Aging in Society - Test 2 Review PDF

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‘Need-to-knows’ for Test 2: Weeks 4-6 *Please note that this is NOT an exhaustive list and there may be test questions that do or do not relate to material covered here* Use this as a checklist to see what you know and what you need to review.

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Senescence

Biological aging or Senescence is the accumulation of changes in an organism over time. The process is slow and gradual--not necessarily the result of disease. senescence: a deterioration that takes place over time. Biological aging, or senescence, is the normal process of alterations over time in the body and its organs. This does not necessarily result in disease or death, but rather its a "normal" process of getting older.

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Physical changes related to the different body systems as a result of aging

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Intrinsic vs. extrinsic aging

Intrinsic aging includes changes such as a decrease in lung capacity, hardening of the arteries and arthritis. Extrinsic aging includes the effects on the body of smoking, sunlight and noise. For intrinsic aging to occur, it must meet the following criteria:    

it it it it

takes place in all members of a species is basic to the organism is progressive leads to a decline in physical function

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Chronological vs. biological vs. psychological aging

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Chronological age: based solely on the passage of time. It is a person’s age in years. Chronologic age has limited significance in terms of health. Nonetheless, the likelihood of developing a health problem increases as people age, and it is health problems, rather than normal aging, that are the primary cause of functional loss during old age. Because chronologic age helps predict many health problems, it has some legal and financial uses.

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Biological age: (as mentioned above) refers to changes in the body that commonly occur as people age. Because these changes affect some people sooner than others, some people are biologically old at 65, and others not until a decade or more later. However, most noticeable differences in apparent age among people of similar chronologic age are caused by lifestyle, habit, and subtle effects of disease rather than by differences in actual aging.

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Psychological age: based on how people act and feel. For example, an 80-yearold who works, plans, looks forward to future events, and participates in many activities is considered psychologically young.

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Successful aging

Healthy Aging Healthy aging refers to postponement of or reduction in the undesired effects of aging. The goals of healthy aging are maintaining physical and mental health, avoiding disorders, and remaining active and independent. For most people, maintaining general good health requires more effort as they age. Developing certain healthy habits can help, such as: 

Following a nutritious diet

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Exercising regularly

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Staying mentally active

The sooner a person develops these habits, the better. However, it is never too late to begin. In this way, people can have some control over what happens to them as they age.

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Define and give examples of chronic disease

Chronic Diseases 

Chronic illnesses are illnesses that persist for a long time and can not be 'cured'. Here are some chronic health conditions commonly experienced by older adults.

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Coronary heart disease occurs when optimum blood flow to the heart is restricted because the cardiac vessels narrow. Heart disease is the primary cause of death although death due to heart disease is declining. Heart attacks can be more difficult to diagnose in older people because their symptoms may differ or be confused with signs of other disorders.

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Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is the major risk factor for heart disease. Elders may also experience hypotension (low blood pressure), characterized by dizziness and faintness from exertion after a period of inactivity.

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Strokes, or cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) occur when blood does not flow sufficiently to the brain. CVAs are the primary cause of disability for older adults. African Americans and men in general are at the greatest risk of strokes; but after age 75, women are at higher risk. Regular exercise and low fat diets can lessen the risk of stroke.

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Cancer is the second most common cause of death among the elderly. Diagnosing cancer in old age is more difficult because of the presence of other illnesses. There are gender and racial differences in cancer rates among older adults. For example, African American women experience higher rates of death from breast and cervical cancer than their white counterparts. This is primarily due to lower use of screenings to detect cancer at an early stage. Prostate

cancer is a urinary disorder affecting men. By the age of 40, the risk of prostate cancer doubles each decade. 

Arthritis is the second most common chronic condition diagnosed in about 50% of older adults. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition that is characterized by inflammation in the membranes lining joints and tendons. This can cause severe crippling. Osteoarthritis is a gradual degeneration of the joints--mostly that of hands, knees, hips and shoulders--causing limited mobility and pain.

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Osteoporosis or 'weak bones' is common among older adults. It is known as a silent disease, as it is not often discovered until a bone breaks. Many falls and associated hip fractures are due to osteoporosis. Osteopenia is a significant loss of calcium and reduced bone mineral density, but without the risk of fractures. Caucasians and Asians are more likely to develop these conditions than African American and Latino women.

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Diabetes has increased in prevalence in all age groups. Among older adults, about 1 in 4 have diabetes. Primary risk factors include: age, family history, unhealthy diets and obesity. Older diabetics have about a 15 year less life expectancy than those without diabetes. Diverticulitis is a disorder of the intestinal system and is common, especially for women. This occurs when pouches in the intestines become inflamed and infected, leading to nausea, abdominal discomfort, bleeding and changes in bowel function.

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Women and Chronic Disease 

Chronic health problems increase with age. Although women live longer than men, they also suffer from more chronic conditions and higher rates of disability.

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Causes of memory problems

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Anxiety Dehydration Depression Infections Medication side effects Poor nutrition Psychological stress Substance abuse Thyroid imbalance

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Cohen’s research

Cohens, 2005 research shows -brain cell grow in later life - process of neurogenesis happens at every age - the creation of new neurons and neuronal connections - the brain re-organizes itself in response to new information and experiences.

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Cognitive reserve/neuroplasticity

Cognitive reserve – explains how the brain adapts (or resist changes) to aging. Studies shows: -education and literacy create a large cognitive reserve - engagement in leisure activities of intellectual and social nature is also associated with slower cognitive decline. *”Researchers believe greater neuronal connections and lifetime exposure to cognitively stimulating experiences increase cognitive reserve” (Vance, D.E., & Crowe, M, 2006) 

Crystalized vs. fluid intelligence

Fluid – ability to adapt quickly to new stimuli, reasoning, abstracting & concept formation. -

Solving problems with very little instruction said to peak in adolescence declines with ages.

Crystallized – makes use of facts/acquired knowledge, based on learning and from experiences/accumulated knowledge. - increases with age 

Episodic vs. sematic memory

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Semantic memory is the storing of general knowledge. It includes all those things that you know without any memory of when you actually learn them. This would be things like knowing the capital of Ontario, your birthday, or knowing multiplication tables in math.

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Episodic memory is all those things you know that involve a particular incident or episode. It is the memories of events: times, places, and associated emotions; for example, your first kiss, your 16th birthday party or what time you woke up this morning. What makes them different from semantic memory is that these events have happened to you, so you remember the ‘you’ in them. Research tells us that episodic memory declines the most after age 60 and shows a greater decline with age than other types of memory.

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Limits to testing intelligence and memory

It's important to mention that there are a number of limitations and problems when measuring one's intelligence. Think about how you were tested in some classes or courses over your high school or post-secondary career. Were you ever evaluated in a way that you felt was unfair? Or at the very least, did not reflect your full potential or knowledge of material? This is also problematic of aging studies. We need to be mindful of this when we consider the results of studies. Sometimes physical, environmental and/or social conditions can affect the results of a study and negatively affect elders' learning and memory. Here's a few:      

poor lighting small font size low tone/volume of test-giver's voice verbal ability and education level English as a second language previous experience with a task

There are limitations to studying/testing ones intelligence, memory, creativity, stc. Especially in old age. Results are affected by many factors: -bias -lighting - font size - audibility of test-giver’s voice -verbal ability -education level -english as a second language -previous experience with a task -environment -higher levels of education completed and fewer years since leaving school Normal aging -speed of processing declines - we can’t quite remember as much when learning new information - learning complicated task becomes more difficult - vocabulary and wisdom improves into later life - changes associated with aging will not impact a person’s ability to function normally or their independence.  -

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MCI – mild cognitive impairment Memory and thinking skills have shown some signs of decline Functioning is not as good as expected, but not as impaired as dementia Its considered a risk factor or a transition stage/ a middle ground between normal age related cognitive changes and dementia - does not mean you’re on the path to dementia - seeking medical help is important, as there may be a reason causing MCI that can be treatable. Dementia - is a generalized (umbrella) term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. - memory loss, confusion, judgement, reasoning, forgetfulness, and possibly anti-social behaviour. - affects 1 in 10 seniors over 65+ (64% are women) Happens when there are physical changes in the brain/damage to brain cells -this damage interferes with the ability of brain cells to communicate with each other Alzheimer disease – is the most common form of dementia - account for 64% of all dementia’s in Canada (Alzheimer society of Canada, 2010) a progressive, degenerative and fatal brain disease in which cell to cell connection in the brain are lost and eventually die -causes loss of memory, language, judgement, and decrease in abstract thinking, eventually leading to body dysfunction and death

- Ontario have more than 200,000 + people - As more people live into old age, more people will experience it - “ One of the greatest public health challenges of the coming generations”.

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o Risk factors Vascular dementia (caused from damage to blood vessels, stroke) Smoking High blood pressure High cholesterol Obesity Lack of physical activity Type II (adult onset) diabetes

Other associated factors: - alcohol - low levels of education -depression -head injuries Non-modifiable risk factors: -age -sex/gender- women increases -family history/genetics (...