CH 18 & 19

eldercare

Physical and emotional caretaking for older members of the family, whether by giving day- to-day physical assistance or by being responsible for overseeing such care.

Parkinson disease

A chronic, progressive disease characterized by muscle tremors, slowing of movement, and partial facial paralysis.

dementia

A global term for any neurological disorder in which the primary symptoms involve a deterioration of mental functioning.

major depression

A mood disorder in which the individual is deeply unhappy, demoralized, self- derogatory, and bored. The person does not feel well, loses stamina easily, has poor appetite, and is listless and unmotivated. Major depression is so widespread that it has been called the "common cold" of mental disorders.

semantic memory

A person's knowledge about the world—including a person's fields of expertise, general academic knowledge of the sort learned in school, and "everyday knowledge."

Alzheimer disease

A progressive, irreversible brain disorder characterized by a gradual deterioration of memory, reasoning, language, and eventually physical function.

divided attention

Concentrating on more than one activity at the same time.

integrity versus despair

Erikson's eighth and final stage of development, which individuals experience in late adulthood. This involves reflecting on the past and either piecing together a positive review or concluding that one's life has not been well spent.

wisdom

Expert knowledge about the practical aspects of life that permits excellent judgment about important matters.

sustained attention

Focused and extended engagement with an object, task, event, or other aspect of the environment.

selective attention

Focusing on a specific aspect of experience that is relevant while ignoring others that are irrelevant.

explicit memory

Memory of facts and experiences that individuals consciously know and can state.

implicit memory

Memory without conscious recollection; involves skills and routine procedures that are automatically performed.

convoy model of social relations

Model in which individuals go through life embedded in a personal network of individuals to whom they give and from whom they receive support.

ageism

Prejudice against others because of their age, especially prejudice against older adults.

prospective memory

Remembering to do something in the future.

multi-infarct dementia

Sporadic and progressive loss of intellectual functioning caused by repeated temporary obstruction of blood flow in cerebral arteries.

cognitive mechanics

The "hardware" of the mind, reflecting the neurophysiological architecture of the brain. Cognitive mechanics involve the speed and accuracy of the processes involving sensory input, visual and motor memory, discrimination, comparison, and categorization.

source memory

The ability to remember where one learned something.

cognitive pragmatics

The culture-based "software programs" of the mind. Cognitive pragmatics include reading and writing skills, language comprehension, educational qualifications, professional skills, and also the type of knowledge about the self and life skills that help us to master or cope with life.

selective optimization with compensation theory

The theory that successful aging is related to three main factors: selection, optimization, and compensation.

activity theory

The theory that the more active and involved older adults are, the more likely they are to be satisfied with their lives.

generational inequity

The view that our aging society is being unfair to its younger members because older adults pile up advantages by receiving inequitably large allocations of resources.

socioemotional selectivity theory

he theory that older adults become more selective about their social networks. Because they place a high value on emotional satisfaction, older adults often spend more time with familiar individuals with whom they have had rewarding relationships.

episodic memory

the retention of information about the where and when of life's happenings.

possible selves

what individuals might become, what they like to become and what there are afraid of becoming.