Chapter 14-Late Adulthood: Body & Mind

Question 0

Elderspeak

Answer 0

A condescending way of speaking two older adults that resembles baby talk, with simple and short sentences, exaggerated emphasis, repetition, and a slower rate and a higher pitch than used in normal speech.

Question 1

Ageism

Answer 1

A prejudice whereby people are categorized and judged solely on the basis of their chronological age.

Question 2

Demographic Shift

Answer 2

A shift in the proportions of the populations of various ages.

Question 3

Dependency Ratio

Answer 3

A calculation of the number of self-sufficient, productive adults compared with the number of dependents (children and the elderly) in a given population.

Question 4

Young-old

Answer 4

Healthy, vigorous, financially secure older adults (generally, those aged 60 to 75) who are well integrated into the lives of their families and communities.

Question 5

Old-old

Answer 5

Older adults (generally, those older than 75) who suffer from physical, mental, or social deficits.

Question 6

Oldest-old

Answer 6

Elderly adults (generally, those older than 85) who are dependent on others for almost everything, requiring supportive services such as nursing homes and hospitals stays calm.

Question 7

Wear and tear

Answer 7

A view of aging as a process by which the human body wears out because of the passage of time and exposure to environmental stressors.

Question 8

Genetic Clock

Answer 8

A purported mechanism in the DNA of cells that regulates the aging process by triggering hormonal changes and controlling cellular reproduction and repair.

Question 9

Cellular aging

Answer 9

The ways in which molecules and cells are affected by age. Many theories aim to explain how and why aging causes cells to deteriorate.

Question 10

Hayflick limit

Answer 10

The number of times a human cell is capable of dividing into two new cells. The limit for most human cells is approximately 50 divisions, an indication that the lifespan is limited by our genetic program.

Question 11

Calorie restriction

Answer 11

The practice of limiting dietary energy intake (while consuming sufficient quantities of vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrient) for the purpose of improving health and slowing down the aging process.

Question 12

Ecological validity

Answer 12

The idea that cognition should be measured in settings that are as realistic as possible and that the abilities measured should be those needed in real life.

Question 13

Control processes

Answer 13

The part of the information processing system that regulates the analysis and flow of information. Memory and retrieval strategies, selective attention, and rules or strategies for problem-solving are all useful control processes.

Question 14

Primary aging

Answer 14

The universal and irreversible physical changes that occur in all living creatures as they grow older.

Question 15

Secondary aging

Answer 15

The specific physical illnesses or conditions that become more common with aging but are caused by health habits, genes, and other influences that very from person-to-person

Question 16

Compression of morbidity

Answer 16

A shortening of the time a person spends ill or infirm, accomplished by postponing illness.

Question 17

Osteoporosis

Answer 17

Fragile bones that result from primary aging, which makes bones more porous, especially if a person is at genetic risk.

Question 18

Dementia

Answer 18

Irreversible loss of intellectual functioning caused by organic brain damage or disease. Dementia becomes more common with age, but it is abnormal and pathological even in the very old.

Question 19

Delirium

Answer 19

A temporary loss of memory, often accompanied by hallucinations, terror, grandiosity, and irrational behavior.

Question 20

Alzheimer disease (AD)

Answer 20

The most common cause of dementia, characterized by gradual deterioration of memory and personality and marked by the formation of plaques of beta-amyloid protein and tangles of tau in the brain.

Question 21

Vascular dementia (VaD)

Answer 21

A form of dementia characterized by sporadic, and progressive, loss of intellectual functioning caused by repeated infarcts, or temporary obstructions of blood vessels, which prevents efficient blood from reaching the brain. (also called multi-infarct dementia)

Question 22

Frontal lobe dementia

Answer 22

Deterioration of the amygdala and frontal lobe that may be the cause of 15% of all dementias. (also called frontotemporal lobar degeneration)

Question 23

Parkinson’s disease

Answer 23

A chronic, progressive disease that is characterized by muscle tremor and rigidity and sometimes dementia; caused by reduced dopamine production in the brain

Question 24

Lewy body dementia

Answer 24

A form of dementia characterized by an increase in Lewy body cells in the brain. Symptoms include visual hallucinations, momentary loss of attention, falling, and fainting.

Question 25

Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)

Answer 25

A test that is used to measure cognitive ability, especially in late adulthood.

Question 26

Polypharmacy

Answer 26

Refers to a situation in which elderly people are prescribed several medications. The various side effects and interactions of those medications can result in dementia symptoms.

Question 27

Self-actualization

Answer 27

Final stage in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, characterized by aesthetic, creative, philosophical, and spiritual understanding.

Question 28

Life review

Answer 28

An examination of one’s own role in the history of human life, engaged in by many elderly people.

Question 29

Maximum life span

Answer 29

The oldest possible age that members of a species can live under ideal circumstances. For humans, that age is approximately 122 years.

Question 30

Average age expectancy

Answer 30

The number of years the average newborn in a particular population group is likely to live.