Chapter 13 Flashcards
The Older Population
Older population defined:
- Young old = 65 – 75
- Middle old = 75 – 85
- Old old = 85 +
The older population in the United States currently represents
16.5% of the US population.
The Older Population
By 2060,
nearly one in four Americans is projected to be an older adult.
by 2060 will over
than double to 98.2 million
The Older Population growth
Fastest growing segment of the US population
The Older Population
Geographic representations
in the South and
Northeast
The Older Population
The heaviest users
of the health care system
The Older Population
Most of us have stereotypes of old age
but almost every generality about the older person is quickly countered by personal experience with an older adult.
Rapid societal changes taking place around older adults
actively involved outside of the home as employers, employees, volunteers, or members of community organizations.
Aging in its broadest sense refers to the
“changes that occur during an organisms’ life-span.”
Aging
differes from
individual to individual
Aging
The result of interactions of
genetics,
environment, lifestyle and disease processes
Biological Theories aging
two main types of biological aging theories
genetic (programmed theories) and stochastic (damage theories)
Biological Theories aging
Genetic theories
“aging is genetically determined and organisms have an internal clock that programs longevity.”
Biological Theories aging
Stochastic or damage theories propose
“chance error and the accumulation of damage over time cause aging. Stochastic theories include wear and tear, error catastrophe, free radical theory, DNA damage hypothesis, loss of adaptive cellular mechanism, and the mitochondrial theory.”
Social Theories of Aging
life-course approach
“recognizes the social, cultural, and structural contexts of a person’s lifelong development.”
Social Theories of Aging
According to societal theory
it is also essential to recognize the contribution of agency to health.
Agency
Ability to control their own life and make decisions about their own care
Psychological Theories of Aging
Social sciences research
adopting a more optimistic view of aging which focuses on the potential of human development.
Psychological Theories of Aging
Successful aging is thought to be defined by three criteria
(1) low risk of disease and disability,
(2) high physical and cognitive functioning, and, lastly,
(3) active engagement with close personal relationships and involvement in activities.
PLOF
Prior Level Of Function
Psychological Theories of Aging
(selection, optimization, and compensation)
increased attention paid to human beings’
ability to adapt.
Psychological Theories of Aging
(selection, optimization, and compensation)
The individual also focuses on acquiring resources to improve function (optimization)
or compensates when previously available resources are lost.
Healthy Aging
- Optimizing physical, cognitive, and mental
health, and facilitating social engagement - Emphasis on QOL and maintaining independence
developmental challenge of old age—that of integrity.
In this last stage of human development, the person “understands, accepts, and loves the life he [or she] has led.”