LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT
• Death is defined as:
Coverage: o Irreversible cessation of circulatory
and respiratory functions, or
• Death and Dying o Irreversible cessation of all brain
• Death Defined functions, including the brain stem.
• Most Common Causes of Death • The UDDA, approved in 1980, provides a
• Suicide medically accepted basis for determining
death and is adopted by most U.S. states.
• Fatal Drug Overdoses
Physical Changes Leading to Death (Bell,
• Where do People Die? 2010):
• Developmental Perceptions of • Weeks Before Death:
Death and Death Anxiety o Loss of appetite, preferring easily
• Curative, Palliative, and Hospice digestible foods
o Increased sleep, weakness,
Care
incontinence, and restlessness
• Family Caregivers o Increased need for assistance with
• Advanced Directives care
• Cultural Differences in End-of- • Days Before Death:
Life Decisions o Decreased consciousness, pauses in
breathing, lower blood pressure
• Euthanasia
o Darkened urine, murmuring to unseen
• Religious Practices after Death people, disorientation
• Green Burial o Increased care needs
• Grief, Bereavement, and • Days to Hours Before Death:
Mourning o Comatose-like state, inability to
swallow, pauses in breathing
• Models of Grief
o Weak or absent pulse, cool or
• Grief: Loss of Children and discolored extremities (e.g., purple
Parents hands/feet)
• Mourning o "Death rattle" due to relaxed throat
muscles, pale, waxen skin
Social Death:
Death and Dying • Begins before physical death and occurs
when others withdraw or dehumanize the
Death Across the Lifespan: terminally ill.
• While death is more common in later stages of • Dehumanization includes ignoring the person,
life, it can occur at any age. making decisions without their input, and
• Death is a deeply personal experience, with forcing unwanted procedures.
reactions and perceptions varying greatly • Social death can affect those with terminal
across individuals. conditions (e.g., AIDS, cancer) as family,
Perceptions of Death: friends, and even healthcare providers may
• People often imagine death as quick and
avoid them.
• Reasons for Withdrawal:
peaceful.
o Friends and family may feel
• However, for many, death follows a prolonged
uncomfortable, inadequate, or unable
period of chronic illness or frailty, except in to help.
cases of accidents or certain illnesses that lead o Health professionals may feel
to quicker death (IOM, 2015). unequipped to deal with decline and
Impact of Modern Medicine: death.
• Advances in medicine and better living • Impact of Social Death:
conditions have increased life expectancy. o Lack of social support can lead to
• Despite this, death remains the inevitable end isolation and loss of meaningful
of life. interactions.
o Social death can occur in nursing
Death Defined homes with no visits or contact.
Dehumanization of the Incapacitated, Older, or
Clinical Definition of Death (Uniform Ill:
Determination of Death Act, UDDA): • Reasons for Dehumanization:
1|Hikamac chi
, LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT
o Healthier individuals create distance to o Main cause: Accidents (unintentional
avoid facing their own mortality. injuries).
o Caregivers may dehumanize as a • Adults (middle to late adulthood):
coping mechanism to protect against o Main causes: Heart disease, cancer,
grief and burnout. and other chronic medical conditions.
Other Concerns:
Most Common Causes of Death • Suicides and Drug Overdoses: These are
increasing causes of death throughout the
Global Causes of Death (2016, WHO): lifespan.
• Non-communicable diseases (not passed
person-to-person) are the leading cause of Suicide
death worldwide:
o Top 3 Causes: Suicide Rate Increase (1999-2017):
▪ Heart disease • Suicide rate increased by 33% in the U.S.
▪ Stroke • 10th leading cause of death overall in the
▪ Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary U.S.
Disease (COPD) • 2nd leading cause for ages 10-34 and 4th
• Tobacco use is a major contributor to many leading cause for ages 35-54 (CDC, 2018).
of these diseases. General Statistics (2016):
• High vs. Low-Income Countries: • Around 45,000 people died by suicide in 2016
o High-Income Countries (per capita (CDC, 2018).
income > $12,476): • Suicide rates increased for all racial and
▪ 70% of deaths are in people ethnic groups.
aged 70 or older. • Rural counties (20.0 per 100,000) have a
▪ Main causes: chronic diseases higher suicide rate than urban counties (11.1
(heart disease, cancer, per 100,000).
diabetes, dementia). Suicide and Gender:
▪ Infectious diseases are rare, • Male Suicide Rate: Increased 26% from 1999
with lower respiratory (17.8 per 100,000) to 2017 (22.4 per
infections being the only 100,000).
significant infectious cause of • Female Suicide Rate: Increased 53% from
death. 1999 (4.0 per 100,000) to 2017 (6.1 per
o Low-Income Countries (per capita 100,000).
income < $1,025): • Gender Differences:
▪ 40% of deaths are in children o Males generally have higher suicide
under 15. rates due to higher substance abuse,
▪ Main causes: infectious reluctance to seek mental health
diseases (HIV/AIDS, malaria, treatment, and use of more lethal
diarrheal diseases, methods.
tuberculosis). o Females: The suicide gap is closing
▪ Childbirth complications as females are now engaging in self-
(e.g., premature birth, birth harm, substance abuse, and risk-
asphyxia) are major causes of taking behaviors.
infant death. o High Risk Groups for Females: Pain,
The United States (2016): depression, and anxiety, especially in
• Historical Shift: In 1900, infectious diseases middle age.
were the main cause of death; today, chronic o High Risk Groups for Males: Older
diseases dominate. males (75+), although their rate has
• Top 3 Causes of Death: decreased from 1999.
o Heart disease Deaths of Despair:
o Cancer • The U.S. suicide rate is increasing, while it is
o Accidents (unintentional injuries) decreasing in other countries like Canada,
Causes of Death by Age Group: Japan, and most of Western Europe.
• Infants (under 1 year): • Economic Decline: Loss of farming and
o Main causes: SIDS (Sudden Infant manufacturing jobs, particularly in rural areas,
Death Syndrome), congenital has contributed to "deaths of despair."
problems, and birth complications. • Contributing Factors to Suicide:
• Children and Young Adults (ages 1-24): o Relationship issues
o Substance use disorders
2|Hikamac chi
• Death is defined as:
Coverage: o Irreversible cessation of circulatory
and respiratory functions, or
• Death and Dying o Irreversible cessation of all brain
• Death Defined functions, including the brain stem.
• Most Common Causes of Death • The UDDA, approved in 1980, provides a
• Suicide medically accepted basis for determining
death and is adopted by most U.S. states.
• Fatal Drug Overdoses
Physical Changes Leading to Death (Bell,
• Where do People Die? 2010):
• Developmental Perceptions of • Weeks Before Death:
Death and Death Anxiety o Loss of appetite, preferring easily
• Curative, Palliative, and Hospice digestible foods
o Increased sleep, weakness,
Care
incontinence, and restlessness
• Family Caregivers o Increased need for assistance with
• Advanced Directives care
• Cultural Differences in End-of- • Days Before Death:
Life Decisions o Decreased consciousness, pauses in
breathing, lower blood pressure
• Euthanasia
o Darkened urine, murmuring to unseen
• Religious Practices after Death people, disorientation
• Green Burial o Increased care needs
• Grief, Bereavement, and • Days to Hours Before Death:
Mourning o Comatose-like state, inability to
swallow, pauses in breathing
• Models of Grief
o Weak or absent pulse, cool or
• Grief: Loss of Children and discolored extremities (e.g., purple
Parents hands/feet)
• Mourning o "Death rattle" due to relaxed throat
muscles, pale, waxen skin
Social Death:
Death and Dying • Begins before physical death and occurs
when others withdraw or dehumanize the
Death Across the Lifespan: terminally ill.
• While death is more common in later stages of • Dehumanization includes ignoring the person,
life, it can occur at any age. making decisions without their input, and
• Death is a deeply personal experience, with forcing unwanted procedures.
reactions and perceptions varying greatly • Social death can affect those with terminal
across individuals. conditions (e.g., AIDS, cancer) as family,
Perceptions of Death: friends, and even healthcare providers may
• People often imagine death as quick and
avoid them.
• Reasons for Withdrawal:
peaceful.
o Friends and family may feel
• However, for many, death follows a prolonged
uncomfortable, inadequate, or unable
period of chronic illness or frailty, except in to help.
cases of accidents or certain illnesses that lead o Health professionals may feel
to quicker death (IOM, 2015). unequipped to deal with decline and
Impact of Modern Medicine: death.
• Advances in medicine and better living • Impact of Social Death:
conditions have increased life expectancy. o Lack of social support can lead to
• Despite this, death remains the inevitable end isolation and loss of meaningful
of life. interactions.
o Social death can occur in nursing
Death Defined homes with no visits or contact.
Dehumanization of the Incapacitated, Older, or
Clinical Definition of Death (Uniform Ill:
Determination of Death Act, UDDA): • Reasons for Dehumanization:
1|Hikamac chi
, LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT
o Healthier individuals create distance to o Main cause: Accidents (unintentional
avoid facing their own mortality. injuries).
o Caregivers may dehumanize as a • Adults (middle to late adulthood):
coping mechanism to protect against o Main causes: Heart disease, cancer,
grief and burnout. and other chronic medical conditions.
Other Concerns:
Most Common Causes of Death • Suicides and Drug Overdoses: These are
increasing causes of death throughout the
Global Causes of Death (2016, WHO): lifespan.
• Non-communicable diseases (not passed
person-to-person) are the leading cause of Suicide
death worldwide:
o Top 3 Causes: Suicide Rate Increase (1999-2017):
▪ Heart disease • Suicide rate increased by 33% in the U.S.
▪ Stroke • 10th leading cause of death overall in the
▪ Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary U.S.
Disease (COPD) • 2nd leading cause for ages 10-34 and 4th
• Tobacco use is a major contributor to many leading cause for ages 35-54 (CDC, 2018).
of these diseases. General Statistics (2016):
• High vs. Low-Income Countries: • Around 45,000 people died by suicide in 2016
o High-Income Countries (per capita (CDC, 2018).
income > $12,476): • Suicide rates increased for all racial and
▪ 70% of deaths are in people ethnic groups.
aged 70 or older. • Rural counties (20.0 per 100,000) have a
▪ Main causes: chronic diseases higher suicide rate than urban counties (11.1
(heart disease, cancer, per 100,000).
diabetes, dementia). Suicide and Gender:
▪ Infectious diseases are rare, • Male Suicide Rate: Increased 26% from 1999
with lower respiratory (17.8 per 100,000) to 2017 (22.4 per
infections being the only 100,000).
significant infectious cause of • Female Suicide Rate: Increased 53% from
death. 1999 (4.0 per 100,000) to 2017 (6.1 per
o Low-Income Countries (per capita 100,000).
income < $1,025): • Gender Differences:
▪ 40% of deaths are in children o Males generally have higher suicide
under 15. rates due to higher substance abuse,
▪ Main causes: infectious reluctance to seek mental health
diseases (HIV/AIDS, malaria, treatment, and use of more lethal
diarrheal diseases, methods.
tuberculosis). o Females: The suicide gap is closing
▪ Childbirth complications as females are now engaging in self-
(e.g., premature birth, birth harm, substance abuse, and risk-
asphyxia) are major causes of taking behaviors.
infant death. o High Risk Groups for Females: Pain,
The United States (2016): depression, and anxiety, especially in
• Historical Shift: In 1900, infectious diseases middle age.
were the main cause of death; today, chronic o High Risk Groups for Males: Older
diseases dominate. males (75+), although their rate has
• Top 3 Causes of Death: decreased from 1999.
o Heart disease Deaths of Despair:
o Cancer • The U.S. suicide rate is increasing, while it is
o Accidents (unintentional injuries) decreasing in other countries like Canada,
Causes of Death by Age Group: Japan, and most of Western Europe.
• Infants (under 1 year): • Economic Decline: Loss of farming and
o Main causes: SIDS (Sudden Infant manufacturing jobs, particularly in rural areas,
Death Syndrome), congenital has contributed to "deaths of despair."
problems, and birth complications. • Contributing Factors to Suicide:
• Children and Young Adults (ages 1-24): o Relationship issues
o Substance use disorders
2|Hikamac chi
