Post-midterm Flashcards
theory
broad explanation that provides a structure for organizing and interpreting a multitude of observable phenomena and their relationships to one another (Hagestad & Dannefer, 2001)
Key words in publications/research on aging
healthy or successful aging
frailty
more recently, healthy or successful aging has been a stronger hit than frailty when they used to be on par/level with each other
elements of successful aging
- minimization of risk of disease and disability (physical function)
- maintenance of physical and cognitive function
- continuous engagement with life
key domains in aging
physiological (highest emphasis) - physical functioning, cognitive function, illness/disease descending emphasis: well being engagement personal resources extrinsic factors
Disengagement theory
- first formal social theory of aging
- societal and individual perspectives
- normalizes withdrawing in aging
- disengagement benefits both society and individual (when the person dies)
critiques/countering disengagement theory
greater activity/engagement and greater life satisfaction and well-being
disengagement not inevitable
disengagement has risk factors
activity theory
successful aging = active aging
- maintain roles and activities of middle age, no fundamental change in psychological and social NEEDS from middle to older adulthood
- substitute lost roles with new roles
continuity theory
came out in the late 80s - adaptive strategy: personality activities relationships
role theory
- we play a variety of social roles
- roles define use
- chronological age:
eligibility
appropriateness
social expectations
role theory – role transformations
- role adoption
- role loss
- role discontinuity
- role exit
symbolic interaction perspective
interactions between individuals and their environment
social exchange theory
if an older person perceives that their contributions are no longer valued by others they may begin to withdraw from participating in social activities
consider: value of nonmaterial resources (e.g. love wisdom time)
- deferred exchange
social phenomenology of Aging
aging influence by social definitions and social structures
create socail reality for themselves and others
arise out of negotion
modernization theory
premise: decline in status of the aged
- health technology
- economic technology
Caveats modernization theory
- never existed (there was nothing to begin with to decline)
- rare
- urbanization and industrialization
- dependent on need, ability, and policy
development theory of aging (stages)
- stages of physical and mental development
infant toddler –> older adult
Erik Erikson - stages of psychosocial development
development of individual through various levels, each stage being necessary for adaptation and for psychological adjustment
ego over the life course
- stages
- dilemma
- successful
- unsuccessful
- old age begins at 60 and it’s all just grouped 60+ from there
generativity
7th stage of psychosocial development in Erikson’s model; caring for and mentoring younger generations, looking toward the future, and not stagnating in the past
Erikson’s Stage theory problems
broad generalizations
cross-cultural valididty
life course theory
social support networks composition (who)
family friends co-workers, schoolmates acquaintances neighbors social groups/orgs
characteristics of social networks
# of ties diversity of ties frequency of interaction
social integration
- the degree of emotional closeness
- availability of support when needed
- perception of oneself as an engaged person
emotional support
expression of empathy, caring, concern, love
instrumental support
provision of direct assistance or care (transportation, shopping, cooking, cleaning, gardening, house repair)
personal care (under instrumental support)
providing care with basic activities such as bathing, dressing, feeding
informational and organization support
support in decision making, care coordination and financial management
downside of social support
- feelings of helplessness
- perceptions of low mastery, autonomy, self-efficacy and control
- perceived overprotection
- feeling infantilized
- may lead to neg. impact on mental and physical well-being
downside of social support
- feelings of helplessness
- perceptions of low mastery, autonomy, self-efficacy and control
- perceived overprotection
- feeling infantilized
- may lead to neg. impact on mental and physical well-being
women have larger networks and often feel more of the neg effects than men
health promotion
health education and environmental changes are important to enhance people’s ability to improve their well-being, not just manage their diseases
exercise as central to health promotion
the benefits of regular aerobic weight-bearing exercise such as brisk walking and strength training are numerous, even for people with chronic illness
nutrition
a healthy diet has multiple benefits, eg. a moderate reduction in saturated and trans-fats can reduce cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease.
primary prevention (health prevention)
- prevention from even starting something
- not smoking - prevents chances of cancer
secondary prevention
stopping a disease before it affects your life (mammograms detect breast cancer early enough to treat it for high chances of survival)
tertiary prevention
preventing something that has already become clinical and affected someone’s life from recurring
sociometric network
identify attributes of the network (closed social system) by drawing and identifying relationships
mammograms in samoan women in LA
women with the highest level of connection had the highest levels of implementation of mammograms (more than once)
- healthcare providers important for first mammogram
- peer network most important for repeated use of mammography over time
classic aging pattern (intelligence tests)
lower functioning on performance tests of skills such as perceptual speed, stable scores on verbal scales
learning
new info from sensory etc memory becomes encoded “secondary memory”..ok
creaivity
ability to bring something new and valued into existence, such as applying unique solutions and coming up with original ideas or products
positive aging qualities
long term "healing relationships" supportive partner replacing social networks active coping sense of purpose generativity
critical perspectives on “successful aging”
- exception to peers – too competitive
- anti-aging (successful if able to do things that most people do when they’re younger)
- class-based: puts a standard on aging that not all older adults will be able to achieve (due to opportunity)
- does not separate aging from health
- empirical support for alternative models
- emphasis on Western values
productive activity
any activity (paid or unpaid) that produces good or services, or develops the capacity to produce them, for the benefit of others/society
xerostomia
lack of saliva (causes problems eating)
reactions to loss
- denial, numbness, shock
- bargaining
- depression
- anger
- acceptance
denial (benefits)
- protects the individual from experiencing the intensity of the loss defense mechanism
underpaid caregivers: direct care workers
minimal education, living in poverty “paraprofessional”
- provide hands on care in both private home and institutional settings
age stratification theory
- addresses that each person goes through different experiences (in addition to cohort effect)
life course perspective
attempts to bridge structural or societal level and individual psychological level factors that affect human development (cohort + individual factors)
political economy
socioeconomic + political constraints such as power and control of resources NOT individual factors, shape the experience of aging and age inequities in society
–result in cumulative disadvantages in old age
social constructionism
aging is defined as a problem more by culture and society than by biology and bodily changes
- realities of age and age-related concepts are socially constructed through our interpersonal interactions
Eldercare Workforce Alliance (EWA)
national coalition of professional organizations whose goal is to address the workforce needs in the field of aging and influence federal legislation to expand the geriatric workforce
fluid intelligence
skills that are biologically determined; independent of experience or learning; require flexibility in thinking
intelligence
the theoretical limit of an individual’s performance
primary mental abilities (PMA)s
the basic set of intellectual skills, including mathematical reasoning, word fluency, verbal meaning, inductive reasoning, and spatial orientation
recall
the process of searching through secondary memory in response to a specific external cue
self-concept
cognitive representation of the self; emerges from interactions with social environment, social roles, and accomplishments
classic aging pattern
older people
lower functioning on performance tests of skills such as perceptual speed (fluid intelligence) but stable scores on verbal (crystallized intelligence)
older adults marital status
more men married
more women widowed
Administration on Aging (AoA)
primary funder of community based services for older adults; oversee,s supports, and advocates for services through the Aging Network; now part of the ACL
blended fam
membership comprise blood and nonblood relationships through divorce or remarriage
fictive kin
families of choice, not relatives in the formal sense, whose members provide the kind of love and support that caring family members do for each other
foster grandparents program
volunteer program pairing elders with children with special needs
gatekeepers
people in formal and informal roles who regularly interact with older adults and can watch for signs indicating a need or assistance
ex: postal carriers, beauticians or friends and neighbors
gerontological society of america (GSA)
association of researchers, educators, and practitioners interested in gerontology and geriatrics
multigenerational fam
3+ more gens alive at same time
natural helpers
people who assist others because of their concern, interest, and innate understanding
Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)
federally sponsored program that places older adult volunteers in a wide range of service settings
social networks of choice
mutually helpful social relationships consisting of friends, relatives, and members from the community at large
SAGE Services & Advocacy for Gay, lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders
oldest and most influential national organization, providing services, advocating at a policy level, and training services providers
hypotension
dizziness and faintness from exertion after a period of inactivity, typically due to low blood pressure
health promotion model
- individuals largely responsible for and in control of their own health through lifestyle changes, combined with health education and related environmental changes conducive to health
National Council on the Aging (NCOA)
nation org of over 2,000 social welfare agencies concerned with aging that provides technical consultation and is involved in federal legislative activities
hypokinesia
degeneration and functional loss of muscle and bone due to physical inactivity
working memory
temporary stage of holding, processing, and organizing info–not a specific storage area in the brain…..
perceptual speed
time required to recognize and respond to a stimulus deteriorates with aging
general dslowing hypothesis
aging causes a slowing of info processing in the nervous system, resulting in slower performance on complex tasks, although the extent of slowing varies with the task
executive function
cognitives skills required to organize one’s learning function
instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)
summary of an individual’s ability to perform more complex activities such as household and financial management, making a phone call, grocery shopping, meal preparation and taking medications
tip-of-the-tongue states (TOTs)
difficulty retrieving names from secondary memory but often spontaneously recalled later
selective attention
being able to focus on information relevant to a task while ignoring irrelevant info
disuse theory
not using the info results in its loss
interference theory
explains age-related problems with retrieval– poor retrieval may be due to combo of distraction during the learning stage and interference by new info with the material stored over many years being searched for in the retrieval stage
cognitive retraining
teaching people how to use various techniques to keep their minds active and maintain good memory skills
mediators (visual and verbal)
- visual and verbal links between info to be memorized and info that is already in secondary memory
- assist in recall
- mnemonics
creativity
ability to bring something new and valued into existence, such as applying unique solutions and coming up with original ideas or products
ego integrity vs despair
8th and last stage of psychosocial development in Erikson’s model; aging individual achieves wisdom and perspective–accepting inevitability of death, or despairs because he or she views one’s life as lacking meaning
stage theories of personaltiy
development of an individual through various levels, each stage being necessary for adaptation and for psychological adjustment
ego integrity vs. despair
aging individual achieves wisdom and perspective, or despairs bc s/he views one’s life as lackign meaning
life review
process of sharing one’s memories and experiences with others, whether orally or in writing (can help older adults attain ego integrity)
positivity effect
elders more likely to remember positive emotional content than negative
socio-emotional selectivity theory
explains paradox that elders’ emotional well-being is often better than younger adults, despite losses faced
– when faced with death more likely to pursue emotional satisfaction rather than acquiring info
self-efficacy
feeling competent to deal with new situations
Cognitive-behavioral interventions
use active, time-limited approaches to change negative thoughts and behaviors, such as self-monitoring and increased participation in pleasant events
problem-solving therapy (part of CBT)
goal-setting
effective coping techniques
motivational interviewing
anxiety disorder
functional psychological disorder often triggered by external stress and accompanied by increased heart rate, fatigue, restlessness and sleep disorders
paranoia
psych disorder characterized by irrational suspiciousness of other people
schizophrenia <1% elders
psych disorder characterized by thought disorders and hallucinations, psychotic behavior, and loss of emotional expression
Third Age
stage after middle age before final stage and is conceptualized as a time of continued involvement and growth in areas of life beyond employment and family
palliative care
focused on alleviating/relieving pain by addressing the patient’s emotional, social, and spiritual needs, not on lifesaving measures
hospice
program of care for dying persons that gives emphasis to the personal dignity of the dying person, reducing pain and sources of anxiety and provides family support when needed
socioemotional selectivity theory
increase focus on emotionally-satisfying and meaningful relationships in late life
problems w instrumental support in older adulthood
- feelings of helplessness
- perceptions of low mastery, autonomy, self-efficacy and control
- perceived overprotection
- feeling infantilized
- may lead to neg impact on mental and physical well-being
mental disorders among older persons
depression
anxiety
dementia
Rowe & Kahn model of “successful” aging
- free of disease and disability
- good cog/phys functioning
- engaged with life/involvement in soc
critical perspectives on productive activity for aging
classbased
- separates aging from health
- empirical support for alternative models
- emphasis on western values
Erikson’s stages of psychosocial developmetn 7 + 8
7 - middle adulthood (30-60) - generativity vs stagnation
8 - old age (60+) - integrity/wsidom vs despair
