Chapter 9: Aging in the Community Flashcards
Why is there a myth that old people are sickly?
- often seen as frail in the media
- in reality most older people do have at least one chronic health problem, but the majority of older adults live active lifestyles
How do the income needs of people change in later years of life?
- retirement
- don’t need to buy job related items, commute
- buy more food to eat at home
- kids are grown
- taxes lower bc income is lower
- health care expenses
What are some of the major problems caregivers face?
- poor physical health
- depression, anxiety
- less personal freedom and privacy
- economically impacted
What is an assisted living residence?
- housing options for individuals who need range of support services to help them with activities of daily living (ex. medication management, bathing, meals)
- doesn’t require level of care that nursing home residents need
- lvl of care assessed upon moving into the facility and reassessed
What is the difference between activities of daily living and instrumental activities of daily living?
- activities of daily living: involves tasks like eating, toileting, dressing, bathing, walking, getting in and out of a bed/chair, going outside
- instrumental activities of daily living: complex tasks like handling finances, preparing meals, shopping, doing housework, traveling, using the phone, taking meds
Why is a visitor service so important for homebound
and institutionalized persons?
fostering social interaction and contacts important at any age - lead to depressino
What is the difference between adult day care programs
and senior centers?
- adult day care programs: daytime care provided to older adults who are unable to be left alone
- senior centres: facilities where older adults can congregate for fellowship, meals, education, and recreation
what are the chronological ages of the elderly?
Young old: 65-74
Middle old: 75-84
Old old: 85+
what is gerontology?
scientific study of old age
what is geriatrics?
branch of medicine that deals w/ health of older people
what is a geriatrician?
medical dr who is an expert in the branch of health and care of older people
what is ageism?
prejudice and discrimination against the aged
how has the size and growth of older people changed in canada
- Population pyramids describe aging of populations
- Canada’s pyramid shape drastically shifted
- Other countries have had shifts too
- 85+ fastest growing segment of older pop
- Growth in median age
what factors affect population size and age?
- Fertility rates
Baby boomers - 1946-1964 - Highest @ beginning of 20th century, dipped during great depression in the 30ths
- Mortality rates: Life expectancy continued to increase, significant increase in 20th century
- Migration: movement of people from one country to another can affect population size
what are dependency ratios?
- economically unproductive to economically productive
- Traditionally def’ned by age
- Can be used for social policy decision making
what is labour force ratio?
of people actually working (For money) and those who are not, independent of their ages
how does marital status change for older people?
- 70% of older men are married, 40% of older women
- Older women more likely to be widowed than older men bc they live longer
- # of divorced people continues to rise
- New concerns: lack of retirement benefits, insurance, lower net worth assets
how do living arrangements affect older people?
- Closely linked to income, health status, availability of caregivers
- Many older adults live w/ spouse
- Older women more likely to live alone bc partner dies
how does racial and ethnic composition affect older people?
- 28% of canadian seniors are immigrants
- Most born in western europe and asia
- Most immigrant seniors moved to canada @ young age and lived here ever since
- Proportion of indigenous seniors is low: 5% over 65, 1% over 75
- Bc they suffer more health probs
how does economic status affect older people?
- 2002: 15% of men and 7% of women over 65 were in the workforce
- Most common occupation for men: farming, women: retail salesperson or clerk
how does education affect older people?
- Senior professional profiles are generally less diversified than that of younger workers
- Avg education lvl in young seniors is rising
- Many older seniors didn’t have the opportunity to go on for higher education
- Mean yrs education ~ 10 yrs in people over 85
- Will change jobs avg 3 times
how does housing affect older people?
- Most live in adequate, affordable housing
- 80% own, 20% rent
- Elder homes tend to be older, of lower value, and in greater need of repairs than the homes of younger counterparts
- For most elders, housing represents an asset
how has the health profile of elders change over the years?
- Health status of elders improved over the yrs (living longer and functional health)
- Chronically disabled has been decreasing
- Health status usually not as good as younger counterparts
what is a median age and what is the median age?
the age at which half of the population is older and half is younger; median age is 37.2 yrs
what is fertility rate?
number of births per 1000 women of childbearing age (15-44) in the population during specific time period
what are mortality/death rates?
deaths per 100,000 population
what is a dependency ratio?
a ratio that compares the number of indiivduals whom society considers economically unproductive to the number it considers economically unproductive to the number it considers economically productive
what is a total dependency ratio?
the dependency ratio that includes both youth and old
what is youth dependency ratio?
the dependency ratio that includes only youth
what is old-age dependency ratio?
the dependency ratio that includes only the old
what are labour-force ratios?
- based on # of ppl who are actually working and those who aren’t, independent of their ages
- When labor-force participation
rates are used to calculate the labor-force ratios, it is projected that the burden of support for the labor force in the future will be somewhat lighter than that projected through dependency
ratios. This is because of the fact that baby boomers plan to work longer than did members of the previous generations
top 5 causes of death for elders
heart disease, malignant neoplasms (cancer), chronic lower respiratory disease (CLRD), cerebrovascular disease (Stroke), alzheimers
- responsible for 2/3 of total deaths in older adults
what are chronic conditions and examples of them?
systemic health problems that persist longer than 3 months
- ex. hypertension, arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, emphysema
- most older adults have at least 1 chronic condition, over 3/4 have 2
- can or can not be life threatening
what are impairments?
deficits in functioning of one’s sense organs or limitations in one’s mobility or range of motion
- more prevalent
- ex. visino, hearing posture, physical limitations, memory
older people are less likely to:
(1) consume large amounts of alcohol, (2) smoke cigarettes, and (3) be overweight or obese
how does physical activity affect older people?
- older ppl least physically active of any age group
- don’t have ability to be active
- focus on aerobic conditioning, muscle strengthening, and balance training
how does nutrition affect older people?
- Poor eating habits accelerate many age-related decrements and increase the likelihood of several chronic illnesses later in life
- obesity and malnutrition a concern
what is independent living?
- living alone by themselves
- for those who require little-no assistance with daily activities
what is a continuing care retirement community (CCRCs)?
planned communities for older adults that guarantee a lifelong residence and health care
what is a nursing home?
- generally
the last housing option for individuals who can no longer live on their own and need
24-hour care or supervision - may provide short-term care for those needing rehabilitation or who are convalescing from a hospitalization
- also provide long-term care
for those who are not able to return to an independent state of living
what are expressive tasks?
including emotional support, socializing and inclusion in social gatherings, and trying to prevent feelings of loneliness and isolation
what are cognitive tasks?
assistance that involves scheduling appointments, monitoring health conditions, reminding elders of the need to take medications, and in general acting as a backup memory
what are functional limitations?
difficulty in performing personal care and home management tasks
what is an informal caregiver?
one who provides unpaid care or assistance to one who has some physical, mental, emotional, or financial need that limits his or her independence
what is a care provider?
helps identify the needs of the individual as well as personally performs the caregiving service
what is a care manager?
helps to identify needs, but does not provide the service. The care manager makes arrangements for someone else (volunteer or paid) to provide the services
what are visitor services?
one individual taking time to visit with another who is unable to leave his or her residence
what are adult day care programs?
daytime care provided to older adults who are unable to be left alone
what is respite care?
planned shortterm care, usually for the purpose of relieving a full-time informal caregiver
what is home health care?
alternative to traditional institutional care. Services such as medical treatment, physical therapy, and homemaker services often allow patients to be cared for at lower cost than a nursing home or hospital and in familiar surroundings of their home
