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34 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What physical changes in vision?
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By forties, difficulty reading small print is common. By age 50, the accomodative ability of the lens is 1/6 of what it was at 20. A second set of changes limits ability to see in dim light, which declines at twice the rate of daylight vision. Through out adulthood, the size of the pupil shrinks and the lens yellows. Starting at 30, the vitreous develops opaque areas, reducing the amount of light reaching the retina. Changes in the lens and vitreous also cause light to scatter within the eye, increasing sensitivity to glare. Neural changes also occur, gradual loss of rods and cones in the retina and of neurons on the optic nerve contribute to visual decline. Middle aged adults are at increased risk of glaucoma.
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What are physical changes in hearing
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As we age, inner-ear structures that transform mechanical sound waves into neural impulses deteriorate through natural cell death or reduced blood supply caused by atherosclerosis. Processing of neural messages in the auditory cortex also declines. The first sign, usually around 50, is a noticeable hearing loss at high frequencies, which gradually extends to all frequencies. Late in life, human speech becomes more difficult to make out. Mens hearing declines earlier and more rapidly than womens.
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what are physical changes in skin
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As we age, the epidermis becomes less firmly attached to the dermis, fibers in the dermis thin, cells in both the epidermis and dermis decline in water content, and fat in the hypodermis diminishes, leading the skin to wrinkle, loosen and feel dry. Gradually the skin loses elasticity and begins to sag, especially on the face, arms and legs. After age 50, age spots increase. Blood vessels in the skin become more visible as the fatty layer thins.
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what are physical changes in muscle-fat makeup
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Increase in body fat and a loss of lean body mass ( muscle and bone ). The rise in fat largely affect the torso and occurs as fatty deposits within the body cavity. Men accumulate more on the back and upper abdomen, women around the waist and upper arms. Muscle mass declines very gradually in the forties and fifties, largely due to atrophy of fast-twitch fibers, responsible for speed and explosive strength.
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what is presybopia?
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A condition when the lens loses its capacity to adjust to objects at varying distances entirely.
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what is Glaucoma?
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A disease in which poor fluid drainage leads to a buildup of pressure within the eye, damaging the optic nerve.
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what is presbycusis?
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an age related hearing impairment, beginning around age 50 with noticeable hearing loss at high frequencies, which gradually extends to all frequencies.
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What are age spots?
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collection of pigments under the skin
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What happens to the skin as we age?
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The epidermis becomes less fimly attached to the dermis, fibers in the dermis thin, cells in both the epidermis and dermis decline in water content, and fat in the hypodermis diminishes, leading the skin to wrinkle, loosen, and feel dry.
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Why do men lose their sensitivity to higher pitches sooner than women do?
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a difference associated with cigarette smoking, intense noise and chemical pollutants in some male-dominated occupations, and at older ages - high blood pressure and cerebrovascular disease or strokes that damage brain tissue.
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What is the “middle age spread”? What areas of the body do men gain weight?What about women? Are these changes inevitable? Why or why not?
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it is weight gain, The rise in fat largely affects the torso and occurs as fatty deposits withing the body cavity. Men accumulate more on the back and upper abdomen. Women gain around the waist and upper arms. It is not inevitable, with age people must gradually reduce caloric intake to adjust for the age-related decline in basal metabolic rate.Weight bearing exercise can that includes resistance training can offset both excess weight and muscle loss.
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What is climacteric? What is the defining signal for women that this has arrived?
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The midlife transition in which fertility declines. In women, it brings an end to reproductive capacity, in men fertility diminishes but it is retained. The defining signal that it has arrived for women is when the number of days in their menstrual cycle shorten from 28 to about 23 by late forties and cycles become more irregular.
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What is often used to treat the symptoms of menopause in women?
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To reduce the physical discomforts of menopause doctors prescribe hormone therapy, or low daily doses of estrogen. It is highly successful at counteracting hot flashes and vaginal dryness. For women with depression, it may add to the effectiveness of antidepressant medication. Also offers protection again bone deterioration and colon cancer. Comes in two types: 1. estrogen alone - estrogen replacement therapy - ert - for women who have had hysterectomies ( surgical removal of uterus ) 2. Estrogen plus progesterone, or hormone replacement therapy - hrt - for other women. Combining estrogen with progesterone lessens the risk of cancer and endometrium ( lining of the uterus ) which has long been known as a serious side effect of hormone therapy.
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What are the dangers and risks of HRT?
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HRT caused a mild increase in heart attacks, stroke, blood clots. Second HRT taken for more than 4 years slightly elevated the incidence of breast cancer. An additional study indicated that it slightly elevated the risk of mild cognitive declines and nearly doubled the risk of Alzheimers disease and other dementias.
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What changes in sexuality occur in middle adulthood?
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Frequency of sexual activity among married couples tends to decline in middle adulthood, but for most, the drop is slight. The intensity of sexual response declines in midlife due to physical changes of the climacteric. Both men and women take longer to feel aroused and to reach orgasm.
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What is the best predictor of sex for a middle aged married couple?
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The best predictor of sexual frequency is marital happiness, an association that is probably bidirectional.
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Can men continue to father children through the lifespan?
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Yes, sperm production continues throughout the lifespan, and even men in their nineties have fathered children.
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Understand the major illnesses in middle adulthood - Cancer
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Cancer - accounts to 1/3 of all midlife deaths in US. Breast cancer is the leading malignancy in women, prostate cancer for men. Lung cancer ranks second for both sexes.
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Understand the major illnesses in middle adulthood - Cardiovascular disease
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Indicators of cardiovascular disease are silent killers because they often have no symptoms - high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and atherosclerosis - a buildup of plaque in his coronary arteries, which encircle the heart and provide its muscles with oxygen and nutrients. When symptoms are evident they take diff. forms - heart attack. Intense pain results as muscle in the affected region dies. Less extreme symptoms are arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. Some people experience indigestion like pain or crushing chest pain called angina pectoris, which reveals an oxygen deprived chest. Men account for 70% more cases, so it is mostly viewed as a male problem.
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Understand the major illnesses in middle adulthood - osteoporosis
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When age related bone loss is severe, this condition develops. 80% of those suffering are women, and it greatly magnifies the risk of bone fractures. 55% of people over age 50 are at risk for it because they have bone density levels low enough to be of concern. After age 70, it affects the majority of people of both sexes. Because bones become more porous over the years, it may not be evident until fractures- typically in spine, hips and wrist occur or are discovered through x rays. A major factor related to it is the decline in estrogen associated with menopause. The earlier a women reaches menopause, the earlies she is to develop it. In men, the age realted decrease in testosterone contributes to bone loss because the body converts some to estrogen.
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Why is heart disease often thought of as a male disease?
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Because men account for 70% of the cases.
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What is osteoporosis? What treatments are recommended for it?
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Osteoporosis is a condition that cause age-related bone loss. To treat it, doctors recommend a diet enriched with Calcium and vitamin D, weight bearing exercise, strength training, and bone-strengthening medications. A better way to reduce lifelong risk is through early prevention: maximizing peak bone density by increasing calcium and vitamin d intake and engaging in regular exercise in childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood.
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What type of cancer has dropped off in men and risen in women?
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Lung cancer has dropped in men and risen in women.
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Why are men more vulnerable in general to cancer?
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It may be due to genetic makeup, exposure to cancer-causing agents as a result of lifestyle or occupation and a tendency to delay going to the doctor.
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What factor is a strong predictor of poor health and premature death in middle age?
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Economic disadvantages is a strong predictor of poor health and premature death in midlife.
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What characterizes the Type A personality style of behavior? Type B?
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Type A is characterized by extreme competitiveness, ambition, impatience, hostility, angry outpurts, and a sense of time pressure. Type B's are have a more relaxed disposition.
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What component of Type A personality places a person at most risk for heart problems?
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Hostility is an aspect of Type A behavior that could place people at risk for heart problems. Angry outburst, rude behavior etc. lead to greater cardiovascular arousal, health complaints and illness. As people get angry, heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones escalate until the body's response is extreme. Also, the socially dominant style that Type A's have, evident in rapid, loud, insistent speech and a tendency to cut off and talk over others can also predict heart disease.
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in terms of stress management, understand the 2 types of coping strategies.
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1. Problem-centered coping - appraise the situation as changeable, identified the difficulty, and decide what to do about it. 2. Emotion-centered coping -internal, private and aimed at controlling distress when little can be done about a situation. Research shows that adults who effectively reduce stress move flexibly between problem-centered and emotion-centered techniques.
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Why is exercise important for health?
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Exercise equips adults to handle stress more effectively and reduces the risk of many diseases. Enhanced physical fitness prompts middle aged adults to feel better about their physical lives. Over time, their physical self esteem - sens of body conditioning and attractiveness-rises.
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What characterizes a “hardy” individual?
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Someone who have the qualities of control, commitment and challenge. They regarded experiences as controllable, they display a committed, involved approach to daily activities, finding interest and meaning in almost all of them. Finally, they view change as a challenge - a normal part of life and a chance for personal growth. It influences the extent to which people appraise stressful situations as manageable, interesting, and enjoyable. These optimist appraisals, in turn, predict health-promoting symptoms.
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What is the double standard of aging?
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Women experience more negative stereotypes of aging. People often rate women as less attractive and as having more negative personality characteristics than middle aged men. Men tend to judge an aging women more harshly than do women. The ideal of a sexual attractive women - smooth skin, good muscle tone, lustrous hair - may be at the heart of the double standard of aging. EX. Middle aged men in media ads are usually male executives, fathers, and grandfathers -handsome images of competence and security.
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Understand the changes in fluid and crystallized intelligence that occur in middle adulthood.
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Crystallized Intelligence - refers to skills that depend on acumulated knowledge and experience, good judgement, and mastery of social conventions - abilities acquired because they are valued by the individuals culture. Many cross sectional studies show that crystallized intelligence increases steadily through middle adulthood, where as fluid intelligence begins to decline in twenties. Fluid Intelligence - depends more heavily on basic information-processing skills- ability to detect relationships among visual stimuli, speed of analyzing information, and capacity of working memory. The midlife rise in crystallized abilities makes sense because adults are constantly adding to their knowledge and skills at work, at home, and in leisure activities. In addition, many crystallized skills are practiced daily.
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What did the results of the Seattle Longitudinal study reveal?
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Revealed that five factors that gained in early and middle adulthood - verbal ability, inductive reasoning, verbal memory, spatial orientation, and numeric ability - include both crystallized and fluid skills. Their paths of change confirm that midlife is a time when some of the most complex mental abilities are at their peak. According to these findings, middle aged adults are in their prime, not over the hill.
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What changes occur in attention and memory in middle adulthood?
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"Attention - Sustaining two complex tasks at one time is more challenging with age, An age related decline in the ability to pay attention to relevant information and switch back and forth between mental operations,Practice and training can improve performance. Memory - • Working memory capacity - ( the amount of information that can be immediately retrieved and used) becomes more limited, as a result long term memory is impaired.
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