Physical and Cognitive in Late Adulthood Flashcards
What is gerontology?
The scientific study of aging
Late adulthood is now thought of as…
A stage of great individual variability rather than one of universal decline
What are the subgroups of Late adulthood?
Young-old (60-75), Old-Old (75-80), and Oldest-old (80 and up, fastest growing group)
How has the gender gap of life expectancy changed?
Narrowed, with women only living 4 years longer than men on average
What is Senesence?
The gradual deterioration of the body and its systems that occurs towards the end of an organism’s life
What is the Hayflick Limit?
Theoretical proposal that each species is subject to a genetically programmed time limit after which cells can no longer duplicate efficiently
What are Telomeres?
The string of repetitive DNA that seems to act as a timekeeper. Its length decreases each time a cell divides
What are Cross-linking and Free radicals?
-A phenomenon where undesirable chemical bonds form between proteins or fats
-Molecules or atom that have an unpaired electron, Natural product of metabolism
A majority of older Canadian regard their heath as…
Good or excellent (poor health tends to be younger)
What is Functional Status, Basic Activities of Daily Living, and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living?
-A measure of an individual’s ability to perform certain roles and tasks, particularly self-help and chores
-Self help tasks (bathing, dressing)
-More complex daily tasks (housework, cooking, managing money)
What 5 factors account for 60% of all deaths and short life expectancy?
Smoking, Physical activity, diet, alcohol, and stress
What 4 main changes occur in the brain in Late adulthood?
Reduction of brain weight, loss of grey matter, decline in the density of useful dendrites and slower synaptic speed
What are the 3 most common diseases in the eye?
Cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration
How does taste change in Late adulthood?
The ability to taste the 5 basic flavours does not decline, but late adults do generate less saliva and regard food as blander due to a loss of smell
Why do more car accidents occur in late adulthood?
Stiffness, decreased night vision, inability to judge speed of oncoming traffic and longer reaction times occur during this period
What is the leading cause of placement in long-term care for the eldery?
Dementia
What are the stages of Alzheimers?
Subtle memory difficulties and repetitive conversation and disorientation
Memory for recent events goes
Memory for long-ago events and well-rehearsed cognitive tasks stay until later
Eventually unable to recognize family member, communicate or perform self care
How does memory of older adults compare to younger adults?
In familiar/natural settings (home) they out perform younger adults but under perform in controlled laboratory settings
They take longer to learn, but eventually catch up to young adults, but they struggle with remembering everyday tasks
