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PSYC Adulthood > Late Adulthood: PHYSICAL > Flashcards

Late Adulthood: PHYSICAL Flashcards

1
Q

What is the scientific study of aging called?

A

gerontology

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2
Q

How did Canadian researchers study the changes that occur in peoples lives over time?

A

Canadian researchers have embarked on a project called the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA).

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3
Q

what are the subgroups of late adulthood ages?

A
  • Young-old (60 to 75)
  • Old-old (75 to 85)
  • Oldest-old (85 and up) (fastest-growing group)
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4
Q

Which subgroup is the fast growing

A

oldest-old (85 and up)

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5
Q

What is life expectancy like in late adulthood?

A
  • increases as adults gets older
  • A 65-year-old man is likely to live to be 84
  • An 85-year-man old is likely to live to be 91
  • A 65-year-old woman is likely to live to be 87
  • A woman in her mid-80s can expect to live to 94
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6
Q

What is the maximum life span?

A

measure of the maximum amount of time one or more members of a population have been observed to survive between birth and death

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7
Q

What is the hayflick limit?

A

the theoretical proposal that each species is subject to a genetically programmed time limit after which cells no longer have any capacity to replicate themselves accurately

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8
Q

What is a telomere?

A

string of repetitive DNA at the tip of each chromosome in the body that appears to serve as a kind of timekeeping mechanism

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9
Q

what are some characteristics of a telomere?

A
  • The length of telomeres decreases each time a cell divides
  • There is a crucial minimum telomere length. Below this threshold, disease or death may come quickly
  • Telomere shortening is associated with lifetime stress
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10
Q

What is cellular damage?

A

The organism’s inability to repair breaks in DNA strands results in a loss of cellular function, leading to aging

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11
Q

What is cross-linking?

A

occurs when undesirable chemical bonds form between proteins or fats.

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12
Q

What are free radicals?

A

molecules or atoms that possess an unpaired electron, are a normal by-product of body metabolism and can arise, for example, as a result of exposure to certain substances in foods, sunlight, X-rays, and air pollution.

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13
Q

what are stem cells?

A
  • In the absence of stem cells, an organism would waste away once the existing adult cells had reached the Hayflick limit.
  • Over time, stem cells gradually lose their ability to effectively sustain the body’s cells.
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14
Q

What is the difference between genotype and variation?

A

The genotype determines the maximum lifespan of different species, whereas the variation in longevity of individuals within a species seems to be affected by the accumulation over time of epigenetic errors that compromise adult stem cell function

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15
Q

Is poor health higher in younger or older groups?

A
  • Poor health is proportionately higher than in younger groups
  • Fair or poor health is self-reported by 21% of those over 65 years of age
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16
Q

What is the single largest factor that determines the trajectory of an adult’s physical or mental status over 65 years of age?

A

Health

17
Q

What happens if you have a chronic illness at age 65?

A

Chronic illness at age 65 is predictive of more rapid declines in later life

18
Q

What is functional status?

A

a measure of an individual’s ability to perform certain roles and tasks, particularly self-help tasks and other chores of daily living

19
Q

What is BADLs?

A
  • basic activities of daily living

- self-help tasks such as bathing, dressing, and using the toilet

20
Q

What is IADLs?

A
  • instrumental activities of daily living

- more complex daily living tasks such as doing housework, cooking, and managing money

21
Q

What are the two physical problems and diseases that are most likely to contribute to functional disability in late adulthood?

A

arthritis and hypertension

22
Q

what is frail elderly?

A

seniors whose physical and/or mental impairments are so extensive that they cannot care for themselves

23
Q

What is the best way to prevent the decline in physical and maybe cognitive function?

A

improved lifestyle (especially exercise)

24
Q

What is physical exercise linked to?

A
  • greater longevity and lower rates of diseases such as heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, gastrointestinal problems, and arthritis

• even more important in later years than in youth

  • Improves strength and motor skills after only 12 weeks of exercise
  • Those who exercise lose less height over a 30-year period than did those who do not exercise
25
Q

What are the 4 main changes that occur in the brain?

A
  • a reduction of brain weight
  • a loss of grey matter
  • a decline in the density of dendrites (connectivity)
  • slower synaptic speed (slower processing)
26
Q

What else is loss of dendrites linked to?

A
  • Loss of dendrites is not only primary aging, but is linked to education: less cerebral cortex atrophy occurs in those with more education
  • Loss of dendrites results in slowing synaptic speed, and therefore slowing in reaction time
27
Q

What are possible vision defects in late adulthood?

A
  • Presbyopia (farsightedness) increases
  • An enlarged “blind spot” on the retina reduces field of vision
  • The pupil does not widen or narrow as much or as quickly, resulting in more difficulty seeing at night and responding to rapid changes in brightness
  • Diseases of the eye (in a minority of people), such as cataracts, glaucoma or macular degeneration, further diminish visual acuity and adaptability
  • Vision loss has a greater impact on an senior’s sense of well-being
28
Q

What are the possible changes in hearing for late adulthood?

A
  • Presbycusis (hearing loss) isn’t usually functionally limiting until late adulthood
  • Men lose more hearing than women do, likely due to more occupational exposure
  • The ability to hear high-frequency sounds (part of human speech) is diminished
  • Word discrimination becomes problematic, especially under noisy conditions
  • Tinnitus, a persistent ringing in the ears, increases
  • Severe hearing loss is associated with social and psychological problems
29
Q

What happens to taste, during late adulthood?

A
  • The ability to taste the five basic flavours does not seem to decline over the years of adulthood
  • Other changes in the taste system do affect taste:
    • Less saliva
  • Flavours seem blander, but this may be a result of a loss of the sense of smell
30
Q

What happens to smell during late adulthood?

A

The sense of smell clearly deteriorates in old age

31
Q

What is an issue with loss of smell and taste?

A

result in nutrition problems

32
Q

What is an issue with loss of sensitivity to touch, cold, and heat?

A

can have safety implications

PSYC Adulthood (7 decks)

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