Later Adulthood Flashcards
What age is later adulthood?
65+
What happens to physical development?
- Loss of skin elasticity
- Joints stiffen
- Muscle wastage
- Bones more brittle
- Loses height
- Changes to eyesight and hearing
- Regular exercise will help improve muscle tone, maintain joint flexibility and strengthen bones
What is deterioration of health?
Mobility (gross motor skills) and dexterity (fine motor skills) become more difficult.
There are small changes to the brain which include loss or shrinkage of nerve cells and a general slowing of movement and responses.
What happens to intellectual development?
What happens to intellectual development?
- Many read, problem solve and keep up with the news
- Wisdom achieved from life experience
- Time to learn new things as retirement has taken place
- Stimulation to learn as physical activities are often not so time consuming
- Time for reflection on achievements
What is deterioration of intellectual abilities?
Many older people experience cognitive impairment and report problems with memory recall.
What happens to emotional development?
- Loss of partner due to death
- Loss of friends due to death
- Emotionally attached to family
- Proud of family achievements especially grandchildren
- Reflective on life
- Loss of independence
What happens to social development?
- More time to socialise with friends
- New friends made
- Trying out new activities and meeting new people as time is available
- More time spent at home as the ageing process takes place
What is dementia?
An illness that affects the brain and memory, which makes you gradually lose that ability to think for yourself.
What is cardiovascular disease?
A disease of the heart and blood vessels.
What is osteoarthritis?
A degenerative disease as a result of wear and tear of the joints.
What is skin elasticity?
Where the skin gets so stretched that it doesn’t return to it’s natural form, causing wrinkles.
What is the social disengagement theory?
Developed in 1961, by psychologists Cumming and Henry which proposed older people naturally withdraw from social involvement.
What is life expectancy?
An estimate of the number of years, on average, that a person can expect to live. Sometimes called longevity.
What is cognitive impairment?
When a person has trouble remembering, learning new skills, concentrating or making decisions that affect their everyday life.
