life expectancy refers to the number of years an individual in a country or a population in a country is expected to live. Life expectancy and lifespan are identical conceptually, but are different in terms of measurement. Lifespan refers to the number of years that people can live under ideal conditions (Cicirelli 2006). Therefore lifespan is purely speculative unlike life expectancy that is based on real statistical measurements.(2).

I need to make a few changes in my current lifestyle in order to help me age successfully. I need to stay away from smoking, have a healthy weight, exercise regularly and eat a health diet. I need to add more fruits to my diet and an extra glass of water (Gire, 2002). (3). I plan to continue working as an older adult in order to keep exercising my mind and body. Good exercise will enable me lead a healthy life in my old age. I plan to walk a lot and do simple tasks like cleaning the compound and shoveling snow in order to be physically fit at all times (Cockerham 1997).(4). The Hispanics have a culture that is different from mine and as such they view death and dying in a different way from mine.

When a person is sick in their culture, the family and close friends often gather in a small circle and then pray for a food item which they take close to the patient to either facilitate quick recovery or peaceful death (Eyetsemitan, 2002). In my culture we just pray and hope that all goes well, so the major common thing between my culture and the Hispanic culture is prayer. ReferencesCicirelli, V. G. (2006). Older adults views on death. New York: Springer.Cockerham, William C. "The Social Determinants of the Decline in Life Expectancy in Russia and Eastern Europe: A Lifestyle Explanation.

" Journal of Health and Social Behavior 38 (1997):117–130. Eyetsemitan, F. (2002) Cultural Interpretations of Dying and Death in a Non-Western Society: The Case of Nigeria. The University of Washington. Retrieved April 17, 2010 from www.ac.wwu.edu/~culture/Eyetsemitan.htm.Gire, J. T. (2002). How Death Imitates Life: Cultural Influences on Conceptions of Death and Dying. The University of Washington. Retrieved April 16, 2010 from http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~culture/gire.htm.