Aging Flashcards
How is Canada’s population changing?
Its aging, due to the baby boomers. In the year 2016 was the 1st time we had more seniors than children. Due to adults not dying.
Jobs are about to need filling due to baby boomers leaving the workforce.
What are the stages of adult development?
Young, middle, older OR
young-old (3rd age)
old old (4th age)
How does positive affect change over life?
it goes up
Also, well being on teh cantril ladder dips around 50 then goes up over time, with women almost always being higher than men.
What is the cantril ladder?
Measure of well being, ranging from suffering to struggling to thriving. Canada’s score is 7.3, with sweden outscoring us at 7.6.
What is the paradox of aging?
Why are older adults happier??
Life lived: life experience leads to better emotional regulation skills
Life left: limited time leads to prioritizing different goals.
What is the socioemotional selectivity theory?
Motivations change as people age and they realize their time is limited.
Knowledge goals: prioritized when younger and time is open ended. Getting new skills, making friends, doing things you may not wanna do but you think will set you up for the future.
Emotion goals are prioritized when time is limited (older age). want to find the meaning in life, don’t do things you don’t wanna do, but may make you more reactive when a stressor does come.
This works for any situation when time is coming to an end (terminal illness, collage degree etc)
Explains psychological well being.
What happens in young adulthood? How do you detect biological age?
Education, workforce, marriage, starting a family etc. Are usually happier if they have privilages like being able to go to university.
Millenials and Gen z are young adults right now.
Biological aging can be detected in young adults, via blood tests and physical exams, and found that everyone aged 38 had biological ages from 28-61
What happens in midlife?
Not a lot of research here, assuming not much happens in midlife, difficult to find participants and no clear age boundaries where it starts and ends.
Defined by chronological age and social roles (40s to 60s sort of) older people say it starts and ends later.
Social roles: empty nesting, caring for aging parent, becoming a grandparent, reaching career goals. People have lots of power in midlife.
Can also have ‘midlife crisis’ which aren’t really things, can happen at any time. Illness, divores, job loss, financial problems.
What is generativity and the experience corps program?
Generativity is an important goal in mid and later life, guiding next generation and passing on knowlege to them. leaving a ‘legacy’
Experience corps program pairs intergenerational volunteers where older adults tutor young kinds in reading. Win win! promotes health, cognition, social engagement and helps the kids too!
What happens in older adulthood?
Chancellor otto von Bismarck thought that pension for workers should be at 70 but was later lowered to 65, people arent’ doing that as much anymore.
Major roles: retirement, loss of loved ones, grandparent, caring for spouse or older adults, volunteering.
What are the 3rd and 4th ages?
old age extends over multiple decades.
3rd age: golden years after retirement before big health problems set in
HIghest levels of emiotional well being.
4th age: cognitive and physical decline, being ‘frail’ and dependant on others.
- often female widows who are hospitalized in final years living with multiple chronic health conditions.
What happens closer to death?
life satisfaction declines, no matter what age you’re at.
Has adulthood become more stressful?
Historical changes such as economic recession can impact aging and health.
