9.1 Flashcards
gerontologists
specialists who study aging
functional ages
young old- healthy and active
old old- some health problems and difficulties with daily activities
oldest old- are frail and need careThe young old are 65 to 74 years old. The old old are between 75 and 84, and the oldest old are 85 and older.
The fastest-growing segment of the population is the
oldest old—people 85 or older
ageism
prejudice and discrimination directed at older people
primary aging
aging that involves universal and irreversible changes that due to genetic programming, occur as people get older
secondary aging
changes in physical and cognitive functioning that are due to illness, health habits, and other individual differences, but are not due to increased age itself and are not inevitable
peripheral slowing hypothesis
the theory that suggests that overall processing speed declines in the peripheral nervous system with increasing age
generalized slowing hypothesis
the theory that processing in all parts of the nervous system including the brain is less efficient as we age
Vision
More than 80 percent of older adults report vision problems. Changes in the physical apparatus of the eye—the cornea, lens, retina, and optic nerve—diminish visual abilities. The lens becomes less transparent, allowing only a third as much light to reach the retina at 60 as at 20. The optic nerve also becomes less efficient in transmitting nerve impulses (Gawande, 2007). As a result, vision declines along several dimensions. We see distant objects less well, need more light to see clearly, and take longer to adjust from dark to light and vice versa.
The most common cause of blindness in people over 60 is
age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which affects the macula, a yellowish area near the retina at which visual perception is most acute. When a portion of the macula thins and degenerates, the eyesight gradually deteriorates
Aging particularly affects the ability to hear
higher frequencies
hypertension
high blood pressure
One of the more prevalent problems is
major depression, which is characterized by feelings of intense sadness, pessimism, and hopelessness. Among the reasons cited for depression are the cumulative loss of spouses and friends, and their own declining health and physical capabilities
dementia
the most common mental disorder of older adults, it covers several diseases, each of which includes serious memory loss accompanied by declines in other mental functioning
The most common form of dementia
Alzheimer’s disease
