Late adulthood Flashcards
What is the maximum lifespan?
About 120 years (this has not increased, only life expectancy has increased over time)
What is ageism?
Treatment, stereotyping and discrimination of a person’s age
Successful Ageing - what are some interests and activities?
Growing older also enables new opportunities. Along with aging comes the decisions of whether or not to retire (or to what extent).
- Do the things they couldn’t do because they didn’t have the time
- Rest and relaxation period
- Leisure: the ability to take time out do recreational activities that are enjoyable and fulfilling to the soul
- Getting involved (or staying involved) in the community and further developing a sense of purpose and contribution. This can involve forming new social connections/relationships. Many older persons are also involuntary positions and make a substantive contribution to Australian society.
- Education: this time can be an opportunity for learning new knowledge and skills - both informally (e.g., through self-directed learning) and formally (e.g., through university or TAFE)
What does being in late adulthood mean for a person’s sexual functioning?
A decrease in the frequency of sexual intercourse, especially for women.
What does being in late adulthood mean for their wellbeing? (relationships with family and friends)
May take many different forms
- Many older adults have experienced a number of diverse relationships throughout their lives
- Loneliness may also occur
Where can accommodation for older age people take place?
- Nursing homes:
Restricted freedom & low personal control
Low social interaction & mental stimulation
Inadequate staff training
Caring for elderly seen as low-status work - Retirement Villages:
Offers care, support, entertainment and sense of community
Enhances life satisfaction - Own home
What are Atchley’s phases of retirement?
Preretirement Honeymoon Intermediate retirement routine Rest and relaxation Disenchantment Reorientation Retirement routine Termination of retirement (see textbook p975, 16.15)
What are the theories of physical aging?
- Cellular physical theory – focus on the processes that take place within the cells and lead to the breakdown of cell, tissue and organs. Often referred to as the wear and tear theory. Influenced by environment and lifestyle choices.
- Programmed: programmed to live a certain number of years with a maximum lifespan
What is optimal ageing?
Optimal ageing refers to the maintenance of psychology adjustment and wellbeing across the full life-span.
What ages are considered late adulthood?
65 years and older
Outline factors that lead to changes in physical functioning during late adulthood
Protection from sun and other elements early in life can prevent some of the skin changes, and regular exercise can prevent some of the bone and muscle mass loss.
Outline the chronic illnesses that become common in late adulthood
- Cardiovascular disease- responsible for most illness and death among men during middle adulthood and both men and women in late adulthood.
- Hypertension can cause arteriosclerosis, which puts a person at risk for heart attack, kidney damage and stroke
- Cancer is a set of more than 100 diseases characterised by uncontrolled cellular growth
- Arthritis consists of more than 80 diseases that attack the joints and connective tissue
What is fictive kin?
Constructed relationships such as a foster child or godparent, that, by merging voluntary and obligatory relations take on the significance of blood kin
What is social convoy?
The lifelong social network of family and friend relationships that develop over the life course and provide social support from infancy to old age
What is the socioemotional selectivity theory (SST)?
The theory that, in response to their perceptions of time left to them, people moderate social interactions in order to maximize emotional functioning.
