PSYC 361: Healthy Aging

Population trends in the US, look like a rectangle in 2025

True, looks like rectangle instead of pyramid

Age Dependency Ratio

a group of ages that works and contributes to the economy 18-65 

• As the population gets older, the trend of people who are part of the age-dependent group is getting smaller because less people are working and there are more people dependent on the people who work 

Why are there age changes?

• People living longer thanks to vaccine and better health care 

• Decrease in child birth rates

Why is the age dependency ratio a problem?

• Social security

• Medicare

• Medicaid

Social Security and Age Dependency Ratio

• 1935: initiative by FDR to “fram a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against the poverty-ridden old age”

• it now represents the primary financial support after retirement to many Americans.

• In 2010, benefit payments first exceeded revenues

Medicare and Age Dependency Ratio

• Over 65 million U.S. citizens depend on Medicare.

• Eligibility for Medicare: Over 65 + younger individuals with disabilities

• Consists of:

  • Part A: inpatient hospital services, etc.

  • Part B: outpatient services, etc.

  • Part D: some coverage for prescription medications

Medicaid and Age Dependency Ratio

• Program that provides health insurance to Americans with limited resources

• Includes support for nursing home care, home- and community-based services

• Research shows: improves health outcome

What can we do about the age dependency problem?

• Socio/cultural solutions

• Individual solutions → focus on healthy aging

What is healthy aging?

• Healthy aging involves avoiding disease, being engaged with life, and maintaining high cognitive and physical functioning 

  • It is both measurable and subjective 

  • It is reached when a person achieves his or her desired goals with dignity and as independently as possible

Salutogenesis

An approach that emphasizes factors that support and promote health, rather than factors that cause disease

Note that many factors influence aging

• Some can’t be controlled (ex. genetics)

• Others can (e.g., exercise, diet, regular doctor visits) – provided resources are available 

• Some require collective work (ex. Combatting ageism, improving environments and resources) 

• A shift to positive aspects that improve one’s existence

  • Framework allows for creating wellness interventions in many settings

General framework for individual interventions

• An individual has stressors that they can either cope with well (--> health ease) or poorly (--> disease) 

• Resoruces help to push the individual toward “health ease” 

  • Two types

    • Indiviudal resources (ex. Attitudes, knowledge) 

    • External resources (ex. Social support, cultural stability)

  • Coping mechanisms: 

    • Avoiding stressors 

    • Redefining stressors as non-stressors 

    • Managing stressors

Coherence

the ability of people to understand the stressor what resources can be used to deal with it, and apply the resource appropriately

Salutogenesis can be achieved by improving resources and coherence

True

The UN declared 2021-2030 the “Decade of Healthy Aging”

• Created online space for accessing and sharing knowledge about healthy aging, and forming connections 

• Emphasizes: 

  • Combatting agesism 

  • Age-freindly environments 

  • Integrated care 

  • Long-term care 

  • +now term care

The US Department of Health and Human Services created a national initiative to improve the health of all Americans

• Increase the length of healthy life

• Reduce health disparities among Americans

• Achieve access to preventive services for all

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has something for how we can live longer 

True

Primary Prevention

intervention that prevents a disease or condition from occuring 

• Ex. immunization

Secondary Prevention

instituted after a condition has begun but before serious impairments have occurred (ie. Prevents conditions from becoming severe)

• Ex. early screening, cholesterol medications

Tertiary Prevention

efforts to avoid complications or secondary chronic conditons, manage pain and sustain life (ie. prevent complications and secondary effects)

• Eg. anti-embolism (compression) socks for bedridden individuals

Quaternary Prevention

aimed at improving functional capacities of people with chronic conditions (i.e., prevent functional deterioration)

• Eg. Exercise program with Parkinson’s patients

Strategies for Healthy Aging

No magic potion or set of steps to healthy aging!

• Simple steps can be difficult in practice

• “At 77 she’s as fit as a 25-year-old.”

Some key strategies

• Sound and healthy habits: adopt a healthy lifestyle, make it a routine 

  • Exercise 

  • Nutrition 

  • Sleep 

• Good habits of thought 

  • Stay active cognitively 

  • Have an optimistic outlook 

  • Maintain interests alive 

• Maintain a social network

• Sound economic habits 

  • Avoid financial dependency

Lifestyle Factors: Exercise

• Aerobic exercise: places moderate stress on the heart by maintaining a pulse rate between 60% and 90% of the person’s maximum heart rate

• Max heart rate: subtract your age from 220

  • If you are 20, target heart rate should be 120-200

• Better strength, endurance, flexibility

• Improved cardiovascular function, lower blood pressure

• Improves cerebrovascular function

• And more…

  • Reduced stress

  • Improved brain function and preservation of brain tissues

  • Improved cognitive function!

Role of Exercise

• BDNF is increased when someone is exercising 

• Increased dendritic complexity 

• Improved vascularization 

• Increased neurotrophic factors

Is there a “point of no return” with regard to exercise benefits on cognition and brain function?

• Not enough research for this 

• There is never a point in life where it would not be beneficial if you can do it

Nutrition

• oxidative stress when we consume caloires that have free radicals that cause stress 

• Eating ceratin nutrients with antioxidants may reduce signs of aging

• Eating a healthy and balanced diet is an important component of a healthful lifestyle

What changes do older adults need to make to their nutrition?

Most nutritional needs remain the same across adulthood, although older adults need fewer calories, more water, and more (lean) proteins

Metabolism

• how much energy the body needs 

  • Metabolism and digestive processes slow down with age

Low-density lipoproteins (LDL)

cause fatty deposits to accumulate in arteries (should be < 160)

High-density lipoproteins (HDL)

help keep arteries clear by breaking down LDLs (should be > 40)