Week 11 - Late adulthood (60 +)

Question 1

characterise ageing, including the changes in brain and body as well as typical health problems

Answer 1

Aging -
Life expectancy 80 males and 84 females
Longevity factors: genetics, family history, health, education, personality, lifestyle, diet/exercise/community
Primary aging: inevitable biological aging - unavoidable
Secondary ageing: decline in physical functioning due to lifestyle behaviours (diet, exercise, substance abuse, environmental) Can be minimised pre-emptively.
Selective aging: selecting valued activities that can be enjoyed but not too strenuous

Brain -
Sleep: light sleep increases, reducing the quality of sleep
Brain decreases in size and weight
Hippocampus (memory), cerebellum (balance/coordination), and frontal lobes (planning/judgement) all increase in size
Acetyline and dopamine decrease
Body -
Hair greys, and thins, bones thin, age spots, height and weight decrease
Vision: cataracts, increased risk of macular degeneration and glaucoma
Hearing: high pitch sound loss, tinnitus, hearing loss

Health problems -
Arthritis: cartilage cushioning the joint wears out (women more than men)
Osteoporosis: thinning bones, breaks (women more than men)
Hypertension: high blood pressure.

Question 2

describe changes in language and cognitive functioning in older adults

Answer 2

Language -
Dementia: losses in memory, thinking, language, understanding and judgement (17 diff types)

Cognitive -
LA worse in selective, divided and sustained attention tasks
Working and episodic memory declines
Semantic and procedural memory not so much
Continued late learning increases cognitive performance and slows declines

Erikson - Ego integrity vs Despair
Ego integrity: looking back on ones life and accepting outcomes
Despair: regret and bitterness about the course of ones life.

Question 3

describe socioemotional developments, such as changing social relationships and potential mental health problems.

Answer 3

Socioemotional developments -

Changing social relationships:
Socioemotional selectivity theory: Maximises wellbeing by becoming selective with social contacts
More about quality than quantity
Goals change from knowledge to emotion based
Seek relationships low in conflict and high in mutual enjoyment
Family: Ties with older children strengthen, autonomy and personal control very important still
Retirement: reaction tied to whether it was by choice or not. Progressive retirement better option

Mental health problems:
Wisdom: expert knowledge about practical skills in life
LA associated with positive emotional development. Contentment and peace.
Negative feelings decrease.
Higher levels of self-esteem, lower depression