Exam Knowledge Flashcards
Human life stages and ages
Infancy: 0-2 years
Early childhood: 3-8 years
Adolescence: 9-18 years
Early childhood: 19-45 years
Middle childhood: 46-65 years
Later adulthood: 66+ years
Gross and fine mortar development
Gross: large muscle movements and control, e.g. rolling, lifting, running
Fine: small, precise muscle movements and control, e.g. writing, holding a spoon
What are primary and secondary characteristics?
Primary: the characteristics present at birth, e.g. sexual organs
Secondary: the characteristics that appear during puberty, e.g. pubic hair, breasts, etc
Physical changes during puberty (primary & secondary)
Primary: sexual organs grow, ovulation and menstruation commence (f)
Penis enlarges, testicles grow, sperm is produced (m)
Secondary: breasts develop, hips widen (f)
Pubic hair grows (f+m)
Voice deepens, facial hair grows (m)
Angina, heart attack, heart failure (definitions)
Angina: chest pain caused by restricted blood flow to the heart muscle
Heart attack: where the blood flow to the heart muscle is suddenly blocked
Heart failure: when the heart doesn’t pump blood around the body properly
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease
- Smoking
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- High salt diet
- High blood cholesterol (high cholesterol diet)
- inactive
- obese/ overweight
- family history
- diabetes
- thrombosis (blood clot in vein or artery)
Alzheimer’s effects
Aphasia: person can’t remember names of ordinary objects - chairs = the thing you sit on
Lack of inhibition: man in dayroom of residential home takes all his clothes off because he is too hot
Disorientation: women loses her way on a familiar journey to the shops
Action slips: man loses his glasses and later finds them in the fridge
Confusion: elderly women mistakes her son for her husband (who is dead)
Emotional-social effects - hormones and sexual maturity
Physical changes: changed of appearance of skin problems / body odour
Fluctuations in voice (breaking)
Fluctuations in hormone levels
Development of facial hair
Perceived difference in development with peers
Effects: low/ raised self esteem
Embarrassment
Mood swings
Feeling of sexual attraction
Increased aggression levels - relationship issues
Menopause
Usually occurs between ages 45-55 - UK average = 51
- the reduction of sec hormones : oestrogen and progesterone
- gradual reduction of eggs produced by ovaries
- end of menstruation
- shrinkage of the reproductive organs
Causes of female menopause
- caused by change in balance of body’s sex hormones : occurs as you get older
- when ovaries stop producing as much of oestrogen and no longer releases an egg each month
- premature or early menopause can happen at any age : no clear cause in many cases
- sometimes caused by treatment : surgery to remove ovaries (oophorectomy), some breast cancer treatments, chemotherapy or radiotherapy
- underlying medical condition : Down’s syndrome
Intellectual development: early adulthood
- skills and abilities continue to increase
- thinking = more logically, realistic, adults develop expert area relating to job/ life experiences
- wisdom = judgments made from logical thought processes about important matters
- continue learning and gaining qualifications
The impacts of dementia
P: disturbed sleep (reduced energy levels), weight loss (weaker bones), loss of appetite (lack of nutrition)
I: speech problems (aphasia), forgetfulness
E: confusion, distress if family corrects, incontinence (embarrassment)
S: not seeing friends, not being able to do everyday tasks, disorientation
F: unable to work - less money earner, power of eterny as not able to manage money
Dementia
Dementia is a term used to describe symptoms associated with damage to the function of the brain such as memory loss
A strike may cause dementia because when the brains blood supply is restricted, brain cells begin to die
Lifestyle factors such as smoking, unhealthy diet 1’s lack of exercise can increase risk. Risk is also increased with age.
It’s a progressive disease, more parts of the brain are damaged over time
Vascular dementia: problems with language, memory, thought processes caused by problems in the blood supply to the Brian e.g. stroke
Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease: caused by parts of the brain shrinking. Its degenerative (gradually worsens)
Alzheimer’s disease is most common form of dementia. Mainly affects those over 65. Proteins called plaques and tangles build up in brain. This leads to shortage of chemicals in he brain, which affects the transmission of signals
Effects:
• early stage: decline in STM, difficulty in completing routine tasks, impairments in thinking and problem solving
• later stage: language impairment, lack of judgement, emotional outbursts, changes in behaviour, agitation
• final stage: unable to recognise family, unable to feed or care for self, lack of control of bodily functions, almost total loss of memory, death
Support:
• early stage: informal help with everyday tasks, medication, counselling, memory clinics
• later stage: community/ specialist nurse visits, respite care, medication, support in home - personal care
• final stage: residential/ hospice care, personal/ continence care, end-of-life care
Physical development in infancy
1 month:
• gross: lift head slightly
• fine: grasp an adults finger
3 months:
• gross: lift head and chest
• fine: hold a rattle for a brief time
6 months:
• gross: straight back when held sitting or standing
• fine: will reach and grab when small toy offered
9 months:
• gross: maintain sitting position, stands, attempt to crawl
• fine: let go of objects or hand them to someone
12 months:
• gross: can sit from lying down, stand alone for few mins, ‘cruises’ along using furniture for support
• fine: picks up small objects with pincher movements, point with finger, build a few bricks
1-2 years:
• gross: walking forwards (around 13 months), kneel without support. By 18 months, can walk steadily and stop. Squats to pick up toy, walks up and down steps
• fine: can put small objects into a bottle. Points to known objects, uses spoon to feed themselves
What happens during perimenopause?
• oestrogen decreases
• ovulation is irregular
• menstruation becomes less frequent
Physical and emotional symptoms of menopause
• hot flushes
• night sweats
• mood swings
• loss of libido
• vaginal dryness
Menopause
Menopause is a natural physiological change experienced by women during the middle adulthood life stage. Happens over several years with the gradual ending of menstruation
Around 40-45 years old they reach the end of their reproductive years. This period is called perimenopause.
Reduction in oestrogen causes:
• ovaries to stop producing eggs
• thinning and shrinkage of the vagina
A reduction in oestrogen:
• affects hypothalamus in brain, which regulates temperature, causing hot flushes and night sweats
• affects health and hair, skin and nails
• may cause mood swings, as oestrogen regulates neurotransmitters that affect mood
A reduction in oestrogen & progesterone:
• gradually stops menstruation
• impacts libido
The physical effects of osteoarthritis
• swelling and pain in joints
• damage to the soft tissue around joints
• difficulty in walking
• difficulty in climbing stairs
What is osteoarthritis?
• a degenerative condition that affects the joints
• a progressive disease
• cartilage at the end of the bones becomes rough & thin
• bones thicken and grows outwards, forming bony spurs called osteophytes
• joints will swell
• bones will start to rub against each other and wear away
Risk of osteoarthritis is increased by?
• being over 40 years old
• obesity
• injury to joints
• joint abnormality
• being female
• genetic inheritance
Changes in heart with ageing
• heart may increase in size - heart wall will thicken - more difficult for heart muscles to relax and fill with blood between beats
• artery walls narrow due to clogging by gate (cholesterol), preventing blood from passing easily
• pacemaker cells decrease - problems in rhythm of heart
• valves inside heart that control blood flow, thicken and become stiffer
These changes increase likelihood of aging, hypertension, heart murmurs, stroke, heart attacks and heart failure
