Week 1: Intro to healthy aging Flashcards
Why is healthy aging an important topic?
It is not just about physical health, it is about your environment and the people around you
The baby boom generation
- When?
- Importance?
1946-1964
Changed the social structure by taking up jobs, social needs and health care
What effect does having more seniors than children have on our world?
Changes the workforce - Less individuals going into jobs, more retiring
More demand in health care
Life span predictions
- Decreased infant mortality rate
- Advances in public health
- Plateau of life expectancy
- Adding life to years instead of years to life
Aging and quality of life
Living longer doesn’t always mean living better
- Decreased physical, cognitive, mental and social health
- Increased common morbidities
- Length vs quality
Types of aging
- Chronological age
- Biological age
- Psychological age
- Functional age
- Social psychological/ subjective age
- Social age
Chronological age
The number of years a person has lived
Biological age
Description of an individuals development based on molecular or cellular events
Psychological age
Description of one’s own experiences using nonphysical features such as emotions, experience and logic
*how you think and view the world
Social psychological/subjective age
Subjective age based on how old the individual feels
Social age
The social roles that an individual had placed on them by society that determines their age
ex retired = older adult
Functional age
A combination of chronological, biological and psychological age
Types of functional aging
1st age= childhood
2nd age= working and parenting
3rd age= “young old” btwn age 65-84
4th age= above 85
Definition of healthy aging (WHO)
A continuous process of optimizing opportunities to maintain and improve physical and mental health, independence, and quality of life throughout the life course
Healthy aging characteristics
Ability to…
- meet basic needs
- learn, grow, make decisions
- be mobile
- build and maintain relationships
- contribute to society
History of SA- Fries
1980
Compression of morbidity: you typically have more illness when you’re older/during last years of life
History of SA- Rowe and Kahn
1987
Avoiding disease and disability
High cognitive and physical function
Engagement with life
MacArthur Foundation Study on Successful Aging
1984-1993 led by John. W Rowe
How people define and perceive healthy aging over time
History of SA- Strawbridge
2002
Believed we need to include the effect of chronic conditions and functional difficulties with successful aging
History of SA- Reichstadt
2010
Wisdom is a large contributor to successful aging
Knowledge and education is imp
2 categories of the aging theory
- Stochastic theories of aging
- Programmed theories
Stochastic theories of aging
Aging occurs randomly and persistently through time via random error and damage to cells/organs
Most prevalent theory is the Free radical theory
Free radical theory of aging
Metabolic reactions occurring continuously in the body produce unstable molecules called free radicals
Free radicals cause oxidation which damages cells and genetic material and results in aging
ex age spots
Non-stochastic theories of aging
Programmed theories
Neuroendocrine-Immunological theory
Programmed theories
- Aging is pre-determined through programmed cell changes or changes in the neuroendocrine or immunological systems
- Defined by the idea that all humans have a biological clock (pre-determined death)
- Evolved from work by Hayflick and Moorehead (1981)
Neuroendocrine-Immunological theory
Tied to both programmed and free radical theory
Immunity theory of aging
