OTD 423 OLDER ADULTS COMPREHENSIVE
What are some general statistics for the older adult population? - Answers - 50.9% of
population ore older than 65
29% have achieved a Bachelor's degree of higher
What is the major source of income for older adults? What about health insurace? -
Answers - Social Security
Medicare
Note: most older adults are poor and poverty is higher among the older adult population,
specifically hispanic women living along
What percentage of older adults continue to work? - Answers - 19.6% older adults over
the age of 65 are continuing to work
farmers and ranchers tend to continue to work full time
What are the living arrangement statistics for the older adult population? - Answers -
28% older adults live alone - 21% men; 34% women
3.1% older adults live in an institutional setting such as a nursing home
What percentage of older adults have difficulty performing one or more ADL? -
Answers - 35% report having any difficulty in general
22% difficulty ambulating
14% difficulty with independent living
What are some biological theories of aging? - Answers - stochastic "insults" - genetic
damage leads to death
developmental-genetic - programmed aging
evolutionary - genetic errors lead to aging over time
What are some psychological theories of aging? - Answers - lifespan - second half of
life differs from the first half and from others
selective optimization with compensation - adaptation used to manage later life
socioemotional selectivity - need for emotional closeness that leads to selective
interaction
cognition and aging - cognition affected by outside environment and individual
differences cause cognitive changes
,Personality and aging - personality stability and changes across the lifespan
What are some sociological theories of aging? - Answers - lifecourse - expected and
normal changes over the lifespan
social exchange - individual makes rational choices about interacting with others based
on needs
social constructionist - individual agency and social behavior in society
political economy of aging - economic and political forces and how they effect older
adults
critical perspectives of aging - emphasizes strength and diversity of aging
What are Erickson's stages of development for adults? - Answers - early adulthood -
intimacy vs. isolation with a focus on creating meaningful relationships
middle adulthood - generativity vs. stagnation with a focus on productivity and
accomplishment
late adulthood - ego integrity vs. ego despair with a focus on happiness and life
fulfillment
What are Robert Peck's psychological stages? - Answers - Stage 1: ego differentiation
vs. work role occupation
Stage 2: body transcendence vs. body preoccupation
Stage 3: ego transcendence vs. ego preoccupation
What are some vision changes that come with aging? - Answers - decreased near
vision
poor eye coordination
distrotion of images
blurred vision
compromised night vision
loss of color sensitivity
difficulty with recognition of moving items
decreased depth perception
decreased corneal sensitivity
What are some interventions that can be used for vision changes? - Answers - use
more lighting
avoid fluorescent lighting
avoid visual clutter
remove environmental clutter
face adult with speaking
,use voice or touch to get attention
enlarge reading material
use high contrast
What are some changes with hearing due to age? - Answers - tinnitus
difficulty hearing higher frequencies
diminished pitch discrimination
reduced speech recognition and reception
loss of speech discrimination
What is prebycusis? - Answers - age related hearing loss from degradation of hearing
sensory system
What is conductive hearing loss? - Answers - blockage of acoustic energy that
prevents conduction of sound to inner ear
What is sensorineural hearing loss? - Answers - loss or damage to sensory hair cells
of cochlea or to the nerve cells of cochlear ganglion, brain stem tracts, or cortex
What is central auditory processing disorder? - Answers - pathologies either in central
neuronal connection or auditory cortex but peripheral mechanism remains intact
What is tinnitus? - Answers - perception of sound in absence of acoustic stimulus
ringing of the ears
What are some intervention strategies that can be used with hearing loss? - Answers -
face person when talking
get visual attention before speaking
speak clearly
avoid startling by approaching from front
enhance visual/nonverbal cues using adequate lighting
do not shout
rephrase
closed captioning
decrease background noise
lower pitch rings for alerting devices
amplify sounds
What are some chemosensory deficits that come with age? - Answers - taste changes
- deterioration of ability to detect, identify, and discriminate between sweet, salty, bitter
and umami tastes
smell changes - ability to identify odors correctly deteriorates
What is anosmia? - Answers - lack of smell
, What is hyposmia? - Answers - decrease in smell
What is dysosmia? - Answers - distortion of smell
What is ageusia? - Answers - absence of taste
What is hypogeusia? - Answers - decreased sensitivity of taste
What is phantosmia? - Answers - smell hallucination
What is phantogeusia? - Answers - taste hallucination
What are some interventions for chemosensory deficits? - Answers - flavor
amplification
provide various flavors, textures, and temperatures to improve intake
ensure good oral care before meals
What are some skin changes with age? - Answers - atrophic changes at 3 layers of
skin affect sensation of touch and pressure, pain, and temperature in addition to other
skin functions
What are the functions of skin? - Answers - immunity
temperature regulation
nutrient storage
sensory reception
communication
excretion
What are some interventions to be used as skin changes with age? - Answers -
educate about skin care
use of vision to assess skin to avoid and prevent skin breakdown
use of vision to increase independence with daily tasks
change position throughout the day
plan for temperature extremes
moving to cooler/warmer environments
decrease/increase activity level based on temperature
What is free radical theory? - Answers - Biological theory
free radicals are highly charged ions that contain an unpaired electron and can alter
chromosomes and collagen and contributes to age-related decline in organs such as
Alzheimers and Parkinsons
antioxidant enzymes may control free radicals
What is programmed aging theory? - Answers - Biological theory
What are some general statistics for the older adult population? - Answers - 50.9% of
population ore older than 65
29% have achieved a Bachelor's degree of higher
What is the major source of income for older adults? What about health insurace? -
Answers - Social Security
Medicare
Note: most older adults are poor and poverty is higher among the older adult population,
specifically hispanic women living along
What percentage of older adults continue to work? - Answers - 19.6% older adults over
the age of 65 are continuing to work
farmers and ranchers tend to continue to work full time
What are the living arrangement statistics for the older adult population? - Answers -
28% older adults live alone - 21% men; 34% women
3.1% older adults live in an institutional setting such as a nursing home
What percentage of older adults have difficulty performing one or more ADL? -
Answers - 35% report having any difficulty in general
22% difficulty ambulating
14% difficulty with independent living
What are some biological theories of aging? - Answers - stochastic "insults" - genetic
damage leads to death
developmental-genetic - programmed aging
evolutionary - genetic errors lead to aging over time
What are some psychological theories of aging? - Answers - lifespan - second half of
life differs from the first half and from others
selective optimization with compensation - adaptation used to manage later life
socioemotional selectivity - need for emotional closeness that leads to selective
interaction
cognition and aging - cognition affected by outside environment and individual
differences cause cognitive changes
,Personality and aging - personality stability and changes across the lifespan
What are some sociological theories of aging? - Answers - lifecourse - expected and
normal changes over the lifespan
social exchange - individual makes rational choices about interacting with others based
on needs
social constructionist - individual agency and social behavior in society
political economy of aging - economic and political forces and how they effect older
adults
critical perspectives of aging - emphasizes strength and diversity of aging
What are Erickson's stages of development for adults? - Answers - early adulthood -
intimacy vs. isolation with a focus on creating meaningful relationships
middle adulthood - generativity vs. stagnation with a focus on productivity and
accomplishment
late adulthood - ego integrity vs. ego despair with a focus on happiness and life
fulfillment
What are Robert Peck's psychological stages? - Answers - Stage 1: ego differentiation
vs. work role occupation
Stage 2: body transcendence vs. body preoccupation
Stage 3: ego transcendence vs. ego preoccupation
What are some vision changes that come with aging? - Answers - decreased near
vision
poor eye coordination
distrotion of images
blurred vision
compromised night vision
loss of color sensitivity
difficulty with recognition of moving items
decreased depth perception
decreased corneal sensitivity
What are some interventions that can be used for vision changes? - Answers - use
more lighting
avoid fluorescent lighting
avoid visual clutter
remove environmental clutter
face adult with speaking
,use voice or touch to get attention
enlarge reading material
use high contrast
What are some changes with hearing due to age? - Answers - tinnitus
difficulty hearing higher frequencies
diminished pitch discrimination
reduced speech recognition and reception
loss of speech discrimination
What is prebycusis? - Answers - age related hearing loss from degradation of hearing
sensory system
What is conductive hearing loss? - Answers - blockage of acoustic energy that
prevents conduction of sound to inner ear
What is sensorineural hearing loss? - Answers - loss or damage to sensory hair cells
of cochlea or to the nerve cells of cochlear ganglion, brain stem tracts, or cortex
What is central auditory processing disorder? - Answers - pathologies either in central
neuronal connection or auditory cortex but peripheral mechanism remains intact
What is tinnitus? - Answers - perception of sound in absence of acoustic stimulus
ringing of the ears
What are some intervention strategies that can be used with hearing loss? - Answers -
face person when talking
get visual attention before speaking
speak clearly
avoid startling by approaching from front
enhance visual/nonverbal cues using adequate lighting
do not shout
rephrase
closed captioning
decrease background noise
lower pitch rings for alerting devices
amplify sounds
What are some chemosensory deficits that come with age? - Answers - taste changes
- deterioration of ability to detect, identify, and discriminate between sweet, salty, bitter
and umami tastes
smell changes - ability to identify odors correctly deteriorates
What is anosmia? - Answers - lack of smell
, What is hyposmia? - Answers - decrease in smell
What is dysosmia? - Answers - distortion of smell
What is ageusia? - Answers - absence of taste
What is hypogeusia? - Answers - decreased sensitivity of taste
What is phantosmia? - Answers - smell hallucination
What is phantogeusia? - Answers - taste hallucination
What are some interventions for chemosensory deficits? - Answers - flavor
amplification
provide various flavors, textures, and temperatures to improve intake
ensure good oral care before meals
What are some skin changes with age? - Answers - atrophic changes at 3 layers of
skin affect sensation of touch and pressure, pain, and temperature in addition to other
skin functions
What are the functions of skin? - Answers - immunity
temperature regulation
nutrient storage
sensory reception
communication
excretion
What are some interventions to be used as skin changes with age? - Answers -
educate about skin care
use of vision to assess skin to avoid and prevent skin breakdown
use of vision to increase independence with daily tasks
change position throughout the day
plan for temperature extremes
moving to cooler/warmer environments
decrease/increase activity level based on temperature
What is free radical theory? - Answers - Biological theory
free radicals are highly charged ions that contain an unpaired electron and can alter
chromosomes and collagen and contributes to age-related decline in organs such as
Alzheimers and Parkinsons
antioxidant enzymes may control free radicals
What is programmed aging theory? - Answers - Biological theory
