Chapter 4 Managing Chronic Diseases and Promoting Well-Being in Old Age Flashcards
Good health =
more than just absence of infirmity
Health status comprises:
a) the presence/absence of disease
b) a person’s degree of functional disability
To assess functional health, we can
test older people on many “Activities of Daily Living (ADL)”, including: bathing, dressing, using the toilet, eating, managing money, and using the phone
Disability =
inability to fully complete multiple daily tasks
Disabled older adults have ________________________
problems completing many ADLs
Our culture may _______ being ______ and _________
overvalue, active, independent
Quality of life (QofL) =
is an important factor in gerontology
Lower QofL is reported by older adults who:
a) have chronic pain problems
b) have ADL problems
c) have limited interpersonal relationships
d) take multiple medications
To evaluate health, we need to consider:
a) MD’s assessment of patient’s condition
b) the older adult’s observable behaviors
c) the older adult’s life circumstances (i.e., multiple losses)
d) the older adult’s self-perception, which is influenced by being:
1) black or white or having any minority status
2) a woman or a man
3) high or low income
A positive self-perception ____________________
increases life satisfaction
Stress =
= a combination of psychosocial stimuli that produce:
a) accelerated heart rate
b) muscle tension
c) rapid, shallow breathing
d) several uncomfortable physical symptoms
Health risk factors include:
a) being overweight
b) cigarette smoking
c) drinking alcoholic beverages
d) having a stressful lifestyle
With age, the incidence of
common cold and infections decrease, but pneumonia and influenza create many problems
Chronic conditions, often permanent in older adults (and > common in women than men), include:
a) heart disease
b) arthritis
c) hearing impairment
d) hypertension
Lower immune system functioning may create:
a) toxic conditions
b) cancer
c) anemia
Minority older adults experience
more health problems than whites
Pessimistic people….
might have worse responses to chronic health problems
Allergies from many environmental causes
Increases with age
Among people 65+, the leading cause of death (75%) are:
a) heart disease (men > women)
b) cancer
c) stroke
Hormone replacement therapy may
lower the risk of heart disease by improving the ratios of good (HDL) and bad (LDL) cholesterol
Heart disease problems include:
a) congestive heart failure ( = < heart’s pumping performance)
b) hypertension
c) hypotension (loss of balance, > the risk of falls)
Cerebrovascular disease =
< blood flow to the brain
Among older adults….
over 20% of them die of cancer (in particular, stomach, lungs, intestines, and pancreas cancer)
_______ use of cancer screening services among black older women = _______ incidence of breast and cervical cancer
decreased, increased
Arthritis conditions =
increased 100 types of inflammations and painful changes of joints and bone, including:
a) rheumatoid arthritis (which affects joints and tendons, > common among women)
b) osteoarthritis (affects hands, knees, hips, and shoulders)
If older adults avoid physical activities due to pain, they can develop
“contractures” = joints and muscles freeze into rigid positions
Osteoporosis =
= dramatic loss in bone mass that can cause fractures of the neck of the femur, or thigh, & hip fractures
Osteopenia is like osteoporosis, but
without the risk of fractures
Hormone replacement therapy can
reduce the risk of bone fractures, but it is related to breast and endometrial cancer
Calcium and exercise can
help prevent osteoporosis, as they decrease bone loss
Hypokinesia =
the functional loss of muscle and bone tissue (exercise is important, especially as people age)
Strenuous exercise
increases bone mineral density in older women
Accident-related injuries
are common among older adults, who are also at > risk of falls
Other health challenges for older adults include:
a) chronic bronchitis
b) fibrosis
c) asthma
d) emphysema
e) diverticulitis (about 50% of older women have colon sacs that become infected and inflamed)
f) constipation
g) hiatus hernia (> common in obese women = a part of the stomach slides up through the diaphragm)
h) tooth decay and periodontal diseases
i) AIDS (now recognized as a chronic illness)
j) diabetes mellitus (= < insulin & > blood and urine glucose), which usually causes:
1) weight loss
2) < wound healing
3) > appetite, urination, thirst, fatigue and weakness
At this time, diabetes
cannot be cured by modern medicine
Cystitis =
acute bladder inflammation often due to older women’ difficulties with emptying their bladder completely
Prostate cancer is
the most frequent cancer in older men
Incontinence types:
1) urge incontinence (hard to hold urine)
2) stress incontinence (leakage when sneezing, coughing, or exercising)
3) mixed incontinence (1 and 2 together)
4) functional incontinence (related to organic brain syndrome and other neurological changes)
Health promotion with older adults =
a combination of health education as well as related political, economic and organizational changes
Health promotion’s aims include:
a) < the incidence of disabling chronic diseases;
b) giving people control over their health
c) improving the environment
d) enhancing people’s lifestyle by addressing:
1) nutrition
2) exercise
3) stress management
