LATE ADULTHOOD (65-DEATH)
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
functional age: actual competence or performance
chronological age doesn’t accurately determine functional age
Life Expectancy
life expectancy: the average life span of indvdls in a particular grp
has increased; @r 1900, life expectancy was just
factors:
lifespan: the oldest possible age that members of a species can attain
maximum life span: the upper limit to which members of a species can
live;
for humans
centenarians: people who live to see their 100th birthday
Changes in Appearance
Skin and hair:
--skin is becoming
--hair thins out more, more gray, possibly white
--other bodily hair becomes thin
Body shape and muscles:
--height declines, esp. in women
--weight begins to drop
--muscle strength also declines at a faster rate than middle adulthood
--bone strength declines; bones are more porous
--strength and flexibility of joints, tendons, and ligaments declines
Vision:
--more blurry and sensitive to glare
--lens begins to yellow
--peripheral vision is poorer; this is the strongest predictor of car
accidents for the elderly
--have
accidents than young people b/c they
compensate for deficiencies by driving more slowly and avoiding night driving
--10% of people over age 65 can see well w/o glasses
cataracts: thickening of the lens and cloudy areas in the lens (foggy
vision and eventual blindness w/o surgery)
-are affected by 70
--risk factors:
glaucoma: b/c of poor fluid drainage, pressure builds up in the eye and
damages the optic nerve
--can progress w/o noticeable symptoms
--more women than men and is hereditary
-in 70s and
in 90s
macular degeneration: deterioration of the retina
--leading cause of blindness in older adults
--can be treated with laser therapy if early
-in 60s and
over 80
Hearing:
--declines more, esp. at high frequencies
--learn how to
helps to interpret spoken word
Taste, Smell, and Touch:
--reduced sensitivity to taste (sweet, salty, sour, and bitter)
--have difficulty recognizing familiar foods by taste alone
--decline in odor sensitivity or perception
--decline in sensation in the hands, esp. fingertips
--senses decline so receive less sensory input into their brains
Cardiovascular and Respiratory System:
--heart pumps with less force, maximum heart rate decreases, blood
flow thru circulatory system slows down
--lungs fill and empty less efficiently (reason why they increase their
breathing rate more and feel more out of breath while exercising)
Immune System:
--becomes less competent, increasing risk of illnesses like
--lower immune system just allows the disease to progress
--healthy diet helps maintain higher immunity
Sleep:
--sleep less, esp. time spent in slow wave sleep or deep sleep
Stereotypes of Aging
ageism: showing prejudice against someone b/c of their age
What are some stereotypes of the elderly?
--ageism impacts the elderly by undermining their feelings of
competence and self-esteem
Dependence and Independence
--most are independent and care for themselves
--caregivers can diminish the independence of the elderly if they help too
much
Have distinct groups based on dependence or independence
young-old: under 75 (largest grp); healthy, independent, active,
financially secure
old-old: over 75; physical, mental, or social losses
oldest-old: over 85; more dependent on others; most likely to have
age-related illnesses
---
of U.S. population is over 65
is the fastest-growing age grp in the U.S.
Physical Disabilities
Arthritis:
--becomes more common now
-of the elderly population has arthritis
Diabetes:
--adult onset doubles w/ about 10% of the elderly affected
Falls:
--leading type of accident
--risk factors:
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
elderspeak: similar to Motherese; using simple, short sentences;
speaking slowly, repetitively, and loudly; and using a higher pitch
using elderspeak is demeaning
Memory
memory failure increases
Working memory:
--even more difficult to hold more information
--more difficult to multitask because other things are distracting
Long-term memory:
--still intact, mainly vocabulary, happy experiences, and their area
of expertise
Explicit memory: where you consciously recall information
--becomes difficult to recall certain factual information
--may take a while to recall some information
Implicit memory: procedural memories that are mainly unconscious
--stays intact mainly because it’s familiar to do some things
Problem Solving:
--complex hypothetical thinking declines but can still solve everyday
problems
Wisdom:
--expertise in the conduct and meaning of life
--reaches it’s height in old age
--uses practical life experience
terminal decline: marked acceleration in deterioration of cognitive
functioning prior to death
--factors correlated with deterioration of cognition:
Mental Disabilities
Neurocognitive Disorders (dementia):
--irreversible loss of intellectual/brain functioning; affects thoughts
and behaviors
--about
Americans live with a serious neurocognitive
disorder
Alzheimer Disease:
--structural and chemical brain deterioration
--is partly genetic
Stage 1: become absentminded about any NEW information
Stage 2: less concentration and short-term memory is affected more
--words get mixed up, repeat things, limited vocabulary
--can forget things after only a few seconds
Stage 3: memory loss is more profound
--difficult to care for themselves on a daily basis
--more dangerous now
--forgetting more “common” things or those things they would
normally know
Stage 4: need full-time care
--can barely communicate and don’t recognize close friends and
relatives
Stage 5: brain has severely deteriorated and can’t talk or
communicate
--those who develop Alzheimer’s usually die
after the
beginning of stage 1
--when it occurs early (under 60), final phase typically occurs around
after first signs appear
Parkinson’s disease:
--loss of dopamine-producing neurons
--muscle rigidity, tremors, slurred speech
-of all cases of neurocognitive disorders
EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Ego Integrity vs. Despair
--coming to terms with one’s life
life review: reflects on and reconsiders past experiences and
decisions and try to gain self-understanding from them; may especially try to
pass on and share their experiences with younger generations
Other Theories of Aging
Disengagement Theory:
--disengage from society in anticipation of death
--believed that death is a disruption to society but also frees the
individual from
--is the most controversial
Activity Theory:
--decline in interaction because of social barriers that state they
shouldn’t interact as much
--try to find other activities to stay active and busy
--lose certain social roles so try to find others
Continuity Theory:
--try to keep life consistent with how it was before, esp. when
considering personality characteristics
Keeping Active and Increasing Longevity
volunteer work;
of those over 65 volunteer in formal settings
continuing education
become more involved in religious activities
more active politically;
volunteer in political campaigns
factors for longevity: being integrated into the community (cultural); lifelong
work; a diet rich in fresh vegetables
Living Arrangements
Ordinary Homes:
--those who aren’t physically impaired stay in their own homes
--most live on their own and prefer to live on their own
--b/c of improved health and economic well-being
Assisted Living (residential communities):
--an intermediate form of care for older adults
--can be thought of as a combination of nursing home and independent
living
--single-dwelling or apartment complexes that are modified to suit
their needs (single-level, spacious, and grab bars in bathroom)
--have adjoining recreational facilities
Nursing Homes:
--only
live in nursing homes
--many social partners but low interaction
--residents with physical but no mental impairments are more
depressed, anxious, and lonely than those in residential communities
--in the U.S., the trend has been to have fewer nursing home residents
--in the U.S. in 2011, the average cost per year was $85,775
Relationships
Marriage:
--most keep the traditional roles but both do more household tasks
after retirement
--tend to disagree less often than younger couples and resolve
differences in more constructive ways; learn how to disagree
--tend to be happier and wealthier than single older adults
--tend to be happier in their marriages than younger adults
--one crucial factor in the success of long-term marriages is
-over 75 in the United States have never married
--those who have never married are about as happy as people in long-term
marriages
--life satisfaction for the elderly correlates with companionship
Widowhood:
--described as the most stressful event in their life
--have lost their
of being a spouse
--widows make up approximately 1/3 of the elderly population
--greatest problem for recent widows is
--having at least one close friend is the most important buffer against
the loss that comes from retirement and widowhood
Younger generations:
--about 80% have children that are middle-aged
--interaction increases b/c they stay in touch more
--if interaction is
, elder adult has
less physical and psychological impairments
--if interaction is
, elder adult
tends to have poor physical and mental health
--more daughters keep in touch or are responsible for parents;
daughters feel stronger affection toward their parents
-are grandparents by age 65
Types of Grandparents
--involved grandparents: active in the daily lives of their grandchildren
--remote grandparents: are emotionally distant but are honored,
respected, and obeyed by grandchildren
--companionate grandparents: happy to be independent of the daily
demands of child rearing; entertain and “spoil” their grandchildren; most
common type of grandparenting in the United States
--having a partner and children is not essential for happiness in late
adulthood
Friendships:
--become more important b/c less familial responsibilities and
retirement
-is stronger with friends
Retirement
--some retire gradually by cutting down hours and responsibilities
--bridge jobs: transition b/t full-time career and retirement
--some leave jobs and then return to supplement limited financial resources
--if work part-time or become self-employed, tend to be happier than those
who work full-time or quit completely
Elder Abuse
-of all elders are victims
--mostly takes place in private and victims are often unable or unwilling to
complain
--forms of abuse:
--most frequent are
--perpetrator is usually someone they know and trust
--being a demanding care receiver increases the likelihood of abuse