Physical Changes in Adulthood

Question 1

Midlife? Who is she?

Answer 1

• Midlife: 40 – 65
• Narrowing life options, shrinking future – kids leave home, career paths solidified
• WIDE variations in attitudes and behaviors
• -Some feel young at 65, active, serene, stable; some feel old at 40 – all downhill
• New period in life (life expectancy longer) – before 20th century, very short time before old age widows by mid 50s, ravaged bodies due to harsh living condition

Question 2

Sensory Changes: Vision

Answer 2

• By 40s, difficulty in reading small print common
• -Presbyopia – “Old eyes”; farsightedness
• 50s –bifocals increasingly common
• Changes to structure:
• -Cornea flattens
• -Lens becomes less flexible & yellows => tainted color viewing
• -Lose up to half of rods
• -Reduced number of cones
• Conditions in late adulthood
• –Cataracts -> clouding of the lens
• –Macular degeneration -> loss of cells in center of retina

Question 3

Sensory Changes: Hearing

Answer 3

• 14% of Americans (45-64) suffer from hearing loss
• Presbycusis – “Old hearing” – starts in the 50s
• -Starts with high-pitched sounds (p vs. t)
• -By late adulthood, extends to most sound frequencies
• Men’s hearing declines earlier. Why?
• -Exposure to intense noise (e.g., concerts)
• -Workplaces (smoking, noise, pollutants)
• -Health in later adulthood (high blood pressure, strokes, heart disease)

Question 4

Body Changes: Skin

Answer 4

• Wrinkled, loosens, feels dry (changes in epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis)
• -30s – lines in forehead
• -40s – crow’s feet
• –Skin starts to lose elasticity and sag (face, arms, legs)
• -50s – age spots (pigment under skin)

Question 5

Body Changes

Answer 5

Muscle-fat – “middle age spread” – men and women

• -Increase in fat, decrease in lean muscle
• -Men: fat on back and upper abdomen; women: around waist and upper arms
• -NOT INEVITABLE – diet and exercise

Bones – more porous, loss in bone density (around 40s, esp for women)

• -Loss of bone strength causes spinal disks to collapse – height drops by as much as 1 inch by 60!
• -VARIED - diet (calcium, vitamin D), exercise, lifestyle (avoiding alcohol/cigs)

Question 6

Changes to the reproductive system: Men

Answer 6

• Quantity/mobility of sperm decrease from 20s on
• Quantity of semen lessens after 40, affecting fertility
• Testosterone declines; change is minimal in healthy, sexually active men
• Reduced blood flow, changes in tissue in penis – more stimulation needed for erection, harder to maintain (affecting 34% of men by 60)
• Frequent bouts of impotence – men may fear sex life is over, self-image is affected

Question 7

Changes to the reproductive system: Women

Answer 7

• 10 year period, estrogen drops; menopause – end of menstruation and reproductive capability
• -Early 50s in US & Europe; East Asia (late 30s to late 50s)
• -Smokers, childless women – menopause earlier
• Following menopause – estrogen declines further
• -Reproductive organs shrink, genitals less stimulated, vagina slower to lubricate
• -35-40% report difficulties with sex
• Menopause (before and after) – emotional (irritability) and physical symptoms (hot flashes), less sleep

Question 8

Psychological reactions to menopause

Answer 8

• Negative reaction if:
• -wanted marriage/family, didn’t get those, or
• -value a youthful appearance, sex appeal
• Positive reaction if:
• -New beginning
• -Improved quality of life (No more periods! No more kids!)
• -Highly educated more positive attitudes
• Cultural beliefs/practices matter!
• -Western – Medicalized; syndrome that needs to be treated
• -Non-Western – Are older women respected? Complaints about menopause are rare