copyright © 2010 pearson education, inc. all rights reserved. older adulthood physical and...

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Older AdulthoodPhysical and Cognitive Development

Chapter 16

16


Older AdulthoodPhysical and Cognitive Development

• Aging Today

• Physical Aspects of Aging

• Causes of Aging

• Cognitive Changes in Advanced Age


Aging Today

• Ageism and Stereotypes

– Cultural context influences how people experience growing old

– In the United States, ageism—negative stereotypes of older adults —is common

– In Asian nations, older people are honored—a tradition referred to as filial piety


Video Clip

A cartoon that jokes about ageist stereotypes:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF9ikOfNzxw


Percentage of U.S. Population 65 Years of Age and Older


Four Decades of Later Life

• Percentage of population over age 65 is increasing

• By 2030, one out of every five persons in the United States will be 65 or older

• Categories of older adulthood:– Young old: 60 to 69

– Middle-age-old: 70 to 79 (septuagenarians)

– Old-old: 80 to 89 (octogenarians)

– Very old-old: 90 to 99


U.S. Population Age 85 and Over and Age 95 and Over

Source: From Statistical Abstract of the United States, 2009, by the U.S. Census Bureau, 2009b. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.


Preventing Strokes and Falls


Major Issues Commonly Faced by Older Adults


Aging in Perspective

• There is wide diversity in the people belonging to each age group of older adults

• Most older adults adapt to age-related difficulties

• Physical aspects of aging are challenges to be met


Physical Aspects of Aging

• Most physical changes are the result of pathological aging—the cumulative effects of aging from earlier events and lifestyle choice

• Changing Body

– Appearance: noticeable in skin (wrinkles, warts, broken blood vessels, age spots)

– Muscle, Bones, and Mobility

• Muscles become weaker

• Bone mass declines – osteoporosis

• Vestibular system declines with age, often leading to falls


Changing Body (continued)• Internal organs

– Most organ systems decline in function

– immune system, heart, and respiratory system

– Bodily reserves decline with age

• Sleep Problems

– Half of those over 65 have sleep problems

• Older adults often sleep less, and have less time in deep sleep

• Sleep disorders like sleep apnea and insomnia may develop


Sleep Patterns Typical of Older Adults


Changing Body: The Senses

• Become less sensitive

• Sense of taste may decline, leading to use of more salt in food which, in turn, may lead to hypertension

• Hearing and visual impairments common

– cataract

– glaucoma

– visual acuity decreases


Changing Body: Brain and Nervous System

• Brain declines in weight

• Lateralization of functions decline

• Central nervous system slows

• Neurological deficiencies may develop– Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease


Changing Body: Brain and Nervous System

• Dementia may develop and involves:

– Impaired learning and memory

– Deterioration of language and motor functions

– Inability to recognize familiar people and objects

– Frequent confusion and personality changes


Health, Disease, and Nutrition• Chronic health problems, most common:

– Hypertension

– Arthritis

– Heart disease

– Sensory impairments

– Type 2 Diabetes

– Obesity

– Atherosclerosis (related to excess fats in diets)

– Misuse of medications leads to drug interactions or changes in metabolism


Video Clip

Registered nurse and patient describe the experience of living with Type 2 Diabetes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ03eq3CHmM


People 65 and Over Who Reported Having Selected Chronic Conditions

SOURCE: From Older Americans: Key indicators of well-being, 2008, by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, 2008. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.


People in United States Age 65 and Over Who Are Obese

SOURCE: From Older Americans: Key indicators of well-being, 2008, by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics, 2008. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; and “Health risks indicator” Number 25 and Table 25. Retrieved October 31, 2005, fromhttp://www.agingstats.gov/chartbook2004/healthrisks.html


U.S. Life Expectancies by Gender and Ethnicity, 1900–2005

SOURCE: From Health, United States, 2007, with Chartbook, by the National Center for Health Statistics, 2007. Hyattsville, MD: Author.


The Causes of Aging

• Theories of Aging

– Senescence: normal, biological processes associated with aging, excluding disease

– Stochastic theories: aging is the result of wear and tear based on assaults from internal and external environments

– Biological clock: the pace of aging is genetically programmed

– At present, aging theories are not well understood, though we know more about age-related diseases like cancer, viruses, and neurological degeneration


Video Clip

60 Minutes news excerpts explains research on how red wine can prevent disease and slow the aging process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3TGKOQeTrc


Cognitive Changes in Advanced Age

• Speed of cognition

– cognitive processing speed declines; slower on memory tasks; problem solving takes longer


Cognitive Changes in Advanced Age

• Memory affected by aging– sensory memory declines

– speed of working memory decreases

– may take longer to organize, rehearse, and encode information

– long-term memory may decline

– Overall, age-related declines in memory are gradual and nonconsequential, unless disease processes are involved


Memory affected by Aging (continued)

• Decline in memory likely associated with slowing of nervous system and shrinkage of frontal lobes of brain

• Brain seems to compensate for declining size

– Older individuals show increase neural activity compared to younger adults

– Schaie’s Seattle Longitudinal Study has tracked six cognitive factors across the lifespan


Six Cognitive Abilities Included in the Seattle Longitudinal Study


Age-related changes in Six Cognitive Abilities: Cross- Sectional Data

SOURCE: From “Developmental influences on adult cognitive development: The Seattle Longitudinal Study,” by K. W. Schaie, 2005 (Figure 3, p. 103). Copyright © 2005 by Oxford University Press, New York. Reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press, Inc.


Age-related changes in Six Cognitive Abilities: Longitudinal Data

SOURCE: From “Developmental influences on adult cognitive development: The Seattle Longitudinal Study,” by K. W. Schaie, 2005 (Figure 4, p. 127). Copyright © 2005 by Oxford University Press, New York. Reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press.


Cognitive Changes

• Wisdom – expert knowledge system that involves excellent judgment and advice on critical and practical life issues– Requires superior levels of knowledge, judgment, and

advice

– Based on depth and breadth of knowledge

– Combines mind and virtue

– Easily recognized by most people

– Not all older adults are wise, but fewer younger adults are


Cognitive Decline• Dementia

– chronic confusion, forgetfulness, and accompanying personality change

– serious and life-altering

• General causes of cognitive decline– poor general health, nonstimulating environment,

taking many prescription drugs

• Specific causes of cognitive decline– strokes

– atherosclerosis

– Alzheimer’s disease


Video Clip

Boy describes book he wrote to help other kids understand Alzheimer’s Disease by describing his experiences with his grandmother:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAyB-MdzXsg


Video Clip

Artists depicts the experience of Alzheimer’s Disease through self portraits:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1xPyrHDYbM


Video Clip

Scenes from the film Grace showing the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease as Grace struggles to remember the words of the song Jesus Loves Me.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wbYEK7O14E


Video Clip

Accessible description of how Alzheimer’s disease affects the brainhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wv9jrk-gXc


General Factors Linked to Cognitive Decline in Older Adults


CT Scan of Stroke Patient


10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease


10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease (continued)


Neural Tangles and Plaques of Alzheimer’s Disease


Compensating for an Aging Mind

• Most adults effectively compensate for age-related cognitive declines

• Higher education and overall activity level are linked with less cognitive decline


Summary

• Older adults experience a life much more full and rich than younger people often imagine, in spite of stereotypes about aging

• How people grow old is heavily dependent on their culture

• The percentage of the population over age 65 is increasing rapidly

• Old age can be divided into three periods: young-old, middle-aged-old, and old-old


Summary

• Physically, the cumulative effects of aging result from earlier life events more than advancing age

• The body undergoes declines in most major systems

• The senses become less sensitive, the brain deteriorates in certain aspects, and chronic-long-term conditions become more apparent

• Older adults have slower metabolism and obesity becomes common


Summary

• The main theories of aging are senescence, the stochastic theory, and the biological clock theory

• Mental skills remain intact as we age, but the speed of cognition and reaction time slows

• Aging affects the memory processes, but dementia is not a normal part of aging

• Dementia results from poor general health, side effects of medication, strokes, and Alzheimer’s disease

• Most adults effectively compensate for age-related cognitive decline

copyright © 2010 pearson education, inc. all rights reserved. older adulthood physical and...

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