Aging and death exam 1

Population Aging

Average age of the population is increasing and the proportion of the population made up of people ages 65 and older is rising.

Median Age

the age at which half of the population is older and half is younger.

1820- 17 years old

1900- 23 years old

2018- 38 years old

2030- 42 years old *prediction

Cohorts

A group of people born during a particular time who thereby experience common life events during the same time period

Demographic Transition Theory

Points to a connection between population change and the economic process of industrialization.

Before industrialization, birth and death rates were high. After, though, birth rates remained high while death rates fell.

Life Course Perspective

Old age can be understood as part of the entire course of human life

Age Identification

Acknowledgement of chronological age or years since birth

Age Differentiation

Socialization of age

"Act your age"

Age Grading

Refers to the way people are assigned different roles in society depending on their age

Age Stratification

Emphasize that a person's position in the age structure affects behavior or attitudes

Social Clock

The appropriate age for certain life events

What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the afternoon?

A human being

infancy (crawling on all fours)

adulthood (walking on two)

old age (using a cane)

Young-Old

65-74

Old-Old

75-84

Oldest-Old

85+

Rites of Passage

special events that mark the transition from one role to another

Modernization Theory of Aging

The status of older adults declines as societies become more modern

3 Boxes of Life

Childhood, adulthood, and old age

Fifth Commandment

Honor thy father and thy mother

It's the only commandment that carries a reward for following it

Disengagement Theory of Aging

Looks at old age as a time when both the older person and society engage in mutual separation, as in the case of retirement from work.

The process of disengagement is understood to be a natural and normal tendency reflecting a basic biological rhythm of life.

Shakespeare's King Lear could not give up kingship in old age

Activity Theory of Aging

Argues that the more active people are, the more likely they are to be satisified with life

Continuity Theory of Aging

As people grow older they are inclined to maintain as much as they can the same habits, personality, and style of life they developed in earlier years

Phenomenological Approach

The assumption that one must appreciate individuals' personal, subjective experiences to truly understand their behavior.

Individual's lived experiences are legitimate sources of knowledge

When are you an "older worker"?

40

Agesim

prejudice or discrimination on the basis of a person's age

Heterogeneity

The quality or state of being diverse in character or content

Learned Helplessness

Dependency and depression reinforced by the external environment

Locus of Control

Nursing home residents suffer from a diminished locus of control in which they lose the ability to control such basic matters as bedtime and meal choices.

Can get it back through choose activities or taking care of plants.

People often spend more of their lives in their roles as adult children of aging parents than as parents themselves.

True

Hyperborean theme

a conviction that people in a remote part of the earth live extremely long lives

Most physiological functions begin to decline after age 30.

True

Biomarkers

biological indicators that can identify features of the basic process of aging

they tend to decline with increases in chronological age

Reserve Capacity

the ability of the body to recover from assaults and to withstand peak-load demands

Functional Age

Determined by biomarkers

Lifespan

Maximum time for how long a member of that species can survive

ALWAYS HIGHER

Life Expectancy

Average number of years you are expected to live

Antagonistic Pleiotropy

A trait being beneficial in early life but harmful in later life

Sickle cell anemia gene is genetically linked to resistance to malaria.

From an evolutionary point of view, there is no obvious reason that human beings should live beyond 30 or 40 - reproduction years.

True

Free Radicals

Unstable molecules that cause biochemical aging, especially wrinkling and sagging of the skin.

Have an extra electron.

Glycosylation

is behind much of the damage created in adult-onset diabetes as well as stiffened joints and blocked arteries.

It gums up our cells

immunosenescence

Decline of immune system with age

Starts after puberty

Role Loss or Role Discontinuity

From a wife to a widow

From a child to an orphan

Cognitive Theory of Aging

argues that it is perception of change, rather than actual objective change, that has the most impact on behavior

ADL

activities of daily living

Compression of Morbidity

a shortening of the time a person spends ill or infirm before dying, accomplished by postponing illness

Generativity

Outliving the self - Erikson

Multidimensional Disengagement

As people grow older, they may withdraw from some activities

People who attend church tend to live longer

True

Benefits of Religion

Reduces the impact of stress in late-life illness

Provides a sense of order and meaning in life

Offers social networks tied to religious groups

Strengthens inner psychological resources such as self-esteem

Blazer's Spiritual Well Being

Self-determined wisdom

Self-transcendence

Discovery of meaning in aging

Acceptance of the totality of life

Revival of spirituality

Preparation for death

Ikigai

reason to live; purpose of life

Japanese

The Coming of Age - Simone de Beauvoir

Coming to terms with aging. There is still purpose in living and everyone has worth no matter their age.

Successful Aging - John Rowe and Robert Kahn

Satchel Paige- black baseball player who refused to share his age

successful aging means to age well

Vital Involvement in Old Age - Erik Erikson, Joan Erikson, and Kivinick

Trust and hope

Old age is giving up old things (friends, roles, independence, etc.)

Elders are still very important in society - apart of the human experience

The Measure of My Days - Florida Scott-Maxwell

Personal account of aging. Death feels like a friend.

The Wonderful One-Hoss Shay

perfect image of an optimistic hope about aging: a long, healthy existence followed by an abrupt end of life, with no decline

Human Life Span

122 years, how long a human can live with no outside forces.