chapter 3 Flashcards
metabolism
better quality of life=
how long you live
live longer
Metabolic Theories
energy
calorie
diets
– Limited energy in lifetime suggest reducing
metabolism will lengthen the lifespan.
– Caloric reduction is associated with longer lifespan.
– Quality of life on extremely restricted diets is a
concern.
hay flick
cross-linking
free radicles
antioxidants
– Limited number of times a cell can divide as you grow older. cells die faster, can’t divide like they used to (Hayflick
limit)
▪ Telomeres(needed in DNA replication to make the enzyme telomerase(play a major role in aging by adjusting the cells response to stress and shortens with each cell replication. (causes cells to limit # of divisions)
– Cross-linking
▪ Tissue becomes stiffer with age.
– Free radicals-unstable molecules that are highly reactive
▪ Reactive chemicals causing cellular damage
– Evidence is growing that antioxidants postpone the
appearance of age-related diseases.
Programmed Cell Death Theories
– Aging programmed into genetic code? – Cells pre-programmed to self-destruct? ▪ Unclear as to how it is activated – Genetic aspects Contributes to other pathologies: ▪ Changes in the brain cells ▪ Alzheimer’s ▪ Memory loss ▪ Personality changes
Implications of the Developmental Forces
Three general approaches to slowing or reversing the
aging process:
– Consider the biological, psychological, sociocultural,
and lifecycle forces (aging is not explained by just one factor)
-▪ Delay the chronic illnesses of old age
▪ Slow the fundamental processes of aging to increase
life span
▪ Arrest or reverse aging by removing the damage
caused by the metabolic process
Changes in Skin
- why does our skin wrinkle?
- effects of sun exposure on skin
- other skin changes
▪ Four-step process of thinking, losing connectivity, loss of
elasticity, and decrease in underlying fat
▪ How to counteract these effects include “SSSW”(slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hot, wrap on sunglasses to protect eyes)
-other chanes
▪ Pigment-containing cells decrease
▪ Age spots, moles
▪ Varicose veins
Changes in Hair
- hair loss caused by
- graying caused by
- other hair changes
– Depends on Individual and gender differences
– Hair loss caused by destruction of germ centers that
produce hair follicles
– Graying caused by cessation of pigment production
– Other hair changes:
▪ Males do not lose facial hair.
▪ Females gain facial hair.
o Caused by hormonal changes of the climacteric
• Changes in the Voice
Normative changes or poor health?
– Differences between young and old voices
▪ Lowering in pitch
▪ Increased breathlessness and trembling
▪ Slower and less pronounced pronunciation
▪ Decreased volume
- both
- changes in larynx respiratory system as we age and some researchers say that decline in voice is not part of aging process but poor health
• Changes in Body Build
weight
-middle years, later years and diff. between men and women
– Differences in the way bodies look over time
• Decrease in height between mid-50s and mid70s men lose about 1 inch and women 2 inches
– Compression of the spine-loose bone strength
– Changes in posture-changes in discs
– Weight gain then loss ▪ Weight gain in the middle years ▪ Weight loss in the later years ▪ How different between men and women?men weight gain in abdomen, woman weight gain in hips
height declines
weight fluctuations
Changes in Mobility (general overview)
– Muscles
Men and women
▪ Strength loss: age 70—up to 20%; age 80—up to 40%
▪ No difference in the rate of muscle change between men and
women
▪ Lower body muscle loss contributes to increased loss of
balance
-falls and problems with walking increase
Changes in Mobility (general overview) – Bones loose gender osteoporosis Leading cause of
▪ Loss begins in the late 30s, accelerates in the 50s, and slows
in the 70s
▪ Gender differences-woman loose bone mass 2x as fast as men
▪ Osteoporosis: leading cause of broken bones in older women
-severe bone degeneration (honeycombs)
Changes in Mobility (general overview)
joints
Joints
▪ Osteoarthritis-onset progression of pain and disability, with minor signs of inflammation
▪ Rheumatoid arthritis-more destructive disease of the joints develops slowly and affects joints and causes other types of pain area inflammation
• Psychological Implications
– Gender differences
• Compensation
- woman work on beauty to remain visible in society
- men with grey hair seen as knowledgable
• Compensation
– Cosmetics, hair dyes, and plastic surgery
– Increasing use by men
– Appearance versus actual losses in strength and
endurance
- strength and endurance have same psychological effects as beauty but arthritis can't be masked with beauty products ▪ Exercise and resistance training ▪ Pain in the joints may reduce mobility ▪ Loss of independence ▪ Rehabilitation after hip fractures
• Vision
– Effects of structural changes in the eye
– Effects of retinal changes
▪ Adaptation—light and dark-ability to adapt to changes in illumination (can’t see well in the dark, sensitive to glare)
▪ Presbyopia-ability for eye to adjust and focus decreases
▪ Cataracts-opaque spots, limit amount of light transmitted
▪ Glaucoma-fluid in eye may not drain properly
– Effects of retinal changes
▪ Macular degeneration-irreversible destruction of receptors, loose ability to see details
▪ Diabetic retinopathy-fluid retention in the macula, detachment of retina, hemorrhage, aneurism
• Psychological Effects of Visual Changes -loss of activites -changes in personality -falls – Corrective actions
– Loss of activities ▪ Reading, TV watching, driving a car – Changes in personality-stronger relationships with no impairments leads to ▪ Extraversion ▪ Positive emotions – Increase in vulnerability to falls – Corrective actions ▪ Glasses (presbyopia) ▪ Surgery (cataracts) ▪ Corrective environmental changes
• Hearing
presbycusis
» Sensory, neural, metabolic, and mechanical
– Social adjustment to hearing loss
What are some corrective actions that can be taken?
– Damage due to loud environment
▪ Cumulative effects
– Presbycusis -reduced sensitivity to low-pitches
» Sensory-little effect on hearing, neural-affects ability to understand speech, metabolic-severe loss to sensitivity to al pitches, and mechanical-loss across all pitches
– Social adjustment to hearing loss
▪ Loss of independence, social isolation, irritation,
paranoia, depression
▪ Emotional effects
– What are some corrective actions that can be taken?
-analog hearing aid-amplifier
-digital hearing aid-control flow of sound
• Somesthesia
-touch feels different on different body parts
– Loss of touch
– Temperature regulation
– Pain sensitivity
• Balance
– Can improve with training
– 1/3 of adults over 65 fall – Vestibular system(designed to respond to forces of gravity), dizziness, and vertigo(spinning room) – Can improve with training ▪ Tai Chi ▪ Wii Fit virtual reality simulations
• Taste
– Too old to cut the mustard?
▪ Greater loss in sour and bitter tastes
▪ Risk of malnutrition
• Smell
– Memory differences between odors and other memory
cues
▪ Alzheimer’s-can’t identify smells
– Reduced pleasure in eating, personal hygiene may
suffer, and safety factors
Cardiovascular System
– Underlying cause of diminished capacity
– Decline in aerobic capacity
stiffening and Harding occurs at older age
– Underlying cause of diminished capacity
▪ Accumulation of fat deposits
▪ Stiffening of the heart muscle
– Decline in aerobic capacity
▪ Staying in good shape leads to less decline and less
threat of heart attacks during moderate physical tasks
(snow shoveling).
• Cardiovascular Diseases
– Ethnic and gender differences
▪ Middle adulthood more men than women
▪ Later adulthood frequency converges between sexes
▪ Higher rates with African and Native Americans
– Congestive heart failure causes include
▪ Causes include angina and myocardial infarction (MI)
- angina-chest pain-o2 supply to hear muscle is insufficient
- myocardial infarction-heart attack-blood supply to heart severely cut off
