questions and answers

YOUNGADULTHOOD 1

You are 18 years old and the world is in front of you! You live at home with your parents and brother Jack, who is four years younger than you. Jack is a math whiz and computer enthusiast, but having Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as epilepsy present some challenges for him with social skills, routines, and seizures. Your sister, Gwen, who is two years older than you, is working full time and lives with her boyfriend. She says she is still trying to “find herself.” She’s a little fickle, but has always been there for you when you’ve needed her. Your family has experienced the typical ups and downs over the years, but you feel lucky to have them as your family!

YAY! Your high school graduation is nearly here. High school was pretty easy for you and you kept up your grades. You are excited to start at a 4-year university in the fall. It is in-state not far from your home, but you’ll be living on campus. You are ready for the change and to take on the challenges and new experiences that college will bring.

And yet the conversations about adulthood continue. Your parents ask if you’re ready for adult responsibilities. You’re not sure how to answer. You think you’re ready for more independence but there’s a lot you’re still trying to figure out.

Your last living grandparent, your beloved Grandma, visits. A visit from her is always so special! She shares stories, imparts wisdom, and makes you laugh. You enjoy the quality time with her as well as with Gwen and Jack because you hardly see your siblings these days. Before Grandma departs, she slips you $20 of “spending money,” which is something she does every time she leaves!

YOUNG ADULTHOOD 2

Wow! And just like that, your life changes! You move to college and meet your roommate. You have a part-time job on campus and are getting used to classes, studying, and all the other new experiences.

After a few months under your belt, you reflect on how you are adjusting to the new things in your life. As is typical with life, everything is not always perfect, but you’re working on getting into a good groove and adjusting to the new experiences and challenges. You feel optimistic that adjustment will come in time, but need to continue managing the stress.

In terms of your recent romantic life…although you’re open to finding a special someone, none of the dates you’ve had has turned into a relationship.

You declare a major in Health Sciences. You feel good about your decision and think that area will suit you. You are ready to take more classes in your major.

On a family note, Gwen confides in you that while she and her boyfriend were “on a break”, she contracted a sexually transmitted infection from someone she was sexually involved with. She was relieved it was an infection that could be treated with antibiotics. She took the opportunity to lecture you about safe sex.

As you are busy with your professional pursuits, your parents have been supportive. You had talked to them about your career interests and they provided sage advice and asked good questions that helped you think through your options. They respect and support your career path decision.

Time flies! You are halfway through your undergraduate program. You’re still working part-time on campus and are continuing on with your studies, with the plan to graduate from college in two years.

YOUNG ADULTHOOD 3

Companionship and support are just two of the benefits of friendship. Close friends help with the development of social skills, lift each other up, and enhance each other’s mental and physical health. Despite being busy, you do find time to see your small group of friends and reap the benefits of friendship. You are especially close to Sarah and Michael. You’re glad to have them (and, of course, Alex who lives out-of-state) in your life.

Nothing major to report on your love life. You were involved with someone, but it was short-lived and clear you two wanted different things from a relationship.

You have a lot going on as you continue to establish yourself as an adult and make your own decisions. You are handling it all by staying calm and making goals for yourself.

You have noticed that your views are changing. You’re seeing things less as having one right answer. You’re realizing there are different perspectives that might be valid. You chalk it up to the life experiences you’ve been having that must be opening your mind to new ways of thinking.

WOOHOO! Congratulations! You earn your undergraduate degree! You are super excited for this major accomplishment. Time to get a job! Thankfully, that happens quickly because pursuing that internship paid off. You are offered a full-time position in your field and accept. On to bigger and better things as you begin to establish your career in Health Sciences.

You had moved back home after graduation. You’d like to move out of your parents’ house, but living with them will have to do for now. Although it can be challenging to be independent while living under their roof, you’ve already taken on some financial responsibility and can’t afford the additional expenses of rent and utilities. Hopefully you will be able to move out sooner rather than later!

You take advantage of still being on your parents’ insurance and visit the doctor for a routine physical. You find out you’re in good health. Your doctor explains this stage tends to be when senses are sharp and people are in their prime physically. Yet, she encourages you to engage in healthy habits to pave the way for continued health throughout adulthood.

Your sister Gwen and her “on-again-off-again” boyfriend are not only back together, but they announced Gwen is pregnant! It’s a shock to everyone in the family, but they say they’re committed to trying to make their relationship work and raising the baby together. Jack, the math whiz of the family, instantly calculates the hours remaining until their due date, which helps to lighten the mood! You are going to be an aunt!

You have a new coworker, Huda, who recently emigrated from Oman. Although you live in a multi-cultural society, conversations with her get you thinking about the world and wanting to be more globally-minded. You understand the impact that cultural values have on how people think and act.

YOUNG ADULTHOOD 4

You are an aunt! Gwen has a really cute, sweet baby boy they call Ben. The transition is stressful for Gwen and her boyfriend. You hope the tension between them will diminish as they continue to adjust (while being sleep-deprived) to being a family of three!

You meet someone you really like! You start texting and then hanging out. Now you’re head over heels! It’s off to a passionate start and you’re quite excited about it!

You attend a holiday party at Huda’s apartment. You’re introduced to food, traditions, and political views different from what you’re used to. Despite the differences, you find you share many experiences and commonalities. You really enjoy the party!

You’ve been able to use your education and experience to get opportunities at work. You feel you’ve done a good job investing in career readiness, but are convinced that further education is needed in order to advance your career. You seriously consider whether graduate school might be in your future!

Grandma visits! You relish your time together and the joy she brings to your life. As usual, when she leaves, she slips you $20 for spending money!

As intensely as it started, your relationship ends much the same way. You had gone away for what was supposed to be a romantic weekend together, but it turned into somewhat of a disaster. You got the clear sense that your partner was no longer into you and your strong feelings were no longer reciprocated. Much to your dismay, things fizzle out after that. You are pretty upset about it and have a few pity parties by yourself. Alex is particularly instrumental in getting you out of your slump and helping you see the breakup is for the best.up is

You continue to manage stress well but, hey, there is always room for improvement! As such, you attend a stress management class offered by your work. The class serves to affirm that you have good coping skills. Yet, you do take-away a suggestion or two to add to your coping toolkit. You’ll continue to put your skills into action when difficult situations arise.

You are disappointed, but you still can’t afford to move out of your parents’ house. Even small apartments with a roommate are out of your budget at the moment. You vow to decrease your frivolous spending and increase your saving, to make moving out feasible.

Answer the following questions (60-80 words each) using only the information given. No source citation, no format

1) Young adult 1 Did you choose to live on campus or off? How did this affect your social life? How are you able to keep in touch with old high school friends?

2) Young adult 2 Did you change your major?

3) Young adult 3 What are some good decisions that you can make in your life NOW that you hope will continue to lead you to good outcomes down the road. Think about enhancing health, emotional well-being, relationships, and social behaviors, and even identity choices and personal values that would play a role in later stages of your development.

4) Young adult 4 You get married.  What type of wedding do you have?

5) Young Adult 5 Your parents go into retirement. How do you feel about this?

6) Young Adult 6 How much has the choices, decisions and consequences that have happened on my virtual life mirrored your true life.  Do you think that there are more choices that should have been offered?

7) Young Adult 7 In your real life, are you still in contact with your high school friends? How has college life affected these relationships?

8) middle adulthood 1 What is the relationship with your partner like? Do you have problems? How do you deal with them?

9) Middle adulthood 2 Has lifestyle choices in your young adulthood affected your health in middle adulthood?

10) middle adulthood 3 what types of activities do you have your children participating in?  Do you think this is enough? Do you think others should be added?

11) middle adulthood 4 Have you experienced any midlife career choices? Do you think that this is something that will happen to you in real life?

12) middle adulthood 5 How have you handled changes in your body?

13) middle adulthood 6 Are you motivated to get involved with your community? if so, in what capacity? if not, why not?

14) middle adulthood 7 As part of the sandwich generation, many people of this age group are taking care of teenaged children as well as aging parents. Has this happened to you? How do you anticipate handling it, if and when it does?

15) Older adulthood 1 How much did you anticipate that you would be taking care of so many people in the peak of your adult career and life?

16) Older adulthood 2 How strongly do you feel that you might use spirituality to find meaning in life?

17) Older adulthood 3 Oops do you still have all of your teeth?

18) Older adulthood 4 What is your relationship with your children like? Has it evolved into an adult relationship of mutual respect? Are you experiencing boomerang children?

19) Older adulthood 5 Are you thinking about retirement? How difficult do you think it will be? What type of grandparent are you? Are you involved in their everyday life?

20) Older adulthood 6 What are your thoughts on DNR orders, living wills, and the like? How is your health? Are you experiencing physical decline such as liver spots on your skin, bone loss?

21) So, you are all grown up now! What do you think? Did you do good? What changes can you make now that will impact you when you are older? Go ahead be creative. I will confess that after I first took this simulation 10 years ago, I started brushing my teeth more assiduously. I can now say that I have only lost a single tooth in my life. But then again, I may have to redo this video next year. What about you?

YOUNG ADULTHOOD

As you turn 26, you are entering the stage of early adulthood. You’re making your way in the world and continue to work toward establishing a career, being financially independent, and enhancing your social relationships. In a nutshell, you are creating your adult life! You are generally happy and eager to see what comes next for you.

You are confident graduate school is the right fit for you and your professional goals. A grad degree will help you further advance your career. You apply and keep your fingers crossed you get into the program you want!

You finally move out of your parents’ house! You move in with a coworker who is looking for a roommate. It is a bit of a stretch financially for you, but you couldn’t pass up finding a place with low rent. It’s a small space, but it will be nice to be on your own (at least, on your own from your parents!).

When you least expect it, you meet someone pretty great! He has the qualities you were looking for in a partner. You’re not only attracted to each other, but you get along well and have a lot in common. Things are off to a promising start and you wonder if this could be “the one.”

YAHOO! You are accepted into an accelerated graduate program and begin the coursework. You’re glad you found a program that fits with your work schedule. You feel good about graduate studies and your career prospects ahead.

You now have your own health insurance. It’s an expense for you and, unfortunately, your employer doesn’t subsidize much of the premium. You decide to put the benefit to use by getting a routine physical. There have been no major changes in your overall health since your last well-visit, but the doctor counsels you on the importance of managing stress and maintaining healthy habits.

You need a new laptop because yours is on its last leg. You find a gently used one on an e-commerce site and click to purchase. It will be at your door in a matter of days. The convenience of online shopping can’t be beat!

Your local friend group, including Sarah and Michael, has been a constant source of companionship and fun. You’re there for each other to share in the joys and to offer support during rough patches. Of course, your best friend Alex is always there too, but “virtually” from out of state. The big news is that after graduate school, Alex lands a prestigious engineering job and is now living with someone. The job is going well and the relationship seems pretty serious!

Gwen hosts a family birthday party for your nephew, Ben. You bring Juan, and everyone gets along nicely. Even Gwen’s ex-partner joins in. He and Gwen split up a while ago and he hasn’t been staying actively involved in Ben’s life. Gwen and your nephew have been living with your parents and Jack. It’s been financially difficult for Gwen to support herself and Ben, but Ben is the light of her life. He likes to watch Jack programming on his computer. And Jack likes playing cards with Ben as there are clear (black and white) rules to winning and losing.

Well, it happens! You and Juan decide it’s time to take your relationship to the next level. You get engaged! Let the wedding planning begin!

Your parents are your typical parents. As you’ve navigated life, they’ve helped you talk through problems and supported your decisions along the way. It’s been a comfort to have their guidance.

Congratulations! After months of planning, you and Juan get married. You have a lovely wedding on a budget. You move in together and start the next phase of your relationship.

To celebrate the next phase of your relationship, Huda brings over a homemade meal of traditional Omani dishes that are typically cooked for special occasions. The three of you have a wonderful evening toasting to you and Juan’s commitment. You and Huda have kept in touch since you worked together. She’s been like a big sister to you. You value her perspective on life and the way she’s expanded your worldview.

On an extended family note, your cousin Nick is serving abroad in the military. He comes home for a visit and you’re happy to see him and catch up.

Just when you think everything is going smoothly, your brother Jack passes away. He had a seizure-related fatal injury. You and your family are devastated. You take some time off to be with them, attend the funeral services, and grieve. You try to focus on celebrating Jack’s life with family, but his loss is extremely hard to deal with.

Alex elopes and announces there’s a baby on the way! You’re disappointed you weren’t there for their special day, but are thrilled for how happy they are! This wonderful news helps you appreciate the joys of life, as you continue to mourn the loss of Jack. YIPPEE! Congratulations! It seemed like a long road, but you earn your graduate degree! Through networking in your grad program, you learn about a selective position in Health Sciences. You apply and are hired! It’s a higher-rank position than what you had and it offers better pay and full benefits! You are very happy!

You and Juan are expecting! Wow; a baby is on the way! You initially keep the news to yourselves but anticipate you will start telling family and friends once the pregnancy is a little further along!

With your interest in parenting piqued, you search online for information about the topic. One thing you learn is that new parents in some other countries, such as Spain, receive pay while on family (maternity/paternity) leave. In the United States, the Family Medical Leave Act, which only applies to companies with more than 25 employees, is 12 weeks of unpaid employment. Yikes, no pay for 3 months will not be ideal!

Congratulations! After a fairly typical pregnancy with all the usual physical, emotional, and financial ups and downs, you and Juan welcome a beautiful baby boy to the world!

Wow! Even with anticipating baby’s arrival, the transition to parenthood is an abrupt and startling change! It’s filled with joy and awe while also being overwhelming and exhausting. You’re sleep-deprived, emotional, and not even sure you are taking care of Christopher Omar correctly. Despite the challenges, looking at your beautiful baby evokes a pretty incredible feeling!

Gwen has been a single mother for years. She hasn’t had the easiest time balancing parenting and making ends meet, but she’s been a great parent and is a wealth of knowledge now that you are a parent. She provides practical advice and reassures you that you’ll learn as you go. You appreciate that she shares her experience, but also that she doesn’t tell you what to do!

Who knew a tiny person could need so much stuff!? You’re off again to the child superstore to stock up on supplies for Christopher Omar!

Oh no. As if you didn’t have enough on your plate with being a new parent, you get news from the vet that Roxy is terminally ill and the recommendation is to put your beloved dog to sleep. It’s a sad day for you and Juan, but you know it’s the most humane thing to do. You both go to the vet to say an emotional goodbye to Roxy.

And just like that, you are a family of four! About two years after Christopher Omar was born, you add a baby girl to your family. The lack of sleep is tough. However, you and Juan know what to expect this time around and feel more prepared for the responsibilities of taking care of a newborn. Of course, a toddler running around means even less rest for everyone!

You and Juan expand your social network to a set of new friends: parents of your children’s playmates. It’s easy to stay connected with them because you see them fairly regularly on trips to the park, library, and play group activities with your children.

You are getting ready to return to work from your family leave after Katherine. To get yourself in a professional frame of mind, you read online professional development resources. Several mention the importance of “soft skills,” such as communication and problem-solving, for today’s labor market. You decide it would be worthwhile to sign up for a professional development webinar entitled “Stimulating Your Soft Skills.”

Your mother introduces you to the term “helicopter parenting.” She said it’s when parents hover over their children and are over-involved in every move they make. She believes it’s more common in your generation than it was in hers. The conversation leaves you pondering whether or not you fit this description!

You and Juan have been talking for a while now about finding a new place to live. You feel like you’ve outgrown your current space. Between the two of you, your wish list includes: a house (as opposed to townhouse or apartment), more square footage, a garage, a yard, a good school system, a neighborhood nicer than your current one, and a diverse community. You start talking to a realtor!

Geez! Life is busy! With your work, your children’s school and extracurricular activities, and maintaining a household, on a typical day you rush from one thing to the next. In some ways, life has gotten easier since the children were infants and toddlers; in others, it’s just as (if not more) chaotic! The pace and full schedule of contemporary family life can be stressful.

Some of the bathrooms at your work are converted to gender neutral bathrooms as opposed to being assigned to male or female. This initiative is designed to accommodate gender nonconforming individuals, to make it more comfortable for them to use the restroom. You notice your employer is increasingly becoming more inclusive with their policies and initiatives.

You and Juan have made some good financial decisions, but there is room for improvement. Paying closer attention to spending and savings will help set you up for a stable and comfortable financial future. Alex visits for a weekend and a great time is had by all. You two even get some quality time alone without partners and children! It’s always fun to hang with your best friend!

The ups and downs of life. Your beloved grandma passes away. She had moved in with your parents a while back so they could take care of her as her health was declining. You are grateful you got to see her more often these last years of her life and that your children had the opportunity to have a relationship with her. You grieve her loss. At the same time, you celebrate her long life, appreciate the legacy she left behind, and let the memories of your times together bring you comfort.

Congratulations! You buy a house! You find a fixer-upper that meets some of the criteria on your wish list. The home purchasing process from start to finish is stressful, but you are thrilled to own your first home, even if it needs a little TLC! You can’t wait to move in and get your family settled in your new home.
Most of your friends are in committed relationships and have their own children. You’ve been able to share your relationship and parenting journeys and be a source of comfort and support for each other. Sarah chose to stay child-free and enjoys her role as “Aunt Sarah” to your children. Coordinating schedules to see your friends has been challenging! Because of that, staying connected with them has been happening primarily through digital channels, but the in-person get togethers are always priceless when you can make them happen!

EDUCATION AND CAREER
Young adults are embarking on establishing and building their career. You’ve had a successful professional journey so far. You earned a graduate degree in your field, which launched you to a solid job. Your expertise is deepening and you’ve been steadily advancing in your career.
LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS
Your personal life saw substantial changes during early adulthood. You fell in love, got married, and had two delightful children. Like most young adults, you’ve had to find a balance between your professional and personal lives. The demands of life have caused some tension between you and your partner, yet you have no reason to believe that your relationship can’t weather the storm.
On another note, you’ve experienced loss and have come to understand that death is an inevitable part of life. Thankfully, you have grown your social network and your friends have been a source of comfort as you deal with life’s ups and downs.
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
You’ve experienced several events that tested your coping skills. You’ve always been strong in managing stress, and this helped you successfully handle the challenges life has thrown your way.
As is common, you started this life stage in very good health. Due to your lifestyle choices, you have remained healthy. Continuing to eat right and stay active will allow your health to thrive as you continue to age.
FINANCIAL PLANNING
Young people become financially self-sufficient and have many expenses as they create their independent lives. You were no different! Practical financial planning certainly is challenging when money is tight, yet you took a responsible approach to spending and saving. Continuing to do so will put you on the right track for a strong financial future.

MIDDLE ADULTHOOD

Welcome to middle adulthood! Thus far, your adult life has been quite eventful, especially in the realms of work and family. As you get ready to enter your forties, your educational pursuits are behind you, your career is established, and your personal life revolves around your partner and children. What is next for you in the middle years? You are eager to find out!

Your family has lots of good things going on. Juan is promoted at work and finding career success. Your parents retire and use their leisure time to travel and be more actively involved with their grandchildren. Your sister Gwen is in a serious relationship with a great guy, and your nephew Ben is doing well in high school. After living with your parents for years, Gwen and Ben move to their own apartment. You agree to pet sit their dog while they’re out of town for Ben’s baseball tournament. Your kids have been asking for a dog for a while and pet sitting only intensifies their desire. You have a feeling a dog is in your family’s future!

You and Huda grab coffee and chat about life in middle adulthood. As usual, Huda brings such a grounded, rational perspective. She talks about the influence of culture on the perception of aging and how the transition to midlife and beyond can be more challenging in cultures where aging is devalued. That makes a lot of sense!

Exciting news! Your nephew Ben graduates from high school and will be attending the state university in the fall. The whole family comes together to attend the graduation ceremony and the party Gwen hosts in Ben’s honor. Christopher Omar and Katherine adore their older cousin and are happy he’s staying close for college. It’s a joyful occasion and you’re proud of Ben and his accomplishments!

You have a new family member! You adopt a 1-year-old dog from the local animal shelter. She is a beautiful grey-black color and comes with the name Shadow. It’s no time before you all instantly fall in love with her!

An accidental collision with another player during a soccer game leaves Katherine with a concussion. He is evaluated at the emergency room and the concussion is deemed to be mild. The experience is a scare for you all nonetheless!

Your children are into all sorts of activities. Christopher Omar is musically inclined and plays the violin. Katherine plays soccer with the town’s recreational league. These and their other activities are a lot of fun, but they make for a pretty full schedule most evenings and weekends.

You gave the green light to kitchen renovations and they are now complete. The whole family is enjoying cooking, eating, and hanging in the new kitchen space!

Gosh, your mother is getting unusually forgetful. You notice it more and more lately. You mention it to Gwen and your father. Gwen says she’s noticed too, but your father seems to think everything is fine. Your mom is taking several medications, and you know medications can interfere with memory function. You recommend mom make a trip to her doctor to talk about it. You even offer to take her

As your teen children spend more time with their friends, you are able to do the same—well, spend more time with your own friends! You have different social groups from work and the neighborhood, but have remained closest with your crew of long-term friends including Alex, Michael, Sarah, and Huda. It’s nice to now have some free time you can put toward upping your social engagement!

Congratulations! You are promoted to a senior position at work! You’re very excited that your hard work and determination have paid off! The salary increase is pretty exciting as well. You’re up for the challenges and additional responsibilities that come with the higher status position. And you plan to continue with your efforts to further your professional growth until you are ready to retire.

The big topic of conversation at your work is pay inequity, when it comes to light that a female coworker is getting paid less than a male coworker in the same position and with a similar level of experience. Your organization vows to investigate whether gender pay gaps are occurring among employees and make a plan to resolve any inequities.

You reflect on family happenings. Your sister Gwen finds happiness with a wonderful guy (they marry!), and your nephew Ben graduates college and is working in construction management. You have the opportunity to see extended family at a few recent events. Your aunt and uncle are as vigorous as ever (You think they could outlive you!), and your cousins are doing well. On a less happy note, your family dog Shadow passes away, leaving you all mourning her loss. Shadow brought a lot of joy to your family, and you like to think your family brought a lot of joy to Shadow. As if that wasn’t bad enough, your mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and she continues to experience memory loss and confusion. Your father has been caring for her while Gwen’s family and yours help out as much as you can. The ups and downs of life!

After a series of very emotional counseling sessions, you and Juan make great strides in repairing your relationship. You’re thankful you never pursued the flirtation with your former coworker and decided, instead, to focus your energies on making things work with your partner. You both feel a renewed sense of commitment, love, and motivation to make the relationship work. You vow to stick it out and put to use the strategies you’ve learned for handling conflict. You’re hopeful you can bring back the connection and joy you once shared together. You’re hopeful you can bring back the connection and joy you once shared together.

You and Juan rekindle your relationship. The emotional and physical intimacy is returning and you’re more skillfully handling conflicts. You appreciate each other and are grateful you didn’t give up on the relationship. The two of you decide that now is the perfect time for that trip to Europe you’ve always wanted to take together.

Christopher Omar graduates high school! You couldn’t be happier or more proud! You celebrate with fanfare! You are thrilled to be launching him to college in the fall. Katherine is doing well in high school and it won’t be long before you’re attending her graduation!

Ugh! You need a couple of fillings replaced and you have a cavity! Aren’t cavities a childhood thing? Your dentist tells you that after years of wear and tear, it’s actually quite common to need to repair old fillings and for tooth decay to occur. One of your coworkers recently had a tooth extracted, so you suppose you would rather fillings than losing a tooth at this point.

Sure, you’re slowing down, but overall you are feeling great. Staying active and eating right have been good for you. Your LDL cholesterol and blood pressure are both in the normal range. Plus, you’re a healthy weight and your energy level is high. Your doctor recommends you continue with your lifestyle choices, which will keep you on track for a high quality, healthy life for years to come.

Phew. You made it through the lay-offs. Given the reputation you’ve earned as a hard worker, you weren’t terribly worried you would be let go. Regardless, when an organization restructures and downsizes, it’s not a pleasant time for anyone involved. Your role and responsibilities aren’t affected, so it’s “business as usual” as you move forward with your work.

You’ve had an eventful few years with your children. Christopher Omar elected to stay close for college and is studying health science, preparing to enter an occupational therapy graduate program. Katherine went out of state for school to study computer science. You think fondly that Katherine must have gotten her love for all-things-computers from your brother, Jack. Both of your kiddos are doing well as they forge their adult lives!

Life has been relatively smooth lately, but one evening a family tragedy occurs. While doing some light work around his house, your father has a heart attack and passes away. It’s a shock to your whole family, as there had been no signs of heart problems (which may be because problems went undiagnosed, given your dad hardly went to the doctor). Your entire family is deeply saddened. So you all gather together to deal with his loss, and square away the financial and practical matters after his passing. Due to your mom’s Alzheimer’s disease, she is left confused and not managing well on her own. It’s clear that you and Gwen need to make a plan for her care.

With the loss of your father and your mother’s health progressively declining due to Alzheimer’s disease, your mom can no longer live independently. You and Gwen work together to make arrangements to sell your parents’ house. You wish you could take care of your mother full-time, but it’s not realistic given the around-the-clock level of care she needs going forward. With sadness but careful consideration, you and Gwen move your mother into an Alzheimer’s care unit at an assisted living residence.

Middle age is typically the time of greatest career productivity, success, and earning power. This has been the case for you! Your hard work has led to a prosperous professional journey and you see no reason your career won’t continue to flourish until you retire.

You’re glad you and Juan weathered the relationship storm. Just as with most things in life that are worth having, it wasn’t easy and took effort. You can say for sure, though, that it was worth it! Your relationship is stronger than ever. You look forward to spending the rest of your lives together.

The physical changes of middle adulthood have not escaped your notice. Your skin isn’t as tight; in fact, it’s sagging and wrinkles are more prominent. And you are finding brown spots and skin tags that were never there. Plus, certain foods you have always eaten no longer agree with your digestive system, leaving you with a stomachache or heartburn, which is disappointing!

You do a check-in on your retirement plans. Unfortunately, you haven’t saved enough to be able to retire at this point. Many of your same-aged friends, like Alex, are retiring now. But you will need to continue working until your late 60s.

Joy, joy! You have your first grandchild! Christopher Omar and his partner welcome baby Lucy into the world. She is precious! After finishing his graduate degree, Christopher Omar began a career in occupational therapy, fell in love, and recently moved near you so that Lucy can be raised around family. You can be as active a grandparent as you want to be! You are pleased to see your children doing well. That includes Katherine, who works in computer science and is focused on traveling as much as possible while free from commitments keeping her in one place.

Your friend Sarah, who had been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, is doing great! She is successfully managing the disease by living a healthy lifestyle. A sedentary person, she is no longer! She powerwalks several days a week and eats a diet low in sugar and saturated fat. You are relieved her health is in a better place and that she is feeling vigorous!

After deteriorating both cognitively and physically from Alzheimer’s disease, your mother passes away peacefully. Her final days are in hospice care. You, Gwen, and your families are able to be there by her side. It is difficult, but you have been coming to terms with the situation as your mother could no longer recognize you or communicate with you.

Juan retires. Your relationship continues to blossom and you are looking ahead with excitement to the adventures you two will have! You know retirement may require you and Juan adjusting to new roles at home, but you don’t anticipate it will be a problem.

As the matriarch of the family, your mother had been the kinkeeper, the one who was the “glue” and kept everyone informed and in contact. Gwen is now playing that role. She hosts holiday dinners and plans a reunion to gather extended family together. It’s nice that she’s promoting family ties!

CAREER
Your career in Health Sciences was a large part of your life during middle adulthood. Through your hard work you achieved great occupational success by earning a senior position and a salary to match. You have yet to retire, but anticipate that once you do, you will look back on your career as a highlight to celebrate.
CAREER
Your career in Health Sciences was a large part of your life during middle adulthood. You achieved solid occupational success by progressively developing your skills and moving up the ladder. You have yet to retire, but anticipate that once you do, you will look back on your career as a highlight to celebrate.
LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS
Maintaining a romantic relationship across decades takes work. You found that out first hand! After years of tension and distance between you and Juan, you two put in the work to improve communication and conflict management as well as reconnect and rekindle your love. It feels wonderful to be back on the same page and appreciate each other again. You are headed into late adulthood ready to create new memories with your partner!
Over the middle years, you went from a busy parent of two to an empty-nester and grandparent! Your children graduated high school and college (and Christopher Omar earned a graduate degree), and are making their way in the world. Christopher Omar is an occupational therapist, has a partner, and is the parent to your first grandchild. Katherine is a computer scientist and is focused on building her career and traveling the world. You are bursting with pride about your children and grandchild! You look forward to seeing what is in store next for all of you!
In middle adulthood, you lost both of your parents. It was a trying and emotional time dealing with their deaths. You and Gwen remained close through it all and continue to make efforts to stay connected with extended family. Another notable shift that occurred in midlife was in regard to how you spend your time. You spent less time with your children and more time with your friends, and this was particularly so after becoming an empty-nester. You see your friends as being a large and fun part of your life in late adulthood!
FINANCIAL PLANNING
Toward the end of middle adulthood, one indicator of financial well-being is being in the position to afford to retire. Unfortunately, you could not afford to do so. You preferred spending in the present more than saving for the future. Now that the “future” is here, you’re still working and doing a better job of saving so that you can retire and afford a similar lifestyle in your advancing years.
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Many factors contribute to health, some of which are lifestyle choices under your control. Well, you found out from personal experience the effects diet and exercise lifestyle choices can have. Thankfully, your choices and their effects have been positive! You elected to be physically active and eat right, and are now reaping the benefits such as maintaining a healthy weight, feeling well, and not being at risk for heart disease or stroke. Continue on this path in order to sustain your strength, stamina, and health in late adulthood!
You entered middle adulthood with good coping skills that you put to use when handling the stressful life events and aging-related issues you encountered. Continuing to respond to life’s difficulties in ways that help you manage the stress and maintain positivity will be useful in late adulthood as you experience declines and make adaptive adjustments. The later years generally bring increased happiness and well-being. Let’s see what late adulthood has in store for you!

LATE ADULTHOOD

Life has been a series of developments! During your middle years, you saw transformation in all areas. Physically, just about every part of your body experienced changes and you put your childbearing years behind you. Cognitively, with formal education concluded, mental challenges came from your job and you grew into the role of expert at your work. And, socially, you saw a big difference in with whom you spent your time. After years of most of your non-working hours revolving around your children, you launched them from home leaving more time to interact with your friends. Now you are 65 and entering late adulthood. You anticipate you will continue to morph into new versions of you in the latter years of your life!

Surprise! You have a boomerang child. Katherine moves back in with you, assuring you it’s only for six months. She wants to give up the expense of her apartment in order to boost savings for a house down payment. You’re happy to help her and have her around, but living together again under the same roof is an adjustment!

Yippee! You retire! Although money will be tight, you think you can afford to stop working at this point. You feel a degree of melancholy over leaving your career and coworkers, both of which have been a big part of decades of your life. But, on the other hand, you are excitedly looking forward to this next phase, life beyond full-time work.

You continue to be grateful you and Juan stuck it out and worked through your tough times. Although retirement brought some adjusting, you two got into a great groove of enjoying activities together as well as each exploring your own individual interests and friendships. The relationship is filled with romance and respect and you’re glad to be sharing these years with your partner!

You’ve slowed down in the last few years. That being said, you’re in good shape and maintaining strength and stamina. You attribute this to being active and making nutritious eating choices. Taking charge of your health in these ways has also helped you stay at a healthy weight and avoid needing to take medication (e.g., no high cholesterol medication for you!).

Speaking of inevitability of death, at the local library you and your friend Sarah attend a class titled “Can We Escape Death?” A scientist covers one theory that proposes genes are programmed with a time limit and another that the body wears out over time. Both are plausible but a definitive answer for why humans age and die is elusive. It’s a fascinating class that leaves you and Sarah with much to discuss over coffee after!

Your beloved aunt and uncle, who were the epitome of youthful spirits, passed away within months of each other. You mourn their loss, but you can’t help but be inspired by how they seized life and lived theirs to the fullest to the very end.

Life brings its own changes to your close family members. Gwen’s husband passes away, which causes a great deal of grief for her, you, and everyone in the family. Gwen moves nearby and you support her as she continues to adjust to widowhood. Your nephew Ben has been a support for his mom but from afar, as he lives out of state with his partner and twin children. Speaking of children, your adult children are busy shaping their own lives. They’re in middle adulthood and are wrapped up with building their careers and cultivating their own social circles.

Friends, glorious friends! Your friends are certainly enriching your later years. Your close friendships with Alex, Huda, Michael, and Sarah have endured. Over the years you integrated others such as work colleagues, neighbors, and parents of your children’s friends into your social circle. Texting makes it easy to stay connected and retirement gives you plenty of time to see each other.

Financially, you are somewhat challenged. Your retirement planning didn’t set you up to be able to afford a comfortable quality of life. Whether to help pay the bills or because they miss work, some of your peers have gotten jobs in their retirement. You contemplate the idea of returning to paid employment and come to terms with the fact that you could use the money. After searching around for a fit, you land a part-time job.

As an involved grandparent, you are happily spending time with your granddaughter Lucy! You take care of her several days a week while her parents are working, attend her school and extracurricular events, and regularly have her over for dinners and sleepovers. Your life is filled with joy with Lucy in it!

There is a cobweb hanging from your living room ceiling and you want to get rid of it! But, uh oh! As you are standing on a stepladder to reach it, you lean over too far and fall to the floor. You don’t think you break any bones, but you wrench your back and feel banged up. You take it easy for the rest of the week and wonder whether you should be asking for help for these sorts of housekeeping tasks.

Your nephew Ben and his family are in town. You have them, Gwen, your children and their partners, and Lucy over for dinner. It’s not often that you are all in the same place at the same time. It is a meaningful and memorable family gathering!

Overall, how are you feeling these days? Your well-being is high, meaning you are generally happy and satisfied. Managing stress and maintaining a positive attitude are two things helping you to feel a sense of vitality and contentment as you face what life has in store.

You can name a handful of peers who have had a stroke or heart attack. In fact, Michael is one of them. He had a mild heart attack, but recovered nicely and modified his lifestyle to reduce the risk of a repeat attack. You, though, are healthy! Your doctor applauds you for your health-promoting habits of eating right and exercising, and encourages you to keep them up.

You find that your religious/spiritual beliefs bring you quite a bit of comfort at this point in your life. As you get closer to the end of life, your beliefs help you as you process the topics of your purpose, connection to others, and the meaning of life.

You observe firsthand that aging is not a “one size fits all” process. When thinking about people you know who are around the same age, you see such a range—from marathon runner to nursing home resident. You realize chronological age doesn’t necessarily correlate well with people’s physical and cognitive well-being. There’s quite a bit of variability, from frail to sprightly.

You’re spending your retirement discovering new parts of your identity or parts that were always there, but you didn’t have time to explore. Most people value the freedom of late adulthood—having more free time and indulging in the opportunities that free time affords. You get that!

Physical aging continues! You develop some annoying issues related to arthritis, you’re not standing as tall as you once were, your back has been aching, and wrinkles have taken over every inch of your body. You’ve accumulated a collection of physical support products—pillow, knee brace, comfort shoes, compression socks—that you use to decrease discomfort and aid in your mobility. All in all, though, it’s not so bad!

The local senior center is requesting donations to help older adults in need. In the request, they describe how disparities are particularly pronounced during late adulthood. A large percentage of older adults live in poverty, have restricted access to healthcare, and experience a higher incidence of disease. You’re not the epitome of health and wealth, but you acknowledge that your late adult years would have been different had you experienced the disparities that some people have. You put together a bag of donations.

Alex and partner move to a retirement community with all the trimmings! From a swimming pool and tennis courts to restaurants and a movie room, everything one could want is right there on property. Alex invites you to come visit and you start packing your bags!

You were telling your neighbor about a restaurant you had gone to but the restaurant’s name escaped you! You’ve noticed this happening more often lately, where you can recall much of events from your life, but some of the details are harder to pull from memory. It’s a little bothersome but you’re glad your memory declines aren’t worse!

Your health insurance offers a complementary ADL and IDL wellness check. ADL stands for Activities of Daily Living (e.g., bathing, toileting, self-feeding) and IDL for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (e.g., cleaning, meal prep, managing money). These are ways to evaluate one’s functioning and ability to live independently. You take them up on it and someone comes to evaluate your functional status. They find you are doing well and there are no concerns. That confirmation feels good to get!

The evaluation of your functional status got you thinking about your living arrangements. In middle adulthood, you imagined that after retirement you would plan to be near at least one of your children. You are still thinking this is the best plan, at least for now.

You stay active and eat right. Lifestyle choices like these have helped you optimize your health. You’ve had no major health issues so far and plan on continuing with solid health habits as a way to keep yourself as healthy and strong as you can going forward.

3

You’ve been doing a lot of returning to the past and evaluating the significance of previous experiences, people, and events in your life. You like to recount memories and share them with others, especially your family and friends. You find this process of reviewing your life to be useful.

Your best friend Alex has a health scare when diagnosed with melanoma. Thankfully, it is stage 1, being that it’s an isolated spot and the cancer hasn’t spread. The melanoma is removed and a full recovery is expected. Alex has always been good about getting periodic skin exams. This preventative practice turned out to be a lifesaver!

The days are long but the years are short. Life continues to move ahead and you marvel at how quickly time passes.

CAREER AND RETIREMENT
During the last stage of adulthood, you embraced being a “retiree” and uncovering parts of your identity when had time to do so. Many of your days each week were spent in a work-capacity, as you found it necessary to secure a part-time job for the extra money. You got into a comfortable groove, though, with how you spent your days.
FINANCIAL PLANNING
Your prior financial planning was not enough to set you up to live comfortably during your late adult years. This resulted in financial insecurity in your post-retirement life. You needed to return to work in some capacity in order to supplement your retirement savings. This was not ideal but as you were working part-time in your late adult years, you tried to remind yourself that you enjoyed spending your money in your younger years.
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
In late adulthood you saw signs of aging in just about every aspect of your body and mind, signs that got progressively more apparent. Nonetheless, for the most part your older years were healthy ones. You attribute this to good genes, but also to your healthy lifestyle. Eating right and staying active helped you thrive. You certainly acknowledge that if you had had health issues or a major disease, your late adulthood experiences would have been different in every way. Your declining health will be expected when it occurs, but until then you will continue to be intentional in your health practices as a way to maintain your mobility, independence, and overall health as much as you can.
Having a positive attitude and taking aging in stride helped you successfully cope with the declines and losses in late adulthood. Another thing that helped was reminiscing and reviewing your life, a process that brought you some serenity. Overall, you enjoyed your late adulthood years!
LOVE AND RELATIONSHIPS
Your family members, friends, coworkers, and the myriad of cast of individuals who have come and gone in your life over the years have contributed to who you are today. Particularly in late adulthood, your rich social life helped you in many ways such as providing you with companionship and preventing loneliness. Without them in your life, you’re not sure you would have coped with aging as well as you did. You certainly recognize that your relationships had a meaningful impact as you navigated through your life.
The program may be over, but you can continue to reflect on your experiences and imagine where life will take your virtual adult next!