7128 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Frontal Lobe, Crystalised, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
21 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND AGEING
The demographics and epidemiology of ageing
- Over 65 is increasing. Group 85 and over represents fastest growing proportion of the
Australian population
- Lifespan is also increasing
- The most common causes of morbidity and mortality today include chronic illness such as
heart disease and cancer
- 2015 – dementia, including alzheimers disease, was the second leading cause of death in
Australia
- 2015
oParticipation in PA for exercise or recreation increasing from 44.5% in 2012 to 49.2%
oThe majority of older Australians were living in households (94.8%) while 5.2$ or
1/20 lived in cared accomodations such as nursing homes
oThe prevalence of disability amongst older adults has decreased (2015; 50.7% of
older people were living with disability, 2012; 52.7%)
Why do we care?
- Impact on both our research and clinical practice
- Negative stereotypes and incorrect assumptions about ageing affect the decisions that
health professionals make about treatment
Historical overview of the psychology of ageing
- The modern understanding of ageing continues to make great strides thanks to new
technologies and research techniques
- Many aspect of cognitive functioning hold steady even in advanced old age
- Longitudinal studies are of importance for research on ageing
- So that we know what is normal ageing
Dynoptia
- Dynamic analyses to optimize ageing well
oDraws together 9 existing longitudinal studies of ageing in Australia
oKey strengths: longitudinal design, breadth of data, multidisciplinary approach
Normal ageing processes: cognition
- Primary ageing: changes that occur due to the passage of chronological time
- Secondary ageing: changes that are not a normal part of ageing and includes disease states
- Cognitive changes associated with increasing age include memory and attention
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- Age-related changes in cognition appear to occur in tasks requiring effortful processing
rather than automatic processing
- Amount of brain tissue gradually declines from about 60
oDue to number of active neurons decreasing
- Mental speeds delay
- Expression and understanding of language is the most robust in the face of the ageing
process
- Wisdom improves with age
- Fluid intelligence: ability to solve problems. Decline with age
- Crystalised: using learnt knowledge. Remains pretty stable, if not increased somewhat
oVocabulary
- Several theories have attempted to account for changes in cognition in later life
- The frontal lobe theory rests on the fact that frontal lobe deterioration occurs in later life
affecting higher order cognition processes
oScans and cross sectional evidence
Normal ageing processes: emotion and personality
- Now generally accepted that depression and most other psychiatric conditions decrease In
incidence in later life
oResearch suggests that this may be partly due to increased coping strategies for
managing distressing emotions
- Better emotional regulation in older people may account for greater levels of well being
- Other studies support the finding that emotional states generally improve with increasing
age
- Eriksons theory – stages of psychosocial development
oDevelopment is characterized by movement through various stages in different life
periods
oCosta and mccraes theory of personality development is based on the big 5 model of
personality. These 5 traits have been shown to be very stable over the adult life
- Cohen 2001 claims that there are 4 stages in later life
oMidlife re-evaluation which occurs from the 40s to the 60s and is a time of
exploration and transition
oLiberation stage; 60-70s where people feel comfortable within and are not afraid to
make mistakes
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oSumming-up phase which is a time of recapitulation, resolution and review. There is
a need to find greater meaning in ones life by looking back, summing up and giving
back
oEncore phase: usually from 80, a desire to make a final statement of make additional
contributions
Normal ageing processes: Social changes with age
- Carstensens socioeconomic selectivity theory
oOlder adults prioritize more meaningful relationships thus leading to a reduction in
quantity but an increase in quality of the social network
oIt is the perceived amount of social support received that predicts satisfaction with
ones relationships
oSocial networks are important in helping older adults cope with adversity
oWomen give and receive more social support than men
oInc social support = protective factor ie Alzheimer’s disease
Psychological disorders in later life
- The dementias
oDementia refers to a broad class of neurological disorders associated with cognitive,
personality and behavioural changes in later life
oThe DSM 5 has eliminated the term dementia and replaced it with major or mild
neurocognitive disorder
oMajor vs mild
Major (diagnoses such as dementia) involves a substantial level of cognitive
decline from previous functioning
Mild describes a level of cognitive decline that is more than what is expected
in normal ageing but not yet at the level of a major neurocognitive disorder
But can still maintain independence
oSpecify type
Alzheimers disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, vascular disease,
traumatic brain injury, lewy body disease, parkinsons disease, HIV infection,
substance use, huntingtons disease, prion disease
o1 in 10 over 65 get it (2015)
o3 in 10 over 85
oPrevalence expected to triple by 2050
oMemory impairment AND
- Dementia criteria
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Document Summary
Group 85 and over represents fastest growing proportion of the. The most common causes of morbidity and mortality today include chronic illness such as heart disease and cancer. 2015 dementia, including alzheimers disease, was the second leading cause of death in. 2015: participation in pa for exercise or recreation increasing from 44. 5% in 2012 to 49. 2, the majority of older australians were living in households (94. 8%) while 5. 2$ or. 1/20 lived in cared accomodations such as nursing homes: the prevalence of disability amongst older adults has decreased (2015; 50. 7% of older people were living with disability, 2012; 52. 7%) Impact on both our research and clinical practice. Negative stereotypes and incorrect assumptions about ageing affect the decisions that health professionals make about treatment. The modern understanding of ageing continues to make great strides thanks to new technologies and research techniques. Many aspect of cognitive functioning hold steady even in advanced old age. Longitudinal studies are of importance for research on ageing.
