Human development and psych ch 14-16

Are there more older women or older men in the US?

there are more older women

Do 50% of people over 65 have high school diplomas?

Yes, 50% do

Why do better educated people live longer?

They have higher incomes, giving them better healthcare access

What is longevity?

The number of years a person can expect to live

What is Maximum life expectancy

The oldest age to which any person lives (about 120 years)

What is Useful life expectancy?

The number of years a person is expected to live free from debilitating chronic diseasew

What is Average life expectancy?

The age at which half of the people born in a particular year will die in the U.S.

What is the average life expectancy in the US?

80.4 years (women); 75.4 years (men)

What is a major factor in longevity?

Hereditary

How does environment play a role in longevity?

It plays a role through the effects of disease, toxins, and risky behaviors

How does social class play a role in longevity?

It plays a role due to lack of access to health care

Is the US healthcare system broken?

Yes, it's broken

Whats the tier list for life expectancy by races?

Latin Americans > European Americans > African Americans

Are women/women more susceptible to fatal infectious diseases?

Men are more susceptible

At what age do men outperform women on cognitive tests?

90

What type of changes are more common in old age?

Neuronal changes

What type of diseases involve changes in declining neurotransmitter levels, Neuritic plaques, and Neurofibrillary tangles?

Alzheimers

What are Neuritic plaques?

damaged or defective neurons form around a core of protein

What are4 Neurofibrillary tangles

spiral-shaped masses form in the axon’s fibers

What is Psychomotor speed?

how quickly a person reacts to make a specific response (gets worse with age, like granny not knowing when to react when she drives)

What is working memory?

Processes and structures involved in holding and using information in problem-solving, decision-making, and learning

Is working memory small in capacity?

Yes, it's small

(T/F) Without continued attention or rehearsal, the information is “lost" in working memory

True, you need to use it or lose it

Does working memory decline with age?

Yes, it declines

At what point is memory loss a problem?

It's a problem when memory failures interfere with everyday life

How do you detect if you have a memory issue?

-Physical and neurological examinations
-Batteries of neuropsychological tests

Whats the rate of depression in old people just living vs old people who need home healthcare?

4.5% vs 13%

(T/F) Fewer than 50% of US adults receive adequate treatment for depression

False, it's fewer than 40%

Why is it hard to diagnose depression in older people?

Because their symptoms may be the same as just getting old (loss of appetite, insomnia, and trouble breathing)

How do internal belief systems play a role in older adults getting depression?

Because of things like believing they're personally responsible for bad events, or thinking things will not get better

How is depression treated in older adults?

SSRI's

What are SSRI's?

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

What do SSRI's do?

They boost mood-regulating serotonin levels

(T/F) Dementia is a type of Alzheimer's

False, Alzheimer's is a type of dementia, not the other way around

What is Alzheimer's?

-Gradual declines in memory, learning, attention, and judgment
-Confusion as to time and place
-Difficulty communicating
-Declines in personal hygiene and self-care
-Personality changes/inappropriate social behavior

Can you accurately diagnose Alzheimer's before death?

No, as to *accurately, 100% sure* diagnose alzheimer's you need to perform an autopsy and look at the patients brain (should reveal very large numbers of neurofibrillary tangles, structural neuronal changes, and amyloid plaques)

How is the diagnosis of possible Alzheimer's performed?

Extensive neurological, psychological, and medical testing to rule out other causes, and interviewing the family for their accurate reports of behavioral symptoms

What is competence?

The upper limit of physical health, ego strength, sensory-perceptual, motor, and cognitive skills

What is environmental press?

The physical, interpersonal, or social demands of the environment

What is adaptation level?

The point at which the press level is average for a particular level of competence

What can changes in combinations of competence and environmental presses lead to?

Proactivity (results when ppl are high in competence)
Docility (results when ppl are low in competence)

What is proactivity?

Choosing new behaviors to exert control over the changes

What is docility?

Allowing the situation to dictate one's options when the changes occur

What is Erikson's 8th stage?

Integrity vs despair

What is life review?

Reflecting on experiences and events of one's lifetime (can promote either integrity or despair)

What is integrity?

Judging one's life to have been meaningful and productive (self-acceptance and self-affirmation result from reaching integrity)

What is despair?

Externalizing one's problems, feeling a sense of meaninglessness

What is subjunctive well being?

The positive feelings that can result from certain life evaluations

Does subjective well-being increase with age

yes, it increases with age

Do men or women experience more subjective well-being?

Men experience more

What does subjective well being vary with?

It varies with one's marital status, hardiness, social network quality, chronic illness, and stress

What are important means by which older people cope with life?

religious faith and/or spirituality

What is spiritual support?

Seeking pastoral care, faith in a God who cares for people; participation in organized/nonorganized religious activities

(T/F) 30%+ of people 60 or older are still in the workforce

False, 20%+ of people 65 or older are

How is retirement best viewed as?

When it's viewed as a transition involving sudden "crisp" or gradual "blurred" withdrawal from full-time employment

Why do people retire?

-most retire when they feel they are financially secure
-some retire when physical health problems interfere with work

(T/F) Today's economic climate is forcing many to retire even though they may not wish to

True, it is forcing them

In comparison to men, women:

Enter the workface later, have more interruptions in their work history, and generally have less retirement income

Do men or women spend more time planning for retirement?

Men spend more time planning

Are men or women more likely to continue working part-time after retiring?

Women are more likely

What factors make the adjustment to retirement easier?

When one has a high sense of personal control, internal motivation, good physical health, financial security, social support, and feelings about retiring,
When the decision to retire is voluntary
When neither partner influences the retirement decision

Do all cultures agree on the definition of death?

No, there are differences between the criteria of a "good" vs "bad" death, about funeral customs, death icons, mourning rituals, and the afterlife

What is clinical death?

Lack of heartbeat and respiration, basically the traditionally signified death

What is required for someone to "die" today?

Whole brain death:
No spontaneous movement to stimulation, no spontaneous respiration for more than one hour
Lack of response to even extreme pain
No eye movements
No swallowing
No motor reflexes
A flat EEG for at least 10 minutes
No change in any of these after a 24 hour retest

What is a persistent vegetative state?

Irreversible lack of cortical functioning, but continued brainstem activity
-cannot be ruled dead
-presents ethical dilemmas

Are older adults more or less anxious about death?

They're normally less anxious, and are ready to accept it more

What is the best framework for understanding how adults deal with death and how they grieve?

The attachment theory

(T/F) A parent's death helps middle-aged adults think about their own death

true, it helps them think about it

What are Kübler-Ross's stages of dying?

Denial (Shock, disbelief)
Anger (hostility, resentment, "why me")
Bargaining (looking for a way out)
Depression (no longer able to deny, you experience sorrow, guilt)
Acceptance (acceptance of death’s inevitability with peace and detachment)

What helps adults move towards acceptance of their eventual death?

Discussion about death

What is death anxiety?

Diffuse anxiety about death

Who has more death anxiety, men or women?

Men have more death anxiety

Are men or women more fearful of the dying process?

Women are more fearful of it

What is hospice?

assisting dying people with a focus on pain management and a dignified death (as opposed to hospitals or nursing homes)

What is the emphasis of hospice?

The quality of life of the patient:
to make the person comfortable and peaceful, but not to delay an inevitable death

What is Bereavement?

the state or condition caused by loss through death

What is Grief?

the sorrow, hurt, anger, guilt, confusion, and other feelings that arise after suffering a loss (varies greatly)

What is Mourning?

culturally approved ways in which grief is expressed (fairly standard within a culture)

Do people ever stop grieving?

No, we learn to live with the loss and move on, but there's no complete "recovery"

How long does it generally take for people to grieve?

at least one year is needed, but 2 isn't uncommon

What are risk factors when grieving?

Kinship relationship, social support, mode of death, age, personality, religiosity, and gender

What is Anticipatory grief?

going through a period of anticipating a loved one’s death, which supposedly buffers its impact

How do grief reactions vary?

intensity, such as sadness-anger-hatred, confusion-helplessness-emptiness, loneliness-acceptance-relief

What are the most common grief reactions?

sadness, denial, anger, loneliness, and guilt

What is guilt work?

psychological facets of coming to terms with bereavement

What do people need when they grieve?

People need space and time

How do widows react to grief?

-sleep, neurological, and circulatory problems
-Illness, declining physical health and use of services
-Severe depression in some cases, which SSRIs can help

How do preschoolers react to death?

They think that death is temporary and magical

How do kids ages 5-7 react to death?

They think that death is permanent, eventually happens to everyone; reflects the shift to concrete-operational thought

How do older children react to death?

Problem-focused coping and a better sense of personal control appears

(T/F) Children flip back and forth between grief and normal activity?

True, they flip back and forth

What percentage of kids in college experience the death of a family member or friend?

40-70%

When are the effects of a friend/family member dying most severe?

When the death is unexpected

How do young adults feel about the death of a friend/family member?

They may feel that those who die at this point are cheated out of their future

Why is the loss of a partner difficult in young adulthood?

because the loss is so unexpected; grief can last for 5-10 years

What happens if you lose a spouse in middle adulthood?

It results in challenging basic assumptions about self, relationships, and life options

How is mourning when you lose a child in young adulthood?

Mourning is intense; some never reconcile the loss, and parents may divorce

What parents report high anxiety, more negative view of the world, and guilt?

Parents who lost a child to SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)

How does the death of one's child in middle adulthood affect the parents?

Causes anxiety, problems functioning, and difficulties in relationships with surviving siblings)

(T/F) losing a parent with alzheimer's feels like a second death?

True, it feels like second death