HDFS 105 1st Edition Lecture 21 Outline of Last Lecture I. Middle-age: How family, children, and aging parents affect healthII. Changing patterns of marriage, divorce, etc. Outline of Current Lecture I. GerontologyII. Aging- the myths and realitiesIII. HealthIV. Women’s life spanV. Aging- physical changesVI. Physical fitnessVII. Cognitive developmentVIII. Senility and dementia IX. Psychosocial aspects of agingX. Bernice Neugarten- personality types in elderly XI. Are older adults happy?XII. RetirementXIII. More on social life in old ageXIV. Institutional careXV. Potential problems Current LectureI. Gerontologya. The study of elderly personsb. Geriatrics- the care of elderly persons c. The elderly are our fastest growing age group in our population todayd. There are many myths about old peoplei. Elderly are not necessarily sick, poor, fearful, grumpy, living in nursing homes, incompetentb. People continue to be who they are- just older!II. Aging- the myths and realitiesa. Ageism- prejudice toward older peoplei. Why?1. Society respects and admires youthfulness2. Age segregation (young people don’t hang out with the old!)II. HealthThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.a. There is slightly higher incidence of chronic health problems among elderlyb. Physical aging is not a disease, just efficiency of organs slowing downc. Vision, hearing, smell, taste can declined. Changes in touch, feeling paine. Arthritis- inflammation of jointsf. 60% adults 65-74 die of cancer, cardiovascular g. Women may suffer from osteoporosis (loss of calcium in bones)II. Women's life spana. Women tend to live an average of 7 years longer than meni. Why?1. Estrogen protects women against hardening arteries2. Additional X chromosome may be associated with production of antibodies to fight disease3. Men smoke and drink more than women4. Men engage in "risky" behaviors more than women5. Women more likely to seek helpb. Biological resistance to some diseasesc. Tend to lead healthier lifestylesi. Ex. Fewer women smoke than menII. Aging- Physical changesa. Physical appearancei. Skin thinner, less elastic- wrinklesii. Vertebrae settle togetheriii. Get shorter1. Men: from 30-50 lose 1/2 inch2. Women: from 25-75 lose 2 inchesb. Body compositioni. Lose muscleii. Increase fatb. Respiratory and cardiovasculari. Muscles of lungs lose elasticityii. Heart and arteries lose muscle, replaced by fatII. Physical fitnessa. Important in old age- helps fight high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, and depressionb. Exercise helps coordination, balance, strength- even in the very old II. Cognitive developmenta. Use it or lose it!b. Decline in cognitive ability after age 60- this depends on level of cognitive developmentc. Intellectual function drops shortly before death- this fosters myth of being helpless throughout later adulthoodd. Brain and nervous system:i. Brain loses 5-10% of weight between 20-90ii. Brain cells can be generatediii. Declines in neurotransmittersiv. Acetylcholine loss = memory lossv. Dopamine loss = planning and motor activitiesb. Sensory: i. Hearing- loss of high frequencyii. Vision- lens less elastic and more clouded; declines in visual acuity, color vision and depth perceptioniii. Taste and smell- sweet and salty go firstiv. Touch and dexterity- reduced sensitivity in fingertips, palms, and lower extremitiesb. Cognitive changes (Do mental abilities decline?): i. Crystallized intelligence- accumulated information and verbal skills- INCREASEii. Fluid intelligence- ability to reason abstractly-DECLINEb. What happens to memory?i. Information processing- declines1. Encoding and storage declines2. Working memory declinesii. Information retrieval- depends on type of info1. Episodic memory declines (retention of life happenings)2. Semantic memory less decline (retention of facts about the world)3. Explicit memory declines (facts in one's consciousness)4. Implicit memory stays effective (experiences without consciousness) ii. Wisdom: practical problem solving- stays effectiveII. Senility and Dementiaa. Mental deterioration, memory loss, disorientation due to loss or slowing of blood flow in the brainb. Alzheimer's Disease causes around 50% of cases of senility II. Psychosocial aspects of aginga. The social lives of elderly change with ageb. Impact of physical healthc. Changes in work and marital rolesd. Behavioral expectations of societye. Retirement is seen more positively by society as it was in the pasti. Larger number of retired people, many with more money, more social opportunityb. Psychosocial changes: Robert Peck- aging adults face 3 issuesi. Redefine self without work1. differentiation vs. role preoccupationii. Not succumb to physical disabilities1. Body transcendence vs. body preoccupationii. Come to terms with own mortality1. Ego transcendence vs. ego preoccupationa. Erikson- Psychosocial tasksi. Stage- integrity vs. despairii. Life review process1. Wisdom2. Redefining one's worth3. Has life been well-spent?II. Bernice Neugarten- Personality types in elderly a. Adjustment to aging depends on person's outlook and personality- 4 types: i. Integrated elderly- competent, complex inner life, intact cognitive abilitiesii. Armored-defended elderly- ambitious, achievement oriented, controls eventsiii. Passive elderly- strong dependencyiv. Dis-integrated elderly- deterioration of thought processes, psychological functionsv. Activity theory (included in text)II. Are older adults happy?a. Older adults are more satisfied with life than younger adultsb. Best predictor of life satisfaction income and healthc. Increase in marital satisfactionII. Retirementa. Today people will spend 10-15% of their lives in retirementb. Began with 1935 Social Security Systemc. Approx. 7 million Americans retirees will return to work of some kind- some for the income, many to be occupiedd. Retirement is a process- not an eventII. More on social life in old age:a. Kin and friendship ties are very importantb. Grandparents and children both benefit from time spent togetherc. Mental health remains much better if people can remain autonomous- control their own livesd. Religious affiliations support emotional well-being and offer social opportunityII. Institutional carea. In the US only 6% of elderly live in nursing homesb. Concerns in institutional care:i. Adequate staffing and careii. Can elderly make decisions