PHED 2022- Invitation to Health: Live It Now! Brief 9e

1. © Cengage Learning 2016© Cengage Learning 2016
An Invitation to Health: Building Your Future, Brief Edition, 9e
Dianne Hales
A Lifetime of Health
15

2. © Cengage Learning 2016
After reading this chapter, the student
should be able to:
• Discuss trends in life expectancy in the
United States
• Examine the factors that influence
successful aging
• Evaluate the impact of aging on physical
activities and mental processes
Objectives

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• Contrast the different ways in which
people prepare for medical crises
• Discuss the emotional responses to dying
• Explore the causes and consequences of
suicide
• Interpret how people generally react to the
loss of a loved one
Objectives (cont’d.)

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• U.S. life expectancy expected to increase
to 79.5 years by 2020
• Americans less likely to reach age 50 than
peers in 16 other developed countries
– Americans in poorer health at 50 due to
chronic illness and obesity
• American men between 20 and 24
– Risk of dying from violence seven times
higher than any other developed country
Will You Live to 50?

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6. © Cengage Learning 2016
• Aging
– Characteristic pattern of normal life changes
as one grows older
• Key factors to living long and well
– Regular exercise, weight management, and
not smoking
– Avoiding or delaying chronic illness
– Genetic factors contribute
Successful Aging

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• Enjoyment of life contributes to a healthier
and more active old age
• Lack of physical activity
– Increases mortality
• Some physical activity is better than none
– 30 minutes a day has benefits
– Exercise slows loss of lean muscle tissue
Factors Influencing How We Age

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• Obesity: most common nutritional disorder
in older Americans
• Obesity health risks
– Diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and arthritis
• Obesity paradox
– Being overweight correlates with six percent
lower risk of dying
• Thinness in old age often a sign of serious illness
Nutrition and Obesity

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• The brain can repair itself
– When neurons die, surrounding cells fill in
gaps and establish new connections
• Brain shows signs of aging starting in
middle age
– Dips in memory, reasoning, and cognitive
functions
• Mental acuity does not decline with
physical aging
– Wisdom increases
The Aging Brain

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• Ability to remember newly learned
information declines with age
• Using the brain greatly decreases risk of
memory loss
– Puzzles, crafts, and hobbies
– Reading and playing mind-engaging games
may lower a brain protein linked to
Alzheimer’s disease
Memory

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• Menopause
– Complete cessation of menstrual periods for
12 successive months
– Average age 51.5
• Reproductive system begins changing a decade
earlier
• Perimenopause
– Four to ten year transition prior to menopause
– Egg cells die off at a faster rate
Women at Midlife

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• Night sweats due to hormonal changes
• Hot flashes
– Caused by drop in estrogen levels
• Women with lifelong depression more
likely to experience early perimenopause
• Some effects of dwindling estrogen levels
– Dry skin and mouth
– Urinary tract infections
Symptoms of Perimenopause

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• Estrogen only or combination of estrogen
and progestin
• Designed to relieve menopausal
symptoms
– Current recommendation: take for fewer than
five years
• Earlier research: hormone therapy
increases risk of heart attack, memory
loss, and dementia
– Contradicted by newer research
Menopausal Hormone Therapy

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• Testosterone declines 30 to 40 percent
– Occurs between the ages of 48 and 70
• Other changes
– Decreased muscle mass, greater body fat,
and lower energy
• Testosterone supplements
– Double the risk of cardiovascular disease
• Prostate enlarges
– Pinches urethra, causing reduced urine flow
Men at Midlife

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• Fitness and better health results in a better
sex life
• Average statistics
– Men remain sexually active until age 70, and
women until age 66
• Women with partners remain sexually active longer
• Aging results in physical changes
– Less vaginal lubrication in women
– More time required for ejaculation in men
Sexuality and Aging

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• Some physical changes are inevitable
– See Figure 15.2 for details
• Aging brains and bodies more susceptible
to Alzheimer’s and osteoporosis
• Additional challenges
– Depression, substance abuse, and safe
driving
• Those aged 65 or older may suffer mild
cognitive impairment
The Challenges of Age

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18. © Cengage Learning 2016
• Progressive deterioration of brain cells and
mental capacity
• Age is the top risk factor
– By age 85, more than half of men and women
have Alzheimer’s
• Dementia
– Loss of previous mental capabilities
• No medical cure
– Medication can alleviate symptoms
Alzheimer’s Disease

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• Health care proxy
– Advance directive giving someone else power
to make health decisions on your behalf
– Also called medical power of attorney or
health care power of attorney
• Five wishes document
– Includes health care proxy and other wishes
• Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders
– Apply to hospitalized patients
Preparing for Medical Crises and the
End of Life

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• Risk of death doubles every eight years
after about age 25
– Death rate continues to rise until about age
106
• Death education
– No longer seen as taboo subject
– Challenges individuals to acknowledge
personal mortality
• To create a more meaningful life
Death and Dying

21. © Cengage Learning 2016
• Functional death
– End of all vital functions, including heartbeat
and respiration
• Cellular death
– Gradual cessation of cellular activity after
heart stops beating
• Brain death
– End of all brain activity
• Spiritual death
Definitions of Death

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• Denial
• Anger
• Bargaining
– Bargaining with God for a way to reverse or
postpone dying
• Depression
– Patient must be allowed to grieve
• Acceptance
Emotional Responses to Dying

23. © Cengage Learning 2016
• Increases with age
– Most common in those aged 65 or older
• 10 to 40 unsuccessful attempts for every
completed suicide
• Some main factors
– Terminal illness
– Hopelessness
Suicide

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• Cause of death can affect reactions of
friends and acquaintances
• Stage theory of grief
– Shock-numbness
– Yearning-searching
– Disorganization-despair
– Reorganization
• Grief peaks within six months and
acceptance increases over time
Grief

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• Mood swings
• Physical sickness
• Interruption of sleep patterns
• Some widows have increased rates of
depression and suicide
• Friendships and remarriage offer greatest
protection against health problems
• Complicated grief is long lasting
– Professional treatment can help
Grief’s Effects on Health