N231: Chapter 9 (Late Adulthood)
Becoming an Informed Consumer of Development - Consider where you want to live
Try out, temporarily, a community to which you are thinking of moving.
gerontologists
specialist who study aging - growth in some areas, decline in others - considerable diversity in which people change
The intellect can be maintained with
stimulation, practice, and motivation.
Reading becomes more of a strain and eye ___________ occurs more easily
strain
Erikson and other theorists suggest that a major characteristic of personality development in old age is looking backward, called a __________ ____________, where people examine and evaluate their lives.
life review
_______ ______ triggered by increasing prospect of death
life review
Most parents and children remain close
- 75% of children live within a 30-mile drive to their parents - Daughters tend to be in more frequent contact than sons - Mothers tend to be the recipient of communication more than fathers - Children may turn to their elderly parents for advice, information, and monetary help
Glaucoma
- Caused by too much fluid or pressure in the eye - Over production or poor drainage and causes - Damage to optic nerve from increased intraocular pressure --> it must be detected early enough.
Depression
- Characterized by intense sadness, pessimism, and hopelessness - May be a result of cumulative losses in life - Declining health may contribute Some caused from inappropriate drug doses
integrity
- Comes when people feel they have fulfilled the possibilities that have come their way and have few regrets - Views life with satisfaction and contentment - Result is wisdom
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- Common but slow to be detected - Occurs when the macula, the most light sensitive portion of the retina, begins to deteriorate leaving only peripheral vision intact - Most common cause of blindness over age 60 - If diagnosed early, macular degeneration can be treated
Information processing deficits
- Decline in ability to inhibit irrelevant information and thoughts - Decreased speed of processing - Attention declines - Less efficient retrieval
Signs of hearing loss
- Difficulty distinguishing sounds - Withdrawing from society - Increasing volume on TV or radio - Tilting head toward person speaking - Cupping hand around ear - Watching the speaker's lips - Speaking loudly - Not responding when spoken to
Optic nerve becomes less efficient:
- Distant objects are seen less clearly - Need more light to see clearly - Take longer to adjust to changes in lighting
Explanations for apparent changes in memory among older people tend to focus on three main categories:
- Environmental factors - Information processing deficits - Biological factors
Lesser declines associated with intelligence:
- Good health - High Socio-economic status - Intellectually stimulating environment - Flexible personality - Feeling satisfied with accomplishments earlier in life
Leading cause of death:
- Heart disease, cancer, and stroke - Weakening of the body's immune system, older adults are also more susceptible to infectious
Reduce the risk of translocation stress syndrome by
- Keeping them involved in the decision about the move - Accommodate preferences and daily practices - Family and friends should continue to visit and communicate regularly
Few events are more painful than death of spouse
- No longer part of a couple - Must deal with profound grief - No one to share life with and social life often changes - Economic changes often occur - For most, life becomes enjoyable once again
Despair
- Occurs when people feel dissatisfied with their life, and experience gloom, unhappiness, depression, anger, or the feeling that they have failed - Want another chance at life because of regrets
Physical or psychological mistreatment or neglect of elderly individuals
- Often stems from economic, psychological, and social pressures on caregivers who must provide high levels of care 24 hours a day
peripheral slowing hypothesis
- Older adults' reaction time slows significantly - This hypothesis suggests that overall processing speed declines in peripheral nervous system (nerves that branch from spinal cord and brain to body's extremities)
Considerations when assessing intellectual functioning of older adults:
- Overall health - Medications - Polypharmacy - Sensory impairments (vision, hearing) - Motivation - Spiritual beliefs and Support systems - Educational level - Length of time to do tasks
Alzheimer's Disease
- Progressive brain disorder - Produces memory loss and confusion - Develops gradually - Affects recent memories first and then older memories fade. - Causes total confusion, inability to speak intelligibly or recognize closest family members - Loss of voluntary muscle control
ageism
- Refers to any attitude, action, or institutional structure - Discriminates against individuals on the basis of age - Infers that elderly people are inferior to those who are younger
Siblings, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren provide an important source of comfort to adults in last years of their lives - siblings - Children
- Siblings are important because of shared life -Children often most important
What part of the Alzheimer's brain shows deterioration?
- The brain , and several areas of the hippocampus and frontal and temporal lobes show deterioration. - Furthermore, certain neurons die, which leads to a shortage of various neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine
Dementia
- The most common mental disorder of old people, a broad category covering several diseases, each of which includes serious memory loss accompanied by declines in other mental functioning. - Signs are declining memory, lessened intellectual abilities, and impaired judgment.
physical changes in the Alzheimer's brain
- inflammation and deterioration of nerve cells; eventual neuron death and shortage of neurotransmitters - brain shrinks - genetic link - other non-genetic factors - no cure, but treatment for symptoms
Treatment and cure of Alzheimer's
- no cure - drugs effective only half of Alzheimer's patients - Treatment deals only with the symptoms - Many end in nursing homes
Elderly have a fixed income:
- social security - pensions - savings
signs from visual change:
- ´Withdrawal from social contact - Mismatched clothing - Decrease in reading - holding book further away - Increase in falls, stumbling, spills, bruising, and tendency to get lost
Overall, ___% of people age 65 and older live in poverty, and 6% in near poverty.
10%
Fatality rate of Alzheimer's
100,000 people in US each year
How many elderly are faced with mistreatment or neglect, typically by a family member?
11%
Psychological illness
15 to 25 percent of those over age 65 show some symptoms - depression, dementia, etc.
Rising health care costs: ____% of income is spent on healthcare.
20%
old people may shrink up to
4 inches
Drivers over ____ have as many fatal accidents per mile driven as teenagers
70
19% of people ____ to ___ have Alzheimer's
75-84
Becoming an Informed Consumer of Development - Explore interests before retirement
Assess what you like about your current job and think how that might be translated into leisure activities.
Becoming an Informed Consumer of Development - Plan ahead financially.
Because most financial experts suggest that Social Security pensions will be inadequate in the future, personal savings are critical. Similarly, having adequate health care insurance is essential.
Biological factors
Brain and body deterioration - especially frontal lobe
Great-grandparents
Close relationships tend to occur only when the great-grandparents and great-grandchildren live relatively near one another
What happens to fluid and crystallized intelligence with old age?
Fluid intelligence declines with age, while crystallized intelligence remains steady and may, in some cases, actually improve
_________________ tend to be more involved with their grandchildren than grandfathers; similarly, there are gender differences in the feelings grandchildren have toward their grandparents.
Grandmothers
Hypertension
High blood pressure, striking about one-third of older people
Arthritis
Inflammation of one or more joints, is common, striking around half of older people
Osteoporosis
Often brought about by a lack of calcium in the diet - in younger years. Still important to get calcium and vitamin D in diet as get older. While may not be able to reverse effects of osteoporosis, can prevent further bone loss
___________ ________ of life are remembered more easily than others.
Particular periods
Becoming an Informed Consumer of Development - Plan to volunteer your time
People who retire have an enormous wealth of skills, and these are often needed by nonprofit organizations and small businesses. Organizations such as the Retired Senior Volunteer Program or the Foster Grandparent Program can help match your skills with people who need them.
In both groups, autobiographical memory frequently follows the
Pollyanna Principal.
What can lead to prolonged wellness during old age?
Proper diet, exercise, and avoidance of health risks
The nurse is caring for an agitated older client with Alzheimer's disease. Which nursing intervention most likely would calm the client?
Putting an arm around the client's waist
Becoming an Informed Consumer of Development - Consider tapering off from work gradually
Sometimes it is possible to enter into retirement by shifting from full-time to part-time work. Such a transition may be helpful in preparing for eventual full-time retirement.
Do older adults have the ability to learn information?
Still have the ability to be taught and remember essential information
What helps maintain mental abilities?
Stimulation, practice and motivation
Polypharmacy
Taking excess and unneeded combinations of drugs that may cause drug interactions, toxicity, confusion, or depression
Translocation Stress Syndrome
When an elderly person is moved from a private residence to another location they experience physical and emotional deterioration.
Institutionalism
a psychological state in which people develop apathy, indifference, and a lack of caring about themselves.
Institutionalism is brought about by
a sense of learned helplessness, a belief that one has no control over one's environment. - profound effect on the person's well-being
taste buds
about half of that of the young adult, females have more than males
But slowing of reaction time and general processing results in higher incidence of
accidents for the elderly
Nursing institutions -
adult day care, assisted living, skilled nursing facility
Specialized living environments include
adult daycare, assisted living, skilled nursing
late adulthood
begins at 60 and ends at death
Parents see their children as perpetuating their
beliefs, values, and standards
Sense of helplessness brought about by institutionalism can literally have ___________ consequences.
deadly
If take longer to do something some may interpret as they don't know how - but may just be
cautious or slower to perform tasks
When to retire is a major _______ faced by the majority of people in late adulthood.
decision
Brain becomes smaller and lighter, reduction in blood flow to the brain, & number of neurons
declines
Number of fibers composing the optic fiber ____________ over time
decreases
Life review
deliberately recalling memories about life events; it is the life history or story in a structured, sequential, autobiographical way. It is a guided or directed cognitive process, used with a goal in mind.
Taste ____________ on smell so loss of smell makes food taste even blander
dependent
Parents often have a greater _______________ _________ in close ties because they see their children as perpetuating their beliefs, values, and standards.
developmental stake
Adjustment to living with children is
difficult
Loss of independence brought about by institutional life may lead to
difficulties
taste and smell both become less
discriminating and decreased salivation
A ___________ is built into Social Security by having workers taxed at higher rates on both Social Security and earnings. - the earlier you retire, the less money you get •Many people continue to work full- or part-time for some part of late adulthood.
disincentive
Which hypothesis is more accurate?
do not know
Becoming an Informed Consumer of Development - Determine the advantages and disadvantages of ___________ your current home.
downsizing
lacrimal glands produce fewer tears
dry eyes, irritation
culture influences how we treat the
elderly - some cultures: the elderly are highly respected, while in others may been seen as dependent so seen more negativity - children appear the most positive in their view of the elderly.
Declines in memory affect mainly _____________ memories and short-term memory.
episodic
Not all grandparents are _______ involved with their grandchildren
equally
Some surveys even indicate that older adult parents talk about their children nearly
every day
Because late adulthood may bring with it a gradual loss of control in other areas, such as in one's health, the ability to maintain ___________ may take on more importance than in other stages of life.
friendships
Life expectancy, which has risen for centuries, varies with
gender, race, and ethnicity
loss of vision is
gradual
•Most young adult grandchildren feel closer to their _________________ than to their grandfathers. •Most express a preference for their maternal _______________ over their paternal grandmothers.
grandmothers
Greater the extent of nursing home care
greater adjustment required by residents
The decision to retire is based on a variety of factors including:
health, burnout, employer incentives, desire to travel or spend time with family etc.
Mandatory retirement is ___________ (since the 1970s) with the exception of certain public safety jobs such as police, firefighters, prison guards, and pilots.
illegal
Reminiscence
involves informal sharing of bits and pieces of the past that surface to the consciousness and involves the feeling related to the memories - thus includes affective and cognitive functions - Can trigger other memories and bring back sights, sounds, and even smells of the past
primary aging
is aging that involves universal and irreversible changes that, due to genetic programming, occur as people get older.
Social support
is assistance and comfort supplied by a network of caring, interested people. Such support plays a critical role in successful aging.
secondary aging
is changes in physical and cognitive functioning that are due to illness, health habits, and other individual differences, but which are not due to increased age itself and are not inevitable. - discussed in previous chapters. - prevent by healthy lifestyle
Crysallized Intelligence
is the information, skills, and strategies that people have accumulated through experience which they can apply to solve problems (such as a crossword puzzle).
Cataracts
lens becomes opaque, diminished vision, and increased sensitivity to glare - less light passes thru lens, lens can be - surgically removed and intraocular lens implants
Heart pumps _____ blood and walls of veins becomes thicker
less
Studies indicate that older adults who were able to make their own living choice -lived _______ than those who did not have a choice of where to live
longer
Environmental factors
medications, motivation (retirement - not relying on memory as much) etc.
autobiographical memory
memories or information about one's own life
who is married more?
men
Becoming an Informed Consumer of Development - If you are married or in a long-term partnership, spend some time discussing views of ideal retirement with _____
partner
Sometimes life review can lead to sadness and anger if _____________ about reliving old unpleasant memories.
obsessive
Most older people have at least ____ chronic, long-term condition
one
We cannot define old age by chronological years alone; we must also take into account
people's physical and psychological well-being, their functional ages.
Less digestive juices & less efficient ________________. Constipation is a big problem for the elderly
peristalsis
The decrease in senses results in
poor nutrition and loss of appetite
Many elderly people live below
poverty level
Synesis
primary aging (irreversible and genetic)
Erikson's last stage (8 total) Integrity-versus-despair
process of looking back over one's life, evaluating it, and coming to terms with it.
Production of the beta amyloid precursor ____________—a protein that normally helps the production and growth of neurons—goes awry.
protein - This produces large clumps of cells that trigger inflammation and deterioration of nerve cell
Decision process slowed - so cannot remove selves from harms way as _________
quickly
Fluid intelligence
reflects information processing capabilities, reasoning, and memory.
Some cognitive abilities gradually decline; others stay
relatively steady
Efficiency of ___________ system declines with age
respiratory
Possibly the addition of ______ and the development of hypertension
salt
People recall material that "fits" their current
self-view
Lens thickens and yellows and cells within the lens lose water and begin to ____________
shrink
Olfactory bulbs in the brain ________ and reduce the ability to smell.
shrink
Elder abuse typically involves a
socially isolated elderly parent in poor health and a caregiver who feels burdened by the parent.
cartilage in old people becomes
thinner
Lens becomes less
transparent - only a third of the light reaches the retina at age 60 vs 20
There is no __________ __________ in adulthood of age-related changes across all intellectual abilities.
uniform pattern
The process of aging is _____ for each person.
unique
Pleasant memories are more likely to be recalled than
unpleasant memories.
Loss of _________ control, even swallowing
voluntary
More men are married - probably due to women living longer than men so become
widows and don't remarry
In late adulthood, people are subject to some of the same principals of recall as
younger people
Generalized slowing hypothesis
´Processing in all parts of the nervous system, including the brain, is less efficient ´Older people have more accidents ´Decision process is slowed down
functional age
•a very healthy, active 100 year old would be considered young old while an ill and frail 65 year old would be considered oldest old.
