Late Adulthood
Biosocial Development
Ageism-a prejudice whereby people are categorized and judged solely on the basis of their chronological age.
Becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that comes true because people believe it.
If people of any age treat older people as if they are frail and confused, that treatment might make the aged more dependent on others
If people believe that the norms for young adults should apply to everyone they may try to fix the old. If they fail they give up
If older people themselves think that their age makes them feeble, they stop taking care of themselves and avoid social interactions, and that itself makes them age faster
Ageism fosters anxiety, morbidity, and even mortality
Elderspeak-a condescending way of speaking to older adults that resembles baby talk, with simple and short sentences, exaggerated emphasis, repetition, and a slower rate and a higher pitch than used in normal speech.
Ageism makes talking down to older people seem appropriate
Demographic Shift-a shift in the proportions of the populations of various ages
Dependency ratio-a calculation of the number of self-sufficient productive adults compared with the number of dependents(children and the elderly) in a given population
Young old-Healthy, vigorous, financially secure older adults (generally those aged 65-75) who are well integrated into the lives of their families and communities
Old Old-older adults (generally, those over age 75) who suffer from physical , mental, or social deficits
Oldest old-elderly adults (generally, those over age 85) who are dependent on others for almost everything, requiring supportive services such as nursing homes and hospital stays
Vision-cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration
Hearing-men lose hearing more often than women
Universal design-the creation of settings and equipment that can be used by everyone, whether or not they are able-bodied and sensory-acute
Primary aging-the universal and irreversible physical changes that occur to all living creatures as they grow older
Secondary aging-the specific physical illnesses or conditions that become more common with aging but are caused by health habits, genes, and other influences that vary from person to person
Compression of morbidity-a shortening of the time a person spends ill or infirm, accomplished by postponing illness
Osteoporosis-a disease whose symptoms are low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue, which leads to increasingly fragile bones and greater risk of fracture
Theories of Aging
Wear and tear theory- a view of aging as a process by which the human body wear out because of the passage of time and exposure to environmental stressors
Calorie restriction-the practice of limiting dietary energy intake (while consuming sufficient quantities of vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients) for the purpose of improving health and slowing down the aging process
Maximum Life Span-the oldest possible age to which members of a species can live under ideal circumstances. For humans, that age is approximately 122 years.
Average Life Expectancy- the number of years the average newborn is a particular population group is likely to live
Genetic Clock-a purported mechanism in the DNA cells that regulates the aging process by triggering hormonal changes and controlling cellular reproduction and repair
Cellular Aging- the cumulative effect of stress and toxins, causing cellular damage first and eventually the death of cells
Hayflick limit-the number of times a human cell is capable of dividing into two new cells. The limit for most human cells is approximately 50 divisions, an indication that the life span is limited by our genetic program
Telomeres-the area of the tips of each chromosome that is reduced a tiny amount as time passes. By the end of life the telomeres are very short.
Cognitive Development
High SES correlates with less cognitive decline
High SES people began late adulthood with higher IQs so their losses are not as noticeable
Those with more education are likely to keep their minds active and that protects the intellect
Those with more income and better jobs tend to be exposed to less pollution and have lower rates of destructive drug use. They also have better medical care, nutrition and exercise. These all foster maintenance of intelligence
Older people are better at multitasking
Selective attention may improve
Practice with multiple demands may make multitasking easier
Losses and Gains
Source amnesia-forgetting the origin of a fact, idea, or snippet of conversation
Prospective memory-remembering to do something in future
Working memory-remembering information for a moment before evaluating calculating and inferring its significance also declines with age
Control processes-the part of the information processing system that regulates the analysis and flow of information. Memory and retrieval strategies, selective attention, and rules or strategies for problem solving are all useful control processes
Ecological validity-the idea that cognition should be measured in settings that are as realistic as possible and that the abilities measured should be those needed in real life
Neurocognitive disorder (NCD)-any of a number of brain diseases that affects a person's ability to remember, analyze, plan or interact with other people
Senile simply means old
Senility is used to mean severe mental impairment
Dementia-irreversible, pathological loss of brain functioning
Major neurocognitive disorder (major NCS)-irreversible loss of intellectual functioning caused by organic brain damage or disease. Formerly called dementia, major NCD becomes more common with age, but it is abnormal and pathological even in the very old
Alzheimer's disease (AD)-the most common cause of major NCD, characterized by the gradual deterioration of memory and personality and marked by the formation of plaques of beta-amyloid protein and tangles of tau in the brain
Plaques-clumps of a protein called beta-amyloid, found in brain tissues surrounding the neurons
Tangles-twisted masses of threads made of a protein called tau within the neurons of the brain
Vascular disease-formerly called vascular or multi-infarct dementia vascular disease is characterized by sporadic, and progressive, loss of intellectual functioning caused by repeated infarcts, or temporary obstructions of blood vessels, which prevent sufficient blood from reaching the brain
Frontotemporal NCDs-deterioration of the amygdala and frontal lobes that may be the cause of 15% of all major neurocognitive disorders. (also called frontotemporal lobar degeneration)
Parkinson's disease-a chronic progressive disease that is characterized by muscle tremor and rigidity and sometimes major neurocognitive disorder; caused by reduced dopamine production in the brain
Lewy body disease-a from of major neurocognitive disorder characterized by an increase in Lewy body cells in the brain. Symptoms include visual hallucinations, momentary loss of attention, falling and fainting.
Polypharmacy-refers to a situation in which elderly people are prescribed several medications. The various side effects and interactions of those medications can result in dementia-like symptoms
Erik Erickson- 8th stage integrity vs despair marks the time when life comes together in a re-synthesis of all the resilience and strengths already developed
elders are social witnesses
Maslow-older adults are more likely than younger people to reach what he originally thought was the highest stage of development
Self-actualization-the final stage in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, characterized by aesthetic, creative, philosophical, and spiritual understanding
Maslow suggested a stage even higher than self-actualization called self-transcendence
Life review-an examination of one's own role in the history of human life, engaged in by many elderly people
We have been taught that this nostalgia represents living in the past and a preoccupation with self and that it is generally boring, meaningless, and time-consuming. Yet as a natural healing process it represents one of the underlying human capacities on which all psychotherapy depends. The life review should be recognized as a necessary and healthy process in daily life as well as a useful tool in the mental health care of older people.
Wisdom-the elderly have an advantage in developing wisdom
if they have dedicated their lives to the understanding of life, learned from their experiences, and become more mature and integrated.
Psychosocial Development
Self theories-theories of late adulthood that emphasize the core self, or the search to maintain one's integrity and identity
Integrity vs despair-the final stage of Erik Erikson's developmental sequence, in which older adults seek to integrate their unique experiences with their vision of community
Compulsive hoarding-the urge to accumulate and hold on to familiar objects and possessions, sometimes to the point of becoming health and or safety hazards. This impulse tends to increase with age
Life brings many, quite realistic reasons for experiencing despair; aspects of a past we fervently wish had been different; aspects of the present that cause unremitting pain; aspects of a future that are uncertain and frightening. And, of course, there remains inescapable death, that one aspect of the future is both wholly certain and wholly unknowable. Thus, some despair must be acknowledged and integrated as a component of old age.
Knows that an individual life is the accidental coincidence of but one life cycle with but one segment of history and that for him all human integrity stands or falls with the one style of integrity of which he partakes....In such a final consolation, death loses its sting.
Socioemotional selectivity theory-the theory that older people prioritize regulation of their own emotions and seek familiar social contacts who reinforce generativeity, pride, and joy
Positivity effect- the tendency for elderly people to perceive, prefer, and remember positive images and experiences more than negative ones
Stratification theories-theories that emphasize that social forces, particularly those related to a person's social stratum or social category, limit individual choices and affect a person's ability to function in late adulthood because past stratisfication continues to limit life in various ways
Disengagement theory-the view that aging makes a person's social sphere increasingly narrow, resulting in role relinquishment, withdrawal, and passivity
Activity theory-the view that elderly people want and need to remain active in a variety of social spheres-with relatives, friends, and community groups and become withdrawn only unwillingly as a result of ageism
Age in place- to remain in the same home and community in later life, adjusting but not leaving when health fades
Naturally occurring retirement community (NORC)-a neighborhood or apartment complex whose population is mostly retried people who moved to the location as younger adults and never left
Religious involvement correlates with physical and emotional health
prohibitions encourage good habits, faith communities promote caring relationships, give meaning for life and death thus reducing stress
Filial responsibility-the obligation of adult children to care for their aging parents
factors that affect intergenerational relationships
assistance arises from both need and ability to provide, frequency of contact is more dependent on geographical proximity than affection, love is influenced by childhood memories, sons feel stronger obligation; daughters feel stronger affection, national norms and policies can nudge family support, but they do not create it
Grandparents fill one of four roles
remote grandparents, companionate grandparents, involved grandparents, surrogate parents
Frail elderly-people who are physically infirm, very ill, or cognitively disabled, and consequently tired and lethargic
Activities of daily life(ADLs)-typically identified as five tasks of self-care that are important to independent living; eating, bathing, toileting, dressing, and transferring from a bed to a chair. The inability to perform any of these tasks is a sign of frailty.
Instrumental activities of daily life (IADLs)-actions (for example, paying bills, and car maintenance)that are important to independent living and that require some intellectual competence and forethought. The ability to perform these tasks may be even more critical to self-sufficiency than ADL ability
Common causes of elderly abuse are; the caregiver suffers from emotional problems or substance abuse, the care receiver is frail, confused, and demanding, the care location is isolated where visitors are few