Kensinger: Aging Flashcards
(52 cards)
What are 5 main aspects of aging?
- Social-emotional
- Societal
- Evolutionary
- Neurobiological
- Cognitive
What are the 3 main socio-emotional aspects of aging?
- Living with limitations (mobility, interests)
- Smaller world (loneliness)
- Purpose in life (retirement, depression, loss)
What is ageism?
Prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination based on age
What’s the difference between prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination?
Prejudice = how we feel
Stereotyping = how we think (takes individual dignity away)
Discrimination = how we act
Why isn’t ageism banned yet?
It’s more socially accepted and often meant as an innocent thing
What are the benefits of employing an older person?
- more experience
- less panic
- mentoring
- loyal
What are 5 things you can do about ageism?
- raise awareness
- speak out
- no prejudices/stereotypes
- treat everyone the same
- promote inter-generational contact
What is the consequence of exposure to ageism?
It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
What is a societal aspect of aging? Name three consequences of this
Due to baby-boom there are more older adults with increased longevity
- Elderly live autonomously as long as possible
- Increased pressure on family/caretakers
- Financing retirements is problematic
From an evolutionary perspective, why do we age?
- Evolutionary pressure of natural selection
- There is no evolutionary pressure to select genes that promote successful aging
How does our sleep rhythm develop over age? What are the consequences of this?
- Less deep sleep
- More active in the morning
- Need for naps
Consequences: reduced cognitive performance, weaker memory consolidation
What’s the difference between ontogenesis and fylogenesis?
Ontogenesis = individual development
Fylogenesis = development of the species
What is dual aging?
More older adults and more longevity
What are 4 main aspects of cognitive decline?
- Regulative functions
- Memory
- Self-efficacy & self-management
- Orienting
What are considered regulative functions and how does this decline with age?
- Stability and flexibility (switching tasks, shielding goals)
- Working memory (updating, remembering)
- Planning, impulse control
It declines because of deterioration PFC
Which brain regions decline first with age?
(Dorsolateral) prefrontal cortex + hippocampus
What is the difference between self-efficacy and self-management ability? How does this decline with age?
Self-efficacy = self-confidence
Self-management = capacity to control own behavior/emotions
This declines because of prefrontal decline
Which type of memory gets harder to remember with age?
Contextual details of events (where, who, when)
What are the 4 notions of orienting?
- Notion of place (where you are)
- Notion of temporal space (where were you then)
- Notion of contextual space
- Notion of autobiographical space (who are you)
Which cognitive aspect declines fast with dementia?
Memory and orienting
What are cognitive processes that remain stable with age and which processes can improve with age?
Stable: creativity, language, social
Improve: crystallized knowledge, wisdom
What are the two main purposes of intervention and prevention in aging?
- promote resilience against stressors
- prevent neurocognitive decline
Which three factors are important in personal differences in cognitive status with aging?
- lifestyle
- social connectedness/purpose in life
- brain and skill training
What is most important to establish social connectedness at later age?
- intergenerational contact
- meaning
- activity
- competence