Psych 250 Lecture 18 - Physical Development in Middle Adulthood

what is middle age

• ages 40-65

• Command Generation

• when health issues become more salient

physical changes - vision

accommodation of eye experiences sharp decline between 40-59

accommodation of eye definition

ability to focus and maintain an image on the retina

vision decline results from? (2 things)

1. weakening of muscle

2. reading small print

vision decline leads to? (2 things)

1. difficulty viewing close objects

2. reading small print

size of pupil___

shrinks

what color do lenses turn?

yellow

limitations due pupil size shrinking and lens yellowing (2 things)

1. limits ability to see in dim light

2. limits color discrimination

what does reduced blood supply lead to?

decrease in visual field and increase in blind spots

percentage of American adults between 45-64 who have hearing loss

14%

hearing decline starts with loss at ____ frequencies

higher

who’s hearing declines earlier + faster? (men/women)

men

middle-age spread = ____ metabolism

slowed

middle-age spread/slowed metabolism leads to?

increase in body fat & gradual loss of lean body mass (muscle & bone)

gradual loss in bone ___ and bone ___ = makes bones ___

mass, density, weaker

disks in spinal column move closer, leads to…

height shrinkage

general trend of cosmetic surgery/culture

increase in plastic surgery

most common cosmetic surgery procedure in younger generation

breast augmentation

most common cosmetic surgery procedure in older generation

breast and butt lift (because they want to look younger, want lifting surgeries)

climacteric

mid-life transition in which fertility declines

perimenopause

gradual changes for women over a 10-year period

• production of estrogen drops

• cycles shorten & become more irregular

• concludes with menopause

menopause

the cessation of menstruation and of reproductive capacity - no period for 12 consecutive months

timing of menopause

between 50-55

• average: 50 or 51

key factor in timing of menopause

genetics

• smoking also causes menopause to occur ~2 years earlier

physiological changes due to reduction in female sex hormones/menopause

• decreased elasticity of skin

• increase in risk of heart disease

• loss of calcium in bones → increased risk of osteoporosis

typical physical symptoms of menopause

• hot flash

• profuse sweating and “night sweat”

• other changes: weight gain, headaches, changes in sexual response

• extent & duration varies

two types of Hormone Therapy

1. estrogen only (for women who’ve had hysterectomy)

2. estrogen + progesterone (for intact uterus)

percentage of US women born between 1897 and 1950 who used HRT

45%

believed benefits of HRT

reduced risks of heart disease and osteoporosis and relieved some menopause symptoms

findings from WHI study, HRT increased risks:

• 26% increase in breast cancer

• 41% increase in strokes

• 29% increase in heart attacks

• doubled rate of blood clots in legs and lungs

findings from WHI study, HRT increased benefits:

• 37% less colorectal cancer

• 34% fewer hip fractures

Findings from WHI study, HRT showed no difference in:

number of deaths

other research linked HRT to:

elevated risk of mild cognitive declines and nearly double the risk of Alzheimer’s among women 65+

current state on HRT

individualized approach, risks overstated for women under 60 using modern, lower-dose formulations

reasons why menopause is not as traumatic as typically believed

• women are more career-oriented

• child-bearing days are often over

• physical symptoms reported as “minor”

perspectives/attitudes that help ease stress of menopause

• positive attitude

• knowledge and awareness of symptoms

• older female role models

• emergence to new freedom

percentage of adults who rate their health as good or excellent

85%

critical factor in staying healthy in middle adulthood

keeping active

two leading causes of death in middle age

1. cancer

2. cardiovascular disease

death rate due to cancer multiplies ___ from early to middle adulthood

tenfold

leading cause of death in women

1. breast cancer

2. lung cancer

leading cause of death in men

1. prostrate cancer

2. lung cancer

percentage of people “cured” of cancer (disease free for 5 or more years)

60%

percentage of American deaths due to cardiovasucular disease

25%

signs of cardiovascular disease that often go undetected

• high blood pressure

• high blood cholesterol

• atherosclerosis (build up of plaque in coronary arteries)

symptoms of cardiovascular disease

• heart attack

• angina pectoris (feels like indigestion or chest pain)

• arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat)