Chapters 11 & 12 Flashcards
What is the ages involved in middle to late adulthood?
Middle: 45-65
Older: 65+
What is the lifespan x gender?
Women: 85.68
Men: 82.32
Why?
Social factors
Health attitudes, habits, lifestyles, and occupations
-what you are putting in your body
Men > women: cancer (respiratory system), motor
vehicle accidents, cirrhosis of liver-linked to alcoholism, emphysema,
heart disease
Men > women: smoking
Who are centenarians?
Century = 100
2021 Canada: 33.5 per 100,000
Japan: 53/100,000
Few centenarians are obese,
habitual smoking is rare, < 15%
had significant changes in their
thinking skills (e.g., Alzheimer)
What is the evolutionary theory?
Process of natural selection – physical traits and
behaviours that enhance reproductive fitness
increase in a population
Those that decrease reproductive fitness are
eliminated
-weak link
-when you get older the fitness aspect if eliminated
Grandmother hypothesis: help with childcare,
household tasks and sharing knowledge – activities
that influence probability of their children
reproducing, increasing grandchildren’s well-being
What are the cellular process theories?
-cells stop reproducing as we get older
- Cellular Clock Theory
-Get older, cells less capable of dividing
-time limit
Free-Radical Theory
Cells metabolize energy
By-products include unstable oxygen molecules
known as free radicals
Free radicals ricochet around cells, damaging
DNA
Damage – cancer, arthritis
-cells start to die
What is apperance?
Hair: thin, grey
Skin: wrinkles, age spots (face, hands)
-due to exposure
Finger/toenails: develop ridges, thicker, more
brittle
-break easier
Getting shorter
Strength deteriorates
What is height and weight?
Men
30 – 50: .5”
50 – 70: 3/4”
Women- more issues with calcium and bone density
25 – 75: 2”Women’s
Bone loss in vertebrae
Increase in overweight, obesity-not as active
Walkable neighbourhoods? (SES)
-how to maintain this
What is mobility and strength?
-Max strength-20,s, the strongest you can get
Sacropenia: age-related loss of muscle, strength
Muscle loss: 1-2%/year from 50 yrs
Lifestyle: ↑ smoking, diabetes, obesity
Bodies look “sagging”
Bones: mid-late 30’s
-most dense and strong
Accelerate during 50’s
↑ fruits, vegetables!
Arthritis: inflammation of joints, pain, stiffness,
movement problems
-break things easier
Hips, knees, ankles, fingers, vertebrae
Affect daily activities
Osteoporosis: loss of bone tissue
Leading cause of broken bones in women
Women > men
Body weight, hormonal factors….loss of estrogen
during menopause ↑ bone density loss
What is mobility?
Falls – leading cause for hospitalization
1/3 hip fracture
Falls lead to mental health outcomes
Fear of falling
Loss of autonomy
-your independance
Greater isolation
-worry about being safe
Confusion
Immobilization
-they don’t go to physio depends on how much the fall impacted them
Depression
What is sensory development?
Vision: ↓ sharply 40-59 yrs
Difficulty viewing close
Tolerance for glare ↓
-eyes become more sensitive
Field vision smaller, peripheral ↓
-what you are able to see
Cataracts: thickening of lens: cloudy, distorted
By 70, 1/3 cataracts
Glaucoma: damage of optic nerve – pressure
buildup of fluid in eye
Eyedrops, untreated – destroy vision
Macular degeneration: deterioration of macula
of retina – focal center of visual field
66 – 74: 1/25-common
75+: 1/6-issuses with the eyes
What is sensory development part 2?
Hearing: start declining by 40
Men > women: lose high pitch sounds sooner
Construction, mining, factory work
-men work in more immense places
Experience ↑ falls, reduction of cognitive
functioning, loneliness
-brain does not work properly
Smell, Taste: ~ age 60
-serious-increases self intake, hypertension
- Touch, pain: impaired touch, some persistent
pain
-don’t have the full feeling in hands
Back, joint
High levels of pain, more likely to develop major
memory impairments
-linked to cognition
What is menopause?
- Average: 51 last period
Hot flashes, nausea, fatigue, decreased libido,
brain fog (temporary changes in cognition)
Hormonal changes x ethnic group
Hormonal replacement therapy: under 60, within
10 years of menopause
Some linked to breast cancer
What is male menopause?
Not like women
↓ testosterone – sexual hormone level, activity
40 – 70 yrs: 50% erectile dysfunction
Smoking, obesity, hypertension, elevated
cholesterol, depression, lack of exercise
-things to cut down on
What is cognitive development?
Crystallized intelligence: accumulated
knowledge, verbal skills
Fluid intelligence: ability to reason abstractly, solve problems
-once you have it you have i
Fluid declines during middle adulthood
Crystallized (solidified) improves until middle/late then
plateaus
-accumilating, solidified knowledge
What are technology and memory?
-increased cognition
Autobiographical memory – more likely to
remember first-time experiences from first 2
decades than last 2 decades
-very detailed experiences
↓ episodic (events) memory – impact sense of
identity, maintaining social relationships
-forget things that happen because memory is failing
HippoCamara: smartphone tech – record 24-sec
videos (e.g., grandchild’s event), replay at 3x
speed; record 8-sec voice….
-ways to improve memory
-video themselves and replay to keep your memory there
-could be on anything important for them to remember
What are cognitive processes?
-things are slowing down
- Speed of processing….decline
Driving?
More likely to decline if don’t use memory
strategies – organization, imagery
Using imagery, aerobic exercise
Selective attention….declines
Sustained attention: Middle = older
What is the aging of the brain?
20-90 yrs: 5-10% brain shrinkage
↓ Brain volume
BUT! Brain is adaptive, brain has remarkable
repair capability
↑ aerobic fitness linked to hippocampus – better
memory
What is dementia?
Umbrella term for brain disorders
affecting memory and/or other
cognitive abilities
Canada: over 500,000
Not just memory loss – can get lost
in familiar places, difficulty
remembering to do tasks like
groceries, laundry
What are dementia characteristics?
At least 2 parts of brain are dying
Chronic-long lasting- consistent
Progressive- gets worse everytime
Terminal- how do you slow it?
-can not be cured
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
-difficult to experience and maintain
Most common type (65%); ~ 50% nursing homes
Beta-amyloid (BA) buildup, replacing healthy
brain cells with amyloid plaques, cumulating in the
blood vessels
-plaque build-up
Neurofibrillary tangles (NT): tau is a protein, helps
to stabilize internal skeleton of neurons, allowing
nutrients reach different parts of neuron
Abnormal tau buildup, internal skeleton of neuron
falls apart, tau proteins form tau tangles
BA + NT = cells die
What are the risk factors?
Young-onset dementia often runs in family
-genetic
Sex: Women > men
-women live longer than men hence why more likely
Age
Vascular health – what’s good for the heart is good
for the brain
-what is the heart doing
Smoking, obesity, physical inactivity
Gene x environment!
Higher cognitive functioning (e.g., cognitive tests)
in childhood, higher education, higher SES..
-when younger less likely to have this
What is Parkinson’s Disease?
-difficult to experience and maintain
- Chronic, progressive disorder – muscle tremors,
slowing of movement, partial facial paralysis
-dropping skin
Triggered by degeneration of dopamine-producing
neurons in brain
Muscle movements impaired – more rigid,
contribute to loss of balance
Other symptoms: depression, anxiety, emotional
change, cognitive impairment, difficulty
swallowing, chewing, speaking, masked facial
expressions, urinary problems, constipation,
fatigue, sleep problems
What is Religion?
Canada: 2/3 pop reported having
religious affiliation
54% religious, spiritual beliefs
somewhat, very important
↑ religious feeling from 50+
Women > men: stronger interest,
participate more in organized and
personal forms of religion, ↑ believe in
higher power or presence, ↑ greater sense
of importance in one’s life
-i.e volunteer
What is spirituality?
-more general as opposed to religion
- Search for meaning in life through a connection to
something larger than ourselves
Uniqueness of spirit, philosophy, and mind
Indigenous spirituality: include presence of
creation stories, the role of tricksters or
supernatural beings in folklore, importance of
sacred organizations
-all inclusive
-how things were made
Creator, Great Spirit, or Great Mystery – a power
or bring that has created the world and
everything in it
What are the links to health?
Religious attendance = reduction in hypertension,
increase in longevity
Lower rates of drug use (compared to non-
religious)
Social networks, support, social connection
-community
-lots of immigrants are not religious
What is the erikson theory?
-generativity vs stagnation
-generation vs age stages
- Seeking to be productive in a caring way
Leaving legacies of themselves for next gen
Guiding the next generation, creating one’s
lineage! vs
Stagnation (“self-absorption”): belief – done little
or nothing for next gen
-nothing to offer have not accomplished anything
Social capital like volunteering, social networks
strongest link to well-being, health
-who do you know? network
What are the generative outcomes?
↑ Memory, executive functioning, buffered against some
adversity experiences
Promote, guide next generation by parenting, teaching,
leading, engaging in activities that benefit community
-ex: finances
What is the Erikson theory: intergrity vs. despair?
-last stage= very old
- Life comes together – looking back; re-synthesis of
all resilience and strength over time
-highlight difficulties
Seeking integrating of personal experiences with
their vision of community
Integrity: honesty, feeling of being a whole,
comfortable with oneself, life well lived
Reminiscence therapy: discuss past activities,
experiences (use photographs, familiar items, videos)
which can improve mood (↓ despression)
-trying to intergrate positivity into their lives
What is a midlife crisis?
Have you seen your parents go through a midlife
crisis?
-turning point in movies
No evidence of one…
-used as an excuses, issues , a culture
What are the life-events approach?
How life events influence one’s development not
only on the life event itself BUT mediating factors
Physical health, family supports
-is not always positive
Adaptation to life events: appraisal of threat,
coping strategies
-ex: test of pandemic
Life-stage context
-has an impact on development
Sociohistorical context
What are the life stresses?
-how do you view/define stress
No clear definition of “stressful life event”
-different for each person
Stressful events (SE)
impact most diseases (e.g.,
elevated anxiety, depression; exacerbate
behaviours bad for health (drug use, alcohol),
affect hormones, autonomic nervous system
Most who experience SE do NOT get sick
-not cause and effect
SE are not random (except natural disasters,
accidents)
-not by chance
Healthy people may not experience disease from
SE
What are the life stresses part 2?
Not all SE events have same impact
Chronic SE are worse than acute (time-limited) SE
-abusive relationship
-dangerous neighbourhood
Multiple SE may or may not have cumulative effect
-depends on how serious it is
-if it is overwhelming will have this effect
Depending on one’s life course, SE will vary in
frequency, potency
-working support, finance, relationship
SE x gender due to gendered socialization, roles
-women will ask for help more services for women
-not men
What is outlook on positive events?
8 Consecutive days: report on positive events,
socializing activities, and affect (positive, negative)
Major depressive disorder: fewer positive events,
spent less time with others, fewer positive
interactions
Predicted well-being 10 years later!
-how do you see things
1 week, daily experiences: older women, fewer
stressors, less negative emotions
-not seen as stressful
Greater emotional reactivity to daily stressors - ↑
chronic physical health condition, anxiety/mood
disordered 10 years later
What is the activity theory?
More active and involved, more likely to be
satisfied with life
More energetic, active, productive, age more
successfully and more happier than disengaged
individuals
-all issues in the body
What is the socioemotional Selectivty Theory?
Older adults place more value on emotional
satisfaction, thus more selective about their social
networks
-know their time is short
Fundamental ability to monitor their time left in
life
-understanding
Older – time is limited = more valuable
Lonely???
-thinking of all the bad things
Loneliness highest among 20’s, then mid-40’s,
lowest in 60’s
Positivity effect: tendency to focus, remember
positive information
-good for mental health
What is marriage and happiness?
Marital satisfaction fairly stable over time
-how happy they are
Middle-aged partners more likely view marriage as
positive if engage in mutual activities
Positive marital quality – linked to better health
for both partners
-mental issues affect health
Marriage/relationship in late adulthood = happier,
feel less distressed, live longer > single
“Very happy”: Experience better health, longevity
Middle adulthood: majority – marriage was
excellent, very good
-are happy
What is divorce, upcoming?
“Grey divorce” – 55+ yrs of age
Much lower than 15-34, and 35-59 age group
Slight rise - people living longer, women less
economically reliant, shift in culture, adult
children
-more acceptance of divorcing
Empty nest or not?
Parents living through their children may
experience empty nest syndrome – feelings of great
loss, grief when adult children move away
Other emotions – lack of emotional expression,
depression, loneliness, distress, guilt, then
acceptance
But, many still living at home - $$$, divorce,
unsuccessful career
-housing market increases
Tensions….
-adult children- parents
Parents – sandwich generation – taking care of
aging parents, and adult children
-double generations
What are sibling relationships & friendships
Siblings
May be longest-lasting relationship in lifetime
Most relationships are positive
-could be negative
Usually close in childhood – similar when older
-maintains relationship
Friends
Early adulthood – expand network
-through work/activities
Late – new friendships less likely, more selective,
friend circle smaller
-time is limited
Grandparenting?
Grandparents taking care of grandchildren
-no in between
especially at risk for depression
Tend to be low-income, minority status, parents
not married
-issues going on
Divorce and remarriage, estranged grandparents is
on the rise!
-were actively involved and do have the right to talk in court
-prove that they have been involved
Grandparents have legal rights to have access
Grandparents taking care of grandchildren
especially at risk for depression
Tend to be low-income, minority status, parents
not married
Divorce and remarriage, estranged grandparents is
on the rise!
Grandparents have legal rights to have access
What is altruism and volunteering?
Retirement!
-what are they going to do with their time?
Now can devote time to causes and interests that
were “backseat” to careers, family obligations
Volunteers aged 55+ = 39% of Canadian volunteer
hours (2013)
-especialily in religion
Population = 28%
Why Volunteer?
Sense of accomplishment
Feeling a sense of purpose in life
Making positive difference in others’ lives
Looking forward to each new day
Gaining more pleasure from and appreciation of
daily activities
-of what they have
Sense of self-worth
-self-esteem
Feeling better physically, psychologically
-physical health
Overall sense of well-being
Feeling overall improvement in quality of life
Why Volunteer?
Make better social networks-meet new people
Reduce stress- helping others
Reduces chronic conditions – heart disease,
depression, body immune system, protecting
against infection and illness
-physical health- body more healthy
Builds self-identity, self-confidence
-alternative- finding yourself
Able to provide social support to others
