Analyn 1 Santrocklsd14epptch17 150602232332 Lva1 App6892

Physical
Development
in Late
Adulthood
Chapter
17
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Chapter Outline
• Longevity
• The course of physical development in
late adulthood
• Health
17 - 2
Longevity
• Life expectancy and life span
– Life span: Maximum number of years
an individual can live
• Between 120–125 years
– Life expectancy: Number of years that the
average person born in a particular year
will probably live
• Average is 78.3 years
17 - 3
Longevity
– Differences in life expectancy
• Due to factors such as health conditions and
medical care
• Ethnic differences
– Female life expectancy 80.8 years, males 75.7 years
17 - 4
Longevity
– Centenarians
• Increasing by approximately 7% each
year
• Explanations
– Diet
– Low-stress lifestyle
– Caring community
– Activity
– Spirituality
17 - 5
Longevity
• The young-old and the oldest-old
– Young-old are aged 65 to 84
– Oldest-old are aged 85 or more
– Functional age - Person’s actual ability to
function
17 - 6
Longevity
• Biological theories of aging
– Evolutionary theory: Natural selection has
not eliminated many harmful conditions and
nonadaptive characteristics in older adults
– Cellular clock theory: Cells can divide a
maximum of about 75 to 80 times
• Age makes cells less capable of dividing
• Telomeres – Tips of chromosomes; DNA sequences
that cap chromosomes
17 - 7
Longevity
• Biological theories of aging
– Free-radical theory: People age because:
• When cells metabolize energy
– By-products include unstable oxygen molecules known as
free radicals
– Mitochondrial theory: Aging is caused by
the decay of mitochondria
– Hormonal stress theory: Aging in the body’s
hormonal system can lower resistance to
stress and increase the likelihood of disease
17 - 8
The Course of Physical Development
in Late Adulthood
• The aging brain
– The shrinking, slowing brain
• Brain loses 5% to 10% of its weight between the ages
of 20 and 90 years
• Volume decreases due to:
– Shrinkage of neurons
– Lower numbers of synapses
– Reduced length of axon
17 - 9
in Late Adulthood
• The aging brain
– The shrinking, slowing brain
• Slowing of function in the brain and spinal cord
begins in middle adulthood and accelerates in late
adulthood
– Affecting physical coordination and intellectual
performance
• Aging - Linked to a reduction in the production
of certain neurotransmitters
17 - 10
in Late Adulthood
• The aging brain
– The adapting brain
• Neurogenesis: Generation of new neurons
• Dendritic growth
• Older brains rewire to compensate for
losses
• Decrease in lateralization
– Improve cognitive functioning
17 - 11
Figure 17.6 - The Decrease in
Brain Lateralization in Older
Adults
17 - 12
in Late Adulthood
• Sleep
– 50 % of older adults complain of having
difficulty sleeping
• Result in earlier death and is linked to a lower level
of cognitive functioning
17 - 13
in Late Adulthood
• Strategies to help older adults sleep better
at night:
– Avoiding caffeine
– Avoiding over-the-counter sleep remedies
– Staying physically active during the day
– Staying mentally active
– Limiting naps
17 - 14
in Late Adulthood
• The immune system
– Declines in functioning with age
• Extended duration of stress and diminished
restorative processes
• Malnutrition involving low levels of protein
– Exercise improves the immune system,
and influenza vaccination is important
17 - 15
in Late Adulthood
• Physical appearance and movement
– Most noticeable changes - Wrinkles and age
spots
– Shorter with aging due to bone loss in
their vertebrae
– Weight drops after age 60
• Muscle loss
– Older adults move more slowly
17 - 16
Figure 17.8 - Changes in Body Composition of
Bone, Muscle, and Fat from 25 to 75 Years of
Age
17 - 17
in Late Adulthood
• Sensory
development
– Vision
• Visual acuity
• Color vision
• Depth perception
17 - 18
in Late Adulthood
• Sensory development
– Diseases of the eye
• Cataracts: Thickening of the lens of the eye
– Causes vision to become cloudy, opaque, and distorted
• Glaucoma: Damage to the optic nerve because of:
– Pressure created by a buildup of fluid in the eye
• Macular degeneration: Deterioration of the macula
of the retina
– Corresponds to the focal center of the visual field
17 - 19
in Late Adulthood
• Sensory development
– Hearing
• Impairments becomes an impediment
• Hearing aids and cochlear implants can minimize
the problems linked to hearing loss
– Smell and taste
• Smell and taste losses typically begin about age 60
17 - 20
in Late Adulthood
– Touch and pain
• Detect touch less in the lower extremities
• Decreased sensitivity to pain can help adults cope
with disease and injury
– Mask injuries and illnesses that need to be treated
• The circulatory system and lungs

– Cardiovascular disorders increase in
late adulthood
17 - 21
in Late Adulthood
– High blood pressure can be linked with
• Illness
• Obesity
• Anxiety
• Stiffening of blood vessels
• Lack of exercise
– Lung capacity drops 40% between the ages of
20 and 80
• Can be improved with diaphragm-
strengthening exercises
17 - 22
in Late Adulthood
• Sexuality
– Orgasm becomes less frequent in males with
age
– Many are sexually active as long as they
are healthy
– Various therapies have been effective for
older adults who report sexual difficulties
17 - 23
Figure 17.13 - Sexual Activity
in Older Adults with a
Partner
17 - 24
Health
• Health problems
– Probability of having some disease or
illness increases with age
• Arthritis is the most common followed by
hypertension
17 - 25
Figure 17.15 - The Most Prevalent
Chronic Conditions in Middle and Late
Adulthood
17 - 26
Health
• Health problems
– Causes of death in older adults
• Nearly 60% of 65–74-year-olds die of cancer
or cerebrovascular disease
• 75–84 and 85+ age groups
– Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of
death
• Ethnicity is linked with death rates of older
adults
17 - 27
Health
• Health problems
– Arthritis: Inflammation of the joints
accompanied by pain, stiffness, and movement
problems
– Osteoporosis: Extensive loss of bone tissue
– Accidents - 9th leading cause of death in
older adults
• Falls are the leading cause
17 - 28
Health
• Substance use and abuse
– Multiple medications - Increase the risks
associated with consuming alcohol or other
drugs
– Frequency of binge drinking - Highest among
older adults
– Invisible epidemic
17 - 29
Health
• Substance use and abuse
– Late-onset alcoholism - Used to describe the
onset of alcoholism after the age of 65
• Related to loneliness, loss of a spouse, or a
disabling condition
– Moderate drinking of red wine - Linked to
better health and increased longevity due to
benefits of resveratrol
17 - 30
Figure 17.17 - Physical Fitness
and Mortality
17 - 31
Health
• Exercise, nutrition, and weight
– Exercise
• Linked to increased longevity and
prevention of common chronic diseases
• Associated with improvement in the treatment
of many diseases
• Improves older adults’ cellular functioning and
immune system functioning
17 - 32
Health
– Exercise
• Can optimize body composition and reduce the
decline in motor skills as aging occurs
• Reduces the likelihood that older adults will
develop mental health problems
• Linked to improved brain and cognitive functioning
17 - 33
Health
– Nutrition and weight
• Getting adequate nutrition
• Avoiding overweight and obesity
• Role of calorie restriction in improving health
and extending life
17 - 34
Health
– Controversy over vitamins and aging
• Balanced diet - Needed for successful
aging
• Antioxidants
– Slow the aging process and improve the
health
– Neutralize free-radical activity
– Reduce oxidative stress
17 - 35
Health
• Health treatment
– Disease management programs - Need to
be expanded
– Geriatric nurses - Helpful in treating the
health care problems
17 - 36
Health
– Development of alternative home
and community-based care
• Decreased the percentage of older adults who live
in nursing homes
– Factor related to health and survival in a
nursing home:
• Patient’s feelings of control and self-determination
17 - 37
Figure 17.22 - Perceived Control
and Mortality
17 - 38

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Physical

• The circulatory system and lungs

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