Late Adulthood

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YouR NaMe

Cards (108)

Ageism 
Prejudice or discrimination based on age, most commonly affecting older people
Age categories
Young old
Old old
Primary aging 
Inevitable process of bodily deterioration, begins early in life and continues through the years irrespective of what people do
Secondary aging 
Aging processes that result from disease and bodily abuse & disuse, often preventable
Activities of daily living (ADLs) 
Essential activities that support survival, such as eating, dressing, bathing, and getting around the house
Functional age 
Measure of a person's ability to function effectively in their physical and social environment in comparison with others of the same chronological age
Gerontology 
Study of the aged and the process of aging
Geriatrics 
Branch of medicine concerned with processes of aging and medical conditions associated with old age
Life expectancy 
Age to which a person born at a certain time can expect to live, given their current age and health status
Longevity 
Length of an individual's life
Life span 
The longest period that members of a species can live
Senescence 
The decline in body functioning associated with aging
Categories of biological aging
Genetic programming theories
Variable-rate theories
Programmed senescence theory 
Aging is the result of the sequential switching on and off of certain genes
Endocrine theory 
Biological clocks act through hormones to control the pace of aging
Immunological theory 
Programmed decline in immune system function leads to increased vulnerability to infectious disease and thus to aging and death
Evolutionary theory 
Aging is an evolved trait; genes that promote reproduction are selected at higher rates than genes that extend life
Hayflick limit 
Genetically controlled limit on the number of times cells can divide in members of a species
Wear-and-tear theory 
Cells and tissues have vital parts that wear out
Free-radical theory 
Aging results from the formation of free radicals, which cause accumulated damage from oxygen radicals
Free radicals 
Unstable, highly reactive atoms or molecules formed during metabolism that can cause internal bodily damage
Rate-of-living theory 
The greater an organism's rate of metabolism, the shorter its life span
Autoimmune theory 
Immune system becomes confused and attacks its own body cells
Survival curve 
Curve on a graph showing the percentage of people or animals alive at various ages
Organic & systematic changes
Some body systems decline rapidly, others hardly at all
Elderly adults are more likely to suffer from arrhythmia
Heart changes result in impaired capacity for pumping blood and decreases in cardiovascular fitness
Chronic stress is related to chronic low-grade inflammation
Problems that put older adults at high risk of malnutrition
Swallowing food
Gastric reflux
Indigestion
Irritable bowel syndrome
Constipation
Reserve capacity 
Back-up capacity that helps body systems function to their utmost limits in times of stress
Aging brain 
Declines in brain's ability as they become older, including ability to process information rapidly and executive functioning
Changes in the aging brain for healthy people are generally subtle and make little difference in functioning
Semanticized cognition 
Older adults utilize their vast knowledge to strategically bolster their diminishing processing capacities
Frontal lobe & temporal region
Diminishes in volume and weight
Dopamine 
Typical change in decrease in number or density of this neurotransmitter, important for regulating attention
Beginning in mid-fifties, myelin sheath begins to thin
Vision & hearing changes
Older eyes need more light to see, are more sensitive to glare, and may have trouble locating and reading signs
Cataracts 
Cloudy or opaque areas in the lens of the eye, common in older adults, eventually cause blurred vision
Cataracts surgery 
Associated with reduction in mortality risk of up to 60%
Age-related macular degeneration 
Leading cause of visual impairment in older adults