N231: Chapter 9 (Late Adulthood)

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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.


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