Life Span Growth & Development Ch. 23 Late Adulthood: Biosocial Development

Front 1

Ageism

Back 1

A prejudice in which people are categorized and judged solely on the basis of their chronological age.

Front 2

Elderspeak

Back 2

A condescending way of speaking ot older adults that resembles baby talk, with simple, and short sentence, exaggerated emphasis, repetition, and a slower rate and a higher pitch than normal conversation.

Front 3

Gerontology

Back 3

The multidisciplinary study of old age.

Front 4

Geriatrics

Back 4

The medical specialty devoted to aging.

Front 5

Demography

Back 5

The study of the characteristics of the human populations, including size, birth and death rates, density, and distribution.

Front 6

Centenarian

Back 6

A person who has lives 100 years or more.

Front 7

Dependency Ratio

Back 7

The ratio of self-sufficient, productive adults to dependents (children and the elderly) in a given population.

Front 8

Young-old

Back 8

Healthy, vigorous, financially secure older adults (generally, those age 60-75) who are well integrated into the lives of their families and communities.

Front 9

Old-old

Back 9

Older adults (generally, those over age 75) who suffer from physical, mental, or social deficits.

Front 10

Oldest-old

Back 10

Elderly adults (generally, those over age 85) who are dependent on others for almost everything, requiring supportive services such as nursing homes and hospital stays.

Front 11

Primary aging

Back 11

The universal and irreversible physical changes that occur to all living creatures as they grow older.

Front 12

Secondary aging

Back 12

The specific physical illnesses or conditions that become more common with aging but are caused by health habits, genes, and other influences that vary from person to person

Front 13

Cardiovascular Disease

Back 13

Disease that involves the heart and the circulation system.

Front 14

Compression of Morbidity

Back 14

A lessening of the time a person spends ill or infirm, accomplished by postponing illness.

Front 15

Wear-and-tear Theory

Back 15

A view of aging as a process by which the human body wears out because of the passage of time and exposure to environmental stresses.

Front 16

Genetic Clock

Back 16

The support mechanism in the DNA of cells that regulates the aging process by triggering hormonal changes and controlling cellular reproduction and repair.

Front 17

Maximum Life Span

Back 17

The oldest possible age that members of a species can live, under ideal circumstance. For humans, that age is approximately 122 years.

Front 18

Average Life Expectancy

Back 18

The number of years the average newborn in a particular population group is likely to live.

Front 19

Oxygen Free Radicals

Back 19

Atoms of oxygen that, as a result of metabolic processes, have an unpaired electron. these atoms scramble DNA molecules or mitochondria, producing errors in cell maintenance and repair that, over time, may cause cancer, diabetes, and arteriosclerosis.

Front 20

Antioxidants

Back 20

Chemical compounds that nullify the effects of oxygen free radicals by forming a bond with their unattached oxygen electron.

Front 21

B cells

Back 21

Immune cells manufactured in the bone marrow that create antibodies for isolating and destroying bacteria and viruses that are invading the body.

Front 22

T cells

Back 22

Immune cells manufactures in the thymus gland that produce substances that attack infected cells in the body.

Front 23

Hayflick Limit

Back 23

The number of times a human cell is capable of dividing into two new cells. The limit for most human cells is approximately 50 divisions, an indication that the life span is limited by our genetic progress.

Front 24

Telomeres

Back 24

The ends of chromosomes in the cells, whose length decreases with each cell duplication and seems to correlate with longevity.

Front 25

Calorie Restriction

Back 25

The practice of limiting dietary energy intake (while consuming sufficient quantities of vitamins, minerals, and other important nutrients) for the purpose of improving health and slowing down the aging process.

Front 26

Describe the changing demographics of aging.

Back 26

- Nearly 8% of the world's population if over age 65 (2% a century ago)
- 13% of the US population if over age 65
- Every country's population is aging
- The fastest growing age group is the centenarians
- The demographic pyramid is turning more into an equal graph where the number of older adults is closer to the number of children.

Front 27

What is the current dependency ratio in most industrialized countries?

Back 27

2:1 - 2 independent adults for every one dependent

Front 28

What could happen to the dependency ratio if more people live longer and young people need more education to become self-sufficient?

Back 28

The dependency ratio could flip to 1:2 - 1 independent adult for every 2 dependents. This is unlikely because:
1) modern technology means fewer workers are needed to provide food, shelter, and goods.
2) There is an inverse relationship between birth rates and longevity - the birth rate will continue to decline as the aged population increases
3) people over age 65 being labeled as 'dependent' is ageist - most are independent.

Front 29

Name 3 theories of aging.

Back 29

1) Wear and Tear - bodies wear out with age
2) Genetic Adaptation - genes for aging turn on
3) Cellular Aging - cell duplication errors from free radical damage, or telomere shortening and limits of duplication

Front 30

Explain age-related changes in the functioning of the immune system.

Back 30

The number of immune system cells decrease with age. Individuals with weaker immune systems die sooner than others. As the immune system declines cancers may grow. Measures to stop cancer involve killing all rapidly producing cells which temporarily shuts down the immune system. Women have stronger immune systems than men, and therefore live longer according to the cellular aging theory.

Front 31

Identify common lifestyle characteristics of centenarians.

Back 31

1) Diet is moderate, consisting mostly of fresh vegetables and herbs, with little consumption of meat and fat.
2) Work continues throughout life.
3) Family and community are important. They are well integrated into families of several generations and interact frequently with friends and neighbors.
4) Exercise and relaxation are part of the daily routine.