Intro in Aging

Erikson's Theory of Human Development
- Proposes 8 stages of psychosocial growth influenced by biological, psychological, and social factors.
- Basic Conflict of Old Age (65+): Integrity vs. Despair.
- Virtue: Wisdom.
- Description: Assess and make sense of life and contributions.

1935-The Society Act and the Federal Old-Age Insurance Law were introduced.
1960s-Administration on Aging: US Department of Health and Human Services established.
Older Americans Act: Promotes well-being and independent living.
- Offers programs such as transportation, nutrition and senior employment.

Medicare: Health insurance provided for the elderly in skilled nursing facility care.
Medicaid: Income-dependent assistance for the elderly in skilled nursing facility care.

Terminology: Avoid referring to older adults simply as 'old'.
- Youngest Old: 65-74 years
- Middle Old: 75-84 years
- Oldest Old: 85 years and up

Chronological Age: Number of years lived since birth.
Functional Age: Describes physical, psychological, and social ability and is used to describe how older adults feel.
Perceived Age: Based on appearance and has a strong correlation to health, you might see a 95-year-old woman, act and look 60 because of hair and makeup.

50% of women aged 65 are widowed.
Living Arrangements: Women are more likely to live alone; men often married or remarried.
Income Sources: Social Security; some are asset-rich but cash-poor meaning they have a house and car but don’t have money just laying around.

Medicare: Covering various aspects of health.
Elderly Population Trends: Baby Boomers are creating demographic shifts and a rapidly growing population of elderly people.
- Lower birth rates lead to fewer biological children to help with aging needs resulting in population collapse.
- Are better educated because half either attended or graduated from college.

Increased physical activity, casual dress, household income and engagement with technology.
Stress factors include caring for grandchildren and managing health issues.

Aging population impacts the government; higher medical expenses from surgeries and physical visits.
1 in 4 spend time in skilled nursing facilities during the last years of life.
Disproportionate amount of tax dollars.

Ageism: Prejudices and stereotypes against older adults based on age.
- Common stereotypes: Old people are sick, disabled, or less intelligent.
Responses to Life Transitions: Desire to connect, share life stories, and find purpose.
- Encouragement of self-reflection through journaling and creative means.
- Life review & story/Encourage the following: self-reflection, journaling, writing letters and emails, and reflecting through art.

Cellular Changes: Decrease in number, increase in body fat and low lean body mass.
- Intracellular fluid is decreased resulting in dehydration.

Thermoregulation Issues: Reduced ability to respond to cold temperatures resulting in inefficient vasoconstriction.
Low peripheral circulation: can lead to an increased risk of hypothermia, as the body struggles to maintain core temperature.
Impaired shivering mechanisms: can also contribute to difficulties in generating adequate heat during exposure to cold environments.
Low muscle and subcutaneous tissue: fat can further exacerbate thermoregulation issues, as these layers play a crucial role in insulating the body against cold.
- Risk: Hypothermia
Decreased ability to respond to hot temperatures
Impaired sweating: can lead to heat-related illnesses, as the body struggles to dissipate heat effectively.
- Risks: Hyperthermia, Heat exhaustion and Heat stroke

Narrowing Gait: Women; Widening Gait: Men.
Height Loss: compressed vertebrae and more than 3 inches is abnormal.
Ectropion: Lower eyelids droop away from the eye.
Arcus senilis: lipid deposits that appear as rings on the outer region of the cornea.

Personality: Changes may be more openly expressed, not a decline.
- It’s not normal for it to change.
- Life events that can trigger these changes include retirement, loss of loved ones, or significant health issues, which can lead to a reevaluation of priorities and relationships.
Memory: General decline noted with age.
- Short-Term Memory: declines and is most notable.
- Episodic memory- the ability to recall specific past events declines.
  - Ex: Dates, location, time, place
- Semantic Memory: Difficulty recalling words, concepts or numbers declines.
  - Ex: Can’t remember how to operate a car.
- Working Memory: the ability to retain information in consciousness while manipulating other info declines.
  - Interventions/Education: Use of memory aids like sticky notes to make lists of things to remember.

Crystallized intelligence: the knowledge that’s accumulated over their lifetime and is maintained.
- Uses past education/learning and experiences to problem solve.
- Ex: Remember historical dates or solving a math problem using a formula you’ve already learned.
Fluid intelligence: the ability to think quickly and solve new problems without relying on past knowledge that declines.
- Uses new information and nondominant hemisphere
- Controls: emotions, retention of nonintellectual info and spatial perceptions.
- Ex: Solving a puzzle or navigating a new environment can demonstrate fluid intelligence in action.
Learning Ability: Remains, but is often reliant on past experiences and shows difficulty with perceptual learning tasks.
Attention Span: the ability to retain attention longer than 45 minutes.
- Decrease in vigilance performance
- More easily distracted by irrelevant info & stimuli.
- Less able to perform complicated tasks or require simultaneous performance.