Life-Span Development Chapter 17: Physical Development in Late Adulthood

The decline in vision and hearing is much greater in individuals?

75 yeas and older than in individuals 65 to 74 years of age.

Oldest-old

85 years and older.

Osteoporosis

A chronic condition that involves an extensive loss of bone tissue and is the main reason many older adults walk with a marked stoop.

Demyelination

A deterioration in the myelin sheath (occurs with aging in older adults) that encases axons, which is associated with information processing of the brain.

Free-radical theory

A micorbiological theory of aging that states that people age because normal metabolic processes within their cells produce unstable oxygen molecules known as free radicals. These molecules ricochet around inside cells, damaging DNA and other cellular structures.

These prolonged, elevated levels of stress-related hormones are associated with increased risks for many diseases, including?

Cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and hypertension.

Defects in mitochondria are linked with?

Cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, and decline in liver functioning.

What is the leading cause of death in U.S. 65- to 74-year-olds?

Cardiovascular disease.

Telomeres

each time a cell divides these become shorter

frontal lobes and hippocampus

from 22 to 88 years of age a decrease in total brain volume and volume and key brain structures like the ______________ and________________ occurs.

options for control

giving nursing home residents __________ can change behavior and improve health.

Three aspects of nutrition are especially important in older adults:

(1) getting adequate nutrition, (2) avoiding overweight and obesity, and (3) the role of calorie restriciton in improving health and extending life.

As people age, the hormones stimulated by stress remain at what level? And is it longer or shorter then when people were younger?

- Elevated - Longer than they did when people were younger.

Researchers who study exercise and aging have made the following discoveries:

- Exercise is linked to increased longevity. - Exercise is related to prevention of common chronic diseases - Exercise is associated with improvement in the treatment of many diseases. - Exercise improves older adults' cellular functioning. - Exercise improves immune system functioning in older adults. - Exercise can optimize body composition and reduce the decline in motor skills as aging occurs. - Exercise reduces the likelihood that older adults will develop mental health problems and can be effective in the treatment of mental health. - Exercise can reduce the negative effects of stress in older adults. - Exercise is linked to improved brain, cognitive, and affective functioning in older adults.

Of the oldest-old how many are institutionalized that report some limitation of activity or difficulties in caring for themselves.

1/4th.

On average, the brain loses 5% to 10% of its weight between the ages of?

20 and 90.

What percentage of U.S. adult 65 to 74 years old die of cancer or cardiovascular disease.

60%.

Young-old

65 - 84 years of age.

Cataracts

A thickening of the lens of the eye that causes vision to become cloudy, opaque, and distorted.

Allostatic load

A wearing down of body systems due to constant activity of responding to stressors.

Three diseases that can impair the vision of older adults are?

Cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.

Perls refers to this process of staving off high-mortality chronic diseases until much later ages than usual as the?

Compression of morbidity.

Glaucoma

Damage to the optic nerve because of the pressure created by a buildup of fluid in the eye.

Smell and taste decline less in healthy or less healthy older adults?

Decline less in healthy older adults than in their less healthy counterparts.

Other characteristics of centenarians in the The New England Centenarian study include the following:

Few of the centenarians are obese, habitual smoking is rare, and only a small percentage (less than 15%) have had significant changes in their thinking skills (disproving the belief that most centenarians likely would develop Alzheimer disease).

From 22 to 88 years of age what parts of the brain decrease in volume?

Frontal lobes and hippocampus.

Artherosclerosis

Hardening of the arteries.

Centenarians

Individuals 100 years and older is increasing at a rate of approximately 75 each year.

Supercentenarians

Individuals 110 years or older.

Arthritis

Inflammation of the joints that is accompanied by pain, stiffness, and movement problems, this disease is especially common in older adults.

Late-onset alcoholism

Is the label used to describe the onset of alcoholism after the age of 65. Is often related to loneliness, loss of a spouse, or a disabling condition.

Cellular clock theory

Leonard Hayflick's theory that the maximum number of times that human cells can divide is about 75 to 80. As we age, our cells have less capacity to divide.

An increased interest in successful aging is producing a portrayal of the oldest-old that is more optimistic than?

Past stereotypes.

Aging has also been linked to reduction in?

Synaptic functioning and the production of some neurotransmitters, including acetylcholine, dopamine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid.

What one area of the brain shrinks the most with aging?

The prefrontal cortex.

Allostasis

The short term, however, continuous accommodation of physiological systems in response to stressors. Process of adaptation and adjustment.

Cellular clock, free-radical, and mitochondrial theories attempt to explain aging at what level?

The cellular level.

Neurogenesis

The generation of new neurons, does occur in lower mammalian species, such as mice.

Life span

The maximum number of years an individual can live. The life span of human beings is about 120 to 125 years of age.

Life expectancy

The number of years that will probably be lived by the average person born in a particular year.

Functional age

The person's actual ability to function - an 85-year-old might well be more biologically and psychologically fit than a 65-year-old.

Hormonal stress theory

The theory that aging in the body's hormonal system can decrease resistance to stress and increase the likelihood of disease.

Mitochondrial theory

The theory that aging is caused by the decay of mitochondria. It appears that this decay is primarily caused by oxidative damage and loss of critical micronutrients supplied by the cell.

Evolutionary theory of aging

This theory states that natural selection has not eliminated many harmful conditions and nonadaptive characteristics in older adults; thus, the benefits confered by evolution decline with age because natural selection is linked to reproductive fitness.

50%

______% or more of older adults complain of having difficulty sleeping which can have detrimental effects on their lives.

Mitochondria

Tiny bodies within cells that supply essential energy for function, growth, and repair - might play in aging.

Vision

With aging, visual acuity, color vision, and depth perception decline.

70%

____% have older adults had impaired touch.

poor sleep

________________ is a risk factor for falls, obesity, a lower level of cognitive functioning, and earlier death.

female gender, depressed mood, and physical illness

a recent research review concluded that_______________________ you're the most consistently identified risk for future sleep problems in older adults.

institutionalized

almost one-fourth of the oldest old are what?

61%

by the time adults reach 75 years of age what percent is female?

aerobic fitness

higher levels of ______________ were linked with greater volume in the hippocampus, which translates into better memory.

8 minutes per decade for males and about 10 minutes per decade for females

how much does sleep decrease as people get older?

7%

in industrialized countries the number of centurions is increasing at what rate each year?

40%

lung capacity drops ___% between the ages of 20 and 80 even when disease is not present.

dopamine

normal age-related reduction in_______________ may cause problems in planning and carrying out motor activities.

focus on the patient's right to privacy, access to medical information, safety and lifestyle freedom with in the individuals range of mental and physical capabilities

nursing home concerns should include?

glare

the greatest decline in visual perception beyond 75 and especially beyond 85 involved?

female

the oldest old today are mostly male or female?

Allostasis is

the process of adaptation and adjustment when the body is faced with external challenges such stressful situations

increases, women

the risk of falling in older adults__________ with age and is more common in?

slept 10 hours a day or more

when older adults ______________ they were more likely to have cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

the adaptiveness of the human brain in older adults

whether the brain can generate new neurons, dendritic growth, and delateralization reflects what?

males

who is most likely to die from the most of the leading causes of death in the United States, including cancer of the respiratory system, motor vehicle accidents, cirrhosis of the liver, emphysema and coronary heart disease?