**7. Conclusions**

Before a woman becomes old, a long journey has just begun from the adolescents to juvenile period and from adult to old age.

Usually, the old age is commonly viewed as a sort of the final destination instead of the start of something knew.

As long-term memory appears to be reinforced by the time, also identity seems to be more stable and temperament, and character is already intrinsically connected to each other.

Old age is considered as a fully formed stone where the heart and mind are strictly connected.

Despite off, many authors suggest that before women become old, she could start to have some typical deficit as amnestic and neurocognitive problem, going through the mild cognitive impairment.

This is a critical stage in which the couple begins to decline, when they deal with losses, support the middle generation, and conduct a life review.

In this stage, usually considered between 65 years old, men and especially women are more sensitive to adverse events and health problem and begin to be more frailty.

Frailty is an important factor in functional and cognitive emotional decline, morbidity, and mortality for some older people.

Actually, anxiety, and depressive symptoms are much common in elderly people especially in women.

In older age, loneliness, social isolation, feeling of contribution/uselessness, lack of leisure activities, anxiety for the health, social deprivation, and depression are increasing [39].

In 2015, a writer and illustrator Matthew Johnstone tells the story of overcoming the "black dog of depression" [40].

He presents depression as a black dog, and it is clear to explain how depression is largely preventable and treatable.

The black dog could reduce the ability of concentrating, doing everything you were used to appreciate before, fear of being with other people, and constantly having fear to be discovered by other people's exhausting energy.

It could make you sad until damaging your identity.

Getting old with good attitudes like managing stressful events with resilience and being compassionate with other people could be a strategy to live better.

When a woman gets old, the frailty of identity and personality increase, and this is the reason why prevention is important to do not present these symptoms.

Being resilient, having a good relation with other people, and conducting a sport exercise are demonstrated to be essential on mental health overcoming the black dog [40].

In conclusion, our work shows how aging depends on women's mental attitude, not only on physical changes related to biological age [41].

**13**

**Author details**

provided the original work is properly cited.

Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy

*Old Age and Women's Identity*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84740*

© 2019 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium,

Greco Francesca Romana\*, D'Onofrio Grazia, Seripa Davide, Ciccone Filomena,

Geriatric Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, IRCCS Casa Sollievo della

Sancarlo Daniele, Mangiacotti Antonio and Greco Monica

\*Address all correspondence to: fra.greco93@gmail.com

*Old Age and Women's Identity DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84740*

*Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology*

of the start of something knew.

to juvenile period and from adult to old age.

through the mild cognitive impairment.

morbidity, and mortality for some older people.

Before a woman becomes old, a long journey has just begun from the adolescents

Usually, the old age is commonly viewed as a sort of the final destination instead

As long-term memory appears to be reinforced by the time, also identity seems to be more stable and temperament, and character is already intrinsically connected

Old age is considered as a fully formed stone where the heart and mind are

Despite off, many authors suggest that before women become old, she could start to have some typical deficit as amnestic and neurocognitive problem, going

In this stage, usually considered between 65 years old, men and especially women are more sensitive to adverse events and health problem and begin to be

Frailty is an important factor in functional and cognitive emotional decline,

Actually, anxiety, and depressive symptoms are much common in elderly people

In older age, loneliness, social isolation, feeling of contribution/uselessness, lack of leisure activities, anxiety for the health, social deprivation, and depression are

In 2015, a writer and illustrator Matthew Johnstone tells the story of overcoming

He presents depression as a black dog, and it is clear to explain how depression is

The black dog could reduce the ability of concentrating, doing everything you were used to appreciate before, fear of being with other people, and constantly

Getting old with good attitudes like managing stressful events with resilience

When a woman gets old, the frailty of identity and personality increase, and this

In conclusion, our work shows how aging depends on women's mental attitude,

and being compassionate with other people could be a strategy to live better.

is the reason why prevention is important to do not present these symptoms. Being resilient, having a good relation with other people, and conducting a sport exercise are demonstrated to be essential on mental health overcoming the

losses, support the middle generation, and conduct a life review.

having fear to be discovered by other people's exhausting energy. It could make you sad until damaging your identity.

not only on physical changes related to biological age [41].

This is a critical stage in which the couple begins to decline, when they deal with

**7. Conclusions**

to each other.

more frailty.

especially in women.

the "black dog of depression" [40].

largely preventable and treatable.

increasing [39].

black dog [40].

strictly connected.

**12**
