Middle Adulthood Flashcards
who are the middle adults?
- those born 1950s to 1982.
- Baby boomers and Gen X.
- earns most $ and pay most taxes
cardiovascular function
- heart = more rigid
- heart rate slows
- hypertension, heart arrhythmias, irregular heart beats
respiratory function
- cont. to decrease
- lung elasticity = decrease
immune function
- decrease in T and B cells
- Thymus gland = undetectable by 50
endocrine function
- development of diabetes
- poor healthy lifestyles habits
gastrointestinal
- metabolism and gut weight = slows down
- weight gain
kidney/urinary
- kidney function decreases
- UTI = increases
Vision
- lens starts to stiffen
- presbyopia –> reading classes
- decrease in night vision
- glaucoma development (build up of fluid and pressure)
hearing
- declines
- presbycusis bc they can’t hear as well
taste and smell
- decrease
climacteric
- end of reproductive capacity. men = decrease in testosterone
- men have reduced quality and quantity of sperm
signs of menopause
- hot flashes
- heart palpitations
- headache
- decreased vaginal lubrication
- fatigue
- insomnia
- emotional lability
hormone replacement therapy is associated with an increase in:
- heart rate
- stroke
- blood clots
- breast cancer
- gallbladder disease
replacement of estrogen and/or progesterone to counteract what?
effects of menopause
women’s health: osteoporosis
- 50 and older
- bone loss, decreased bone density
- increased risk w/ smoking, alcohol, menopause, decreased physical activity, poor nutrition
prevention/treatment of osteoporosis
- early prevention is key
- vitamin D, calcium
- weight bearing activities and resistance training
- bone strengthening medications
men’s health
- men are more likely to have heart disease, stroke, and diabetes
- decline in testosterone –> erectile dysfunction
- enlarged prostate –> urinary symptoms
vision tests
every two years
dental checkups
once or twice yearly
blood pressure
monitor at least yearly
lipid (cholesterol and triglycerides) and blood glucose
check
colorectal cancer screening
beginning at age 45
flu shot
yearly
shingles immunization
after age 50
physical activity in middle adulthood
- less than 20% of middle age adults engaged in the recommended physical activity levels
- more energy expends = less likely to die
barriers to exercise
- work, time, energy, health, convenience, lack of facilities
sandwich generation
caring for parents and children at the same time
crystalized intelligence
- peaking at this time
- skills that depend on accumulated knowledge and experience and good judgment
fluid intelligence
- progressive decline
- depends on speed of info – processing, working memory
the middle aged adult can “make up” for the fluid decline due to what?
their experience and crystalized intelligence
changes in info processing
- speed of processing slows down
- executive function declines (struggles with two tasks at once)
- reduced inhibition: ignore irrelevant info, struggle with this
- memory strategies decline
- problem solving: peak in 30s and 40s
moral development
conventional and post conventional
spiritual development
stage 5: conjunctive – most won’t reach it until this time period, if at all
stage 6: universalizing – few reach this, self sacrificing activities, mother theresa
generativity
- focus on reaching out to others in ways that give and guide next generation
- increase in midlife for all SES classes
stagnation
what can you do for me?
self centered, self indulgent, self absorbed
more focus on what can get from others rather than what can be given
midlife crisis
- may grieve for last youth , missed opportunities, more aware of death
- evaluation of life is common; filled with transitions
“turning points” or “midlife transitions”
how i wanna spend my time and who i wanna be
“silver linings”
acknowledge stuff in their failures
family life cycles
- “launching children and moving on”
- tasked with accepting entries and exits in family system
- kids getting married and having kids
- exits = death, divorce
romantic relationships at midlife
- review and adjust marital relationships and expansion and new horizons
- divorce: rate has doubled for those over age 50 years. women report higher gains in happiness
- diverse relationships: may be more complicated due to stigma as they grew up. many may be open with their sexuality and gender identity for the first time
relationships: parent-child changes
- children are “launched” - although the timing of this varies based on culture (empty nest)
- decline in parental authority
- continued contact, affection and support to children
- adjusting to “in laws”
- mothers especially take on the role of “kinkeeper”
meanings of grandparenthood
- perceived as being valued and wise
- helps with feelings of immortality through having descendants
- able to pass on family history and traditions
- enjoy indulging the children without responsibility for childrearing
grandparent-grandchild relationships
- SES, proximity of living
- age, sex, ethnicity, culture
- relationships with in-laws
relationships: aging parents
- proximity to parent
- in collectivist cultures, parents often live with married children, but co-residence is declining
- helping often based on quality of earlier relationships
relationships: siblings
- sibling contact and support decline due to demands of diverse roles
- but increases again around 70 years of age
- despite this reduced contact, siblings feel “closer”
- sibling bonds are not always strong – affected by past and current parent favoritism, culture, caregiving roles
vocational life
- important component of identity and self esteem
- attempt to increase personal meaning of vocational life
- tends to have increased job satisfaction (especially white-collar male workers and women experience less contentment)
- career change in middle adulthood (less training and on the job counseling available and extreme career shifts usually signal some type of personal crisis)
