Chapter 17

Physical Development in Late Adulthood

The meaning of longevity

• Longevity = duration, or length, of life

• Life expectancy = average number of years a perosn, or cohort, is expected to live

• Life span = maximum number of years a species can live

Life Expectancy

• The average number of years a person is expected to live can be affected by several factors (cultural, geographical, biological, etc.)

  • What are some examples of these factors?

  • Would your example increase or decrease life expectancy?

Life Expectancy (in years) changing

Life Span

• What is the maximum time (in years) a person can live?

• Centenarians = living the age of 100

  • There were approximately 97,000 centenarians in the US in 2020

  • Projected to reach 6000,000 by 2060

  • The US has the most centenarians, followed by Japan, China, and England/Whales

• Supercentenarians = living to the age of 110

  • There are about 60 supercentarians alive in given year in the US and about 300 in the world

• The world record for the oldest person with a documented birth record in Jeanne Calment of Arles, France. She was 122 years and 164 days old when she died.

Stages within Late adulthood

• Young-old = 65-74

• old-old = 75-84

• Oldest-old = 85+

  • Older adults, retired, boomers = refer to young-old

  • Alderly, seniors, golden-agers = refer to old-old and oldest-old

Definitions of Age

• Previously learned age definitions

  • Chronological age - time elapsed since birth (months/years)

  • Biological age - in terms of biological health

  • Psychological age - adaptive capacities compared to those of same chronological age

  • Social age - based on societal expectations of an individual’s involvement in social roles

  • Functional age - how a person compared to others of similar age in competence while carrying out tasks

  Biological Theories of Aging

The Brain

• On average, the brain loses 5-10% of its weight between the ages of 20 and 90

• Brain volume also decreases.

  • It is 15% less in older adults than in young adults

  • Mainly due to shrinkage of neurons, lower number of synapses, reduces length and complexity of axons that connect schemas

  • More significant brain volume loss occurs in those with dementia

• Brain atrophy occurs less in women than in men

Sleep

• About 50% of older adults complain of having difficulty sleeping

  • Can result in earlier death

  • It is linked to a lower cognitive functioning

• Strategies to sleep better at night:

  • Avoid caffeine

  • Avoid over-the-counter sleep remedies

  • Staying physically active during the day

  • Staying mentally active

  • Limiting naps

Physical Health and Appearance

• Immune system:

  • Declines in functioning with age

  • Extended duration of stress and malnutrition (low levels of protein) can influence the decline

  • Exercise and vaccinations can improve its functioning

• Physical appearance and movement:

  • Most noticeable changes are wrinkles and age spots

  • People get shorter with age due to loss in bone density

  • Older adults move slower than young adults

Sensory Development

• VIsion:

  • Visual acquity, color, vision, and depth perception decrease even with corrective lenses (especially after age 75).

• Diseases of the eye:

  • Cataracts: Thickening od the lenses of the eye that cause vision to become cloudy

  • Glaucoma: damage to the optic nerve because of pressure created by buildup of the fluid in the eye

  • Macular degenerations: deterioration of the macula of the retina, which corresponds with the focal center of the visual field.

• Hearing

  • Severe impairments can become an impediment

  • Hearing aids and cochlear implants minimize the problems linked to hearing loss

• Smell and taste

  • Decline of the chemical senses begin at about age 60-65 but it is very minimal

• Touch and pain:

  • Older adults detect touch less in the lower extremeties

  • Decrease sensitivity to pain can help cope with disease and injury

  • But can also mask conditions that need treatment

Health

• Probability of having some disease or illness increases with age, this is known as compression or morbidity

• Chronic diseases with a slow onset and long duration are more common in late adulthood

  • Arthritis is the inflammation of the joints accompanied by pain, stiffness, and movement problems

  • Osteopenia and osteoperosis

Death in Late Adulthood

• Causes of death in older adults:

  • Nearly 60% of the young-old (65-74) die of cancer or cardiovascular disease

  • For the old-old (75-84) and the oldest-old (85+), the leading cause of death is cardiovascular disease

• Accidents are the 9th leading cause of death in late adulthood with falls being the leading cause of injury death