Chapter 17 Ageism prejudice or discrimination based on age Primary aging gradual inevitable process of bodily deterioration that begins early in life and continues through the years irrespective of what people do to stave it off Secondary aging results from disease abuse and disuse factors that are often within a persons control Functional age How well a person functions in a physical and social environment in comparison of others with the same chronological age Young old the healthy active majority of older adults Old old the frail infirm minority regardless of chronological age Gerontology the study of the aged and aging process Geriatrics the branch of medicine concerned with aging Life expectancy the age to which a person born at a certain time and place is statistically likely to live given his or her current age and health status Based on the average longevity or actual length of life of members of a population The human Life span is the longest period that members of our species can live There is currently a rapid rise in Life expectancy more than 4 times as long as at the dawn of human history The average life expectancy in some countries more than doubled in the twentieth century Life expectancy in the US may halt its upward trend and even decline during coming decades as a rise in obesity related and infectious diseases offsets gains from medical advances Senescence a period marked by obvious declines in body functioning associated with aging and why its onset varies from one person to another usually falls into 2 categories Genetic programming theories peoples bodies age according to a normal developmental timetable built into the genes Variable rate theories sometimes called error theories views aging as a result of random processes that vary from person to person Vision older eyes need more light to see and are more sensitive to glares may have difficulty with depth or color perception People with moderate visual losses often can be helped by corrective lenses or changes in the environment 17 percent of U S older adults and 30 of those 85 and older have trouble seeing even when wearing glasses or contact lenses Cataracts Cloudy or opaque areas in the lens if the eye are common in older adults and eventually cause blurred vision Age related macular degeneration the center of the retina gradually loses the ability to sharply distinguish fine details leading cause of visual impairment in older adults Glaucoma irreversible damage to the optic nerve caused by increased pressure in the eye if left untreated it can cause blindness second leading cause of blindness Hearing Impairments increase with age affecting 31 4 of Americans ages 65 to 74 and 58 of those 85 and older Men are more likely to experience hearing loss than women and white people more than black people Sleep Older people tend to sleep less and dream less than before their hours of deep sleep are more restricted and they may awaken more easily because of physical problems or exposure to light Sexual functioning most important factor in maintaining sexual functioning is consistent sexual acticity over the years Women are physiologically able to be sexually active as long as they live Men can continue some form of sexual activity up until his 70 s or 80 s Chronic conditions At least 80 of older americans have at least one chronic condition and 50 have at least 2 Heart disease cancer and stroke account for about 60 of deaths among older Americans Worldwide the leading cause of death at age 60 and above are heart disease stroke chronic pulmonary disease lower respiratory infections and lung cancer Hypertension and diabetes are increasing in prevalence Aside from Hypertension and diabetes the most common chronic conditions are arthritis 50 heart disease 32 and cancer 21 Chronic conditions vary by race and ethnicity Dementia general term for physiologically caused cognitive and behavioral decline sufficient to interfere with daily activities Alzheimers most common and most feared terminal illness among aging persons Gradually robs patients of intelligence awareness and even the ability to control their bodily functions and finally kills them 6th leading cause of death in 2006 Symptoms include memory impairment deterioration of language The most prominent symptom is inability to recall events or take in new information Short term memory Short term memory is usually assessed by giving an order of numbers and asking the patient to repeat those numbers back either in order or backwards an explanation for that is because immediate forward repletion requires only sensory memory which retains efficiency throughout life and backwards Wisdom Chapter 18 repetition requires the manipulation of information in working memory which gradually shrinks in capacity after about 45 Long term memory divided into three major systems Episodic memory most likely to deteriorate with age the ability to recall newly encountered information Semantic memory holds stored knowledge of historical facts geographic locations social customs meanings of words and the like o Shows little decline with age Procedural memory how to ride a bike motor skills habits and processes that once learned can be activated without conscious effort o Relatively unaffected by age According to Balte s studies wisdom is not age related but people of all ages give wiser responses to problems affecting their own age group Erik Eriksons final stage ego integrity versus despair culminates in the virtue of wisdom or acceptance of one s life and impending death Coping an adaptive thinking or behavior aimed at reducing or relieving stress That arises from harmful threatening or challenging conditions Emotion focused directed towards feeling better managing the emotional response to a stressful situation to relieve its physical or psychological impact Problem focused involves the use of instrumental or action oriented strategies to eliminate manage or improve a stressful condition Predominates when a person see s a realistic chance of changing the situation Retirement For many adults retirement is a phased phenomenon involving multiple transitions out of and into paid and unpaid work Family focused consists largely of accessible low cost activities that revolve around family home and companions Balanced investment typical of more educated people who allocate their time more equally amongst family work and leisure Living arrangements Older adults typically live with adult
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