Human Growth & Development - Chapter 9

Front 1

Gerontology

Back 1

Gerontology: The study of the aging process.

The philosophy of gerontologists is summed up by the motto of the Gerontological Society: "To add life to years, not just years to life."

Front 2

Geriatrics

Back 2

Geriatrics refers to the particular branch of medicine concerned with the health problems of the older population.

Front 3

Life Span

Back 3

Life Span refers to the maximum number of years that a person could live, which seems to be about 120.

Front 4

Life Expectancy

Back 4

Life expectancy refers to how long the average person born in a particular year and country might live.

Front 5

Senescence

Back 5

Senescencs is the time of the life span when physical changes associated with aging becomes apparent.

This is highly variable and is often more a matter of mind than body. Some people use senescence to refer to the time when a person begins to feel "old".

Front 6

Young-Old

Back 6

First stage of Late Adulthood

1. The Young-old are age 65 to 74 and are more likely to be healthy, active, married, and living independently than the old-old.

Front 7

Old-Old

Back 7

Second stage of Late Adulthood

2. The Old-old are age 75 and older and are more likely to be female, have debilitating illnesses, and live in institutions or be dependent on relatives. In fact, after age 85, there are only 39 men for every 100 women.

In spite of the greater chance of problems, many old-old adults live healthy, independent lives until they die.

Front 8

Ageism

Back 8

Ageism refers to stereotypes about a person based solely on their age, whereas sexism is stereotypes based on expectations for women & men.

Front 9

Sexism & Ageism
Problems faced by older women (4)

Back 9

Problems faced by older women:
1. Women live longer than men because they are socialized to form intimate networks of support, while men are encouraged to be independent of others. Women are more sensitive to changes in their bodies so they seek medical help earlier than men.
2. Women tend to marry men older than them, increasing their chances of outliving them.
3. Older women were less likely to have been in full time work force, therefore, they are unlikely to have retirement funds.
4. Women are seen as caregivers, so they may be overlooked.

Front 10

Examples of Ageism that affect both men & women include the stereotypes that older adults are...
(7)

Back 10

Stereotypes that older adults are:
- Asexual
- Compassionate, grandparently people
- Wise
- Irritable and set in their ways
- Focused on their bodily functions.
- incompetent and useless to society
- in need of nursing home care

Front 11

Wear & Tear Theory

Back 11

Wear & Tear proposed that our bodies are like cars. Over the years, the parts just wear out.

The wear & Tear Theory in general is much too simplistic to explain the way that humans age.

Front 12

Cellular Theories

Back 12

Microbiological theories examine aging at the cellular level, finding that as our cells age, they become less efficient at disposing of waste and become clogged up with "garbage", making them less effective or ineffective. Cells can also become cross-linked, or attached to one another in ways that disrupt their functioning.

Front 13

Programmed Senescence

Back 13

(Leonard Hayflick - Programmed Senescence)

Proposed that aging is genetically programmed into our cells. It was his work on programmed senescence that proposed the upper limit of human life at 120 years.

Front 14

Organ Reserve

Back 14

Another function that changes with age is the organ reserve (also called reserve capacity), which is the internal homeostasis device that helps us to bounce back from stress.

If organ reserve drops to zero, we would die whether we had any illnesses or not. Perhaps this is the reason for "death by natural causes".

Front 15

Primary Aging

Back 15

Primary Aging is the inevitable deterioration of the body that accompanies aging.

Front 16

Secondary Aging

Back 16

Secondary Aging is the result of disease, unhealthy lifestyles, or abuse of our bodies.

Secondary aging factors could be reduced.

Front 17

Osteoporosis

Back 17

Osteoporosis, weakening of the bones, affects 2/3 of women over 60, and 1 in 5 women in older adulthood will break a hip.

Women at all ages should be encouraged to have a diet rich in calcium & vitamin D and should get plenty of weight-bearing exercise to reduce their risks.

Front 18

Levels of Nursing Home Care

Back 18

Levels of Nursing Home Care:

1. Skilled Care is the most extensive and is similar to hospital care.
2. Intermediate Care provides some skilled nursing, but encourages some independence from residents.
3. Residential Care is the least extensive and adults in this level of care may have their own apartments and receive only intermittent care when they need it.

Front 19

Skilled Care

Back 19

Level of Nursing Home Care:

1. Skilled Care: is the most extensive and is similar to hospital care.

Front 20

Intermediate Care

Back 20

Level of Nursing Care:

2. Intermediate Care: provides some skilled nursing, but encourages some independence from residents.

Front 21

Residential Care

Back 21

Level of nursing home care:

3. Residential care: is the least extensive, and adults in this level of care may have their own apartments and receive only intermittent care when they need it.

Front 22

Dementia

Back 22

Dementia is the global term for disorders that involve degeneration of the nervous system, characterized by pronounced mental deterioration.

Front 23

Alzheimer's Disease

Back 23

Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia in later life, affecting 1 in 10 people over age 65 and over half of people over age 85; increased age is the greatest risk factor.

Characterized by: memory loss (short-term 1st), deficits in reasoning & thinking, confusion & disorientation, difficultly communicating & often gradual loss of language, mood & behavior changes, and physical declines.

Front 24

Multi-infarct Dementia

Back 24

Multi-infarct dementia (MID) is due to small strokes in the brain that disrupt blood flow to cells and damage brain tissue. Many of the symptoms are similar to Alzheimer's disease, but the pattern of progression differs.

It's the 2nd most common form of dementia.

Front 25

Cognitive Mechanics

Back 25

The hardware of the brain, which are characterized by speed, accuracy, and efficiency of processing and which decline with age.

Front 26

Cognitive Pragmatics

Back 26

The culture-based "software" of the brain, include the skills that we learn throughout life, such as reading, writing, math, comprehension, logical reasoning, and coping strategies.

Cognitive pragmatics are based on life experiences and thus continue to grow until very old age.

Front 27

Biological Theories
(memory decline)

Back 27

Biological theories suggest that memory changes are caused by physiological aging, such as brain damage or loss of cells, but the evidence for this is inconclusive.

Front 28

Processing Theories

Back 28

Processing theories focus on how older adults encode information, noting that they are slower and less efficient at processing new information. Thus, memory declines are primarily due to the slower speed of processing; some information is lost before the person can process it.

Front 29

Contextual Theories

Back 29

Contextual theories examine the roles of motivation, general intelligence, familiarity with the test items, and learning styles.

In one study, older adults who had a high degree of intelligence and were socially active did as well as college students on a word recall test, whereas the poorest, least active, and least intelligent older adults did poorly.

Front 30

Phases of Retirement

Back 30

Robert Atchley proposed 7 phases that many older adults may experience:
1. Remote Phase
2. Near Phase
3. Honeymoon Phase
4. Disenchantment Phase
5. Reorientation Phase
6. Stability Phase
7. Termination Phase

Front 31

Remote Phase

Back 31

Phases of Retirement (7)
(Roberty Atchley)
1. Remote Phase: Little is done to prepare for retirement, because the adult can not foresee it happening.

Front 32

Near Phase

Back 32

Phases of Retirement (7)

2. Near Phase: The adult begins to consider retirement; some may attend pre-retirement programs to learn their options and begin financial planning.

Front 33

Honeymoon Phase

Back 33

Phases of Retirement (7)

3. Honeymoon Phase: Right after retirement, many people feel euphoric and think they can do anything they want and will enjoy their leisure time. People who were forced to retire when they did not want to will probably not experience this phase.

Front 34

Disenchantment Phase

Back 34

Phases of Retirement (7)

4. Disenchantment Phase: Many people realize that their fantasies about retirement were unrealistic. They cannot really do what they want to because of financial, health, or other obstacles. Many fall into a routine that, if satisfying, allows for successful adjustment to the retirement role. Older adults who had hobbies & leisure activities prior to retirement tend to adapt more readily.

Front 35

Reorientation Phase

Back 35

Phases of Retirement (7)

5. Reorientation Phase: Retirees explore and evaluate the more realistic alternatives for their time and seek out activities that bring the most satisfaction.

Front 36

Stability Phase

Back 36

Phases of Retirement (7)

6. Stability Phase: Retirees have decided on the activities they want to participate in and how they will evaluate their satisfaction level.

Front 37

Termination Phase

Back 37

Phases of Retirement

7. Termination Phase: The retirement role is ended by death, illness, or taking a new job.

Front 38

Integrity

Back 38

Integrity: The quality or state of being complete or undivided; completeness.

Erikson proposed that older adults must review their lives, and if they are satisfied with their accomplishments, they will develop a sense of integrity.

Front 39

Robert Peck's
Integrity's 3 Different Developmental Tasks

Back 39

Robert Peck expanded on Erikson's work, suggesting that integrity involves at least 3 different developmental tasks:

1. Differentiation vs Preoccupation
2. Body Transcendence vs Body preoccupation
3. Ego Transcendence vs Preoccupation

Front 40

Differentiation vs Role Preoccupation

Back 40

Robert Peck: 3 different developmental tasks:

1. Differentiation vs Role Preoccupation: First, older adults must learn to redefine their self-worth in terms of roles other than work.

Front 41

Body Transcendence vs Body Preoccupation

Back 41

Robert Peck: 3 different developmental tasks.

2. Body Transcendence vs Preoccupation: Second, they must learn to adjust to declining physical abilities and health and not become focused on their bodies. We probably all know some older adult who has not achieved this stage can talk only about his/her bodily aches, pains, or functions.

Front 42

Ego Transcendence vs Preoccupation

Back 42

Robert Peck: 3 different developmental tasks

3. Ego Transcendence vs Preoccupation: Finally, older adults must recognize that death is near and inevitable, but they must live what time they have left to the fullest.

Front 43

Social Theories of Aging (4)

Back 43

There are a number of overlapping and often contradictory social theories of aging:
1. Disengagement Theory
2. Activity Theory
3. Compensation Theory
4. Social Breakdown Theory

Front 44

Disengagement Theory

Back 44

Social Theory of Aging

Proposed that as adults start to decline physically and cognitively, they withdraw from society. At the same time, society begins to withdraw resources and support from the older person.
(Theory Rejected)

Front 45

Activity Theory

Back 45

Social Theory of Aging

Stated that the more active a person remained, the more likely s/he would be satisfied with life. If a role activity was lost, it needed to be replaced with something else.

Front 46

Compensation Theory

Back 46

Social Theory of Aging

Proposes that as adults age, they experience inevitable losses and declines that cannot always be replaced by similar activities. Instead, compensations must be found.

Ex. Ruth played tennis twice a week, until she fell and injured her hip. Now she plays golf, which is less stressful on her joints.

Front 47

Social Breakdown Theory

Back 47

Social Theory of Aging

Proposes that changes in life satisfaction in older adults are promoted or caused by negative societal views of aging. In a youth-oriented culture where advanced aging is not valued, fewer resources are devoted to older adults and there is a lack of adequate social systems.

Front 48

Grandparenting Styles (3)

Back 48

1. Formal Style
2. Fun-seeking Style
3. Distant Style

Front 49

Formal Style

Back 49

Grandparenting Style

1. Formal Style: The grandparent performs what they consider to be the proper role of showing interest in the grandchild, but does not give child-rearing advice or attempt to discipline the child.

Front 50

Fun-seeking Style

Back 50

Grandparenting Style

2. Fun-seeking Style: The grandparent is informal and spends much of the time playing with the grandchild.

Front 51

Distant Style

Back 51

Grandparenting Style

3. Distant Style: Grandparent is benevolent, but interacts infrequently with the grandchildren.

Front 52

Life Review

Back 52

Robert Butler proposed that the Life Review is prompted by thinking about one's own death.

A life review can be a peaceful introspective process, an intense struggle, or somewhere in between. Some of the consequences of life review may be to transmit information to the next generation in terms of oral or written stories or explanations of photographs, reveal info that had been hidden (family secrets), or resolve old conflicts.

Front 53

Elder Abuse

Back 53

Physical, sexual or emotional harm committed against older adults by their caretakers.