Successful seniors rarely wake up hoping to replace their denominational banner by nightfall. While they may think more cautiously than youth, seniors also tend to think more accurately than youth. Gallup polls tell us that older adults, when compared to middle and younger adults, often exhibit a greater growth in spirituality. Psychologists point out that the typical older adult is on a quest for integrity versus despair. Like great puzzle-makers, attentive seniors are trying to integrate or link the pieces of their lives together as they reminisce.
Gerontologists suggest that many seniors feel pressured by their limitations and their regrets.
Thus they can become preoccupied with their bodies, frequently monitoring how their bodies look, feel, and function. They can also become preoccupied with their work, using their overt productivity to measure what they are worth. They may even become preoccupied with themselves, obsessing on who seems to care about them and who apparently does not. But by the grace of God, many older adults have learned to transcend their bodies, rejoicing that there is more to them than their physical lives. Many have learned to transcend their work, recognizing the intangible contributions they have made and are making to the people around them.