Late Life Disorders

Question 1

True or False:

severe cognitive problems occur for most people in late life

Answer 1

False

Question 2

True or False:

a mild decline in functioning is common

Answer 2

True

Question 3

interests shift away from seeking new social interactions to cultivating a few social relationships

Answer 3

Social selectivity

Question 4

Problems in late life

Answer 4

• quality and depth of sleep declines (insomnia caused by pain or meds)
• rates of sleep apnea also increase with age
• Polypharmacy

Question 5

prescribing multiple drugs to one person

Answer 5

Polypharmacy

Question 6

Research Methods?

Answer 6

1. Age effects
2. Cohort Effects
3. Time-of-measurement effects

Question 7

consequences of being a certain chronological age

Answer 7

Age Effects

Question 8

consequences of growing up during a particular time period

Answer 8

Cohort effects

Question 9

confounds that arise because events at a certain point can have a specific effect on a variable that is being studied

Answer 9

Time-of-measurement effects

Question 10

2 major designs used to assess developmental change

Answer 10

1. cross-sectional

2. longitudinal

Question 11

comparing age groups at the same moment in time on the variable of interest

Answer 11

Cross-sectional

Question 12

retests one group using the same measure over a # of years or decades

Answer 12

Longitudinal

Question 13

when people are no longer available for followup because of death

Answer 13

Selective Mortality

Question 14

Methodological issues

Answer 14

• response biases
• cohort effect
• selective mortality

Question 15

• deterioration of cognitive abilities to the point that functioning becomes impaired

Answer 15

Dementia

Question 16

3 Types of Dementia

Answer 16

• Progressive
• Remitting
• Static

Question 17

formerly known as Major Neurocognitive Disorder

Answer 17

Dementia

Question 18

formerly known as Mild Neurocognitive Disorder

Answer 18

Mild cognitive impairment

Question 19

• brain tissue irreversibly deteriorates

- death occurs within 12 years of onset

Answer 19

Alzheimer’s Disease

Question 20

idea that some people may be able to compensate for the disease by using alternative brain networks or cognitive strategies

Answer 20

Cognitive Reserve

Question 21

• disorder strikes emotional process, damaging social relationships
• memory is not severely impaired
• deficits in the ability to regulate emotions

Answer 21

Frontotemporal Dementia

Question 22

• consequence of cerebrovascular disease

- series of strokes can trigger

Answer 22

Vascular Dementia

Question 23

• may occur in the context of Parkinson’s disease

- prominent visual hallucinations and fluctuating cognitive symptoms

Answer 23

Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Question 24

Diseases that cause dementia

Answer 24

• encephalitis
• meningitis
• HIV
• exposure to toxins (lead, mercury)

Question 25

inflammation of brain tissue

Answer 25

Encephalitis

Question 26

inflammation of the membranes covering the outer brain

Answer 26

Meningitis

Question 27

Prevention and Treatment of Dementia

Answer 27

1. Meds - slow the decline, not restore memory functions
2. Psychological and Lifestyle treatments - supportive psychotherapy
3. Behavioral approaches - external memory aids

Question 28

• off track or deviating from the usual state

- clouded state of consciousness

Answer 28

Delirium

Question 29

Etiology of Delirium

Answer 29

• drug intoxifications, withdrawal reactions

- older adults are more vulnerable due to: physical declines in late life, meds, brain damage and dementia