Late Adulthood Flashcards
Graying of the world
65+ is the fastest growing generation, significant impacts on society
Lifespan
Greatest age reached by any member of a given population
Life expectancy
Average number of years that members of a population live
Females tend to live longer
Healthy life expectancy
Average number of years of full health any human individual is expected to have
Gender differences in life expectancy- Gene expression
Differences in sex chromosomes
Females can express the “better” x genes
Gender differences in life expectancy-Immune system
Male’s immunity decreases faster with age
Gender differences in life expectancy-Hormones
Estrogen has a protective effect on circulatory systems
Gender differences in life expectancy-Brain development
Frontal lobes develop slower in males, worse decision making when they are young
Gender differences in life expectancy-Workplace
Men more often work in dangerous occupations
Gender differences in life expectancy-Health behaviour
Men are less likely to have health insurance, less likely to see a doctor
Gender differences in life expectancy-Religiosity
Women tend to be more religious, associated with healthier behaviours
Young-old
65-74 years
Positive life aspects, “golden years:
Similar to midlife for cognition
Old-old
75-84 years
More physical impairments
Chronic diseases increase
Oldest-old
85-99 years
Serious chronic ailments common
Centenarian
100+ years
Tend to have been healthier than peers as they aged
More likely to experience rapid terminal decline
Programmed theories of aging
Aging due to a biological timetable, changes in gene expression
Damage/Error theories of aging
Environmental factors cause cumulative damage
Gene theory of aging
Some genes may promote longevity while other limit longevity
DNA theory of aging
DNA may accumulate damage over time
Can’t be repaired, causes cells to deteriorate
Cellular clock theory of aging
Biological aging is due to the fact that normal cells cannot divide indefinitely
Telomere
Sequence of DNA that protects the rest of the chromosome
Gets shorter with each replication
Cellular Senescence- cellular clock theory
DNA stops replicating, turns itself off
Is not dead, can still interact with other cells which causes a risk for diseases
Apoptosis- cellular clock theory
Cells stop replicating by dying
Division- cellular clock theory
Cells continue to divide but become abnormal (cancer)
Free-radical theory of aging
Aging occurs due to cells’ normal metabolism producing free radicals- unstable oxygen molecules
Creates instability and has a snowball effect on the body
Mitochondrial theory of aging
Aging due to the decay of the mitochondria
Decay due to the damage and loss of micronutrients
Damage caused by free radicals
Metabolic stress theory of aging
Metabolic stress may create biological stress which influence the innate and adaptive immune systems
More susceptible to disease
Hormonal stress theory of aging
Aging in the body’s hormone system may lower resistance to stress, increase likelihood of disease
Cortisol levels elevated for longer
Integrity vs Despair
Integrity: finding meaning in life, accepting accomplishments and shortcomings
Despair: bitterness and resentment in relationships and life events
Successful completion leads to wisdom
Differentiation vs role occupation
Redefine worth in terms of something other than work roles
Pursue other valued activities
Body transcendence vs body preoccupation
Coping with declining physical health which is a threat to identity and satisfaction
Ego transcendence vs ego preoccupation
Recognizing that death is inevitable while still realizing contributions to the future
3 Criteria of successful aging
Relative avoidance of disease, disability, risk factors
Maintenance of physical and cognitive functioning
Active engagement in productive activities
Selective optimization with compensation theory
Successful aging linked with selection (selecting domains to perform), optimization (maintaining performance in these areas through practice), and compensation (finding alternatives when tasks require functioning above their performance potential)
Changes in weight
Men gain weight until age 55 then lose weight
Women gain weight until 65 then lose weight
Cataracts
Clouding of lens due to clumping of proteins
Macular degeneration
Loss of clarity in centre visual field due to degeneration of the macula
Dry macular degeneration
Tiny pieces of protein form beneath the retina
Wet macular degeneration
Abnormal development of blood vessels, more rapid loss of vision
Glaucoma
Loss of peripheral vision due to a build up of fluid damaging the optic nerve
Can lose sight in advanced stages
Hearing loss
Less frequencies detected
Greater intensity needed
Degeneration of cochlea
Function of inner ear declines
Pain sensations
Presence of pain increases with age, but less sensitive to pain
Decreased sensitivity can conceal illness/injury
Coping effectively with pain is important
Brain development in late adulthood
Weight and volume decrease but neurons can continue to form
Less myelin- slower conduction
Decreases in lateralization- use both hemispheres, compensatory
Scaffolding theory of aging and cognition
Brain adapts to neural atrophy by building alternative connections
Plasticity
Parkinson’s disease
Characterized by motor tremors, loss of balance, rigidity, difficulty moving
Deterioration of substantial nigra, loss of dopamine
Risk factor for developing it is being knocked unconscious
Insomnia
Difficulty falling or staying asleep
Sleep apnea
Pauses in breathing during sleep
Reduced oxygen
Restless leg syndrome
Tingling, crawling feeling in legs that is worse at night
Period limb movement disorder
Jerking and kicking legs during sleep
REM sleep behaviour disorder
Muscles able to move during REM sleep, acting out dreams
Sexuality in late adulthood
Many find greater satisfaction in sex lives: women have less sexual concerns, fewer distractions, no risk of pregnancy
Chronic illnesses can affect sexual functioning especially in men
Chronic illnesses
Illnesses that are ongoing, usually incurable, require continued medical attention, affect daily life
Increase with age due to the decline of multiple organ systems
Importance of exercise and nutrition for health
Minimize physiological changes
Optimize body composition
Prevention of chronic diseases
Improvement of treatment efficacy
Most common causes of disability in late adulthood
Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions
Osteoporosis
Disease that thins and weakens bones to the point that they become fragile and break easily
Common hip, spine, wrist fractures
Hunched posture
Chronic Obstructive pulmonary disease
Progressive lung disease in which airways become damages which makes it difficult to breath
More common in women- smaller lungs, estrogen
No cure
Smoking is the leading cause
Shingles
Disease that affects your nerves and results in pain, sensitivity, and a rash
Same virus as chicken pox
Post-herpetic neuralgia
Ongoing pain left after the rash from shingles subsides
Greater risk with age
Medicine to help with pain then usually goes away
3 major systems of working memory
Phonological loop: auditory stimuli
Visuospatial sketchpad: visual stimuli
Central executive: allocating resources and monitoring cognitive strategies, most negatively impacted by age
Episodic vs semantic memory in aging
Episodic memory shows greater declines: need to remember 2 types of information (the event and the time)
Prospective memory
Remembering things you need to do in the future
Good in old-age if they have little to do in the meantime
Time-based prospective memory
Remember to do something at a future time
Shows more age-related decline
Event-based prospective memory
Remember to do something when an event occurs
Processing theory of attention/problem solving
As the nervous system slows with age the ability to process information declines
When speed is not imperative older adults perform well
Inhibition theory of attention/problem solving
Older adults have difficulty with inhibitory functioning (ability to focus on certain info)
Pragmatics of intelligence
Cultural exposure to facts and procedures, similar to crystallized intelligence
Improvement can be seen into old age
Mechanics of intelligence
Intelligence dependent on brain functioning, similar to fluid intelligence
Declines with old age, strong influence of biology
Wisdom
Ability to use the accumulated knowledge about practical matters that allows for sound judgement and decision making
Age combined with experience and personality (living longer does not always bring wisdom)
Major neurocognitive disorder
Significant cognitive decline, interferes with independent functioning
Minor neurocognitive disorder
Modest cognitive decline, does not interfere with independent functioning
Vascular neurocognitive disorder
Blockage of cerebral blood vessels
Personality is less affected
But very abrupt and shorter course to death
Neurocognitive disorder with Lewy bodies
Lewy bodies form in neurons and affect chemicals in the brain
Difficulties in thinking, movement, behaviour, mood
Alzheimer’s disease
Most common neurocognitive disorder
Gradual onset, hippocampus usually first affected (memory loss)
Causes of Alzheimer’s
Death of neurons
Breakdown of connections between neurons
Extensive formations of plaques and tau
Alzheimer’s- Plaques
Abnormal formations of protein pieces, occurs first
Blocks cell communication
Inflammatory response in immune system
Alzheimer’s tau
Caused by failing immune system from plaques
Protein that helps maintain the brain’s transport system forms tangles, disrupts the transport system
Retirement
A process, not a one-time event
More older adults are working, economic reasons
Remote pre-retirement
Fantasize about what they want to do in retirement
Immediate pre-retirement
Plans for retirement are established
Honeymoon retirement
Travelling, participating in lots of activites
Disenchantment stage of retirement
Experience emotional letdown of retirement
Reorientation stage of retirement
Attempt to adjust to retirement
Form a regular routine
Ageism
Prejudice based on age, negative stereotypes
Self-fulfilling prophecy of ageism
Belief in one’s ability results in actions that make the beliefs come true
Believing a stereotype, making it come true
Stereotype threat of ageism
Stereotypes impair performance because individuals worry that they will confirm stereotypes
Consequences of attributing health problems to age
Higher death rate, partake in less preventative measures
Living arrangements in late adulthood
Number living alone has declined
Women more likely to live with family
Men more likely to live alone
Physical elder abuse
Physical abuse resulting in injury, pain, impairment
Sexual elder abuse
Nonconsensual sexual contact
Psychological and emotional elder abuse
Most common
Infliction of distress through verbal or nonverbal acts
Can be internalized
Financial abuse and exploitation of elders
2nd most common
Improper use of an elder’s finances, property, assets
Neglect and abandonment of elders
Intentional or unintentional refusal or failure to fulfill caregiving duties
Greatest risk factor for elder abuse
Cognitive impairment
Substance abuse in late adulthood
Have become a serious health concern, especially prescription drugs
Interactions of medications and alcohol
Risk factors of substance abuse in late adulthood
Social isolation, leads to depression
Medical conditions
Why is diagnosing older adults with substance use disorder difficult?
Older adults are not looking for a high, usually become dependent by accident
Misdiagnosis of cognitive impairment
Stigma and shame about use so they don’t seek help
Generativity in late adulthood
Many older adults spend time volunteering
Active as grandparents/great-grandparents
Benefits of volunteering in late adulthood
Helps with generativity
Tend to be healthier and greater overall well-being
Social networks in late adulthood
Less close relationships decrease
Close relationships stay stable
Convoy model of social relations
Social connections that individuals accumulate differ in levels of closeness and are held together by exchanges of social support
Coworkers, acquaintances are in the periphery and less stable
Socioemotional selective theory
Changes in motivation for actively seeking social contact with others
Focus more on emotional aspects of relationships
Restrict social life to prioritize emotionally close relationships
Loneliness
Discrepancy between the social contact an individual has and the contacts an individual wants
Being alone does not always result in loneliness
Consequences of loneliness for older adults
Increase in dementia, stroke, heart disease
Increased stress, anxiety
Less healthy behaviours
Widowhood
Loneliness is the biggest challenge, support from children is important
Health risks
Widowhood mortality effect
Higher risk of death after death of a spouse
