27.4 Psych: Introduction to ageing

Question 1

What is ‘ageing’ usually defined as?

Answer 1

> 65 years

Question 2

Which countries will experience the steepest increase in older population (absolute numbers and proportion wise)?

Answer 2

Developing countries

Question 3

What are 3 leading causes of years lost to disability?

Answer 3

Dementia, hearing loss, stroke

Question 4

What kind of intelligence declines more with ageing?

Answer 4

Fluid intelligence declines (more than crystallised intelligence)

Question 5

What may personality changes be a warning of?

Answer 5

Incipient disease e.g. Alzheimer’s Disease, Pituitary Disease, Diogenes Syndrome

Question 6

What did the Vaillant Harvard Study of Healthy Aging show? (predictive factors of healthy aging)

Answer 6

That:

Stable marriage, not overweight, mature defences and education predicted healthy aging

Question 7

What did the BASE (Berlin Aging Study) show assisted aging?

Answer 7

Selective optimisation and compensation

Question 8

What was the idea of ‘successful aging’ criticised for?

Answer 8

Implication of failure

Question 9

How do older people experience grief/bereavement compared to younger/middle aged people?

Answer 9

Grief may be less intense

Most adjust (except special cases-tragic deaths)

Question 10

What happens to heterogeneity with age? What does this imply for our use of terminology?

Answer 10

Increases with age (so do not use the term ‘the elderly’)