Papaliahd13 PPT ch17

Physical and
Cognitive
Development in
Late Adulthood
CHAPTER 17
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Learning Objectives
17.1 Discuss the causes and impact of the aging

population
17.2 Characterize and discuss biological theories of
aging
17.3 Describe physical changes in late adulthood
17.4 identify factors that influence health and well-
being in late adulthood
17.5 Describe the cognitive functioning of older adults
© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

Old Age Today
 In the U.S., aging is seen as undesirable

 Many stereotypes about aging
 Ageism
 Prejudice or discrimination based on age

World Population: 60 and Over

Young Old to Oldest Old
 Primary Aging
 Gradual, inevitable process of aging
 Occurs throughout years, despite efforts to slow it
 Secondary Aging
 Results from disease, abuse, and disuse
 Factors within a person’s control
 Functional Age
 How well a person functions physically and socially

Longevity and Aging
 Gerontology and geriatrics

 Life expectancy
Statistical likelihood of length of life, based on
age and health status
 Longevity
Actual length of life
 Life span
Longest period that members of species can
live
Gender Differences
in Life Expectancy
Women typically live longer than

men
 Tend
to take better care of
themselves
 More likely to seek medical care

Regional & Ethnic
Differences in Life Expectancy
Who lives to age 70?

 6 out of 10 in developed countries
 3 out of 10 in developing countries
 In the U.S., whites live about five
years longer than African
Americans

Theories of Aging
Genetic-Programming Variable-Rate
Theories Theories
Programmed
Wear-and-tear
senescence
Endocrine Free-radical
Rate-of-living
Immunological
Autoimmune
Prolongevity:
Expanding the Life Span
 Survival curves
Until recently, supported limited life span
 Hayflick limit
Estimated biological limit of humans at 110 years
 Metabolism
Limited caloric intake may extend life span

Research in Action: Centenarians
 Fastest-growing segment of population

 Alternative patterns in health histories
 Escapers
 Survivors
 Delayers
 Genetic explanations

Organic and Systemic
Changes
 Systemic functioning highly variable

 Reserve capacity: backup capacity
that helps body systems function in
times of stress
 Chronic stress linked to chronic levels of
inflammation

The Aging Brain
 Brain loses weight over time

 10% by age 90
 Due to:
 Shrinking neuron size in cerebral cortex
 Loss of axons, dendrites and synapses
 NOT due to:
 Reduction in number of neurons

The Aging Brain
 Cerebral cortex shrinks more rapidly in

men
 Cortical atrophy more likely in:
 Overweight women
 Uneducated people
 People who do not exercise
 Those with diets low in fruits and vegetables

Older Eyes
 80% of older people have trouble seeing

 Older eyes:
 Need more light to see
 Are more sensitive to glare
 Have trouble locating signs
 Have more trouble negotiating driving skills

Common Visual Impairments
 Cataracts
Cloudy or opaque areas of eyes
 Age-related macular degeneration
Retina loses ability to distinguish details
 Glaucoma
Irreversible damage to optic nerve caused by
increased pressure

Hearing Impairment
Who has trouble

hearing?
• 31% 65–74
• 58% 85 and over
• More men than
women

Physical Losses of Old Age
Older people experience

diminished:
 Strength
 Endurance
 Balance
 Reaction time
 Sleep

Sexual Functioning in
Late Adulthood
 Most older men and women enjoy

sexual expression
 Consistent sexual activity over the years
maintains sexual functioning
 “Use it or lose it”

Sex Differences in
Sexual Functioning
 Men
 Take longer to become erect and
ejaculate
 Need more manual stimulation
 Experience longer intervals between
erections
 Women
 Have less breast engorgement
 Vagina may be less flexible

Health Status
in Late Adulthood
Most older adults are in good

general health for their age
 Age 65 and older
76% are in good to excellent health
Poverty important factor

Chronic Conditions & Disabilities
 Heart disease
 Cancer
 Stroke
 Lower respiratory disease
 Diabetes
 Influenza/pneumonia

Activity Abilities
Activities  Dressing
of Daily Living  Bathing
(ADLs)  Getting around the house
Instrumental  Going shopping alone

Activities of Daily  Going to the doctor’s office
Living (IADLs) alone
 Walking, climbing stairs
Functional
 Reaching
Activities
 Lifting and carrying
Lifestyle Influences
on Quality of Health
 Physical activity and exercise

 Healthy diet
 Often not enough fruits and vegetables
 Regular health and dental exams

Mental Problems
 For most people, mental health

improves with age
 Some problems with older age include:
 Depression
 Dementia
 Physiologically caused cognitive and
behavioral decline

Causes of Dementia
 Alzheimer’s disease (AD)

 Parkinson’s disease
 Multi-infarct dementia (MD)
Caused by a series of small strokes

Symptoms of
Alzheimer’s Disease
 Memory impairment
 Deterioration of language
 Deficits in visual and spatial processing
 Repeating of questions
 Everyday tasks unfinished or forgotten
 Personality change (rigidity, egocentricity)
 Irritability or anxiety
 Lack of concentration

Alzheimer’s:
Causes and Risks
 Neurofibrillary tangles
Twisted masses of dead neurons
 Amyloid plaque
Buildup of nonfunctioning tissue
 Strongly heritable
 Lifestyle factors

Alzheimer’s:
Diagnosis and Prediction
 Can only be diagnosed

definitively postmortem
 While alive:
 Neurocognitive screening tests
 Prospective memory tests

Alzheimer’s:
Treatment and Prevention
 Cholinesterase inhibitors
 Aricept
 Immunotherapy
 Behavioral therapies
 Proper nourishment and fluid intake
 Exercise and physical therapy

Measuring Older Adults’ Intelligence
 Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

 Seattle Longitudinal Study: Use it or lose it
 Indicates tremendous variation
 Cognitive performance can be improved
 Cognitive deterioration may be related to
disuse

Everyday Problem Solving
 Effectiveness
remains stable until
late adulthood, then declines
 Important factors include:
 Emotional relevance of problem
 Whether the problem is person or
instrumental

Changes in
Information-Processing Abilities
 Declines:
 Abilities needed for complex new
skills
 Ability to switch focus or attention
 Improvements:
 Skills
that depend on habits and
knowledge

Cognitive Abilities
and Mortality
Some research has shown links

between longevity and:
 IQ
 Reaction time

Memory Changes
in Late Adulthood
Decline Retained May Improve

Tasks that Tasks requiring Semantic
require rehearsal: memory:
elaboration Procedural Vocabulary and
memory: Motor knowledge
Episodic
memory: skills and habits
Memories of Priming: Ability to
specific solve a problem or
events answer a question

Memory Loss and
Brain Functioning
Areas where brain deterioration occurs:

 Hippocampus
Episodic memory
 Frontal lobes
Encoding and retrieval
 Prefrontal cortex
Working memory

Encoding, Storage,
and Retrieval
 Encoding new information

 Older adults are less efficient
 Requires creating new associations
 Storage
 Increase in “storage failure” with age
 Retrieval
 Olderadults have trouble
 Do better on recognition than recall

Older Adults and Metamemory
Older adults, more than younger

adults, report:
 More perceived change in memory
 Less memory capacity
 Less control over their memory

Can Cognitive
Performance Improve?
 Deterioration is related to disuse

 Keeping the mind “plastic” with
training helps improve cognitive
performance
Mnemonics – techniques to help
people remember

Approaches to
Studying Wisdom
 Social judgments
Exploring conceptions of a ‘wise person’
 Personality
The culmination of lifetime growth
 Cognitive expertise
Breadth and depth of knowledge of life
 Transcendence
Detachment from preoccupation with self

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Physical and

17.1 Discuss the causes and impact of the aging

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 In the U.S., aging is seen as undesirable

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 Gerontology and geriatrics

Women typically live longer than

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

Who lives to age 70?

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 Fastest-growing segment of population

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 Systemic functioning highly variable

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 Brain loses weight over time

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 Cerebral cortex shrinks more rapidly in

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 80% of older people have trouble seeing

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

Who has trouble

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

Older people experience

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 Most older men and women enjoy

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

Most older adults are in good

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

Instrumental  Going shopping alone

 Physical activity and exercise

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 For most people, mental health

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 Alzheimer’s disease (AD)

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 Can only be diagnosed

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

Some research has shown links

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

Decline Retained May Improve

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

Areas where brain deterioration occurs:

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

 Encoding new information

© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education

Older adults, more than younger