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
The _________ Theory states that the differences in ethnicity and traditional values tends to decrease as a new immigrant get older.
When working with a client with dementia, who would we need to obtain consent from before carrying out any treatment session
Substitution 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 smoke, sunlight, and noise are examples of ________ aging
Extrinsic
The one activity that predicts life satisfaction as we age is ______________.
Informal social activities with friends
Gardening was something that 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 ageing?
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
An unfair action or treatment on a person based on a negative attitude
Discrimination
The ability of the brain to re-organize itself by forming new 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 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 it 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
Having a widely-held but fixed oversimplified notion or idea of a person
Stereotype
Up to 20% of older adults can have this visual problem causing clouding of the lens in the eye
Cataracts
A sudden change in personal life of an individual is a ___________ event. This change is usually painful and challenging.
Non-normative event
The _________ theory states that having ethnic identity helps protect seniors from losing their social roles as they age. However, the ethnic elderly population generally have fewer social contacts and more social isolation and lonliness, pooper quality housing, and lower life satisfaction
The Buffer 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
"Dearie" or "Sweetie" when addressing an older adult are examples of this specialized speech
Elderspeak
The sense seems to be the least to decline as we get older
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 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 watching baseball on TV to avoid disappointing his grandkids. This is an example of ________ theory.
Disengagement Theory
Mrs. Smith is an older client you are working with and was recently diagnosed with orthostatic hypotension. You have been tasked with teaching her how to transfer from bed and walking with a walker after she was recently discharged from the hospital. What should you do to ensure she is safe when you are working with her?
Teach her to change positions slowly
Remain in place until dizziness subsides before changing positions or walking