Middle Adulthood - 4Mq

Front 1

Any four characteristics of middle age

Back 1

1. Age of achievement: there is usually a heightened sense of success in both work and relationships, combined with a more realistic sense of limitations.
2. Evaluation: reevaluation of one's goals and aspirations, of how much they have been fulfilled, and of what to do with the remaining time.

3. Stressful age: somatic, cultural, economic stress

4. Responsibility: adults have to deal with various roles and responsibilities, and are often able to do it well: launching children, running households, enterprises, etc; caring for elderly parents

Front 2

Telltale signs of aging

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Front 3

Health concerns in women

Back 3

1. Menopause: perimenopause, etc.
2. Breast Cancer: Chance of getting BC increases with age. Mammography has proved beneficial.
3. Heart Disease: in MA the risk of women having heart disease catches up with that of men. It is faster for women who have had a hysterectomy. For women older than 74, there are low chances of surviving a heart attack.
4. Bone Loss and Osteoporosis - accelerates in the first 5-10 years after menopause.
-importance of estrogen in absorbing calcium from the blood
-osteoporosis "porous bones" - bones become thin and brittle because of loss of calcium
5. HRT - treatment with artifical estrogen due to symptoms created by low estrogen.
6. Hysterectomy - surgical removal of the uterus - due to internal bleeding, fibroids, etc.

Front 4

Changes in appearance in middle age

Back 4

-Reflect changes in body systems and structures
-SKIN becomes less taut and smooth. this is because the underlying layers of fat become thinner.
-HAIR thins, due to lower replacement rates
-HAIR grays, due to lower melanin production rates.
-Gain in weight, due to accumulation of body fat
-Loss of height, due to shrinking of the intervertebral disks.
Concerns:
1. Major implications in youth-oriented societies
2. Use of artificial techniques to "stop" aging.
3. Women especially vulnerable to pressures related to appearance; but these double standards have been waning of late.
4. Affects self-esteem if body image is too negative; however, concern with remaining youthful is healthy if it reflects concern for health and fitness.

Front 5

Sensory changes in middle age

Back 5

<b>Vision</b>
Near vision, dynamic vision, light sensitivity, visual search, processing speed, loss in visual acuity are most of the areas in which there is loss; presbyopia
<b>Hearing</b> : presbycusis
<b>taste and smell</b>: -taste buds less sensitive; olfactory cells diminish in number
<b>touch</b> : sensitivity to touch reduces after age 45; to pain - 50

Front 6

Primary and secondary aging

Back 6

# Primary Aging: The 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: Aging as a result of disease, abuse and disuse. It is avoidable and within our control.

Front 7

Changes in appearance in late adulthood

Back 7

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1. Changes in Appearance

* Head Region

o The nose elongates
o Mouth changes shape due to tooth loss; use of dentures
o Eyes dull, lustreless, have a watery look
o Double or triple chin develops
o Cheeks become pendulous, wrinkled and baggy
o Skin becomes wrinkled and dry; dark spots, moles or warts may appear
o Hair thins, turns grey/white and rough
o Bristly hair appears in the nose, ears and eyebrows


* Trunk Region
o Shoulders stoop, seem smaller
o Abdomen bulges and droops, hips seem flabbier and broader
o Waistline broadens, giving the trunk a sack-like appearance
o Women's breasts become flabby and droop


* Limbs
o Upper arms become flabby and heavy
o Lower arms shrink in diameter
o Legs become flabby and veins around the ankles and back of the hand become prominent
o Feet become larger as a result of sagging muscles;

Front 8

Changes in physiological functioning in late adulthood

Back 8

Changes in physiological functioning

* Cannot tolerate extremes of temperature (hot or cold) due to decreased vascularity of skin
* Reduced metabolic rate and lessened muscular vigor make regulation of body temperature difficult
* Takes longer to restore breathing and heart action to normal in case of being short of breath
* Pulse rate and oxygen consumption more varied
* Elevated BP - due to increased rigidity of the walls of the aorta and central arteries
* Lesser urine, creatine in urine
* Decrease in amount of sleep: insomnia, esp women
* Digestive changes:
o difficulty in eating due to loss of teeth
o senses of smell and taste become less acute
o Gradual atrophy of glands lining the walls of the stomach and bowels results in decrease in juices that aid digestion
* Strength and ability to work decline: there is muscular flabbiness and general weakness

Front 9

Sensory changes in late adulthood

Back 9

Sensory Changes

* Vision
o Decline in the ability to see at low levels of illumination and decline in colour sensitivity
o Presbyopia: farsightedness. Due to diminishing elasticity of lenses
o Causes for visual impairments:
+ Cataracts: cloudy or opaque areas in the lens of the eye, which causes blurred vision
+ Glaucoma: irreversible damage to the optic nerve, caused by increased pressure in the eye
+ Age-related macular degeneration: center of retina gradually loses its ability to discern fine details; this is irreversible
* Hearing
o Suffer from presbycusis: inability to hear high-pitched sounds
o Other causes for hearing loss
+ extreme or chronic exposure to loud noise
+ smoking
+ history of middle ear infection
+ long exposure to certain chemicals
+ men and white people more likely to suffer from hearing loss
* Tast

Front 10

Health concerns in late adulthood

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Front 11

Changes in mental abilities

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