Chapters 11 & 12

Question 1

What is the ages involved in middle to late adulthood?

Answer 1

Middle: 45-65
Older: 65+

Question 2

What is the lifespan x gender?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Who are centenarians?

Answer 3

 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)

Question 4

What is the evolutionary theory?

Answer 4

 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

Question 5

What are the cellular process theories?

Answer 5

-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

Question 6

What is apperance?

Answer 6

 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

Question 7

What is height and weight?

Answer 7

 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

Question 8

What is mobility and strength?

Answer 8

-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

Question 9

What is mobility?

Answer 9

 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

Question 10

What is sensory development?

Answer 10

 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

Question 11

What is sensory development part 2?

Answer 11

 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

Question 12

What is menopause?

Answer 12

- 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

Question 13

What is male menopause?

Answer 13

 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

Question 14

What is cognitive development?

Answer 14

 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

Question 15

What are technology and memory?

Answer 15

-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

Question 16

What are cognitive processes?

Answer 16

-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

Question 17

What is the aging of the brain?

Answer 17

 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

Question 18

What is dementia?

Answer 18

 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

Question 19

What are dementia characteristics?

Answer 19

 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

Question 20

What is Alzheimer’s disease?

Answer 20

-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

Question 21

What are the risk factors?

Answer 21

 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

Question 22

What is Parkinson’s Disease?

Answer 22

-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

Question 23

What is Religion?

Answer 23

 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

Question 24

What is spirituality?

Answer 24

-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

Question 25

What are the links to health?

Answer 25

 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

Question 26

What is the erikson theory?
-generativity vs stagnation

Answer 26

-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

Question 27

What are the generative outcomes?

Answer 27

 ↑ Memory, executive functioning, buffered against some
adversity experiences
 Promote, guide next generation by parenting, teaching,
leading, engaging in activities that benefit community
-ex: finances

Question 28

What is the Erikson theory: intergrity vs. despair?

Answer 28

-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

Question 29

What is a midlife crisis?

Answer 29

 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

Question 30

What are the life-events approach?

Answer 30

 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

Question 31

What are the life stresses?

Answer 31

-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

Question 32

What are the life stresses part 2?

Answer 32

 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

Question 33

What is outlook on positive events?

Answer 33

 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

Question 34

What is the activity theory?

Answer 34

 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

Question 35

What is the socioemotional Selectivty Theory?

Answer 35

 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

Question 36

What is marriage and happiness?

Answer 36

 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

Question 37

What is divorce, upcoming?

Answer 37

 “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

Question 38

Empty nest or not?

Answer 38

 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

Question 39

What are sibling relationships & friendships

Answer 39

 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

Question 40

Grandparenting?

Answer 40

 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

Question 41

What is altruism and volunteering?

Answer 41

 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%

Question 42

Why Volunteer?

Answer 42

 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

Question 43

Why Volunteer?

Answer 43

 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