Peer Review

Older Adults' Health and Age-Related Changes Reality vs Myth

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Mar 13, 2020 by Psychology

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This learning object is a downloadable, four-page PDF document from the American Psychological Association (APA). It provides an overview of aging myths and clarifies the reality of aging adults. Originally written in 1998, updated in 2017, the paper provides statistics and details on an aging society and how to age well.

Type of Material:

Reference Material

Recommended Uses:

This document would be a great first reading assignment for students in an aging and development or gerontology class. It does an excellent job of presenting inaccuracies about aging, and it corrects these misperceptions with helpful data and statistics.

Technical Requirements:

There are no technical requirements beyond a web browser and a software program capable of opening a .pdf document.

Identify Major Learning Goals:

The presented information is a brief, excellent overview of basic statistics regarding aging and age-related considerations. It provides perspective and separates reality from myth regarding aging.

Target Student Population:

Students taking classes in gerontology, psychology, sociology, social work, political science, nursing, medicine or any area that considers aging will benefit, but as our nation ages, the information here is important for everyone for personal reasons.

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

No prerequisite knowledge is needed, just an interest in the facts of health and age-related changes.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

The information is thorough and accurate, including current statistics (at the time of the review) on issues associated with aging. The paper makes excellent points with respect to the large variability based on ability rather than age.
The document is exceptionally well-presented, with helpful and informative data and figures.

Concerns:

It would be helpful to provide comparison data – for example, while one (1) in four (4) older adults may experience mental health problems, one (1) in five (5) adults do.
It also would be helpful to clarify that much of the presented data pertains to Americans.
The reported life expectancy seems high – this may refer to those who already have reached the age of 65.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

This is a great quick reference and initial introduction to the topic of aging.
The piece is written clearly in an accessible manner for most readers of English. It provides explanations on many issues directly addressing myths about health and aging.

Concerns:

None.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

This document is easy to navigate, updated to standards of digital design, and a small enough file size that would be readily and easily accessible across varying connection speeds and devices.
It features a strong content layout and design, making the material interesting and easy for students to follow along.
The .pdf file should open from any browser and can be read online or saved.

Concerns:

None

Other Issues and Comments:: A great introduction to the study of aging and gerontology. Both of our MERLOT peer reviewers reported that they use this resource in their Gerontology and Psychology of Aging classes.
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