chapter 4 Flashcards
Average longevity
age at which half the individuals born in a particular year will have died. born in 2016- turn 70, half are expected to be dead, people who die before 70 don’t get counted
Maximum longevity
the oldest age to which any individual of a species lives. around 120
Active life expectancy
living to a healthy, independent old age. adding life to years
Dependent life expectancy
years of living after losing independence. adding years to life
Genetic and Environmental Factors in Average Longevity
genetic factors are a
-most environmental facts are _____ and ____ lives
– Genetic Factors
▪ A strong predictor of your longevity(genetics +immunity go hand and hand)
– Environmental Factors (goes hand and hand with genes)
▪ Disease, toxins, lifestyle, social class
▪ Most environmental factors are the result of human activity and needlessly shorten lives
Ethnic Differences in Average Longevity
– People of different ethnic groups do not have the same average longevity at birth.
▪ African Americans average longevity is lower compared to European Americans (environmental factors).
▪ Latinos have higher average life expectancies than European Americans.(even though they have less access to health care)
Gender Differences in Average Longevity
– Women live about five years longer than men.
▪ Men are more vulnerable to disease than women.
▪ Men are risk-takers.
▪ Men smoke and use alcohol more than women.
▪ Men allow stress to enter their lives more than women.
▪ None of these hypotheses have been strongly supported.
-woman have more effective natural killer cells
-woman have two X chromosomes
-men have higher metabolic rate
• International Differences in Average Longevity
– Dramatic differences around the world
▪ From 38 years in Sierra Leone, West Africa, to 80 years in Japan
▪ Factors (differences in diff countries between these factors)
– Genetic
– Sociocultural
– Economic
– Access to healthcare
– Health
A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO).
Illness
Presence of a physical or mental disease or impairment.
– Self-ratings of health are
self ratings of health reveals
self-ratings of health tend to be
-self-related health is a powerful predictor of
very predictive of future health outcomes. (go hand in hand)
self ratings of health reveals available health resources,->
▪ Socioeconomic and ethnic differences in good or poor self related health
self-ratings of health tend to be relatively stable and then decline overtime
-self-related health is a powerful predictor of mortality
- Quality of Life
* Valuation of life
– Relating to specific diseases or conditions, or relating to end of life issues
• A successful use of the selection, optimization, and compensation model to manage one’s life resulting in successful aging
– Health-related aspects- includes all aspects of life that are affected by changes in one’s health status
– Non-health-related aspects- reflects things in the environment such s entertainment, economic recourses, arts that affect our overall experience and enjoyment of life
• Valuation of life—degree to which one is attached to his or her present life.-enjoyment of life, hope for the future, finding meaning in life
selection optimization and compensation model (SOC model)
selection optimization and compensation model- used to manage one’s life, resulting in successful aging
- important in studying cultures
- harder to determine quality of life in people with Alzheimer’s
natural killer cells
primary defense against cancer
five major types of specialized antibodies called
immunoglobulins
• Changes in the Immune System
– Older adults’ immune systems take longer to build up defenses. (t and B lymphs decrease, more susceptible)
– More prone to serious consequences from illnesses
– Autoimmunity
▪ Immune system can attack the body itself. ▪ Rheumatoid arthritis( imbalance of B and t lymphocytes giving rise to autoantibodies)
• Changes in the Immune System
– Psychoneuroimmunology
– Psychoneuroimmunology- is the study of the relations between system changes that raise or lower susceptibility to recover from disease
▪ Psychology
▪ Neurological
▪ Immunological system changes
▪ Raises or lowers our susceptibility to and ability to recover from disease (Reed & Raison, 2016)
– HIV/AIDS and Older Adults
▪ 25% of people with HIV are over age 50.
▪ Older adults may be more likely to contract HIV due to physiological changes.
– Acute diseases
Conditions that develop over a short period of time and cause a rapid change in health. (cold, influenza, food poising, strep)
Chronic diseases
Conditions that last at least three months and may result in impairment that necessitates long-term management.
– As age increases acute diseases _____ and chronic diseases______.
– As age increases acute diseases decline and chronic diseases increase. but older adults get really sick with acute diseases if they do get them (cardiovascular disease, arthritis, diabetes)
• The Role of Stress
– Stress and Coping Paradigm
-stress hass both a physiological and psychological aspects
– Stress as a physiological response
▪ Prolonged exposure results in damaging influences from the sympathetic nervous system.( heart rate and respiration)
▪ Cardiovascular disease
▪ Impaired immune system function
▪ Some forms of cancer
▪ Shortening telomeres
– Stress and Coping Paradigm
▪ An interaction of a thinking person and an event
– Two people stuck in traffic—different levels of stress?
– Stress and Coping Paradig
views stress not as an environmental stimulus or as a response but as the interaction of a thinking person and an event
stress is a transactional process
its how we interpret the event not the event or reaction itself
– Appraisal
– Coping
– Appraisal (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984) (stress is complex/dynamic)
▪ Primary appraisal: categorizes the events into 3 groups irrelevant(not affected), benign(neutral), or positive or stressful
▪ stressful event leads to Secondary appraisal: evaluates the event (harm, threat)
▪ Reappraisal: changes in the situation may change the appraisal (making a new primary or secondary appraisal resulting from changes in the situation)
– Coping—dealing with stressful events (learned, not automatic)
▪ Problem-focused coping: attempts to tackle the problem head on (taking medication, studying)
▪ Emotion-focused coping: dealing with one’s feelings about the stressful event (express anger or frustration about becoming ill or taking exam)
• Effects of Stress on Health
– Healthy people are better able to cope than frail, sick people.
▪ Older adults are more likely to use past experiences to guide coping.
– Immune system suppression
– Increases the risk of atherosclerosis and hypertension
– Increases the level of LDL cholesterol-can cause Cardiovascular vascular disease
-hippocampus smaller when high levels of stress
