ch. 14

Question 1

Ageism

Answer 1

A prejudice in which people are categorized and judged solely on the basis of their chronological age.

Question 2

Elderspeak

Answer 2

-Resembles baby talk
-Use of short and simple sentences
-Exaggerated emphasis
-Repetition
-Slower rate and higher pitch than normal speech

Question 3

The Elderly’s View of Ageism

Answer 3

Ageism becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Stereotype threat can be as debilitating for the aged as for other groups
.
Stereotype threat refers to the risk of confirming negative stereotypes about an individual’s racial, ethnic, gender, or cultural group

Question 4

Late Adulthood

Answer 4

60s until death
-Potentially the longest of any period of development

Question 5

Life Span
–Life expectancy:

Answer 5

Life Span
-The maximum number of years an individual can live
–Life expectancy: number of years that the average person in a particular year will probably live.

Question 6

Young-old
Old-old
Oldest-old

Answer 6

Young-old
65-74 years old
Old-old
75-84 years old
Oldest-old
85 and older

Question 7

The Effects of Falling

Answer 7

Due to aging bones become:
More porous
Loss of calcium
Loss of strength
Osteoporosis

Question 8

Vision:

Answer 8

Vision:
Decline in vision becomes more pronounced
-Adaptation to dark
-Color vision
-Depth perception

Question 9

Auditory problems:

Answer 9

Auditory problems:
Impairments are typical in late adulthood
By age 90, the average man is almost deaf, as are about half of the women

Question 10

The Centenarians
Lifestyles that promote old age:

Answer 10

Lifestyles that promote old age:

Diet: little meat or fat
Work: even the old do work
Family and community: well integrated into family and community
Exercise and relaxation: most walk often, nap, and socialize

Question 11

The Aging Brain

Answer 11

-Senescence reduces production of neurotransmitters that allow a nerve impulse to jump quickly.
-Results in a brain slowdown, seen in reaction time, talking, and thinking.
-Brain slowdown correlates with slower walking and most other physical disabilities.

Question 12

The Impaired: Diseases that Affect the Brain
Dementia

Answer 12

Dementia
-Global term for any neurological disorder in which the primary symptoms are a deterioration of mental functioning

-Often lose ability to
–care for themselves
–recognize familiar places and people

Question 13

Alzheimer Disease

Answer 13

Alzheimer disease (AD)
-Most common form of dementia (50%)
-Gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, social & physical functioning
—-Progressive, Irreversible

-Early-onset versus Late-onset
—-Early-onset = initial onset before age 65; rare (about 10% of all cases)
—-Late-onset = initial onset age 65 or older

Question 14

STAGES

Answer 14

Stage 1: Absentmindedness about recent events or newly acquired info
Stage 2: More generalized confusion & memory loss; personality changes
Stage 3: Dangerous memory loss, need help with basic care, fail to recognize friends
Stage 4: Need full-time care, fail to recognize family, communication problems
Stage 5: no longer talk, fail to respond

Question 15

Other Dementias

Answer 15

Parkinson disease
Does not always lead to dementia

Starts with rigidity or tremor of the muscles as neurons that produce dopamine degenerate.

Younger adults with Parkinson disease may avoid dementia for years; older people develop dementia sooner.

Question 16

Prevention and Treatment

Answer 16

Regular physical exercise
Reduces the incidence of all forms of dementia by half.

Avoiding the pathogens that cause dementia
-Testing beef for mad cow disease
-Using condoms to protect against AIDS
-Treating syphilis with antibiotics

Question 17

Prevention and Treatment
steps

Answer 17

Steps:
Taking care of the overall health of the person
Getting a proper diagnosis
Starting appropriate treatment

Question 18

Older and Wiser?

Answer 18

Integrity vs. Despair
Final stage in Erikson’s model in which older people gain interest in the arts, in children, and in human experience as a whole.