18. Old Age, Death, And Bereavement Flashcards
1
Q
- What is the current life expectancy in developed countries for men, women and overall?
A
- OVERALL: 80 years
- MEN: 75 years
- WOMEN: 80 years
2
Q
- Which rate has fallen, despite the increase in life expectancy?
A
- birth rate
- this means that the numbers of the future working force have decreased
- this also means that the elderly population is
increasing
3
Q
- What is the Basic Conflict for the Young Adulthood stage (19 to 40 years)?
A
- Intimacy vs Isolation
4
Q
- What are the important events for the Young Adulthood stage?
A
- Relationships
5
Q
- What is the outcome of the Young Adult hood stage?
A
- young adults need to form intimate, loving relationships with other people
- success in this field leads to strong relationships
- failure in this field leads to loneliness and isolation
6
Q
- What is the Basic Conflict for the Middle Adulthood stage (40 to 65 years)?
A
- Generativity vs Stagnation
7
Q
- What are the important events for the Middle Adulthood stage?
A
- Work and Parenthood
8
Q
- What are the outcomes of the Middle Adulthood Stage?
A
- adults need to create and nurture things that will outlast them
- they do this by having children
- or by creating a positive change that influences other
people - success in this field leads to feelings of usefulness and accomplishment
- failure in this field leads to shallow involvement in the world
9
Q
- What is the Basic Conflict of the Maturity Stage (60 years to death)?
A
- Ego Integrity vs Despair
10
Q
- What are the important events of the Maturity Stage?
A
- Reflection of Life
11
Q
- What are the outcomes of the Maturity Stage?
A
- older adults tend to look back on life and feel a sense of fulfilment
- success at this stage leads to feelings of wisdom
- failure at this stage results in regret, bitterness and despair
12
Q
- What is present in each stage of life?
A
- loss
- something is left behind at every stage
- our response to loss depends on our experiences at each stage
13
Q
- What has the control of infection diseases resulted in?
A
- there is a lower burden of disease among young people
- there is a lower concentration of illness and death among the elderly
- people tend to stay well for longer
- illness tends to be reserved for the final stage of life
14
Q
- Which age group has a much larger concentration of medical consultations and treatments focused on them?
A
- the elderly
15
Q
- What are two contradictory stereotypes about the elderly?
A
- the elderly are seen as sages
. they are seen to have a lifetime of knowledge and
experience - they are seen as senile and demented
16
Q
- Why does society have a general, negative outlook towards ageing?
A
- it is seen as the loss of youth
- it is seen as the decline of:
- physical functioning
- cognitive functioning
- social functioning
17
Q
- What are the two ways that intellectual functioning is expressed?
A
- Crystalline Intelligence
- Fluid Intelligence
18
Q
- What is Crystalline Intelligence?
A
- it is intelligence that reflects experience
- it also reflects long term memory
- old people tend to score highly here
- young people tend to score lower
19
Q
- What is Fluid Intelligence?
A
- this is intelligence that reflects processing, speed and short term memory
- young people tend to score highly here
- old people tend to score lower
20
Q
- What do fluid intelligence tests (IQ) often suggest?
A
- older people are mentally disadvantaged
HOWEVER:
- their behaviour does not often reflect this description
- their crystalline intelligence often compensates for their decline in fluid intelligence
21
Q
- What are a few examples of negative stereotypes about the elderly?
A
- they are physically frail
- they are psychologically frail
- they are cognitively impaired
- they have diminished social engagements
- this is because many of their friends have died
- moving around for them is difficult
- they tend to feel like they are burdens
- the elderly can then often be treated with no respect or dignity
22
Q
- Do they elderly tend to get discriminated against in Medical facilties?
A
- yes
- this is not acceptable
- all patients should be treated with equal respect
- doctors often tend to prefer to work with younger patients
- they are treated with less respect than any other patient
group
23
Q
- What do doctors often need to examine with regards to patients, when it comes to adjusting their consultation skills accordingly?
A
- they need to check their patient’s capacity
- they need to check their patient’s response time
- they need to check their patient’s mental capabilities
24
Q
- How should a doctor treat an elderly patient with a clear decline in fluid memory?
A
- allow more time for information to be considered and
processed by the patient - then ask further questions
- do not fill in the gaps for your patients if they are
answering very slowly - do not bombard them with questions
- this will lead to a communication breakdown
- this could lead to the doctor incorrectly diagnosing the
patient - they could administer the wrong treatment
- the patient will then be unsatisfied
- the patient will feel inadequate
25
Q
- Which age groups is Depression more prevalent in?
A
- older age groups
- it is more prevalent in women than in men
26
Q
- Declines in which areas are often related with Depression?
A
- functional disabilities
- cognitive impairments
- social deprivation
27
Q
- What are some contributing factors to increased depression in the elderly?
A
- role loss
(they tend to feel useless and in despair) - negative life events
- death and bereavement
(death of a: spouse, child, friend) - older people are more likely to experience the death of
their spouses or friends
28
Q
- Which gender is more likely to be a widow/widower?
A
- women are more likely to be widowers
- this is because they have a longer life expectancy
- this leads to higher rates of death and bereavement
amongst women - this leads to increased depression rates amongst women
29
Q
- What is Grief?
A
- a natural emotional reaction to loss
- it is complex
- it incorporates psychological and physical responses
- this is the personal process of how we feel
- grief can often resemble depression
- psychological processes including:
- cognitive
- social
- behavioural - physical processes including:
- physiological responses
- somatic responses
30
Q
- What is Mourning?
A
- this is the process of the adaptation to loss
- there is a particular reference to cultural and social rituals
and expectations - these rituals and expectations include:
- public displays of grief
- public displays of social expression - these may interact with the individuals personal response
to grief
31
Q
- Name the acute responses to Grief.
A
- disbelief
- shock
- numbness
- yearning
- agitation
- anger
- hostility
- irritability
- crying
- tearfulness
- sadness
- aimless activity
- inactivity
- illusions
- hallucinations
- a preoccupation with the images of the lost person
32
Q
- What is the estimated duration of the Acute Grieving process?
A
- there is really no set time
- it may last about six weeks or so
- it differs based on the individual
33
Q
- Name the longer term responses to Grief?
A
- social withdrawal
- sleep disturbance
- restlessness
- anxiety
- decreased concentration
- decreased food intake
- increased food intake
- reduced libido
- depressed mood
34
Q
- What is the estimated duration of the Longer Term Grief Response?
A
- it may last 3 - 12 months or more
- it varies amongst individuals
NB: it is not unusual for people to experience minimal grief
responses or an absence of grief responses
: they can even experience personal growth
