As young as you feel: age identification among the elderly

1. Understanding and integrating an individual's perceptions about age and health status is fundamental to making accurate assessments and implementing interventions that are personally acceptable and clinically appropriate. 2. The concept of chronological age has limited validity for the explanation of behavior because it wrongly assumes homogeneity in individual lifestyles among age cohorts. 3. Older adults tend to perceive themselves as mentally and physically younger than their chronological age. 4. Nurses who interact with individuals in a manner based solely on their chronological age may exhibit disrespect and underestimate the potential for the client's involvement in self-care activities.