Chapter 17- Physical & Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood Flashcards
The study of aging from maturity (young adulthood) through older age as well as the study of older persons as a special group.
Gerontology
These are people who live to the age of 100
Centenarians
Branch of psychology aimed at understanding age-related changes in behavior and mind that individuals experience throughout the lifespan.
Developmental psychology
True or False
Gerontolgy is Interdisciplinary
TRUE
Late adulthood is now thought of as the period of tremendous ______ _______ rather than just a stage of universal decline.
individual variability
in late adulthood, we see enhancement and stability through _____________and _____________
selective optimization and compensation
What is the life span or the maximum time or span humans can live?
120-125 years old
This is an estimation of how long you can expect to live and this is calculated at different ages.
Life expectancy
The gender gap for life expectancy has been narrowing, with ______ (men or women) expected to live only 4 years longer now.
women
In adulthood, the odds of dying increase ________ each year, with much variability in death rates at higher ages.
exponentially
According to all selected scenarios, the proportion of older adults age 65 years and older should continue to _______ (increase/ decrease) in the future. So this group is projected to represent 1/4 of the population by 2036 compared to 14% in 2009.
increase
What does the life expectancy calculator looks at?
- health behaviors (diet, exercise, stress)
- weight and sex
- sociodemographic variables (where you live, education)
What are two theories that explain how we age?
- Programmed Theories
- Error/Random theories
This theory of aging explains that genetic preprogramming causes aging.
-suggests that our body’s DNA, genetic code, contains a built-in time limit for the reproduction of human cells.
Programmed Theories
What are two examples of Programmed Aging Theories
- Hayflick limit
- Telomeric theory
This theory of aging is about wear-and-tear explanations of aging.
They argue that the mechanical functions of the body simply wear out with age.
Error/ Random Theories
Why are error/random theories more optimistic than the programmed theories?
Because they suggest that longevity can be extended by eliminating toxins produced by the body.
This programmed aging theory is a programmed explanation of why we age.
This refers to the number of times a cell can replicate.
The theoretical proposal that each species is subject to a genetically programmed time limit after which cells no longer have any capacity to replicate themselves accurately.
Hayflick limit
Cells taken from human adults divide only about ___ times
20
This programmed aging theory is an extension of the Hayflick limit
Telomeric theory
During old age, adult cells cannot produce the necessary levels of _____ (enzyme) needed to restore telomeres.
telomerase
_____ are string of repetitive DNA at the tip of each chromosome in the body that appears to serve as a kind of timekeeping mechanism.
Telomeres
In the telomeric theory, is there is a crucial telomere length, disease or death may come quickly when the telomere is too _____ (long/short)
short
Telomere shortening is associated with __________
lifetime stress
This refers to the organism’s inability to repair breaks in DNA strands and this results in a loss of cellular function, leading to aging.
Cellular damage
This theory of error/random aging theory occurs when undesirable chemical bonds form between proteins or fats.
Cross-linking
This theory of error/random can arise as a result of exposure to certain substances in foods, sunlight, X-rays, and air pollution.
Free radicals
In ________, the strands of the collagen molecule start to become intertwined, causing the molecules to become increasingly more rigid and smaller.
This results from exposure to certain kinds of sugars which leads to glycation, causing formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGE’s)
cross-linking
______ is an error/random aging theory that cause damage to cells and this eventually impairs function.
Unstable oxygen molecules are produced when cells create energy –> They seek out and bind to other molecules –> The attacked molecule then loses its functioning.
free radicals
_______ can fend of free radicals
Antioxidants
_______ are undifferentiated cells that are capable of self-renewal and differentiation into specialized adult cells.
Over time, these cells gradually lose their ability to effectively sustain the body’s cells.
Stem cells
The ______ determines the maximum lifespan of different species
genotype
The variation in longevity of individuals within a species seems to be affected by the accumulation over time of _____ errors that compromise stem cell function
epigenetic
Aging occurs when _____ processes and interactions with the environment, like sunlight and toxins in the air, water and our diets cause changes in the structure and function of the body’s molecules and cells. Those changes in turn drive their decline, and subsequently the failure of the whole organism.
intrinsic
These affect the body’s tissues and cells. Genes silenced or expressed only at low levels in newborns become prominent in older people, leading to the development of the degenerative diseases, like Alzheimer’s, which accelerate aging.
Epigenetic factors
_____ regeneration declines as we age
Cellular
______ cells decrease in number a s we get older.
Stem
_____ is a person’s subjective evaluation of his/her general health.
Self-rated health
Older Canadian adults across all three age subgroups (55-65, 65-74, and 75+) regard their health as _________
good or excellent
Fair or poor health is self0reported by ____% of those over 65 years of age
21
The proportion of fair or poor self-rated health scores jump from ___% in Canadian aged 20-24 up to _____% in Seniors aged 65 and older.
6.1%, 22.9%
_____ is the single largest factor determining the trajectory of an adults physical or mental status over years beyond 65
Health
TRUE or FALSE
An optimistic view in health helps seniors recover better from illnesses such as stroke.
TRUE
Chronic illness at age 65 is predictive of more rapid _____ in later life.
declines
___ and ____ are measures of people’s ability to adapt to everyday life. They’re a measure of a person’s functional status/ They look at people’s degree of independence and these impact the person’s ability to live independently.
BADL & IADL
This measures basic self-care activities such as eating, bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting, and walking or moving around
Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADL)
This measures complex everyday tasks.
This is more cognitively complex than BADL but they’re not necessary for fundamental functioning but they help a person to live independently.
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL)
This refers to any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.
It often arises from living with a chronic medical condition
Disability
What are the two physical problems or diseases that are most likely to contribute to some functional disability in late adulthood?
Arthritis and Hypertension
______ is the norm amongst older adults
Independence
The proportion of older adults with disabilities ____ with age
increases
They are seniors whose physical and/or mental impairments are so extensive that they cannot care for themselves.
Frail elderly
Aside from high blood pressure (hypertension) and arthritis, what are some common chronic conditions among seniors?
Back problems, eye problems, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and urinary incontinence.
A recent study found that modifiable _____ factors are responsible for dramatically shortened life expectancy.
lifestyle
What are five factors that account for 60% of all deaths and short life expectancy?
- smoking
- physical inactivity
- poor diet
- alcohol
- stress
Decline in physical and cognitive function can be prevented through _____
exercise
______ is a neurological disorder involving problems with memory and thinking that affect an individual’s emotional, social, and physical functioning. It is the leading cause of placement into long-term care of the elderly in Canada, especially women.
Dementia
________ is a mental health condition that is also sometimes a concern in the late adult years.
Depression
_______ is a progressive degenerative brain disease affecting memory, cognition (thinking) and behavior. This is a stage-like process
Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease timeline (5)
- Early brain changes
- Subtle decline in thinking
- Memory changes, confusion
- Inability to bathe, dress or eat without help
- Loss of ability to communicate and recognize
The hallmark changes to the brain caused by Alzheimer’s disease are the formation of ______ and _______
amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles
These form outside the neuron and they begin to accumulate in the brain.
Amyloid plaques
These occur inside the neuron
Neurofibrillary tangles
Definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease can only occur ______
after death
_______, surrounded by plaques, are more likely to occur than in other dementias
Neurofibrillary tangles
Why is it difficult to recognize Alzheimer’s?
because normal aging affects memory
What are early detection indices for Alzheimer’s?
self-perceived difficulties in performing IADLs, biomarkers, and eye exam
Medication to increase _____ seems to slow the Alzheimer’s disease progress.
neurotransmitters
_____ factors seem to be important to some, but not to all, cases of Alzheimer’s.
Genetic
Small strokes may cause ______ dementia
Vascular
While the brain damage is irreversible in vascular dementia, can therapy improve the patient’s functioning?
YES
What are some causes of dementia?
depression, drug intoxication, disease, head trauma
About ____% of dementia are reversible with treatment is treated early
10
The rates of all kinds of dementias rise rapidly after age ____
85
Roughly 1 in 11 Canadian adults over age ___ show significant symptoms of some kind of dementia.
65
By age 85, about ___ in 3 suffer from moderate to severe symptoms of dementia.
1
Of those with dementia almost _____ have Alzheimer’s disease.
two-thirds
This is one of several mood disorders in the DSM5
It involves sad mood, a loss of interest and pleasure as well as several possible symptoms such as hopelessness and worthlessness.
Major Depressive Disorder
Myth or Reality
Aging leads to depression- old age is depressing
Myth
Myth or Reality
Rates for major depression are lower in the elderly compared to younger adults.
Reality