Late Adulthood – Chapters 23, 24, 25 PDF

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Late Adulthood – Chapters 23,24,and 25 What are the stereotypes about people in this age group? Biosocial Development  Prejudice and Predictions. o Contrary to stereotypes, most older adults are happy, healthy and active.. o Elder speak persists but its changing as gerontologists and psychologists provide a more optimistic picture of late adulthood. o What is an example of elder speak o an increasing percentage of the population is over age 65. About 13% of people in the U.S. are elderly and most are self sufficient and productive. o Gerontologists sometimes distinguish among the young-old, the old-old, and the oldest-old, according to each age group’s relative degree of dependency. Aging and Disease  The many apparent changes in skin, hair and body shape that began earlier in adulthood continue in old age. The senses become less acute, including vision. Almost all older people need glasses, and often have cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma. Hearing also declines.  Selective optimization with compensation: Theory developed by Paul and Margret Baltes that people try to maintain a balance in their lives by looking for the best way to compensate for physical and cognitive losses and to become more proficient in activities they can already do well. This is something that been underutilized in the past. What is an example of this?  Primary aging happens to everyone, reducing organ reserve in the body and brain. Particulars differ depending on the individual’s past health habits and genes. What you do now matters later. Eventually morbidity, disability and risk of mortality increase. Theories of Aging  Hundreds of theories address the causes of aging. Wear and tear theory suggests that living wears out the body.  Another theory is that genes allow humans to survive through the reproductive years but then to become seriously ill and die. Each species seems to have a genetic timetable for decline and death.  Cellular theories of aging include the idea that the processes of DNA duplication and repair are affected by aging, making repair of errors more difficult. Oxidative stress, caused by oxygen free radicals, hinders cell maintenance and repair.  Age related decline in the immune system might cause aging as it contributes to elderly people’s increasing vulnerability to disease.  Cells stop duplicating at a certain point, the Hayflick limit. This stoppage seems to occur when the telomeres shorten and disappear. (The end of the chromosome in the cell)

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The Centenarians  It was once believed that many people in certain parts of the world lived long past 100 due to diet and exercise but it turned out to be exaggerated.  The number of centenarians is increasing and many of them are quite healthy and happy. The personality and attitudes of the very old suggest that long-term survival may be welcomed more than feared. Chapter 24: Cognitive Changes Case Study: p. 684: Drug addiction and the elderly The Aging Brain  Brain scans and measurements show that the speed of processing slows down, parts of the brain shrink, and more areas of the brain are activated in older people.  Often the elderly activate more parts of their brain when thinking than younger adults do. Although thinking processes become slower, and less sharp once a person reaches adulthood, there is much variation. The Usual : Information Processing After Age 65  As the senses become dulled, some stimuli never reach the sensory memory. Interference with the sensory signals can usually be overcome but this takes mental effort and thus can reduce cognition.  Working memory shows notable declines with age because slower processing means that some things are lost. Long-term memory is difficult to measure. However especially for memories with strong emotional impact, long-term memory may remain strong. Examples?  In daily life, most of the elderly are not seriously handicapped by cognitive difficulties. The need for ecologically valid real life measure of cognition is increasingly apparent to developmental scientists. The Impaired: Diseases That Affect the Brain  Dementia, whether it occurs in late adulthood or earlier is characterized by cognitive loss, at first minor lapses, then more serious impairment, and finally such extreme losses that recognition of even clos family members may fade.  The most common cause of dementia in the U.S. is Alzheimer disease, an incurable ailment that becomes more prevalent with age and worsens over time. Genetic factors (especially the ApoE4 gene )contribute to the onset of Alzheimer disease. Would you want to find out?  Vascular dementia results from a series of ministrokes that occur when impairment of blood circulation destroys portions of brain tissue.  Other dementias include frontal lobe dementia and Lewy body dementia. Parkinson disease reduces muscle control can also cause dementia in the old.  Dementia is sometimes mistakenly diagnosed when the individual is actually suffering from a reversible problem. Malnutrition, anxiety, depression, and addiction can cause dementia symptoms. The Optimal: New Cognitive Development

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Many people become more interested and adept in creative pursuits and get more philosophical as they age. The life review is a personal reflection that many older people undertake remembering earlier experiences, putting their entire lives into perspective and achieving integrity or self actualization. Why is this so important? Wisdom does not necessarily increase as a result of age, but some elderly people are unusually wise or insightful.

Psychosocial Development: Chapter 25 Theories of Late Adulthood  Self-theories say that older people make choices that allow them to become fully themselves. Erikson believed that individuals seek integrity that connects them to the human community. Research shows continuity in personality traits.  Stratification theories maintain that social forces such as ageism, racism and sexism limit personal choices throughout the life span. Activities in Late Adulthood  At every age, employment can provide social and personal satisfaction as well as needed income. However retirement may be a welcome change for many.  Some elderly people do volunteer work and many are active politically.  Many retirees become active in religion of some sort and spirituality. Many choose to age in place. Friend and Relatives  A spouse is the most important member of a person’s social convoy. Older adults in long standing marriages tend to safeguard each other’s health. Married elders tend to live longer.  The death of a spouse is difficult but women tend to adjust better than men.  Relationships with children and grandchildren are mutually supportive. Most older adults prefer if possible to live independently. The Frail Elderly  Many elderly people are self sufficient but increasingly need help with ADL’s such as paying bills, transportation and meals.  Elder abuse occurs when the stress of care for the caregiver is overwhelming and there is a lack of social supports.  Good care for the elderly cannot be taken for granted despite nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

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