Late Adulthood Flashcards

1
Q

gerontology

A

scientific study of aging

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2
Q

life expectancy and longevity

A
  • subgroups
  • gender gap
  • variability in death
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3
Q

life expectancy and longetivity: subgroups

A
  • young-old (60-75)
  • old-old (75-85)
  • oldest-old (85+)
    oldest old is fastest growing group
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4
Q

life expectancy and longevity: gender gap

A

women live longer on average

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5
Q

life expectancy and longevity: variability in death

A

odds of dying increase with age

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6
Q

senescence

A
  • gradual deterioration of body systems
  • graduation happens as organism ages after reaching maturity
  • species vary widely in how long individuals live
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7
Q

Hayflick limit

A
  • theoretical proposal
  • each species is subject to a genetically programmed time limit after which cells no longer have any capacity to replicate themselves accurately
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8
Q

limitations on activities

A
  • functional status
  • basic activities of daily living
  • instrumental activities of daily living (IADLS)
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9
Q

limitations on activities: functional status

A
  • individual’s ability to perform certain roles and tasks
  • includes self-help tasks and chores of daily living
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10
Q

limitations on activities: basic activities of daily living

A

self-help tasks
- bathing
- dressing
- using the toilet

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11
Q

limitations on activities: instrumental activities of daily living

A

+ complex daily living tasks
- housework
- cooking
- managing money

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12
Q

senses: vision

A
  • may experience vision defects
  • presbyopia
  • enlarged blindspot on retina reduces peripheral vision
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13
Q

senses: hearing

A
  • presbycusis, usually not functionally limited
  • gender differences: men lose hearing faster
  • ability to hear high frequency sounds diminishes
  • word discrimination = problematic
  • tinitus increases
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14
Q

sense: taste

A
  • no evident decline in tasting in 5 basic flavours
  • less saliva
  • flavours seem blander
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15
Q

senses: smell

A

deteriorates with age

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16
Q

senses: touch

A
  • loss of sensitivity to touch
  • cold and heat can be dangerous
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17
Q

changes in sleep

A
  • more frequent awakening occurs after 65y
  • REM sleep is decreased
  • more likely to wake up early in the morning and go to bed early
  • day time naps compensate for interrupted sleep
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18
Q

dementia

A
  • neurological disorder
  • problems with memory and thinking
  • affects individuals’ emotional, social, physical functioning
  • leading cause of placement into long-care in Canada
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19
Q

depression

A

big concern in late adulthood

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20
Q

Alzheimer’s

A
  • severe form of dementia
  • early onset is slow
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21
Q

Alzheimer’s: early onset

A
  • disorientation in unfamiliar settings
  • memory for recent events go next
  • slow
  • subtle memory difficulties
  • repetitive conversation
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22
Q

Alzheimer’s: memories for long-ago events

A
  • well-rehearsed cognitive tasks are retained late in the illness
  • can be accessed through multiple neural pathways
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23
Q

Alzheimer’s: eventual failure to _____

A
  • recognize family members
  • inability to communicate
  • inability to perform self-care
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24
Q

Alzheimer’s: miscellaneous changes

A
  • changes in appetite
  • facial expressions and emotions of others are difficult to process
  • may be unable to control emotions (sudden bursts of rage)
  • may become excessively dependent
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25
Q

diagnosing Alzheimer’s

A
  • definitive diagnosis = only after death
  • difficult to diagnose early on
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26
Q

early diagnosing of Alzheimer’s

A
  • self-perceived difficulties in performing IADLs
  • biomarkers
  • eye exam
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27
Q

preventing Alzheimer’s

A
  • medication increasing neurotransmittters seem to slow disease’s progress
  • healthy eating and exercise reduce risk
28
Q

incidences of Alzheimer’s

A
  • dementia risks increase after 85
  • 1/11 Canadians show significant symptoms of some form of dementia
  • 85y+ = 1/3 suffer moderate/severe symptoms of dementia
  • 2/3 of those with dementia = Alzheimer’s
29
Q

depression symptoms

A
  • “old-age grumpiness”
  • left untreated by health professionals
  • mistaken for dementia (confusion and memory loss)
  • chronic depressed mood (geriatric dysthymia) also related to life stressors
30
Q

depression risk factors

A
  • emotional loss
  • education
  • gender
  • health status
  • inadequate social support
  • inadequate income - poverty
31
Q

depression: suicide

A
  • suicide rate for all age increase 75% for all ages since 50s
  • elderly Canadians suicide rate is below average
  • men = 5x more likely to commit suicide
32
Q

suicide and men: possible causes

A
  • more troubled by economic stress
  • more likely to view themselves as a burden
  • men do not adjust as well to death of a spouse
  • use more fatal approaches
33
Q

cognitive changes

A
  • still fairly small
  • average decline in intellectual skill
34
Q

wisdom

A
  • hypothesized cognitive characteristic of older adults
  • includes accumulated knowledge +ability to apply knowledge to practical problems
  • performance on wisdom tasks does not decline with age
  • wisdom-related knowledge remains constant across adulthood
  • linked with subjective well-being
35
Q

Erikson’s integrity vs despair

A
  • last psychological stage
  • must achieve sense of self satisfaction with their lives
  • ego integrity
  • reminiscence
36
Q

ego integrity

A
  • feeling that one’s life has been worthwhile
  • process involves coming to terms with death
37
Q

reminiscence

A
  • reflecting on past experience
  • positive emotional experience
  • seen as a way of communicating their experiences to younger individuals
38
Q

life review

A
  • evaluative process
  • elders make judgments about past B
  • balance of + and - emotions
  • quest for generativity continues in importance
39
Q

successful aging tips

A
  • good physical health
  • retention of cognitive abilities
  • meaningful social interactions
  • these are referred as paradigm
40
Q

aging influences

A
  • health
  • life satisfaction
  • mental activity
  • production
  • social engagement
41
Q

criticisms of successful aging paradigm

A
  • sense of control
  • different motivators
  • prescriptive paradigm
42
Q

social engagement and participation

A
  • activity theory
  • disengagement theory
  • continuity theory
43
Q

activity theory

A

idea that activity should be done as much as possible

44
Q

disengagement theory

A
  • older adults should take things more easily
  • should separate themselves from others to a certain degree
45
Q

continuity

A

older adults adapt life-long interests/activities to imposed limitations due to aging

46
Q

social roles

A
  • physical and cognitive changes = responsible for inevitable roles changes
  • some roles due to ageism
  • appearance = often basis for judgment
  • loss of role can result in isolation
  • older adults feel freer to express individuality
47
Q

living arrangements statistics

A
  • 5.6% women live in long-term care institutions
  • 3% men live in long-term care institutions
  • % of married adults drop in LA
48
Q

living arrangements

A
  • married men will have a spouse until they die
  • living alone = most common choice for elders
49
Q

predictability factors with living with child

A
  • health
  • income
  • adult childrens’ characteristics
  • public home care and social support services
50
Q

partnerships

A
  • marital satisfaction increases in later years
  • increase pleasure, decrease in conflict
  • spend more time with each other
  • provide remarkable care for spouse
51
Q

marital satisfaction in later years causes

A
  • loyalty
  • familiarity
  • mutual investmnet
  • reflects Sternberg’s companionate love
52
Q

effects of relationships with adult children

A

good quality + regular contact with children:
- increase quality of life
- can add stress due to roles

53
Q

childless vs with children happiness

A

same level of happiness

54
Q

grandchildren and sibling

A
  • interactions = beneficial for both
  • when grandchildren grow up, spend less time with grandparents
  • relationships with siblings for adult children become more important (since children have died)
55
Q

friendships

A
  • gain importance in elders, even if they diminish in numbers
  • will be reciprocal, equitable
  • provide assistance with daily tasks
56
Q

contact with friends impacts ____

A
  • life satisfaction
  • self-esteem
  • loneliness
57
Q

retirement

A
  • age was on decrease, now increasing (63)
  • many workers continue to work part-time
58
Q

reasons for retirement

A
  • age
  • family considerations
  • financial support
  • health
  • sex differences
  • work characteristics
59
Q

should mandatory retirement exist?

A

use concepts from the chapter

60
Q

effects of retirement: geographic mobility

A
  • 30% of seniors with 5 year period
  • amenity move
  • compensatory migration
  • institutional migration
61
Q

amenity move

A
  • post-retirement move away from kin to location with desirable features
  • ex: Florida snowbirds
62
Q

compensatory migration

A

move near family when elder requires frequent help

63
Q

institutional migration

A

move inot institution (retirement home, nursing home)

64
Q

choosing not to retire

A

those who continue working
- those who retired and started new lines of work (part-time)
- those who never retired from long-term occupations
continuing to work
- perception = work > retirement

65
Q

learning new job skills

A
  • employees have potential concerns about hiring old people
  • learning process does not change with age
  • learning may be slower
  • elders can significantly improve performance on many cognitive tasks
66
Q

workplace functioning

A
  • supervisors typically give higher ratings than younger adults
  • older employees = viewed as more reliable + better quality work