Late Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development Flashcards
Trends in Aging
Functional Trends
- increase overtime has been in ‘older’ ages…
Aging Brain
Retains considerable plasticity
How?
- Mankato Nuns
- brain doctors, stimulate brain with mental exercise, increases dendritic branching
Sensory (4)
Vision
- Adaptation
- Peripheral Vision
- Legal Blindness
Hearing
- Decline in speech perception has greatest impact on life satisfaction
Taste/Smell
- >60 decreases sensitivity
Decrease number of smell receptors –> sensitivity
Touch/Pain
- Decrease in circulation
Decrease in number of receptors
Disease of the Nervous System
1. Peripheral Neuropathy
Tingling, numbness of affected area…apart from the brain and spinal cord…
Disease of the Nervous System
2. Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Lack of myelination
Bouts of significant deficits
High risk in Canada for MS
Disease of the Nervous System
3. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
degenerative disorder- neurological components
Quick and progressive decline
- 2-5 years completely paralyzed
Disease of the Nervous System
4. Parkinson’s Disease
Degenerative disorder
loss of dopamine in the brain (helps body move electrical signals)
- makes movement less efficient
- lose movement patterns
Associated with tremors
treatment processes that can slow down the process
Cognitive Changes
Terminal Decline
TD
steady, marked decrease in cognitive functioning prior to death.
average length 3-4 years
Cognitive Changes
Cognitive TD
6 mental abilities some decrease more than others
CI increase steadily
FI decrease in late 20s/30s quickly
Education and Health Status are equal.
Cognitive Terminal Disease
- Crystalized Intelligence
- Vocabulary
- general information
- logical reasoning - Fluid Intelligence
- Number Series
- Spatial Visualization
- Picture Series
