midterm 1 Flashcards
what is gerontology?
the scientific study of old age and the process of growing old
why has the aging population increased?
longer life expectancy; lower fertility rates; immigration
what are three important population trends of recent years? how would a 2031 population pyramid show this?
the dramatic growth in the size of the older age cohorts (aged 40+)
a continued higher proportion of women compared with men in the oldest cohorts
the movement of the baby boom cohorts into old age
the 2031 pyramid is top-heavy, with small younger groups below a large older population.
which “states” of Canada are expected to experience the most growth by 2031?
Nunavut and Northwest Territories
what is intergenerational equity?
balanced support of older and younger people through public policy and public expenditures
by 2030, almost ____ of Canada’s population will be over the age of 65?
25%
as the population ages, what are the changes in social structure?
Family structure
- Three and more generations may live simultaneously and/or in the same household
Education and job market
- Healthier older adults active in the society
Health and social policies
as the population ages, what are the changes in population health?
More chronic diseases and disability
- Chronic conditions do not always lead to activity restrictions
More need for health care services
- Different types: long-term care vs. hospitals
More cost?
- ‘Aging’ is responsible for only 1% of yearly increase in health care costs
describe mental health in adults
Levels of ‘happiness’ and ‘life satisfaction’ are higher in older adults compared to 25-64y group
describe mental health in older adults
Almost 70% of older adults perceive their mental health ‘excellent’ or ‘good’
- Relates to economic and environmental efficiency (not economic growth)
differentiate between stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination
stereotype: Beliefs not well supported by evidence
prejudice: We decide based on our beliefs
discrimination: We act based on our beliefs
what does stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination result in?
ageism!!
ageism is caused by…?
The young and the middle-aged feel distaste for aging
They see old age as a time of weakness, sickness, and dying
People know little about old age and what they do know is based on myth and fear
what is the best way to fight ageism?
Demystifying the myths
By education
as people grow old, is deterioration in physical health inevitable?
yes due to wear and tear. but a healthy diet can modify the “aging” process
what two aspects of aging form the focus of gerontology?
how aging affects the individual, and how an aging population affects society
What term is used to describe the type of speech and behaviour where one talks to an older adult like a child? for example, saying “sweetie” or “dearie”
elderspeak
is it true that sexual activity and interest in sex decline in later life?
NOPE!
is it true that older people face a lower risk of criminal victimization (such as robbery) than any other age group?
YES!
is it true that older adults expect to be left in quiet?
NOPE!!
Frequency of participation in social activities appears equal for all adult age groups
Community centers for older people are quite popular
define life expectancy
the average number of years a person is projected to live; given no dramatic change in causes for death happens
what has caused an increase in life expectancy?
Better medical treatment
- Lower case fatality rates
Better public health, effective health promotion
- Seat belts, smoking cessation
Epidemiological transition
- A more influential reason
define epidemiological transition
The replacement of infectious diseases by chronic degenerative diseases over time due to
- expanded public health and sanitation
- changes in health behaviours
Happens when in the process of economic development, the vast majority of the population gains reliable access to the basic material necessities of life
Demographic results
- People live longer
what are the two major trends that still affect the aging structure?
Baby boom (1946-1964)
- Explosion in fertility up to >3.5 children - Reverse in the trend of decreasing fertility
Baby bust (after 1965)
- Continuous drop in fertility rates
what has caused a decrease in fertility rates?
Having a lot of children not a status/economic advantage anymore
- A socio-cultural changes
Women rights movement
Family planning techniques
differentiate between fertility rates and birth rates
fertility is how many babies a woman is expected to have in her lifetime (not measuring pregnancy but births)
birth rate is how many births per 1000 woman
describe the 4 stages of demographic transition
Stage I: High fertility and high mortality. Small population. Slow and varied population growth. High proportion of young people, small proportion of older people.
Stage II: High fertility; mortality begins to decline. Population begins to grow as more children survive. Population explosion may occur, and society may get younger. Small proportion of elderly people.
Stage III: Fertility declines and mortality declines further. Population growth begins to level off at larger size. This is stage of the transition from a young high-growth to an older low-growth population.
Stage IV: Low fertility, low mortality. Low population growth and large proportion of older people in the population.
what’re demographic transitions?
from high birth & high death rate to low birth & low death rate
how do you calculate dependency ratio?
((age 0-19)+(age 65+))/(age 20-64)
how do you calculate old age dependency ratio?
the number of people age 65 and over divided by the population age 20 to 64
how do you calculate young age dependency ratio?
the number of people age 0 to 19 divided by the population age 20 to 64
what are the extreme views on increase in older age dependency ratio?
Demographic determinism
- Demography determines social relation
Event is called “apocalyptic demography”
- Population aging=economic/social crisis
how would one make the increase in older age dependency ratio seem less apocalyptic?
Improvement in health
- A healthy aging population
Policy changes
- Increasing the age of retirement
- Different pension plans
- ….. ‘your ideas in future’
what are the benefits of an older population?
Lower crime rate
Healthier lifestyle
Improving economy
Keeper of traditions and language
- Crucial for indigenous populations
Unpaid (hidden) contributions
- Helping family
Volunteering
what aging center is at western?
Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging
is it true that there are more green space and better street connectivity in aging friendly neighbourhoods?
yes!!
according to the modernization theory, why does the social status declines as people age?
Due to lack of contribution
- An inevitable result of aging or policies?
- Example of mandatory retirement at 65
Older people themselves believe age is a limitation
how common is ageism?
reported by more than 50% of older Canadians
1/3 report stereotypes from service providers
what are the social consequences of ageism?
An unhealthy aging population
Assumed burden becomes real burden
Internalization: accepting that when you are old you are only receiver of services
Can’t contribute anymore
why does ageism persist?
Normal response to fear of death?
- Old age as a reminder for inevitable death
Learned socialization
- During childhood
- Media
- Marketing
Social discourse
- culture(s) that value health, youth, independence
how many 65-79 year olds report chronic diseases?
Half of the 65-79 y report 2-3 chronic disease; 16% ≥4, 7% seven and more
define biological aging. what about the types?
Progressive decline in physical functions
intrinsic: (normal Wear & Tear)
- Variations in speed but a universal occurrence
extrinsic: (environment)
- Depends on lifestyle and contextual factors
define mortality
number of death in a population during a given time
define morbidity
any departure from health
define disability
reduction in capacity of function
what are life course theories?
Links between ‘adult health’ and physical or social exposures acting during gestation, childhood, adolescence, earlier in adult life, or across generations
describe the critical period model
a life course model. Exposure during a specific period of life has lasting or lifelong effects
for example: fetal, adolescence, and early old age (influence of socioeconomic status)
describe the accumulation of risk model
a life course model. cumulative damage leads to higher risk for disease
whats the process of decline in health status?
unfavourable exposures -> impairments - > chronic conditions -> disability
what is a standard measure of disability?
ADLs & IADLs
activities of daily living
instrumental activities of daily living
what can be done in “response” to disabilites?
individual
- assistive devices
- use of technology
- compensation
society
- adjustment in the environment
- changing policies
- public health prevention strategies
what is the compression of morbidity?
Same number of morbidity (on average) but compressed in a shorter time
Postponing the age of onset of CD faster than age of death»_space;>shorter period of life with CD»>healthy aging , prevalence the same, just compressed
was there a clear overall trend in compression between 1994 and 2010?
nooo. according to a researcher
What happens to an individual’s sense thresholds as they age?
threshold increase
define mental disorder
medical condition marked by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, or emotions to impair normal psychological functioning and cause marked distress or disability
what are some opinions on mental disorders
Etiology: no organic/physiological cause
High risk groups: people with some ‘fixed’ traits
Treatment: ineffective
Prognosis: usually no mortality
Society reaction: isolation
how common is dementia in gender?
women are more likely to have dementia - 2/3 TWO THIRDS
The lifetime risk (also the frequency, or count) of dementia is greater for women, similar to other aging-related diseases
how many canadians have experienced caring for someone living with dementia?
1 in 5Canadians
how early can dementia start?
40
what is disability adjusted life year?
(DALY) is a measure of the burden a disease imposes on person and society
Few post COVID additional burden from depression and anxiety in older age groups
describe brain development in later life
Reorganizing in response to new information and experience.
Brain cells growth in later life.
The brain’s emotional centres becomes more balanced with age.
Compared with younger people, older people use both halves of the brain more equally.
Loss of brain mass in imaging
Memory like other cognitive and sensory functions should be evaluated in the context (physical and social environment)
People show a better mental performance in everyday life when compared with lab studies
- Generalizing the findings of the lab studies to populations can be misleading
what is encoding? describe encoding in older adults
linking new information with already stored information.
it is slower in older adults
- Awareness of old information remains intact
- More use of context, clues
what are some interventions for brain development in older age?
Memory training
An enriched environment
Physical fitness training
what model is adaptable to most age related health issues?
lawson’s ecological model
define organic disorder
disease of the brain caused by injury or disease affecting brain tissues
- Confusion and forgetfulness
- Behaviours not accepted socially, especially from an old person
what are some early symptoms of alzheimers?
memory deficits, confusion, irritability, aggression, mood swings and behavioral changes
what is the loss of competency?
People with a cognitive impairment may lose the ability to understand their situation and consequences of their decisions
what did the UN suggest about the growing population of older age?
governments should promote the employment of older persons and gradually increase the age of retirement.
whats to note about the rate of aging between more developed and developing countries?
more developed countries will have a slower rate even tho they have a larger proportion of older ages
in 2018, which country had the highest percentage of older people in the world? what’s the 2nd highest?
japan. at 28%
followed by italy at 23%
the longer a person lives…?
the greater the increase in life expectancy
which country was the “loudest baby boom” in the industrialized world?
canada
what allowed for the baby boom?
good economy and immigrants at child bearing age
what lead to baby bust?
use of birth control pill and more women into labour force
what is prospective aging?
measure of old age that takes these societal differences in average life expectancy into account. focuses on the number of years left to live
average life expectancy - 15 years
when did canada’s demographic transition take place?
before 1850 to present…
1st stage before 1850
2nd stage was after 1850
What caused the growth in the oldest populations in Canada?`
Good genetics
Healthy lifestyles
Advances in healthcare
will the life expectancy of men and women converge?
eventually, yes
describe the age populations for indigenous people
due to higher fertility rate and lower life expectancy, more younger population. but fertility rate is decreasing and life expectancy is increasing….
where do indigenous seniors generally live?
population centers
what fraction of seniors have immigrated to canada?
1/3
what are the three stages of later life when people may choose to move?
retirement stage
- when freedom from the need to live near work allows people to move to a more pleasant climate and to have a more relaxed lifestyle
disability stage
- physical limitation leads the older person to move closer to children or others who can help them
severe disability stage
- requires the older person to move to a nursing home or other long-term care institution
what is crude dependency rate?
are based solely on the number of people in each age group
does not address the economic burden of an older population
demographic determinism assumes…?
that population dynamics determine the future of social relations and social institutions
has the overall dependency ratio decreased in the last decades of the 20th century? why?
yes. also consider the younger population which has decreased
What are the cons of using the crude dependency ratio?
It does not address the economic burden of an older population. For example, seniors rely on income security and healthcare programs that cost more for seniors than for the non-elderly population
It only tells “part of the story” because it is based solely on the number of people in each group
It does not account for the face that children are mainly covered through transfers from their parents
Why do some economists urge caution in using dependency ratios to predict future costs?
because they are only considered to be rough indicators of the extent to which one group in a population is dependent on another
What can Canada do to moderate the economic costs of having an older population?
encourage people to work past the age of 65 to reduce the demand on public pensions
make improvements in health and delay disability into later life
encourage seniors to delay Canada Pension and the Old Age Security benefits until as late as age 70
has the maximum human life span changed from the past? what is it now?
nope not for 100,000 years. it remains 110 to 125 years
has the life expectancy changed from the past? what is it now?
yes. from 22 years in ancient rome to 75/80 today
do those of older age believe themselves to be in good health?
yes! 78.8 percent of women and 78.6 percent of men age 65 and over in private households reported “good,” very good,” or “excellent” health
The shift from a young to an older population in Canada has led to a change in the pattern of disease. What is this shift?
decrease in the rate of acute illnesses
increase in the rate of chronic illnesses
also known as EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TRANSITION
how common are chronic conditions in those of older age?
84.4 percent of senior women and 82.2 percent of senior men have at least one chronic health problem.
pretty common!
what are three reasons for the increased death rate among seniors?
immune cells in the body decrease with age, chronic low-grade inflammation increases with age, and some medications (such as corticosteroids) may inhibit the immune system. In addition, lifestyle conditions such as obesity undermine immune function.
what is health deficit accumulation?
The accumulation of medical condition; disabilities and chronic illnesses over time as a person ages
How do technology aids and devices positively impact older people?
Through reduced care and hospitalization
Improved well-being and quality of life
Improved independence
what are the 3 things for aids to be useful?
(1) people have to know about them, (2) people have to understand their usefulness, and (3) products have to be affordable and accessible.
between men and women, who are more likely susceptible to chronic diseases?
women
what is the most common cause of injury among seniors?
falls
Why do falls tend to occur among older people?
Illness
Cognitive impairment
Poor balance
what is disability free life expectancy?
years of remaining life free of any disability
what is health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE)?
number of years a person can expect to live in good health
what does rectangularization of the life curve refer to?
change over time in survival curves resulting in a right angle or square shape, leading researchers to conclude that a finite life span exists
what are the 3 signs of successful aging according to the rowe and kahn model?
(1) low chance of disease and disability;
(2) high mental and physical functioning;
(3) active engagement in social relations and productive activity
explain the SOC model of successful aging
selectactivities that optimize their ability. When they can no longer engage in an activity, they compensate for losses by setting new priorities
why does the canadian government provide support foe healthy aging?
the people of Canada want to have programs that improve the lives of older people
health promotion can delay and in some cases decrease the use of expensive healthcare services.
describe the information-processing model used by most researchers
sensory -> short-term -> long-term
what is working memory?
recently acquired info is manipulated and processed at the same time as its being stored temporarily
what is a cognitive reserve?
exceptional mental performance, especially when one has to work at max mental capacity
what are the four findings from research the describe mental growth and development in later life?
brain reorganizes itself in response to new info and experience
brain cells grow in later life
brain’s emotional centers grow more balanced with age
compared w younger people, older age use both halves of the brain more equally
what is semantic memory?
facts and info we have stored in memory. older and younger people show no difference in this
describe the constant probability of success model
ratio of quality works to total works produced during a career stays the same at every stage of the career
what happens to the risk of depression in later life?
it decreases
what is fluid intelligence?
reasoning and abstracting; concept formation; problem solving
what is cognitive function?
engaging in more complex thinking such as making choices among items
What is a population’s replacement level?
2.1
What is functional disability?
a limitation of normal daily activities as a result of injury or illness
Why do researchers study disabilities in later life?
older people who cope with disabilities can help researchers understand how to rehabilitate disabled seniors
Recent research supports the idea of what occurring as people aging normally in regard to memory, intelligence, and creativty?
none of them decline - may even improve!
What happens to semantic memory, the store of factual information, with age?
speeds up, providing faster recall of facts
Which kind of intelligence shows declines as the biological system ages?
fluid intelligence
