Lifespan overheads, chapter 17: physical and cognitive development in late adulthood
1
Physical and Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood
Physical Development
Chronological age is an imperfect indicator of functional age
 the young-old appear especially young for their years
 the old-old appear frail and show signs of decline
Longevity: the average human can live 85-90 years
 fastest growing segment of the elderly is 85+, now
1.7% of the population; by 2050, 5.1%
 by 85 there are 259 women per 100 men
 but once a man reaches 85, he has as many potential
years ahead of him as a woman at that age
 genetic component: identical twins typically die within
3 years of each other; fraternal same-sex twins, 6 years
 environmental factors: SES; low-fat nutrient-rich diet;
body weight; blood pressure and blood cholesterol;
exercise; not smoking, drinking, or using drugs; lasting
marriage; stable family life in childhood; being
conscientious and dependable; hardiness (optimistic
outlook); low hostility; low stress; social support system
Physical changes
Nervous system:
 brain weight declines by 5 to 10% by age 80
o visual, auditory, motor areas: up to 50% of
neurons die
o cerebellum loses about 25% of neurons
o glial cells decrease  diminished efficiency
Lifespan overheads, chapter 17: physical and cognitive development in late adulthood
2
o ANS decrements: poor temperature regulation, too
much cortisol in the system
Sensory systems
 vision:
o lens yellows, cataracts increase, pupil shrinks,
vitreous clouds, cell loss in retina and optic nerve
o ↓ eyesight, dark adaptation, depth perception,
visual acuity
o macular degeneration
o vitamins A,C,E and carotenoids
 hearing:
o eardrum stiffens, cells die in neural pathways -decrements in high frequencies and soft sounds
o decline in speech perception
 taste and smell:
o reduced sensitivity to sweet, salty, sour, and bitter
o decrease in number of smell receptors
o odor perception becomes distorted
 touch:
o sharp decline in fingertips and hands, due to
poorer circulation to extremities
Lifespan overheads, chapter 17: physical and cognitive development in late adulthood
3
Cardio and Respiratory Systems
 heart muscle becomes more rigid, walls of left ventricle
thicken, arteries stiffen, accumulate plaque
 heart pumps with less force, heart rate decreases,
blood flow slows down
 elasticity of lung tissue ↓ resulting in ↑breathing rate,
breathlessness when exercising
Immune system
 autoimmune responses against normal body tissues
 excessive stress hormones in the system
 healthy diet and moderate exercise
Sleep
 more trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, and getting
deep sleep
 timing changes to earlier bedtimes, earlier awakenings
 men have more trouble than women
 66% more prescriptions for sedatives than 40-60 year
olds
o ↑ frequency and severity of apnea, cause rebound
insomnia
Lifespan overheads, chapter 17: physical and cognitive development in late adulthood
4
Physical Appearance, mobility














creasing and sagging of skin
oil glands become less active, causing dry rough skin
age spots increase
moles and other skin growths may appear
blood vessels are visible under the thinning skin
nose and ears broaden
teeth show their age
hair on head thins out
height declines as bone mineral content is lost
loss in lean body mass continues
muscle strength declines at a faster rate
bone strength deteriorates
flexibility of tendons, joints, and ligaments is reduced
exercise can enhance flexibility and range of movement
Adapting to physical changes
 the more older people endorse negative stereotypes
about the elderly, the less likely they are to cope well
Health, Fitness, Disability




health is central to physiological well-being in late life
optimism!
before age 85, SES predicts physical functioning
African-American and Hispanic elderly are at greater
risk for certain health problems
 after age 85, women are more impaired than men,
because only the sturdiest men have survived
Lifespan overheads, chapter 17: physical and cognitive development in late adulthood
5
Nutrition and exercise
 ↑ need for vitamins but many do not eat properly
 those who take supplements show better health,
physical functioning
 exercise is a powerful health intervention
 weight bearing exercise promotes muscle size,
functioning, strength
Sexuality
 decline in sexual desire and frequency of sexual activity
 most healthy older married couples report continued
regular sexual enjoyment
 among unmarried people over age 65, 70% of men and
50% of women have sex occasionally
 male is usually the one who ceases to interact sexually
Physical disabilities
 primary aging versus secondary aging
o arthritis: inflamed, painful, stiff, and often swollen
joints and muscles
 osteoarthritis
 rheumatoid arthritis
o adult-onset diabetes
 incidence doubles in late adulthood
 risk ↑ by inactivity and abdominal fat deposits
Lifespan overheads, chapter 17: physical and cognitive development in late adulthood
6
o unintentional injuries
 motor vehicle accidents: higher rates of traffic
violations, accidents, fatalities per mile driven
than any age group except drivers under 25
 poor visual system, ↓ reaction time
 falls: 10% result in serious injury
Mental disabilities
 Alzheimer’s disease:
o 5-7% of people over 65; 15% of people over 80
o severe memory problems (recent memory, then
distant events, basic facts); personality changes,
depression, social withdrawal; loss of skilled and
purposeful movements; loss of ability to
comprehend and produce speech
o as fast as a few years or as long as 20 years
o neurofibrillary tangles; plaques amyloid; lowered
levels of ACTH; lowered levels of serotonin
o 2 types: familial, that runs in families, and
sporadic, that does not. Familial has earlier onset
(before age 65), progresses faster.
o HRT, anti-inflammatory drugs, education have
protective effects
Cognitive Development
Lifespan overheads, chapter 17: physical and cognitive development in late adulthood
Memory: more frequent failure of memory
 recognition memory suffers less than recall memory
 remote memory: older adults find it easier to recall
adolescent and early adulthood experiences than
middle adulthood experiences
 recent memories are the most easily recalled
Language Processing
 oral language comprehension changes very little
 language production shows some losses
o retrieving words from long-term memory
o planning what to say and how to say it
Factors related to Cognitive Change
 mentally active life predicts good mental abilities into
advanced old age
 health status is a strong predictor of intellectual
performance
 terminal decline: a steady, marked decrease in
cognitive functioning prior to death
Cognitive Interventions
7
Lifespan overheads, chapter 17: physical and cognitive development in late adulthood
 The Adult Development and Enrichment Project
(ADEPT) gave adults over 64 cognitive skills training
o 2/3 improved, even those who had previously
shown a decline
o among those who had declined, 40% returned to
the level they’d been at 14 years ago!
 many cognitive skills can be enhanced in old age
 continuing education  new friends, new ideas and
facts, higher self esteem
8