The future of elderly women : psychosocial factors influencing the aging transition

In the U.S. today there is an increasing number of elderly in the population. There are over twenty million persons who are 65 years of age and older. It is predicted that there will be over 32 million older Americans by the year 2000. There has been a greater increase in the number of older women compared to men with women having a greater life expectancy also. The effects of aging on individuals and their ability to adapt to society needs to examined in our society today. There is a special need to study elderly women and the difficulties they face today which can create emotional and mental crises (Harris, 1978). By examining the trends of today which women encounter, one can open the doors to preparing or planning for the aged women in the future so that they can adapt more easily to the transitions that come with aging