Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is Gerontology
The study of the biological, psychological and social aspects of aging
Chronological aging
The definition of a person’s years lived from birth
Biological aging
The physical changes that reduce the efficiency of organ systems
Psychological aging
Includes the changes that occur is sensory and perceptual processes, cognitive abilities adaptive capacity and pesonality
Social Gerontology
First used by Clark Tibbits in 1954 to describe the area of gerontology that is concerned with the impact of social and sociocultural conditions on the process of aging and its social consequences
Aging
In general refers to changes that take place in the organism throughout the life span
Senescence
Changes that occur after age 30 that reflect normal decline in all organ systems
Cohort
Groups of people who were born at approximately the same time and therefore share many common experiences
Active aging
As defined by the World Health Organization as the process of optimizing opportunities for helathh, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age
Young-old
Ages 65-74
Old-old
Ages 75-84
Oldest-old
Ages 85 and over
Life course
is a culturally defined sequence of age categories that people are normally expected to pass through as they progress from birth to death.
Resilience
An individual’s ability to thrive despite adversity in their lives
person-environment-perspective
The model suggests that the environment is not a static backdrop , but changes continually s the older person takes from it what he or she needs, control what can be modified , and adapts to conditions that cannot be change.
