Chapter 17 Late Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development

Question 1

lifespan or longevity

Answer 1

is the length of time a person can live under the best circumstances.

Question 2

life expectancy

Answer 2

Number of years a person in a given population can expect to live; increased due to public health measures such as medications and vaccinations

Question 3

ageism

Answer 3

Prejudice against people because of their age; stereotypes that paint older people in a certain way affects how one responds to them

Question 4

glaucoma

Answer 4

(buildup of fluid pressure inside the eyeball, which can lead to tunnel vision and no peripheral vision or blindness).

Question 5

cataracts

Answer 5

Chemical changes of aging can lead to vision disorders such as

Question 6

Presbycusis

Answer 6

Age-related hearing loss that affects about one person in three over the age of 65

Question 7

osteoporosis

Answer 7

Disorder where bones lose so much calcium that they become prone to breakage; most serious are hip fractures

Question 8

sleep apnea

Answer 8

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

Question 9

changes in women

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

cellular damage theories

Answer 10

propose that aging results from damage to cells.

Question 11

programmed theores

Answer 11

see aging as the result of genetic instructions.

Question 12

telomeres

Answer 12

(the protective segments of DNA at the tips of chromosomes); telomeres shrink each time a cell divides.

Question 13

cellular clock theory

Answer 13

Cellular clock theory focuses on built-in limits of cell division; after dividing about 50 times, human cells cease dividing and eventually die.

Question 14

hormone stress theory

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

immunological theory

Answer 15

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

Question 16

wear and tear theory

Answer 16

Over the years, our bodies — as machines that wear out through use — become less capable of repairing themselves.

Question 17

free radical theory

Answer 17

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.

Question 18

cross-linking theory

Answer 18

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.

Question 19

normal aging

Answer 19

Physiological processes decline slowly with age, enabling the person to enjoy life into late adulthood.

Question 20

pathological aging

Answer 20

Chronic diseases or degenerative processes, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, lead to disability and death.

Question 21

There is a gap in diagnosis and treatment due to elder bias

Answer 21

(discrimination against older people by some health professionals).

Question 22

artritis

Answer 22

is joint inflammation that results from conditions affecting the structures inside and surrounding the joints.
more common in women

Question 23

osteoarthritis

Answer 23

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.

Question 24

rheumatoid arthritis

Answer 24

is characterized by chronic inflammation of the membranes that line the joints because the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues.

Question 25

dementia

Answer 25

Condition characterized by dramatic deterioration of mental abilities involving thinking, memory, judgment, and reasoning; approximately 500,000 Canadians have dementia

Question 26

Three major causes of death of Canadians age 65 and over are?

Answer 26

are cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease.

Question 27

The most common cause is Alzheimer’s disease (AD),

Answer 27

a progressive brain disease.

Question 28

crystallized intelligence

Answer 28

can continue to improve throughout much of late adulthood; however, all cognitive skills, on average, tend to decline in advanced age.

Question 29

Retrospective and prospective memories

Answer 29

– 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.

Question 30

explicit memories

Answer 30

Specific information, such as things we did or things that happened to us (episodic or autobiographical memories) and general knowledge (semantic memory)

Question 31

implicit memories

Answer 31

More automatic; recall the performance of tasks such as reciting the alphabet or multiplication tables, riding a bicycle, and using a doorknob

Question 32

Explicit versus Implicit Memory

Answer 32

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.

Question 33

prospective memory

Answer 33

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.

Question 34

vascular dementia

Answer 34

is when the blood flow to a particular part of the brain is compromised or blocked

Question 35

frontotemporal dementia

Answer 35

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.

Question 36

parkinson démentia

Answer 36

occurs in only 2–5 percent of people with dementia, occurring within a year or so of being diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Question 37

Lewy body

Answer 37

is caused by abnormal protein deposits in different parts of the brain

Question 38

the aging brain

Answer 38

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