Old Age

Question 1

prejudice or discrimination based on age

Answer 1

o Ageism

Question 2

– gradual, inevitable process of bodily deterioration that begins early in life and continues through years irrespective of what people do to stave it off (nature

Answer 2

o Primary Aging

Question 3

results from disease, abuse, and disuse – factors that are often within a person’s control (nurture)

Answer 3

o Secondary Aging

Question 4

65-74 yrs old

Answer 4

o Young Old

Question 5

75-84 yrs old

Answer 5

o Old Old

Question 6

85 and above

Answer 6

o Oldest old

Question 7

how well a person functions in a physical and social environment in comparison with others of the same chronological age

Answer 7

o Functional Age

Question 8

study of the aged and aging processes

Answer 8

o Gerontology

Question 9

branch of medicine concerned with aging

Answer 9

o Geriatrics

Question 10

the age to which a person born at a certain time and place is statistically likely to live, given his or her current age and health status

Answer 10

o Life Expectancy

Question 11

actual length of life of members of a population

Answer 11

o Longevity

Question 12

death rates

Answer 12

o Mortality Rates

Question 13

longest period that members of our species can live

Answer 13

o Human Life Span

Question 14

– the decline in body functioning associated with aging

Answer 14

o Senescence

Question 15

propose that people’s bodies age according to instructions built into genes and that aging is a normal part of development

Answer 15

o Genetic Programming Theories

Question 16

aging also may be influenced by specific genes “switching off” after age-related losses occur (Epigenesis)

Answer 16

o Programmed Senescence Theory

Question 17

o Telomeres become shorter as the cell divides (cells can divide for no more than 50 times

Answer 17

Hayflick Limit

Question 18

– biological clocks act through hormones to control the pace of aging

Answer 18

o Endocrine Theory

Question 19

programmed decline in immune system functions leads to increased vulnerability to infectious disease and thus to aging and death

Answer 19

o Immunological Theory

Question 20

Aging is an evolved trait thus genes that promote reproduction are selected at higher rates than genes that extend lives

Answer 20

o Evolutionary Theory

Question 21

aging is the results of random processes that vary from person to person (Error theories

Answer 21

o Variable-Rate Theories –

Question 22

– cells and tissues have vital parts that wear out

Answer 22

o Wear-and-Tear Theory

Question 23

Accumulated damage from oxygen radicals causes cells and eventually organs to stop functioning

Answer 23

o Free-Radical Theory –

Question 24

the greater an organism’s rate of metabolism, the shorter its life span

Answer 24

o Rate-of-Living Theory

Question 25

Immune system becomes confused and attacks its own body cells

Answer 25

o Autoimmune Theory

Question 26

represents the percentage of people or animals alive at various age

Answer 26

o Survival Curve

Question 27

– backup capacity that helps body system function to their utmost limits in times of stress

Answer 27

o Reserve Capacity

Question 28

cloudy or opaque areas in the lends of the eyes, are common in older adults

Answer 28

o Cataracts

Question 29

– leading cause of visual impairment in older adults; the retinal cells in the macula degenerate over time, and the center of the retina gradually loses the ability to sharply distinguish fine details

Answer 29

o Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Question 30

irreversible damage to the optic nerve caused by increased pressure in the eye

Answer 30

o Glaucoma

Question 31

exercises or activities that improve daily activity

Answer 31

o Functional Fitness

Question 32

the general term for physiologically caused cognitive and behavioral decline sufficient to interfere with daily activities

Answer 32

o Dementia

Question 33

most common type, caused by specific changes in the brain (abnormal build up of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaque in the brain)

Answer 33

 Alzheimer’s a. Amnesia – memory loss b. Aphasia – inability to express through speech c. Agnosia – inability to recognize familiar objects, tastes, smells d. Apraxia – misuse of objects because failure to identify them e. Anomia – inability to remember the names of things

Question 34

memory loss

Answer 34

a. Amnesia

Question 35

inability to express through speech

Answer 35

b. Aphasia

Question 36

inability to recognize familiar objects, tastes, smells

Answer 36

c. Agnosia

Question 37

inability to recognize familiar objects, tastes, smells

Answer 37

c. Agnosia

Question 38

inability to recognize familiar objects, tastes, smells

Answer 38

c. Agnosia

Question 39

misuse of objects because failure to identify them

Answer 39

d. Apraxia

Question 40

inability to remember the names of things

Answer 40

e. Anomia

Question 41

– caused by strokes or other issues of blood flow in the brain; may be due to diabetes and high cholesterol; have strokes like episodes

Answer 41

 Vascular

Question 42

have movement or balance (stiffness or trembling); daytime sleepiness, confusion, or staring; trouble sleeping at night and visual hallucinations

Answer 42

 Lewy Bodies

Question 43

leads to personality and behavior changes and problems in language skills

Answer 43

 Frontotemporal

Question 44

resulted from gene mutation which impacts movement, behavior, and cognition; personality also changes, loss of coordination, difficulty in swallowing and speaking

Answer 44

 Huntington’s

Question 45

uncontrollable movements, tremor, stiffness, slow movement, prevalent in men than women; nerve cells in basal ganglia become impaired; L-Dopa as treatment

Answer 45

 Parkinson’s

Question 46

measure the intelligence of older adults

Answer 46

o Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale  Older adults tend not to perform as well as younger adults in WAIS but the difference is primarily processing speed and nonverbal performance

Question 47

– scores drop with age in performance scale and slightly on other scales

Answer 47

 Classic Aging Pattern

Question 48

brief storage of sensory information

Answer 48

o Sensory Memory

Question 49

short-term storage of information being actively process

Answer 49

o Working Memory

Question 50

– linked to specific events; most likely to deteriorate with age

Answer 50

o Episodic Memory

Question 51

consists of meanings, facts, and concepts accumulated over lifetime learning; little decline

Answer 51

o Semantic Memory

Question 52

motor skills and habits that once learned; relatively unaffected by age

Answer 52

o Procedural Memory

Question 53

exceptional breadth and depth of knowledge about the conditions of life and human affects and reflective judgement about the application of knowledge

Answer 53

o Wisdom  May involve the lead to transcendence, detachment from preoccupation with the self  The ability to navigate the messiness of life  Older adults tend to make the most of their abilities, often exploiting gains in one area to offset declines in another

Question 54

the hardware of the mind and reflect the neurophysiological architecture of the brain that was developed thru evolution

Answer 54

o Cognitive Mechanics  Speed and accuracy, visual and motor memory, discrimination, comparison, and categorization  Decline begins as soon as early midlife

Question 55

culture-based software program of the mind

Answer 55

o Cognitive Pragmatics  Reading and writing, language, educational qualifications, professional skills, life skills  Decline in old age

Question 56

– focusing on specific aspect of experience that is relevant and ignoring irrelevant info

Answer 56

o Selective Attention

Question 57

concentrating on more than one activity at the same time

Answer 57

o Divided Attention

Question 58

focused and extended engagement with an object, task, event, or some other aspect of the environment

Answer 58

o Sustained Attention

Question 59

– involves planning actions, allocating attention to goals, detecting and compensating for errors, monitoring progress on tasks, etc

Answer 59

o Executive Attention

Question 60

ability to remember where one learned something

Answer 60

o Source Memory

Question 61

remembering to do something in the future

Answer 61

o Prospective Memory

Question 62

informed and detached concern with life itself in the face of death itself

Answer 62

o Wisdom

Question 63

presumes ego integrity without actually facing the difficulties of old age

Answer 63

o Maladaptive Tendency: Presumption

Question 64

contempt of life, one’s own or anyone’s

Answer 64

o Malignant Tendency: Disdain

Question 65

older adults are more likely to pay attention to and then remember positive events than negative events

Answer 65

o Positivity Effect

Question 66

rapid decline in well-being and life satisfaction approx. 3-5 yrs before death

Answer 66

o Terminal Drop

Question 67

adaptive thinking or behavior aimed at reducing or relieving stress that arises from harmful, threatening, or challenging conditions

Answer 67

o Coping

Question 68

people respond to stressful or challenging situations on the basis of two types of analyses:

Answer 68

o Cognitive-Appraisal Model 1. Primary Appraisal – people analyze situation and decide 2. Secondary Appraisal – people evaluate what can be done to prevent harm

Question 69

– normal part of aging involves gradual reduction in social involvement and greater preoccupation with the self

Answer 69

o Disengagement Theory

Question 70

the more active older people are, the better they age

Answer 70

o Activity Theory

Question 71

– people’s need to maintain connection between past and present is emphasized, and activity is viewed as important, not for its own sake but because it represents continuation of previous lifestyle

Answer 71

o Continuity Theory

Question 72

– involves developing abilities that allow for maximum gain as well as developing abilities that compensate for decline and could lead to loss

Answer 72

o Selective Optimization with Compensation  Older adults conserve resources by selecting meaningful goals, optimizing the resources they have to achieve it, and compensating for the losses by using resources in alternative ways to achieve their goals

Question 73

o Phases of Retirement

Answer 73

1. Pre-Retirement – begin to think seriously about the life they want for themselves in retirement and whether they are financially on track to achieve it 2. Retirement – makes the transition from full-time work to retirement they’ve planned 3. Contentment – positive phase when retirees get to enjoy the fruits of a lifetime of labor (Honeymoon period) 4. Disenchantment – they may experience some of the emotional downsides of retirements such as loneliness, disillusionment, and a feeling of uselessness 5. Reorientation – people try to figure who they are and map their place in the world as a retiree 6. Routine – people accept their situation and settle into a new set of routines

Question 74

– begin to think seriously about the life they want for themselves in retirement and whether they are financially on track to achieve it

Answer 74

1. Pre-Retirement

Question 75

– makes the transition from full-time work to retirement they’ve planned

Answer 75

Retirement

Question 76

positive phase when retirees get to enjoy the fruits of a lifetime of labor (Honeymoon period

Answer 76

Contentment

Question 77

they may experience some of the emotional downsides of retirements such as loneliness, disillusionment, and a feeling of uselessness

Answer 77

Disenchantment –

Question 78

– people try to figure who they are and map their place in the world as a retiree

Answer 78

Reorientation

Question 79

people accept their situation and settle into a new set of routines

Answer 79

Routine

Question 80

– staying in their own home

Answer 80

o Aging In Place

Question 81

o Group living arrangements for Older Adults

Answer 81

a. Retirement Hotel b. Retirement Community c. Shared Housing d. ECHO (Elder Cottage Housing Opportunity) Housing e. Congregate Housing f. Assisted-Living Facility g. Foster-Care Home h. Continuing Care Retirement Community

Question 82

aging adults maintain their level of social support by identifying members of their social network who can help them

Answer 82

o Social Convoy Theory

Question 83

as remaining time becomes short, older adults choose to spend time with people and in activities that meet immediate emotional needs

Answer 83

o Socioemotional Selectivity Theory