Basic Aspects of Aging: Lesson 1
biological aging
(physiological) changes reduce the efficiency of organ systems, such as the lungs, heart, and circulatory system
chronic disease
a disease that persists over a long period of time; disease may be progressive, resulting in complete of partial disability
population aging
a global phenomenon, taking place in nearly every country in every part of the world
cohort
a group of individuals sharing a common characteristic and observed over time in a group
geriatrics
a speciality within the health professions that is concerned with prevention or management of disease that may occur as individuals age
oldest-old
anyone 85 years or older; this age group composes only about 1% of the total U.S. population
birth cohort
used to describe groups of people who were born at approximately the same time and therefore share many common life experiences
cross-sectional study
compares people of different chronological ages at the same measurement period
social aging
comprises an individual's changing roles and relationships with family, friends, and other informal roles such as work and volunteering
chronological aging
definition of aging based on a person's years lived from birth
psychological aging
encompasses alterations that occur in cognitive abilities, emotions and adaptive capacity, and personality
crossover effect
example: life expectancy at birth, by race and sex in the U.S. African American's shorter life expectancy due to health care disparities; however those who reach 75 yrs are more robust and live longer than whites
centenarians
individuals who have reached 100 years of age
super centenarians
individuals who have reached 110 years of age or more
social gerontology
multidisciplinary study of the biological, psychological, and social aspects of aging
compression of morbidity
premature death is minimized because disease and functional declines are compressed into a brief period of 3-5 years before death
dependency ratio
refers to the number of people age 65 and older to every 100 people of traditional working age
skipped generation households
relating to a household in which grandparents are the primary or sole caregiver for their grandchildren
longitudinal study
research method where measurements of the same person over a specific period of time (years)
sequential designs
research method; three types 1) cohort-sequential: longitudinal design, 2+ cohorts are followed for a period of time so that measurements are taken of different cohorts at the same age but at different points in time 2) time sequential: used to distinguish between age and time of measurement or historical factor 3) cross-sequential: combines cross-sectional and longitudinal designs
filial piety
seen in Asian culture; emphasizes the importance of being good and compassionate to one's elders and to honor one's ancestors
demographics
studies changes in human population over time
life expectancy
the average length of time one could expect to live if one were born in a particular year and if death rates were to remain constant
active life expectancy
the average number of years of life in an independent state, free from significant disability
rectangulization of the survival curve
the ideal situation where all people would survive to the maximum life span
baltimore longitudinal study of aging
the largest and longest-running longitudinal study
maximum life span
the length of years a given species could expect to live if all environmental hazards were eliminated
modernization theory
the transformation of a society from a relatively rural way of life toward an urban way, with highly differentiated institutions and individual roles
life course perspective
understanding older adulthood as part of a continuity of human development across a life span
