I. Early knowledge of the problems of old age Old age (also known as late adulthood), generally refers to the stage of life after the age of 60. This period is the completion stage of life and the last period to realize the value of life as a human being. Individual differences in old age are great, some people less than 70 years of age, slow movement, deaf and blurred eyes, and some people 80 years old, still healthy and agile thinking. There are many reasons for such differences, including physiological reasons, psychological reasons, and family, social and living environment reasons. Aging The inevitable growth and maturity of the individual, the ability to adapt to the internal and external environment of the decline of aging, we can not change, and is a life must go through a section of the road. Aging is an inevitable and continuous process of individual growth and maturation, and is a manifestation of the body’s diminished ability to adapt to the internal and external environment. The physiological condition of the elderly usually occurs the following changes: 1, the appearance of the body changes in the elderly beard hair whitening, thinning off; skin thinning, subcutaneous fat reduction; connective tissue elasticity reduces the skin wrinkles; gum tissue atrophy, loose teeth off; skeletal muscle atrophy, loss of osteocalcin or osteomalacia, joints, joint activity is not working; height, weight and ageing and reduce (height after 35 years old, every 10 years to reduce) Height and weight decrease with age (height decreases by 1cm every 10 years after the age of 35); finger spacing shortens with age. 2.Decline in organ function The function of various organs of the elderly have different degrees of decline, such as the decline of vision and hearing; heart output can be reduced by 40%-50%; lung capacity reduced by 50%-60%; kidney clearance function reduced by 40%-50%; brain tissue atrophy, gastric acid secretion decreased, etc. This leads to a reduction in the reserve capacity of the organs of the elderly. As a result, the reserve capacity of the organs of the elderly is weakened, the adaptability to the environment is reduced, and various chronic degenerative diseases are prone to occur. 3, the organism regulates and controls the role of the lowering of the elderly movement and learning speed slows down, the operating ability and reaction speed are reduced, coupled with memory and cognitive function of the weakening and personality changes, often appear in the decline in self-care ability; the elderly immune defense ability is reduced, prone to a variety of infectious diseases; immunosurveillance function is lowered, prone to a variety of cancers. Age With the increase of age, the psychology of the elderly will also undergo great changes, both the stable side and the changing side. Generally, the psychological tolerance of the elderly will be greatly reduced, and when encountering difficulties and setbacks, the emotional reaction is more intense, and the impact on physical and mental health is also more obvious. So, what are the characteristics of the elderly psychology? 1, cognitive decline in the elderly physical decline, brain function changes, the central nervous system transmitter synthesis and metabolism weakened, resulting in reduced sensory ability, poor consciousness, slow reaction, poor concentration. Mainly manifested in two aspects, first of all, sensory retardation, auditory, visual, olfactory, skin sensation and other functions, resulting in decreased visual acuity, hearing loss, decreased sensitivity; and then there is poor motor flexibility, poor coordination, slow reaction, action clumsiness. 2, insecurity Insecurity is mainly manifested in the two aspects of physical health and physical security. In old age, the various systems and organs of the body gradually undergo organic and functional changes, and various diseases often occur, so they are worried about their own health, and are very sensitive to the body’s function (according to the survey, this type of people accounted for more than half of the number). Worry about financial security, mainly in the elderly life security and disease medical and nursing care security worries. 3. Loneliness The loneliness of the elderly is more common and comes from various aspects. The loneliness induced by the loss of power mainly occurs in the retired leaders; the sense of group loss and lack of information is caused by the lack of adaptation to the retirement life of the majority of retired people; the most common is the sense of loss of the elderly in the family relationship, the elderly long for and the pursuit of the joy of the family, and a good family relationship is their spiritual support. If children, for various reasons, neglect or ignore their care and rarely communicate with them, the elderly in the family will deeply experience loneliness and suffering. 4, depression and anxiety Depression is a common emotional manifestation, the symptoms are depression, frustration, pessimism, misanthropy, etc., which is related to the change of biogenic amine metabolism in the brain of the elderly. The typical manifestation of depression is three no’s, i.e. helplessness, uselessness and hopelessness. Long-term presence of anxiety will make the elderly become narrow-minded, stingy, stubborn, impatient, long time will cause neuroendocrine disorders, prompting the occurrence of disease. 5, poor adaptability of the elderly is not easy to adapt to new environments and new situations, their attitudes and ways of the surrounding environment gradually tend to be passive, attached to existing habits, less active experience and accept a new way of life. It is also difficult to learn new things, and their adaptability to unexpected events is also poor. 6, sleep disorders in the elderly due to low cortical excitation and inhibition, resulting in reduced sleep, shallow sleep, dreaming, waking up early and other sleep disorders. Experts remind that these psychological characteristics of the elderly can easily lead to the elderly suffering from certain mental disorders, such as depression, neurasthenia and so on. Therefore, the elderly should balance the mind, appropriate sports, to promote physical and mental health. Older people with psychological problems, to timely psychological counseling, seek psychological treatment, so as not to exacerbate psychological problems, triggering serious mental mental illness. 7, stick to the stereotypes, the speed of the decline of the elderly tend to stick to the stereotypes of behavior. Studies have found that after the age of 53, stereotypes gradually increase, and then all age groups are significantly different. Older people slow down their decision-making in order to be cautious when solving problems. They pay attention to accuracy, worry about mistakes, would rather sacrifice speed to make fewer mistakes. 8, tend to be conservative, the elderly experienced, but also focus on their own experience, and hope that their children to accept their own way of experience. The resulting contradiction is not easy to understand, and thus the chatter and whining. 9, memories of the past The psychological world of the elderly gradually from active to passive, from the external world to the internal world. Therefore, it is easy to recall the past, when things are also easy to associate with the past. The older they are, the more obvious this tendency to recall the past. Second, tips for later life 1, in advance to do a good job of thinking and life preparation Recognize that everyone will eventually grow old, arrange their own life in old age. If you have the conditions, try to continue to give full play to your spare time and participate in some social activities that suit your physical strength and profession. Those who do not have the means should also cultivate one or two hobbies, such as fishing and flower-raising, practicing calligraphy and painting, and taking part in cultural and sports activities, so as to make life colorful. 2, life goes on and on, more than activity Life lies in movement. Older people to participate in more activities within their capabilities, including physical exercise and mental activities, such as picnics, tai chi, ball games, chess, dancing, reading newspapers, watching TV and movies, etc., and reasonable arrangements for a variety of activities, you will feel a full life, optimistic, conducive to overcoming the sense of old age, the feeling of decadence and a sense of emptiness that is often experienced by older people to slow down and postpone the aging process. 3, maintain good interpersonal relationships Correctly handle the various relationships within the family. Establish a harmonious family environment. Couples should take care of each other, respect each other and exchange ideas. For children, they have become adults, the elderly should not rely on the old, pointing fingers, giving orders, young people have their own way of life and values, do not interfere. For grandchildren, don’t spoil them unprincipled just because you like them. In addition to family relationships, the elderly also need to have a circle of social activities, which cannot be replaced by family relationships. Often and some old friends, neighbors together to chat, activities, take the initiative to care and help others, physical and mental health is also very beneficial. 4, frankly face death to fully realize that the human birth, old age, sickness and death is an irresistible law of nature. Everyone will eventually face death, the key is to live every day of their lives are full and meaningful, in line with nature, for what should be done. You can also read more philosophical and religious books to deepen your understanding of life. The purpose of thinking about death is not to die, but to live better. Finally, I hope that millions of elderly people in China can get rid of senile depression and move from helplessness, uselessness and hopelessness to happiness and sunshine!