geropsychology Flashcards
demographic stats
- increase in older people
- older women out number men
- many older people are ethnic minorities (almost a quarter)
facts about old people (contrary to common myths )
- They are a very diverse age group.
- Most older adults maintain close contact with family.
- Most older people live independently.
- For most older adults, if there is decline in some intellectual abilities, it is not severe enough to cause problems in daily living.
- Community dwelling older adults have lower rates of diagnosable depression than younger adults.
- Personality remains relatively consistent throughout the lifespan.
- Most older people successfully adjust to the challenges of aging.
explain physical and mental health in the elderly
health conditions are not a universal part of aging although some may be more common
-likelihood of having a mental disorder decreases as well
what are the three kinds of individual differences in older populations
1) normative age- graded influences
2) normative history - graded influences
3) non-normative influences
explain normative age-graded influences
-Time-ordered biological, psychological and sociological processes that affect development
explain normative history-graded influences
-Events most people in a specific culture experience at the same time
explain non-normative influences
Random, rare or idiosyncratic events that impact the individual but are not important to most people
how do the three influences interact
- All three types of influences interact continually across the life span
- Our clinical understanding of older patients must include social, historical and individual influences
explain gerodiversity
- All aging occurs in a cultural context
- Addresses the differences in values and meanings of and about elders that exist among cultures
- Explores the special challenges of aging that exist for elders of minority groups that have a history of oppression
- Is a social justice perspective that promotes equal access to societal resources related to aging
explain barriers to gerodiversity
- Lack of bilingual and bicultural staff
- Lack of linguistically and culturally appropriate tools and materials
- Lack of aging and diversity training
- Institutional ageism, racism, heterosexism, ableism
explain historical experiences of cohorts of older ethnic populations
Cohort analysis is a tool to understand the impact of historical experiences of various ethnic cohorts on the lives of elders.
It includes major influences on the ethnic group during the lifetime of the current population of elders, such as periods of higher discrimination or immigration.
- Influence of an event differs based on the age of elder at the time.
- Not all individuals have been influence by all events
what is ageism
- The term ageism refers to a deep and profound prejudice against the elderly (Butler).
- Ageism can be intentional, meaning a deliberate process of thought and action to stereotype based on age.
- More often it is inadvertent, when people unconsciously attribute certain characteristics to a person because of his or her age, resulting in microaggressions
what are some stereotypes surrounding ageism
- when people forget something they are senile
- when an older person complains they are cranky
- older workers are less productive, more expensive, less adaptable, and more rigid
ageism in American culture
youth, beauty and vitality are highly valued
health is an accomplishment
media and ageism
Greeting cards sell when they arouse certain emotions, such as making people laugh at jokes about getting old and exaggerated portrayals of old, decrepit people.
On television, seniors rarely appear in prime-time shows. On TV and in movies they are typically cast in minor roles, and are depicted as helpless victims or crotchety troublemakers.
Employers, both private and public, engage in age discrimination when they fire older workers or refuse to hire or promote them because of ageist stereotypes.
-By providing a retirement benefit at age sixty-two or age sixty-five, Social Security reinforces the perception that people should stop working and retire at those ages.
-Doctors treating an older person may dismiss his or her complaints as relating to a degenerative aging process, rather than addressing the potential medical cause of the problem.
-youth things sell in the media, negative portrayal of older people
