Chapters 1 & 2

Question 1

When did Atul Gawande meet his wife Kathleen?

Answer 1

1985

Question 2

Where was Kathleen from?

Answer 2

Alexandria, Virginia

Question 3

How old was Alice Hobson in 1985?

Answer 3

77

Question 4

Where did Alice Hobson live?

Answer 4

Greencastle Street, Arlington, Virginia

Question 5

What kind of car did Alice Hobson drive?

Answer 5

V8 Chevrolet Impala

Question 6

What was different about Alice Hobson compared to Sitaram Gawande?

Answer 6

Alice Hobson lived completely by herself and did everything independently, while Sitaram lived with his extended family, who took care of him.

Question 7

Where did Sitaram Gawande come from?

Answer 7

Uti (300 miles from Mumbai)

Question 8

How did Sitaram Gawande die?

Answer 8

subdural hematoma from falling off a bus

Question 9

What did Rich Hobson’s medical history consist of?

Answer 9

angina, took nitroglycerin tablets,

Question 10

When and what did the Rich Hobson die of?

Answer 10

1965, heart attack

Question 11

In Europe, after the nuclear family replaced the extended family, who usually stayed with the parents during their old age?

Answer 11

The youngest daughter

Question 12

Where did Emily Dickinson come from?

Answer 12

Amherst, Massachusetts

Question 13

What does the term “age heaping” mean?

Answer 13

It’s a phenomenon in which people have always lied about their age.

Question 14

Around when did age heaping reverse to people’s age becoming younger vs older?

Answer 14

During the mid 18th century

Question 15

Which country was the first country with over 100 million elderly people?

Answer 15

China

Question 16

Why do people no longer turn to the elderly for information about the world?

Answer 16

Because they have been replaced with new technology

Question 17

What issue can occur to those living in a traditional household?

Answer 17

generational tension

Question 18

What kind of benefits did children who stayed behind to help their parents get?

Answer 18

financial security, stability, gained more land/shares, etc.

Question 19

What does a lot of economic prosperity rely on?

Answer 19

What does a lot of economic prosperity rely on?

Question 20

What are some benefits to elderly people after the age of the independent self?

Answer 20

They were able to sell land, gain more savings, and retire

Question 21

Who popularized the term “retirement community”?

Answer 21

Del Webb

Question 22

What was Del Webb’s retirement community called and what did in include?
.

Answer 22

Sun City,

• included a shopping mall,
• recreational center
• etc

Question 23

How did the average age a mom had her last child change?

Answer 23

From menopause to 30 or younger

Question 24

What term did a lot of elderly people prefer after living on their own during the age of the independent self?

Answer 24

“intimacy at a distance”

Question 25

What did people view separation of families as?

Answer 25

Freedom

Question 26

Where is Sun City located?

Answer 26

Phoenix, Arizona

Question 27

What is the biggest problem with the age of the independent self?

Answer 27

It doesn't support the reality of old age (inevitable)

Question 28

What did the doctor prescribe Alice Hobson after she had fallen several times and began to feel confused?

Answer 28

Calcium for thinning bones

Question 29

What did Gobikabai Gawande die of and how old was she when she died?

Answer 29

malaria, 30 yrs old

Question 30

What is osteoporosis?

Answer 30

a medical condition in which the bones become brittle and fragile from loss of tissue, typically as a result of hormonal changes, or deficiency of calcium or vitamin D.

Question 31

Over the course of their lifetime, how much mass do the muscles of the jaw lose?

Answer 31

40%

Question 32

How much mass do the bones of the mandible (lower jaw) lose over the course of a human lifetime?

Answer 32

20%

Question 33

For people over the age of 60,what fraction of teeth have they lost (living in US) on average?

Answer 33

1/3

Question 34

After the age of 85, what percentage of people have no teeth at all?

Answer 34

40%

Question 35

What can help avert tooth loss?

Answer 35

Scrupulous dental care

Question 36

When the ability to chew declines and people shift to softer foods, why do they cause more cavities?

Answer 36

Softer foods have a higher amount of fermented carbs

Question 37

What is the hardest substance in the body?

Answer 37

white enamel

Question 38

What happens to salive and blood flow to the teeth as time increases?

Answer 38

Saliva diminishes & blood flow atrophies

Question 39

What happens to the gums of elderly people?

Answer 39

They become inflamed and pull away causing the | base of the teeth to become unstable.

Question 40

What has research said about predicting death from atherosclerotic disease (plaque buildup on artery walls)?

Answer 40

loss of bone density is a better predictor than | cholesterol levels

Question 41

What happens to blood vessels, joints, muscles, and valves of the heart (& lungs) as people age?

Answer 41

They pick up calcium and harden

Question 42

How many of us develop hypertension by the age of 65?

Answer 42

1/2

Question 43

When is the heart's peak output?

Answer 43

the age of 30

Question 44

By what age does one lose a 1/4 and a 1/2 of their muscle | weight?

Answer 44

the age of 80

Question 45

By what age do people begin to lose muscle mass and power?

Answer 45

the age of 40

Question 46

How many joints does the hand have?

Answer 46

29

Question 47

How many named nerve branches does the hand have?

Answer 47

48

Question 48

Deterioration of ___________ in the pads of fingers cause loss of sensitivity to touch

Answer 48

cutaneous mechanoreceptors

Question 49

Where is 40% of muscle mass in your hands located?

Answer 49

thenar muscles

Question 50

From age 50, what percentage do people lose their bone | density each year?

Answer 50

1%

Question 51

What happens to the heart as blood vessels stiffen?

Answer 51

They increase blood pressure and the muscle walls thicken

Question 52

What can cause the joints of the hand to deteriorate?

Answer 52

osteoarthritis

Question 53

What is the difference in the musculature of the thenar muscles of the thumb in an elderly person vs a young person?

Answer 53

Elderly people have flat muscles.

Question 54

What cause loss of dexterity in one's hand?

Answer 54

loss of motor neurons

Question 55

What does loss of dexterity cause?

Answer 55

Loss of handwriting, speed, and vibrations

Question 56

How much does the brain weigh when a person is in their mid 30s?

Answer 56

3 lbs

Question 57

How much gray matter space is left in an elderly person's brain cavity?

Answer 57

1 in

Question 58

What is the first part of the brain to shrink during old age?

Answer 58

frontal lobe

Question 59

What does the frontal lobe of the brain deal with?

Answer 59

judgement & planning

Question 60

What part of the brain deteriorates second?

Answer 60

hippocampus

Question 61

Due to the deterioration of the frontal lobe and hippocampus, what happens to people after mid-life?

Answer 61

They can no longer multi-task.

Question 62

When do processing speed begin to decrease?

Answer 62

before 40s

Question 63

What is the name of the worm/nematode that scientists used to experiment single gene alterations to increase lifespans?

Answer 63

C. elegans