FAD 33220 Final Exam Study Guide Ch 15 19 Chapter 15 Physical Cognitive Development in Moodle Adulthood Middle Age A social construct in industrial societies Not recognized by some cultures such as upper caste Hindus in rural India traditional The concept of middle adulthood has developed as life expectancy has increased In the book middle adulthood is defined in chronological terms as the years btwn age society 40 45 Can be a time of loss but also a time of growth Physical changes Use it or lose it Behavioral and lifestyle factors dating from youth can affect the likelihood timing and extent of physical age The more people do the more they can do People who become active early in life reap the benefits of more stamina and more resilience after age 60 Loss in muscle tone flexibility stamina speed and dexterity due to genetic aging but also because of decreased use or activity People who lead sedentary lives lose muscle tone energy become even less inclined to exert themselves physically With age comes a gradual decrease in basal metabolism use of energy to maintain vital functions and therefore a decrease in endurance Vision changes Presbyopia age related progressive loss of eyes ability to focus on nearby objects due to loss of elasticity in the lens Myopia nearsightedness also increases through middle age Age related visual problems occur mainly in five areas Near vision Dynamic vision reading moving signs Sensitivity to light Visual search for example locating a sign Speed of processing visual information Visual acuity sharpness of vision Because of changes in the pupil of the eye middle aged people may need about one third more brightness to compensate for the loss of light reaching the retina Because the lens of the eyes become progressively less flexible its ability to shift focus diminishes Hearing Changes Presbycusis age related gradual loss of hearing which accelerates after age 55 especially with regard to sounds at higher frequencies Hearing loss proceeds twice as quickly in men as in women Today a preventable increase in hearing loss is occurring among 45 to 64 year olds due to continuous or sudden exposure to noise at work loud concerts through earphones etc Taste Smell Sensitivity to taste and smell decreases Food may seem more bland Because taste buds become less sensitive and the number of olfactory cells diminishes Women tend to retain these senses longer than men Sensitivity may change to different types of food One person may become less sensitive to salty foods another to sweet bitter or sour foods Brain functioning Declines in reaction time and multitasking Inability to filter The ability to ignore distractions gradually declines with age Tip of the tongue phenomenon A person knows they know a word but cannot access it from memory Becomes more frequent in midlife Proves that there s actual physical structural change in the brain Myelin the fatty sheath that lines our nerve axons and helps impulses move more quickly through our brains begins to break down with age Brain fires impulses more slowly work slower Structural Systemic Changes Skin thins and becomes less taut smooth Because the layer of fat below the surface becomes thinner collagen molecules more rigid and elastin fibers more brittle Hair thins due to a slowed replacement rate Hair grays due to a reduced production of melanin Gain weight Lose height As a result of accumulation of body fat Due to shrinkage of the intervertebral disks Bone density decreases bones become thinner more brittle More calcium is absorbed than replaced Occurs twice as rapidly in women as in men Sexual Reproductive Functioning Sexual enjoyment continues throughout adult life Menopause cessation of menstruation and of ability to bear children btwn ages 45 55 Symptoms hot flashes changes in sexual desire depression moodiness tension Not all empirically supported Research suggests that some of the presumed symptoms of menopausal syndrome may be related more to other natural changes of aging than to menopause itself Men experience decreases in testosterone and sperm count Physical health Most middle aged adults report that they are healthy Common health problems Hypertension chronically high blood pressure Almost 41 of adults ages 55 64 suffer from hypertension Cancer has replaced heart disease as the leading cause of death between ages 45 to 64 numbers Heart disease improvements in treatment of heart attack patients has decreased Diabetes disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin a hormone that converts sugar starches and other foods into energy needed for daily life Prevalence doubled in the 1990s Type 1 juvenile onset insulin dependent the level of blood sugar rises b c the body does not produce enough insulin Type 2 mature onset age 30 glucose levels rise because the cells lose their ability to use the insulin the body produces Factors that affect health Smoking drinking Weight Exercise diet On average Americans who smoke are overweight and have high blood pressure and high blood sugar are likely to shave 4 years off their life expectancy Excess weight in middle age increases the risk of impaired health and death U S adults ages 51 to 61 those who engaged in regular moderate or vigorous exercise were about 35 less likely to die in the next 8 years than those with sedentary lifestyles SES Race ethnicity People with low socioeconomic status tend to have poorer health shorter life expectancy more activity limitations due to chronic disease lower well being and more restricted access to health care than people with higher SES Hispanics have the highest prevalence rates of being overweight 84 2 Non hispanic blacks have the highest prevalence rates of obesity 34 9 Overall death rates in middle age are higher for African Americans Women have a higher life expectancy than men and lower death rates throughout Gender life Female health issues calcium depletion their lives Menopause Osteoporosis condition in which the bones become thin and brittle as a result of rapid Breast cancer one in eight American women develop breast cancer at some point in Hormone therapy HT treatment with artificial estrogen sometimes in combination with the hormone progesterone to relieve or prevent symptoms caused by decline in estrogen levels after menopause New study found that hormone treatment either provides no cardiovascular benefit to high risk women those who already have heart disease or actually increases the risk Increases
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