Physical and Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood

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Chapter 17

• Physical and Cognitive Development in Late
  Adulthood

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Variability in Late Adulthood

• Life expectancy
• Ethnic and gender differences
• Subgroups
• Centenarians

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Centenarian
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Health

• Most rate health as good
• Adults with cardiovascular disease and
  Alzheimers show earlier declines in mental
  abilities
• Race and Gender differences
• High level of variability
• Health habits and health status correlated

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Figure 17.1
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Individual Heredity

• Twin studies
• Family history of longevity
• Long life and rates of chronic illnesses

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Health Habits

• Smoking
• physical activity
• underweight or overweight
• Even over age 80, exercise leads to motor skill
  improvement and muscular strength!

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Aging Seniors
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Physical Changes Brain and Nervous System

• Four Main Changes

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Physical Changes

• General slowing
• loss of muscle elasticity
• decline in speed of nerve impulses
• Changes in sleep/wake patterns
• Satiety changes
• Changes in motor function
• reduction in stamina, dexterity, and balance
• Sex
• What of elderly have sex?

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Cognitive ChangesEveryday Memory

• So WHERE are those car keys?
• Everyday memory tasks decline among older adults
  compared to younger adults
• Loss of speed is key aspect of the process of
  memory decline

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Figure 17.5 Percentage of Older Adults with
Moderate to Severe Memory Impairment
UPDATE
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Figure 17.7 Strategic Learning in Later
Adulthood
What does this tell us about older adult
strategic learning?
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Physical ChangesThe Senses and Other Bodily
Organs

• Vision
• Presbyopia (farsightedness) increases
• Blind spot and reduction of vision field
• Night vision
• Cataracts
• Glaucoma
• Macular degeneration

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Physical ChangesThe Senses and Other Bodily
Organs

• Hearing
• Gradual hearing loss
• Sex differences
• Word discrimination decreases
• Tinnitus

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Physical ChangesThe Senses and Other Bodily
Organs

• Taste, Smell, and Touch
• Ability to taste four basic flavors does not seem
  to decline with age
• Sense of smell deteriorates with age
• Skin of elderly adults less responsive to heat
  and cold

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Figure 17.3 Age-related Declines in Sense of
Smell
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Questions To Ponder

• Other than vision, which loss of senses would
  affect the quality of your life the most? Which
  could you tolerate the best if it were lost? Why?

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Theories of Biological Aging

• Hayflick limit
• telomeres
• Free radicals
• antioxidants

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Mental Health

• Alzheimers Disease
• Progressive dementia
• Symptoms and possible causes
• Diagnosis on autopsy, presence of neurofibrilar
  tangles and plaque deposits
• Treatment including drugs and memory training

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Mental HealthDepression

• Risk Factors

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Figure 17.4 Gender and Elder Suicide Rates
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Wisdom and Creativity

• Factual knowledge only ONE part of wisdom
• Baltes measured wisdom using major life decision
  stories
• Wisdom central to solving practical life problems
• Complex answers rated as being higher in wisdom