Week 10 Flashcards
individual factors to healthy aging - controlled
- nutrition and lifestyle habits
- mindset/outlook
- people we spend time with
- alterable environment
individual factors to healthy aging - not controlled
- genetics
- upbringing/family history
- past choices
- fixed environment
what is missing from controlled factors?
- social function/barriers
- cognitive barriers
- mental health
- education
- accessibility
- digital literacy
- access to services
what is missing from not-controlled factors?
diversity
what is the highest and most important barrier to healthy aging?
multi-morbidity
- second is low income/savings
what is the lowest barrier to healthy aging?
end of life planning
social comparison theory
process through which people come to know themselves by evaluating their own attitudes, abilities, and beliefs in comparison with others relates to self-evaluations and self-enhancement
two types of comparison
- upward comparison
- downward comparison
upward comparison
comparison to someone who appears to have things better
“you are better than me”
what does upward comparison lead to?
self improvement motivation and therefore self-improvement
- better yourself
downward comparison
comparison to someone who appears to have things worse
“i feel sorry for you”
what can downward social comparison lead to?
self-esteem and avoiding failure (reduces failure)
what happens with downward social comparison?
you perceive you’re better because they have things worse
social comparison and social beliefs
as you compare yourself to others you change your own beliefs
is social comparison an internal or external barrier to healthy aging?
internal barrier
what social comparison is most likely?
when comparing social status more likely to do an upward comparison because it results in improvements in overall health
negative social comparison
when comparison causes negative feelings (feel bad about yourself)
- has a negative effect on health
negative downward comparison
believe something like “what is the point of trying is i am going to end up like them anyways”
types of barriers
- physical
- social
- emotional
- spiritual
- environmental
physical barriers to healthy aging
- exercise
- nutrition
- sleep
- illness/disability
- knowledge
knowledge barrier to healthy aging
very important
- must understand health and healthy aging to age healthily
demographics of physical barriers to healthy aging
- age
- advanced age
- gender
- co-morbidities
- addiction
- medical events (heart attack, diabetes, surgery, vision or hearing loss)
social factors to healthy aging
- personal relationships (family, friends, pets)
- meaningful activity (hobbies, interests, groups)
- loneliness
- social isolation
who are more at risk for social barriers to healthy aging?
- immigrant older adults due to loneliness and social isolation
- those who are not a caregiver to anyone
social barriers to healthy aging
- illness and disability
- less access to quality relationships
- loss of contact with friends/relatives
- physical and cognitive limitations
- lack of supportive community
- personal responsibilities
- lack of acceptable social opportunities
- transportation
aging and driving
individuals 70+ are more likely to crash than drivers ages 25 and younger due to changes to vision, reflexes and hearing as you age
- reaction time also decreases with age
when you take an older adults license away what happens?
- loss of autonomy
- will have to depend on others (becoming stereotype)
- increased social isolation
- reduction in accessibility and health care
what are accidents often due to for older adults?
cognitive changes, medical health and medications
- could be possible for younger people too so we shouldn’t take license away
emotional barriers to healthy aging
- self-esteem
- self-knowledge
- coping skills, etc
spiritual barriers to healthy aging
- nature and meaning of one’s life
- balancing what can and cannot be changed
- religious beliefs
- formal religion
environmental barriers to healthy aging
- housing
- income
- services (health, hearing, dental, vision, recreation and food services)
- transportation and mobility
primary facilitators to healthy aging
- healthy diet
- physical activity
- mental well-being
- social support
- preventive health and safety
- acceptance of aging
- multimodal interventions
- economic autonomy
healthy diet facilitator
eating well can help people meet energy and nutrient needs and may help prevent chronic diseases
physical activity facilitator
regular exercise can help people live longer and better
- may reduce risk of chronic conditions like heart disease and dementia
mental well-being facilitator
maintaining balance, connecting with others and being prepared for challenges can help with mental well-being
social support facilitator
social support and encouragement can help people age healthily
preventive health and safety facilitator
regular checkups, immunizations, screenings and checking for vision and hearing loss can help with preventive health and safety
acceptance of aging facilitator
accepting aging can help people make lifestyle decisions that take into account their physical and social situation
multimodal interventions facilitator
incorporating PA, intellectual engagement, emotional control, social interaction, and meaning can help with healthy aging
economic autonomy facilitator
increasing access to economic autonomy can help people age healthily
health promotion
process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health by developing their resources to maintain or enhance well-being
- action for health using knowledge, communication and understanding
healthy aging framework
identify: what matters most
engage: develop action plan
provide: patient education, support and resources
coach: virtually or in-person
revise: advance directives/care planning
age-friendly community
community that responds to both the opportunities and challenges of an aging population by creating physical and social environments that support independent active living and enable older people to continue contributing to all aspects of community life
core strategies for promoting healthy aging
- focus on prevention and wellness
- equity and accessibility
- person-centred approach
focus on prevention and wellness
- proactive health screenings
- health education
- vaccine and immunization programs
equity and accessibility
- address rural and remote access
- support for low-income older adults
- culturally sensitive care
person-centered approach
- personalized health plans
- self-management support
- advance care planning
6 evidence-based strategies for healthy aging
- PA
- nutrition
- social/leisure activities
- stress management
- sleep
- intellectual engagement
intersectionality of physical activity and healthy aging
highest levels of PA reduce risk of cognitive decline and dementia by 20%
what cause significant improvements in cognitive health and mental well-being
PA programs for older adults and cognitively stimulation exercise
when does PA have most positive results on healthy aging?
when it is in combination with interventions
- reduces risk for anxiety and depression
- improves sleep quality
sleep and brain health
at any age, getting a good night’s sleep supports brain health
sleep problems
can lead to trouble with memory, concentration, and other cognitive functions
lack of sleep and brain
lack of sleep makes the brain’s emotional center overreact, while reducing control over emotions, increasing risk of depression, aggression, and attention problems
sleep-deprivation and emotional signals
sleep-deprived people have difficulty interpreting emotional signals and may respond more strongly to negative cues
threat-bias
when sleep-deprived people often perceive neutral things as negative, leading ti a “threat-bias” in their perception
social relationships (support groups, social groups)
maintain and improve cognitive and mental well-being
relationship between
- social activity with global cognition, overall executive functioning, working memory, visuospatial abilities and processing speed
- social networks with global cognition
- social support with global cognition and episodic memory
caloric restriction
been shown to beneficially effect cognitive aging
- NOT recommended for older adults
nutrition
reduces risk of chronic disease and improves cognitive and mental health
mediterranean diet
can result in lower risk of dementia
isolated vitamin deficiencies
associated with cognitive disorders
what is important to have for cognitive health?
adequate intake of protein, fiber, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids
chronic stress and high allostatic load
speed up aging and raise the risk of age-related diseases
what can support lower allostatic load and promote healthy aging?
managing stress, encouraging healthy behaviours (diet and exercise) and reducing physiological responses (through relaxation or social support)
