Late adulthood

1. Late adulthood Ch 17-19 Developmental Psychology Jen Wright

2. the aging process

3. what ages? • Physical appearance • Sense organs • Muscles, joints, bones • Sexual reproductive system • All internal systems • cardiovascular, respiratory, etc. • Immune system • Brain • Sleep • Attitudes

5. Positives • Less susceptibility to colds and allergies • Frequency of accidental deaths drops dramatically • Aging can be beautiful!

6. Negatives • Natural aging process • Increased disability • Increased vulnerability to major diseases • Decreased capacity to respond to life stressors • And, even in the absence of these things, death. • Why is death the inevitable outcome?

7. how long is a normal life? • maximum life span • the oldest possible age that members of a species can live • under ideal circumstances for humans • approximately 122 years • average life expectancy • the number of years the average newborn in a particular population group is likely to live • what is the average life expectancy?

9. different kinds of aging • Universal aging • Primary • Probabilistic aging • Secondary • Chronological aging • Biological aging • Social aging • Ageism • Population aging

10. universal/biological aging • Senesence • The universal biological processes of a living organism approaching an advanced age. • Oganismal senescence • Increased disability • Increased vulnerability to major diseases • Decreased capacity to respond to life stressors • Increasing homeostatic instability

11. Cellular senescence • It was once believed that normal cells were in principle immortal • Environmental factors responsible for cell death • Now we know that most (but not all) cells die • Hayflick limit • Number of times a cell will divide before dying • 52 times in 20% oxygen (normal air) • 70 times in 3% oxygen (human internal conditions)

12. what controls cell division? • Cells possess molecular clocks • Telomeres • Non-coding appendix on ends of DNA • Shortened by mitosis • At certain length, cell will no longer divide • Protective mechanism against chromosome destruction, mutation, and cancer • Other forms of programmed cell death • E.g. apoptosis • Triggered by mitochondria

13. biological theories of aging • Aging clock theory • Wear and tear theory • Accumulated waste theory • Error accumulation theory • Evolutionary explanation • Late-acting deleterious mutations not selected against Passing on genes Early-acting disease Middle-acting disease Late-acting disease

14. centenarians • People living to be 100+ years old • 55,000 in US in 2005 • 1 in 50 women, 1 in 200 men • 30,000 in Japan • Okinawans 5x more likely • 450,000 world-wide • Super-centenarians: 110+ years

16. Reviewing lives of different centenarians • Many differences in lifestyles • Yet, they were similar in four ways… • diet was moderate • work continued throughout life • family, friends, community ties were important • exercise and relaxation were part of daily routine • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw2lafKIEio

17. aging prevention • Artificial extension of telomeres • Trade-off between aging and cancer • Vitamin D naturally lengthens • Increased sirtuins – repairs damage to DNA • Organ/tissue repair and rejuvenation • Free-radical therapy • Stem cells • Organ/tissue replacement • Artificial and cloned organs/tissue

18. Caloric Restriction • 45-75% of required calories • Extension of life in all species tested • in some cases, almost doubled • Reduction in Type2 diabetes, cancer, etc. • Intermittent fasting

19. Healthy lifestyle • Drinking! • In moderation, drinking can increase lifespan • reduction in coronary heart disease • alcohol increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the “good” cholesterol and reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the “bad” cholesterol that causes clogged arteries and blood clots • Heavy drinking increases risk of death • 27,000 death from liver disease/year • Increased risk from many other diseases • Brain damage, decreases fertility, osteoperosis • Associated with other bad habits: overeating, smoking • Increased risk of other forms of death: suicide, homocide, accidental

20. Healthy lifestyle • Relaxing! • Leisure time -- vacations • 12,338 men between 35 – 57 years • 21% less likely to die over 9 years • 32% less likely to die of coronary heart disease • Social involvement • Engagement • Activity • Continuity

22. Erickson’s stages

23. developmental stages • Adolescence: Identity achievement • Young Adulthood:Developed network of intimacy • Mid-life: Generativity vs. Stagnation • Creating/giving vs. “self-absorption” • Late-life: Integrity vs. Despair • Life-review

24. generativity • Productivity and effectiveness • Creative life projects • Influence in community or area of interest • Feeling needed by people • Helping younger generation develop • Appreciation/awareness of older generation • Broader, more global perspective • Interest in things beyond family

25. integrity • Life-review: was one’s life meaningful or wasted? • Wisdom • Acceptance of life circumstances • Finding meaning/purpose • Regrets involve four major themes: • Mistakes and bad decisions • Hard times • Social relationships • Missed educational opportunities • Reminiscence therapy: discussing past activities and experiences with another individual or group.

26. bucket lists

27. personality • Conscientiousness predicts lower mortality risk from childhood through late adulthood. • Low conscientiousness and high neuroticism predicts earlier death. • Older adults characterized by negative affect do not live as long as those characterized by more positive affect.

28. volunteerism • Older adults benefit from altruism and engaging in volunteer activities. • Helping others may reduce stress hormones, which improves cardiovascular health and strengthens the immune system. • Volunteering is associated with a number of positive outcomes • More satisfaction with life • Less depression and anxiety • Better physical health

30. social aging • Unlike gender/ethnicity • Doesn’t apply for entire life. • (potentially) applies to everyone. • Ageism • Negative stereotypes associated with age negatively influence performance, function, and well-being. • Stereotypes against older adults are often negative • Most frequent form is disrespect, followed by assumptions about ailments or frailty caused by age • Positive stereotypes associated with age positively influence performance, function, and well-being.

32. cognitive decline is rooted not in the older person’s body and brain but in the surrounding social context. • cultural attitudes can lead directly to age differences in cognition • does most harm when individuals internalize other people’s prejudices and react with helplessness. • if the elderly fear losing their minds because they have internalized the idea that old age always bring dementia, that fear may become a stereotype threat, undermining normal thinking.

34. Ageism among scientists • scientists measure age differences in memory in the same way they studied memory in general—in laboratories • these factors work against older adults, who tend to perform best in familiar settings

35. population aging • Increased age of population • Two causal factors • Rising life expectancy • Declining fertility • Asia/Europe face severe population aging • Average age approaching 50 • Economic implications • More savings/less spending • Increased health care • Less education • Retirement/social security

36. Population aging