Study Unit 10 Flashcards
1
Q
Rowe and Kahn’s definition of successful ageing
A
refers to a.) freedom from disease and disease-related disability; b.) maintaining high cognitive and physical functioning; and c.) active engagement in social and productive activities
2
Q
Factors that may affect successful ageing: Attitude towards ageing
A
- incorporates self-perceptions of ageing, cultural and personal beliefs about ageing, age identity, as well as physical and other psychological factors
- Ageism is a form of prejudice and refers to discrimination based on chronological age
- is is often subtle and implicit rather than explicit
- common example is patronising language or ‘elder speak’
- mandatory retirement in South Africa at 60 or 65
-these social stereotypes could create self-stereotypes and influence people’s ideas about the ageing process - negative attitudes could cause cognitive and mood disturbances, poorer overall functioning, and a higher morbidity rate
3
Q
Factor that may affect successful ageing: Personality characteristics
A
- Strong sense of meaning: positive interpretation of one’s existence, the sense of having a purpose and value in life
- Sense of mastery: sense of control over present and future life circumstances
- Emotional stability (low neuroticism): consistency in emotional state, withstand minor setbacks, failures, difficulties, and other stresses without emotional outbursts
- Flexibility: ability to be adaptable or variable, and willingness to compromise
- Goal-directedness: directed to attain a specific goal or goals and finding other routes or ways to achieve goals when hindered
- Conscientiousness: self-discipline, achievement oriented, dutiful, dependable,, perfectionistic, solid moral values
- Extraversion: focused on the social environment, enjoys human interaction, is enthusiastic, talkative, and tends to seek out excitement
- Low hostility levels: not aggressive and antagonistic, but friendly, kind and sympathetic
- Resilience: the capacity of an individual to adjust successfully to and even thrive on difficult and traumatic life experiences
- people who have coped well with the demands of life during childhood and early adulthood will also be able to do so during late and middle adulthood
4
Q
Factors that may affect successful ageing: Locus of control
A
- individual’s perception of their ability to influence the course and outcome of their life experiences
- internal locus of control refers to the belief that you largely determine your own behaviour and future
- external locus of control refers to the belief that you have little or no part in what happens to you, it is determined by chance o external factors
- related to the concept of mastery in that individuals with a high sense of mastery tend to have an internal locus of control
- high mastery has been associated with fewer anxiety symptoms, and serves as a protective trait against economic hardships and deteriorating health
- self-efficacy refers to a sense of mastery in specific tasks ‘
- high level of self-efficacy is associated with improved quality of life, less loneliness, less psychological distress, and better cognitive functioning in older adults
- elderly people in nursing homes tend to have a more external locus of control
- people with a higher education have better health, build intimate relationships and have an internal locus of control
- could also be influenced by the way they are viewed and treated by others
- negative stereotypes could influence their perception of personal control
- Self-fulfilling prophecy: if older adults feel that they have little or no control, they may lose their motivation to engage in behaviours that actually could affect what happens to them
5
Q
Factors that my affect successful ageing: Socio-economic conditions (Poverty)
A
- A sense of hopelessness is experienced
- learned helplessness referring to a feeling of powerlessness and lack of motivation that individuals experience after having been exposed to a series of unpleasant events
- Poverty induces uncertainty about the future
- A feeling of alienation from mainstream society occurs, which could results into economic crimes such as theft and robbery
- financial strain is regarded widely as a relatively good predictor of developing a future mental disorder
- depression, resulting suicide, anxiety disorders, substance-related disorders and schizophrenia
6
Q
Factors which may affect successful ageing: Dependency
A
- Physical or medical dependency refers to the degree to which a person’s physical health enables him or her to function relatively independently. Cognitive decline, obesity, loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, and chronic pain are linked strongly to physical functioning
- Psychological dependency refers to the extent to which individuals’ cognitive abilities and their emotional functioning enable them to function independently and maintain their emotional well-being. Illnesses such as Alzheimer’s disease or depression leads to serious psychological dependence
- Social dependency involves the capacity to maintain satisfying interpersonal relationships and to obtain needed social support from the community
- Financial dependency refers to the inability of individuals and families to meet their needs consistently with minimal or no special financial assistance from private or public organisations
7
Q
Factors which may affect successful ageing: Major life events and daily hassles
A
- it is the unexpected life event or clustering of daily hassles that has a cumulative and significant effect of adjustment, rather than one single dramatic, expected life event
- these daily hassles include a flat tyre, a traffic jam, the unavailability of parking, flat cell phone battery, forgetting an appointment, an argument with a colleague, etc.
- chronic daily hassles are often better indication of psychological and physical disorders than a single major life event
- individuals in early and middle adulthood experience more daily hassles than those in late adulthood, since the elderly prefer to make fewer choices
- older adults report more health-related hassles, but fewer problems with parents, children, spouses, work, relatives and money than younger adults do
- although exposure to these hassles decreases in later life, the subjective intensity increases
8
Q
Factors that may affect successful ageing: Active lifestyle
A
- active ageing is the process of optimising opportunities for health, participation, and security to enchance quality of life as people age
- continuing participation in social, economic, cultural, spiritual and civic affairs, not only in the ability to be physically active or to participate in the labour force
- activity theory proposes that older adults try to maintain their level of social interaction by substituting new roles when old roles have become redundant or are no longer available
- example: a man who has retired may become involved in volunteer work, or a widow may join a new social group
- if older adults are successful in replacing social roles they have lost, they will experience more life satisfaction, higher self-esteem and a sense of well-being
- continuity theory proposes that older adults will achieve successful ageing by maintaining the same activities, behaviours, and relationships as they did in their earlier stages of life
- any significant change will lead to lower adjustment and self-esteem in older adults
9
Q
Factors that may affect successful ageing: Religion and spirituality
A
- religion is an organised system of beliefs and practices that has the aim to worship and honour God or a god
- spirituality is a response to the search by human beings for a meaning in their lives, a private and individualised connection with God or a god
- higher psychological well-being and life satisfaction
- fewer physical health problems and lower mortality rate
- fewer mental health problems such as depression and a lower suicide rate
- more positive relationships with other people and a better social network from which to draw emotional support and encouragement
10
Q
Factors that may affect successful ageing: Loneliness
A
- associated with a 25% increase in the risk of premature mortality and is associated with several mental disorders
- income, education, gender, and ethnicity o not play a role in it
- Loneliness can be defined as an unpleasant and distressing emotional state in which an individual experiences a strong feeling of emptiness and isolation
- loneliness is the pain of being alone, while aloneness is the joy of being alone
- usually a relatively stable characteristic across the adult life span
- peaks in young adulthood, gradually diminishes throughout middle and early old age
- only increases after the age of 80 and surpasses the level in young adulthood
- contributors include divorce, not having close friends, death of a spouse, or unfulfilled relationships
- more women then men report feeling lonely
- could lead to depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, low life satisfaction, low self-esteem, poor physical health, cardiovascular problems, high blood pressure, and even earlier death
11
Q
What is death?
A
- Thanatology is the scientific study of the medical, psychological, social, legal, and other related aspects of death
- Clinical death refers to the few minutes after which all external signs of life such as consciousness, heartbeat, breathing, reflexes, and brain function are absent, but the metabolic processes in the body’s tissues are continuing
- Brain death is defined as the irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brainstem
- these is a complete absence of the heartbeat, respiratory functions, blood circulation, electrical activity, and digestive systems
- when the individual is regarded as 100% dead
12
Q
Death anxiety
A
- refers to person’s anxiety or fear of death and dying
- could also include anxiety about the death of other significant persons such as family members
- fear of physical suffering
- fear of isolation and humiliation
- fear of non-being
- fear of cowardice and humiliation in the face of death
- fear of failing to achieve important goals
- fear of the effect of death on those who outlive you
- fear of punishment or of the unknown
- fear of the death of others
- thanatophobia is an abnormal and excessive fear of death and dying that could consume one’s thinking and behaviour to such an extent that it becomes difficult to engage in normal daily activities with any pleasure
13
Q
Old age and mental health
A
- 10%-25% of all elderly people suffer from a mental disorder that is serious enough to require professional help
- the elderly do not have a higher prevalence of most mental disorders than other age groups
- in all life stages, there seems to be disorders that are more prevalent than in other stages; for example, attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder in children, and drug abuse in adolescence and early adulthood
- many elderly people go undiagnosed due to stigma or not having the financial means to get professional help
- the aetiology of mental disorders is a unique interaction of multiple social, psychological and biological factors
- adults with physical health conditions such as heart disease have higher rates of depression than those who are medically well
- comorbidity is the presence of another disorder alongside the primary diagnosis
- disorders can have different intensities
- apart from symptoms, the disorder must also meet certain additional criteria such as duration and age
- depressed people from traditional African cultures express more physical symptoms than their Western counterparts
14
Q
Warning signs of a mental disorder that requires intervention
A
- Subtle changes in the person’s behaviour, emotions and thoughts
- Social withdrawal, losing interest in activities that the person felt enthusiastically about previously
- Mood changes, the person is depressed and cries more
- Excessive worry and anxiousness: chronically tensed, guilt feelings and expressions of worthlessness
- Substance abuse used to cope with an underlying mental problem (self-medication)
- Changes in personal care
- Sleep and/or appetite changes
- Memory problems
15
Q
Depression
A
- characterised by symptoms such as intense sadness, a decrease in interest and activity, irritability, a poor self-image, excessive or inappropriate guilt feelings, a lack of concentration, and thoughts of death
- the prevalence is lower in older adults, sometimes up to 50% lower, however the prevalence of depressive symptoms is 20% higher
- symptoms in older adults are similar to those found in younger adults
- older adults are more inclined to complain about anhedonia (loss of interest), express more physical complaints, sleep problems, agitation and hypochondriasis. Also more inclined to commit suicide
- higher and often more severe among older women
- it tends to recur
- physical symptoms include increased aches and pains, chronic fatigue, digestive problems, changes in appetite and weight, and decreased libido
- also affects the immune system, even in mild cases
- show earlier mortality in elder persons
- can coexist with other medical illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, chronic lung disease, hypertension, sleep disorders, diabetes, and arthritis
