chapter 13: later life Flashcards
stereotypes that are wrong
- we treated elderly people better in the “good old days”
- old people are unhappy and living in nursing homes
Media Age
- Age where half of pop is older and half is younger
- Age has increased dramatically > life expectancy, birth decreasing and aging increasing
Baby Boomers
are approaching later life less healthy
Young Old
- 60’s - 70’s
70 y/o might still have a part time job they enjoy
More likely to be healthier, wealthier and happier
Old old
80’s and Older
Old Age Negatives
have been associated with looking ugly, having difficulty doing everyday tasks and learning new things
Old Age Positives
- gain wisdom
can be happiest or most depressing stage
better at controlling emotions
more reliable as a worker
Memory
worsens as we age
when old people start to forget smth, there’s something wrong vs. when someone younger forgets it’s “normal”
Divided Attention Tasks
- especially difficult for elderly
Keep checking clock so they don’t miss appointment
Age related problems
- slowness
hearing problems
Alzheimer’s disease
tend to make others avoid older people
Living Below poverty line
- die at an earlier age
old-age illnesses may develop during midlife - look physically older than peers
Brain Scans
When tasks get challenging the older brain shifts to using both hemispheres (under activation) implying brain is maxed out
Memory Systems
Episodic
Semantic
Procedural
Episodic Memories
- most fragile memory system
remembering ongoing events of everyday life (where you were running last night or what celebration you went to today)
Semantic Memories
- Factual knowledge (Knowing who abe Lincoln is)
Procedural Memory
Information we automatically remember without conscious reflection (playing piano, driving)
memory that resides in lower brain center
is still intact into alzheimer’s
Socioemotional Selectivity
During first stages we thing about future, as we’re older (midlife) we think about present, then reflect on our past (older)
preference of positive information over negative
Self- Fufilling Prophecy
Fear of dementia can cause older people to do bad on memory tests
Working when older
- good pension= not wanting to retire
likely to be happier at high pressure job
want to keep working job they like
Happy retirement
- happily married
- open to new experiences
- plans for new stage in life
- Sufficient income
Widowhood
- cope with assistance from friends and fam
- feel spouses presence at all times
- men are statistically more likely to die after losing a spouse
Successful agin
means living meaningfully no matter what physical state
