What is Gerontology
The Greek word for "old man"
Geron
The term used to quantify the number of years at birth an average person is expected to live
Life Expectancy
True or False:
Older women have lower suicide rates then older men
True
Levelling Theory
When working with a client with dementia, who would we need to obtain consent from before carrying out any treatment session
Substitute Decision Maker (SDM) who has the Power of Attorney (POA)
The biological process of getting older
Senescence
Our bodies undergo 2 types of aging. Exposure to smoking, sunlight, and noise are examples of ________ aging
Extrinsic
The one activity that predicted life satisfaction as we age is ____________.
Social activities with friends
Gardening was something Randy took up at the age of 40 when he moved into his house with a large yard. Now that he is in his 80's, he still enjoys caring for the potted plants in his retirement residence. This is an example of which theory of aging?
Continuity Theory
Things we can do to build a good therapeutic relationship with our older clients can include ...
Be a good listener
Don't assume what their capabilities are
Understand their experiences that shape their behaviour
Discrimination
The ability of the brain to re-organize itself by forming new neural connections
Neuroplasticity
The term used to describe a socially-sanctioned event that occurs most often at a certain age ie. marriage
Normative age-graded event
According to the _____________ theory, old age along with the disadvantages of ethnicity, class and gender has a compounding effect making life worse for new immigrants.
Multiple Jeopardy Theory
You are working with an elderly client after a hip fracture. She is able to walk on her own with a walker and is WBAT but still has weakness in her right leg. She lives alone in a 2 storey home. Her bedroom and bathroom are upstairs. What can you do to help her regain her independence after her discharge home.
Teach how to safely manage stairs
Educate her on possible assistive devices for safe tub/shower, toilet and bed transfers
Provide contacts for local community resources she may need (ie. transportation, meal delivery)
Up to 20% of older adults can have this visual problem causing clouding of lens in the eye
Cataracts
Non-normative event
The ______ theory states that having an ethnic identity helps protect seniors from losing their social role as they age. However, the ethnic elderly population generally have fewer social contacts and more social isolation and loneliness, lower income, poorer quality housing, and lower life satisfaction.
The Buffer Theory
You are teaching an elderly patient how to use Facetime to chat with his family overseas. What can you do to help him learn how to use his tablet so he will be able to do independently?
Demonstrate the activity
Maximize visual/tactile/auditory cues to improve perception and sensory memory
Decrease distractions to improve attention
Provide opportunity to practice with lots of repetition for encoding and consolidation into long-term memory
"Dearie" or "Sweetie" when addressing an older adult are examples of this specialized speech
Elderspeak
As we age, it is more difficult to hear ___________ sounds.
In our generation, COVID 19 has affected the lives of many age cohorts. This type of event is an example of a _____________ event.
Normative history-graded event
Mr. Jones was a construction worker and enjoyed playing baseball before he retired 15 years ago. He has chronic low back pain from years of hard labour and doesn't feel up to playing ball with his grandkids. He now prefers to spend time relaxing at home and watch baseball on TV.
This is an example of the _______ theory.
Disengagement Theory
Mrs. Smith recovered well from her recent stroke and has regained her ability to manage stairs slowly with supervision. When she was discharged home, her family felt it was too strenuous for her to go downstairs for her meals and insisted on bringing her meals to her room instead. She felt that may be best because it would be easier than having them help her with stairs.
What can we do to break the learned helplessness cycle?
Educate Mrs. Smith and her family about her condition, safety, and ways to maintain her strength and functional abilities.