Chapter 17 Late Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development Flashcards
lifespan or longevity
is the length of time a person can live under the best circumstances.
life expectancy
Number of years a person in a given population can expect to live; increased due to public health measures such as medications and vaccinations
ageism
Prejudice against people because of their age; stereotypes that paint older people in a certain way affects how one responds to them
glaucoma
(buildup of fluid pressure inside the eyeball, which can lead to tunnel vision and no peripheral vision or blindness).
cataracts
Chemical changes of aging can lead to vision disorders such as
Presbycusis
Age-related hearing loss that affects about one person in three over the age of 65
osteoporosis
Disorder where bones lose so much calcium that they become prone to breakage; most serious are hip fractures
sleep apnea
Person stops breathing repeatedly during the night, causing awakenings; linked to increased risk of heart attacks and strokes; use of CPAP machine to open up air passageways
changes in women
Changes in older women stem from a decline in estrogen production.
Vaginal walls lose elasticity and grow paler and thinner; sexual activity may become irritating; thinning of the walls may place greater pressure against the bladder and urethra during sex, leading now and then to urinary urgency and burning urination.
cellular damage theories
propose that aging results from damage to cells.
programmed theores
see aging as the result of genetic instructions.
telomeres
(the protective segments of DNA at the tips of chromosomes); telomeres shrink each time a cell divides.
cellular clock theory
Cellular clock theory focuses on built-in limits of cell division; after dividing about 50 times, human cells cease dividing and eventually die.
hormone stress theory
Hormonal stress theory focuses on the endocrine system, which releases hormones into the bloodstream.
Hormonal changes foster age-related changes such as puberty and menopause; stress hormones are left at elevated levels following illnesses, making the body more vulnerable to chronic conditions such as diabetes, osteoporosis, and heart disease.
immunological theory
The immune system is preset to decline by an internal biological clock.
Production of antibodies declines with age; the body is therefore less able to fight off infections.
Risk of cancer increases
wear and tear theory
Over the years, our bodies — as machines that wear out through use — become less capable of repairing themselves.
free radical theory
The free-radical theory attributes aging to damage caused by the accumulation of unstable molecules called free radicals, produced during metabolism by oxidation, possibly damaging cell proteins, membranes, and DNA.
cross-linking theory
As we age, cell proteins bind to one another in a process called cross-linking, thereby toughening tissues.
Cross-linking stiffens collagen — the connective tissue supporting tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and bone; this results in coarse, dry skin.
normal aging
Physiological processes decline slowly with age, enabling the person to enjoy life into late adulthood.
pathological aging
Chronic diseases or degenerative processes, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, lead to disability and death.
There is a gap in diagnosis and treatment due to elder bias
(discrimination against older people by some health professionals).
artritis
is joint inflammation that results from conditions affecting the structures inside and surrounding the joints.
more common in women
osteoarthritis
is a painful, degenerative disease involving wear and tear on joints.
Osteoarthritis is common among obese people because excess weight adds to the load on the hip and knee joints.
Health professionals use over-the-counter and prescription anti-inflammatory drugs to help relieve pain and discomfort.
In severe cases, joint replacement surgery may be needed; specific exercises are prescribed.
rheumatoid arthritis
is characterized by chronic inflammation of the membranes that line the joints because the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues.
dementia
Condition characterized by dramatic deterioration of mental abilities involving thinking, memory, judgment, and reasoning; approximately 500,000 Canadians have dementia
Three major causes of death of Canadians age 65 and over are?
are cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease.
The most common cause is Alzheimer’s disease (AD),
a progressive brain disease.
crystallized intelligence
can continue to improve throughout much of late adulthood; however, all cognitive skills, on average, tend to decline in advanced age.
Retrospective and prospective memories
– Memories of the past (“retro”) and memories of the things we plan to do in the future
We can divide retrospective memories into explicit and implicit memories.
explicit memories
Specific information, such as things we did or things that happened to us (episodic or autobiographical memories) and general knowledge (semantic memory)
implicit memories
More automatic; recall the performance of tasks such as reciting the alphabet or multiplication tables, riding a bicycle, and using a doorknob
Explicit versus Implicit Memory
Older adults usually do not fare as well as younger adults in tasks that measure explicit memory, but they tend to do nearly as well in tasks that assess implicit memory (tends to be automatic and does not require any conscious effort; reflects years of learning and repetition), such as riding a bike or knowing the alphabet.
prospective memory
aids in the attempt to remember things we have planned to do in the future, despite the passage of time, and despite the occurrence of interfering events.
vascular dementia
is when the blood flow to a particular part of the brain is compromised or blocked
frontotemporal dementia
caused by protein tangles, which cause cells to die in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain and often affects those between the ages of 40 and 70.
parkinson démentia
occurs in only 2–5 percent of people with dementia, occurring within a year or so of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s.
Lewy body
is caused by abnormal protein deposits in different parts of the brain
the aging brain
In the aging brain, atrophy in the frontal lobe and in the middle (medial) part of the temporal lobe may account for deficits in associative memory
