Week 12 Lecture Flashcards
What is senescence?
degenerative phase of ageing, universal, progressive
What is the maintenance function in the body?
And what happens to this as we age?
Repair system: it can damage tissue that is repaired, cancers destroyed by immune system.
This system starts to diminish between ages 50-100.
What are the two main theories of ageing, which BOTH contribute to senescence (ageing)?
- cellular theories (exposure to toxins, chemicals etc)
2. programming theories (max lifespan preset by genetic factors)
What is the most common experimental design in ageing?
cross sectional (compare performance of different groups of adults).
What effects do we have to be mindful of in ageing studies?
cohort effects (war, free education etc) over time
What is the ideal study method in ageing?
longitudinal studies
What does longitudinal ageing studies guard against?
cohort differences
What types of functioning slows as we age?
motor, sensory and intellectual functioning
What physiological slowing occurs as we age?
cardiovascular, heart and lungs, skin and bone
If you look older, does this mean you are more likely to die sooner than someone who looks younger than you but is the same age?
no
Brain weight/mass decreases over adulthood but accelerates considerably after what age?
60
As we age, the blood flow to the brain is decreased. This leads to
neuronal death
What changes in our sensation and perception as we age?
difficulties in processing and interpreting sensory information.
Losses in sensory and perception takes two forms. What are these?
- increased sensory thresholds
2. decreased sensitivity to low level stimulation
What happens to your pupils and lens as you age?
pupils become smaller and lens become denser
Are declines in visual acuity greater in males or females?
declines are greater in women than in men
Most visual acuity can be corrected. For those who don’t have it corrected, this reduces what?
Older adults quality of life.
What is called when you can’t see things as closely as you used to?
prespiopia
What percentage of adults who are 75+ years have good corrected vision?
75%
What does 20/20 vision actually mean?
What does 20/40 vision mean?
You can see at 20 metres what normal people can see at 20 metres.
You can see at 20 feet what others can see at 40 feet (only “half as good”).
Which age groups are less able to divide attention?
older adults
What difficulties do older adults have in regard to distractions?
they have problems selectively attending to stimuli while ignoring distractors
Older adults have the greatest difficulties in processing visual information when the situation is… (2)
- novel
- complex
How many times more likely are hearing impairments than vision in older age?
3X more likely
Most age related hearing problems originate where?
in the inner ear
Do men or women lose their hearing sensitivity earlier and faster than the other?
men
What happens in the sound threshold as we age?
increase in the thresholds needed to hear sounds
What is speech perception dependant on?
hearing
cognitive processes
Auditory perception is more difficult in older adults when (2)?
- task is novel
2. listening conditions are poor
To understand a conversation as an older adult, what are important about the conditions and what becomes problematic?
- listening conditions are important
2. increased attentional demands are problematic
What happens as we age in terms of sensitivity to taste?
General decline (greater in men)
What happens as we age in terms of smell?
general decline in perception of odour (worsened by disease, smoking)
What age does the sensitivity to touch gradually decrease?
gradually lost from middle childhood
What ages does the sensitivity to changes in temperature gradually decrease?
declines in later adulthood
What is interesting about sensitivity to pain stimuli as we age?
for stronger pain, older adults remain as sensitive as others. For weaker pain, this sensitivity gradually decreases.
Are declines in sensation and perception universal?
yes
What is having 2 or more than 2 sensory impairments associated with?
difficulty with basic tasks of living. However, these impairments could be a sign of something greater.
Adults tend to do more poorly on cognitive tests, however, this may be due to what?
physical (arthritis, etc) or psychosocial reasons (worry etc)
episodic, working, explicit, implicit, semantic memory and executive functioning all ____ decline in older adulthood.
decline
What are some non cognitive factors which may influence the decline of cognitive abilities as you age?
health, education, and SES factors
What skill increases in adults across years?
solving real world problems
Older adults perform better when tests are:
- practical
- based on familiar situations
what is considered early onset of dementia?
less than 65 years
Are men or women at more risk older than 85 years?
women
What is the most common cause of dementia?
alzheimer’s
What is said to be the major global public health challenge for the 21st century?
alzheimer’s
What is the 4th leading cause of overall disease burden in Australia?
alzheimer’s
There has been a generational shift in the burden of disease from __ diseases to ___ illnesses.
acute
chronic
The longer that someone with dementia is in family care, the better:
health outcomes will be due to delayed institutionalisation.
What is the predicted annual economic value of unpaid dementia care?
$450 billion US
What is the commonest mental health problem affecting older people?
Depression
What re the two biggest mental health issues for the elderly?
Who are more likely to experience this?
dementia and depression
women
work role forms a critical part of adult:
identity
Older adult workers have lower rates of _____ and higher rates of job _____.
absenteeism
satisfaction
Older adults who adjust best to retirement are:
- healthy and active
- education
- adequate income
- social network
- usually were satisfied with life pre-retirement
Widowers score ____ then married people on measures of psychological wellbeing.
lower
Coping responses for bereavement are encouraged by (2)
- social relationships
- better general health
Women generally have higher levels of depression than men. Bit gender effects often are ____ in widowhood.
reversed
What may protect against the negative effects of partner death, especially for women?
relative health - e.g., this is sad but at least I still have my daughter
Why might there be gender differences in bereavement/coping?
- different starting points? (men have to fall further, generally happier)
- social reason? (more common to be a widowed female)
- men have more to lose?
- health differences?
What does the trend line look like in life satisfaction?
dips in early-mid adulthood and rise again toward retirement age
