Unit 7 Flashcards
What age does late adulthood include?
from age 65 til end
What are some myths about old people?
they have entered a period of deterioration and dependency, are no longer able to learn and their families isolate them in nursing homes
How do we best view the late adulthood period?
as an extension of earlier periods - not a break with them
how did life-expectancy change?
in 1900: just under 50 years
in the US today: 76-78.8 for men and 81 for women
What are factors that slowed biological aging?
improved nutrition, medical treatment, sanitation and safety
what is the difference between men and women and life expectancy?
women outlive men by an average of five years
-> likely reason: protective value of females extra X chromosome, reduced risk-taking, less aggression
What can Length of life and, especially, average healthy life expectancy be predicted by?
a countries health care, housing and social services along with lifestyle factors
What influences life longevity?
longevity runs in families, but environmental factors become increasingly important after age 75 to 80.
What do scientists see as the limit of maximum lifespan?
122
How does the nervous system change in late adulthood?
- neuron loss throughout cerebral cortex - greater shrinkage in the frontal lobes (especially prefrontal cortex and corpus callosum)
- cerebellum and hippocampus also loose neurons
- autonomic nervous system functions less well and releases more stress hormones
How does vision change in late adulthood? What are 2 main points?
Cataracts: cloudy areas in the lens - foggy vision and eventual blindness
Macular degeneration: light sensitive cells in the macula break down - central vision blurs (leading cause of blindness)
-> 10% of 65-74 year old, 30% of 75-85 year old
How does hearing change in late adulthood?
hearing impairments more common than visual impairments
- loss of ability to hear high frequency sounds
-> difficulties with word discrimination and problems hearing under noisy conditions
-> decline in speech perception has greater impact on life
How does sleep change in late adulthood?
Older adults find it harder to fall asleep, stay asleep, and sleep deeply.
-> The timing of sleep tends to change: earlier bedtime and earlier morning wakening
They become “morning people”
what is sleep apnoea?
condition in which breathing ceases for 10 seconds or longer - brief awakenings
-> 45% of older adults affected
How does the physical appearance change in late adulthood?
aging more noticeable
-> white hair, wrinkled and sagging skin, age spots, and decreased height and weight
what contributes to aging signs?
the sun, long-term alcohol use, cigarette smoking and psychological stress
How does Mobility change in late adulthood?
mobility diminishes
-> muscle strength declines, bone strength deteriorates (reduced bone mass), strength and flexibility of the joints and the ligaments and tendons diminish
what increases towards end of life?
illness and disability
-> heart disease and cancer leading causes of death
What is primary aging?
biological aging
-> genetically influenced (all members of our species, not in context with overall good health)
What is secondary aging?
declines due to hereditary defects and negative environmental influences
-> poor diet, lack of exercise, disease, etc.
What are frail older adults?
people with extreme infirmity who display wasted muscle mass and strength, weight loss, severe mobility problems, and perhaps cognitive impairment
What plays bigger role, primary or secondary aging?
secondary aging
what is widespread among older adults, especially women?
osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis
-> type 2 diabetes also increases
What do brains of those with Alzheimers far more likely to contain at autopsy?
extensive neurofibrillary tangles
-> stringy masses of tissue that appear to clog connections between neurons surrounded by plaques
Are genetic factors important in alzheimers?
in some cases yes, but not in all of them
What increases the risk of Alzheimers?
Diverse environmental factors, including a high-fat diet, physical inactivity, overweight and obesity, smoking, chronic depression, cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and head injuries
What lowers the incidence of Alzheimer?
a Mediterranean diet, education and an active lifestyle
What is selective optimization with compensation?
Narrowing their goals, they select personally valued activities to optimize (or maximize) returns from their diminishing energy
How does explicit and implicit memory change in late adulthood?
memory failure increases
- especially explicit memory (controlled, strategic processing)
- automatic forms of memory suffer less - recognition and implicit memory
What are associative memory deficits?
difficulty in creating and retrieving links between pieces of information
what is remote memory?
very long-term episodic recall
- not clearer than recent memory
-> best for events that occurred between ages 10 and 30 - period of heightened autobiographical recall
What is prospective memory?
remembering to engage in planned actions in the future
- event-based tasks or time-based tasks
-> older adults do better on even-based tasks
How do older adults compensate for declines in prospective memory?
by using external memory aids
What declines in late adulthood regarding problem solving?
hypothetical problem solving
-> but: faster decisions about health than younger people
What does wisdom involve?
- Extensive practical knowledge
- Ability to reflect on and apply that knowledge in ways that make life more bearable and worthwhile,
- Emotional maturity, including the ability to listen patiently and empathetically and give sound advice
- Altruistic creativity, contributing to humanity and enriching others’ lives
is age guarantee of wisdom?
nooo
What does Eriksons theory state about late adulthood?
Ego Integrity vs. Despair
-> individual experiences sense of mortality that precipitates final life crisis
Ego integrity: sense that one has lived a useful life - satisfied with achievements
Despair: hopelessness related to too little time to make meaningful changes
Which 3 distinct tasks does attaining ego integrity involve according to Robert pecis tasks of ego integrity?
ego differentiation
body transcendence
ego transcendence
-> ego integrity requires older adults to move beyond their life’s work, their bodies and their separate identities by investing in a future that extends beyond their own lifespan
What is the positivity effect?
a bias toward emotionally positive emotion
-> selective attention to and better recall of emotionally positive over negative information
-> because experts in emotional self-regulation
What is Reminiscence?
Telling stories about people and events from their past and reporting associated thoughts and feelings
-> life review
-> for Erikson essential to achieve ego integrity and help prepare for death
What are the most frequent areas of the hoped for and feared for selves? in secure and multifaceted self-concept?
hoped for: areas of physical health, cognitive functioning, personal characteristics, relationships, social responsibility, and leisure
feared for: physical health most prominent
How do the personality traits (big 5) change in late adulthood?
remain stable form mid- to late life
-> more agreeableness in seventies
-> decline in openness to experience
-> greater acceptance of change
How does spirituality and religiosity change in late adulthood?
Tendency to turn to religious beliefs and institutions in times of stress or trouble
-> older people becoming more religious or spiritual is not universal
What do the two complementary patterns of behavior in control versus dependency state?
dependency - support script: Dependent behaviours are attended to immediately
independence - ignore script: Independent behaviours are mostly ignored
-> Reinforcement of dependent behaviour at the expense of independent behaviour
What enables old people to use their capacities fully?
select areas in which they desire help
-> in pursuit of their goals
-> creates an effective person-environment fit (fosters psychological well-being)
What happens if old people are too excessively dependent/when they cannot maximize use their capacities?
they react with boredom
What do old people experience when they encounter environmental demands that are too great (too little assistance)?
they experience overwhelming stress
What is the social theory of aging?
Size of social networks and amount of social interaction decline for virtually everyone
What is the Paradox of the social theory of aging?
If social interaction and social support are essential for mental health, how is it possible for older adults to interact less yet be generally satisfied with life and less depressed than younger adults?
What are two older perspectives of social theories of aging which interpret declines in social interaction in opposite ways?
Disengagement theory and Activity theory
What does the Disengagement theory state?
- Mutual withdrawal between older people and society occurs in anticipation of death.
*They become more preoccupied with their inner lives.
*Most older adults, however, do not disengage.
What does the Activity theory state?
- Social barriers to engagement (not their desires) cause declining rates of interaction.
*Older people who lose certain roles and relationships try to find others in an effort to stay active - However, older people who have larger social networks and engage in more activities are not necessarily happier.
What does the Continuity theory state?
implies maintenance of consistency between their past and anticipated future in activities and interests
-> using familiar skills and activities with familiar people to integrate late-life changes into coherent, consistent life paths
what is essential for attaining eriksons sense of ego integrity?
striving for continuity
What does the socioemotional selectivity theory state?
Social networks become more selective with age
-> older adults emphasize the emotion-regulation function of interaction, preferring high-quality, emotionally fulfilling relationships
What do most older people prefer regarding aging?
aging in place
What are 3 places to age?
ordinary homes, nursing homes, residential communities
What does Social convoy mean?
Influential model of changes in individuals’ social networks as they move through life
-> aging adults seek ways to maintain gratifying relationships and cultivate new ones, though not as many as they did at younger ages
are aging adults often left without people in their inner circle who contribute to their well-being?
no, very rarely
what are the paths of late-life marital satisfaction?
diverse
-> depend on such factors as shared activities and financial difficulties
What does being widowed mean?
losing “the role and identity of being a spouse”
-> potentially one of the most pervasive, intense, intimate and personal roles in life
What are forms of elder maltreatment? at whose hands is it?
at the hands of family members, friends or professional caregivers
-> physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse
What are risk factors of elder maltreatment?
- A dependent perpetrator–victim relationship.
- Perpetrator psychological disturbance.
- A history of family violence.
- Inadequate institutional conditions.
-> profound, lasting consequences on victims physical and mental health
What does the decision to retire depend on?
diverse factors
-> multi-phase process: bridge jobs to retirement
What do we have most time for in retirement?
meaningful measure and volunteer activities
-> typically sustained or expanded during retirement
What do older adults do, who experience successful aging?
minimize losses and maximize gains
-> enabling realization of individual potential
When do people age well?
when their growth, vitality and strivings limit and overcome physical, cognitive and social declines
-> effective person-environment fit, enabling older people to manage life changes
