Physical and cognitive development during middle adulthood Flashcards
middle adulthood- age range
The developmental period for adults ranging 40 to 45 years of age to 60 to 65 years of age.
A full evaluation of age requirers consideration of:
Chronological age Biological age Psychological age Sociocultural age Perceived age
middle adulthood is a time of:
Greater awareness of the young-old polarity and of the shrinking amount of time left in life.
Seeking to transmit something meaningful to the next generation.
Reaching and maintaining career satisfaction.
Declining physical skills and increasing responsibility
Late midlife is likely to be characterized by:
Death of a parent.
The last child leaving the parental home.
Becoming a grandparent.
Preparation for and actual retirement.
Physical changes that occur in midlife
The developmental focus shifts here - no longer a description of universals, but instead a focus on accounting for individual differences.
This period of life may be the intellectual and creative peak
Visible signs of physical changes
Skin wrinkles and sags. Age spots appear. Hair thins and grays. Nails thicken and become more brittle. Teeth yellow.
what are the negatives of being overweight
critical health problem, associated with shorter longevity and increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease.
How do your lungs decline?
Exercise capability declines ~ 1% per year beginning between 35 and 40
Maximum oxygen update (VO2 MAX):
a measure of the body’s ability to take in and transport oxygen to various body organs
What happens to lung tissue?
becomes less elastic around age 55, decreasing lung capacity.
Sarcopenia
an age-related loss of muscle mass and strength.
What happens to your sleep?
Wakeful periods become more frequent in the forties, as do sleep-disordered breathing and restless legs syndrome.
Ineffective immune system functioning is linked to less sleep.
when does white matter volume crest?
Middle adulthood
what happens to grey matter in your brain?
grey matter volume continues its decline that began in childhood and does not level off until about age 60
rule of brain maturation
the areas of the brain that develop last are the ones that begin to decline first
frontal and parietal lobes
if your an alcoholic what area of your brain is effected
electrical activity and grey matter volume
Speculation
the middle-aged brain is not as efficient at directing attention/attentional control, and/or perhaps is not as efficient at inhibiting responses to irrelevant stimuli.
Vision changes
Accommodation of the eye—the ability to focus and maintain an image on the retina—declines most sharply between the ages of 40 and 59.
people in middle adulthood have trouble viewing
close objects
Presbyopia
Normal loss of visual acuity with aging, especially the ability to focus the eyes on near objects (ie, things get blurry)
Primary aging in regards to vision
Requires behavioural (reading glasses) and psychological adjustment
Presbycusis
Normal loss of hearing with aging, especially of high-frequency or very low-frequency tones
what sound is lost first?
High-pitched sounds
Climacteric
the adult period during which reproductive capacity declines or is lost
Climacteric in men
extremely gradual, with a slow loss of reproductive capacity
Erectile dysfunction
difficulty attaining or maintaining erection occurs in approx. 50% of men aged 40-70 years
what animals go through menopause?
Humans, orca whales, pilot whales, belugas and narwhals are the only mammals that go through menopause
what is the grandmother hypothesis?
Grandmothers give their grandchildren a fitness advantage
what is menopause?
The cessation of monthly menstrual cycles in middle-aged women
what is the average age of menopause?
51
what are the three stages of menopause?
Premenopausal phase
perimenopausal phase
postmenopausal phase
What is the premenopausal phase of menopause?
the stage of menopause during which estrogen levels fall somewhat, menstrual periods are less regular, and anovulatory cycles begin to occur
what is the perimenopausal phase of menopause?
the stage of menopause during which estrogen and progesterone levels are erratic, menstrual cycles may be very irregular, and women begin to experience symptoms such as hot flashes (75% of women experience).
What is the postmenopausal phase of menopause?
the last stage of menopause; a woman is postmenopausal when she has had no menstrual periods for a year or more
What are some symptoms of menopause?
nausea fatigue rapid heartbeat irritability hot flashes
What are hot flashes?
skin temperature can rise by up to 4 degrees C
can occur 1/day or 3X/hr
results in sleep deprivation
How many degrees can your skin temperature rise during a hot flash?
4 degrees c
what does it mean by Individual differences?
Women with significant symptoms, and whose symptoms last the longest, experience the most depression and negative moods
what can sleep deprivation symptoms during menopause result in:
emotional lability
mental confusion
difficulty with everyday memory tasks
can be misdiagnosed as depression or generalized anxiety disorder
What symptoms can HRT help?
Most of the physical symptoms and effects of menopause can be dramatically reduced by taking estrogen and progesterone
What can HRT increase your risk of getting?
the risk of endometrial cancer increased three- to ten-fold in women taking replacement estrogen
What can cause decline in a person sex drive?
more likely to be from the demands from other roles, rather than the result of declining hormones
what are the health trends in midlife
- annoying aches and pain
- more chronic diseases and disabilities
- Perhaps half of adults between 40 and 65 have either some diagnosed disease or disability, or a significant but undiagnosed problem
what is the number one and two cause of death in midlife
cancer and than cardiovascular
What is Cancer?
a chronic, non-communicable disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells, which form masses of tissue called tumours
In Canada what is the probability of a person developing cancer?
45% for men and 42% for women; 2 out of 5 Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime
How many Canadians die of cancer
29% men and 24% women
What cancer is the number one cause of death in Canada?
Lung
What infectious agents can cause cancer?
HPV
Epstein-Barr
H. Pylori bacteria
What is Cardiovascular disease?
A set of disease processes in the heart and circulatory system; causes a variety of physical problems, especially in the arteries - the key problem is in the arteries
What is Atherosclerosis?
narrowing of the arteries caused by deposits of a fatty substance called plaque
What can arterial blockage cause?
Heart attack
What can arterial blockage in the brain cause?
Stroke
How many deaths result in CVD
20% of all deaths among those ages 45 to 54
24% among those ages 55 to 64
What type of personality is more likely to surfer cardiovascular disease
Type A
Type A personality traits are:
- Strongly competitive orientation
- Impatience and time-urgency
- Anger and hostility
Type B personality traits are:
- Relatively relaxed, patient, easy going and amicable
- Less hurried and less competitive
- Less easily angered
