Exam 17: Physical and Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood

Older adults do not have the ability to compensate for cognitive declines as the brain has limited ability for plasticity.

Ray is a 75-year-old man who is diagnosed with a disease that results in him experiencing fatigue, difficulty with blurred vision, and taking a long time to heal when he gets cut. His family was concerned that he had some form of dementia because he sometimes becomes confused and has days where he feels nervous. His doctor assured the family that Ray did not have dementia; instead, he was diagnosed with:

Factors that prevent cardiovascular disease, such as physical activity and diet, also prevent and slow the progression of vascular dementia.

Interventions that train older adults and encourage them to use cognitive skills can preserve and even reverse some age-related cognitive declines.

What impact does cognitive training have on an older adult's cognitive skills?

Why is arthritis classified as a chronic disease?

What is a strong and consistent predictor of cognitive performance and problem-solving tasks in old age?

Laura is a 70-year-old woman who has cardiovascular disease and diabetes. She retired when she was 67. She has a husband, three children, and six grandchildren. She reports a happy childhood and doesn't have any regrets in terms of her career choice. She is an avid reader and enjoys taking care of her grandchildren. What can we expect regarding her cognitive change as she ages?

What supplements counteract potential damage caused by free radicals and promote an effective immune system response?

What form of cognition declines in older adulthood?

What type of dementia is caused by strokes, or blockages of blood vessels in the brain?

Parkinson's symptoms appear when 100% of the nerve cells in the substantia nigra are damaged.

Who is at the highest risk for physical and mental health problems?

What is the most common cause of subcortical dementia?

How would an individual prevent the onset of macular degeneration?

Which of the following is not a reason why hearing aids are underused?

Low socioeconomic status is associated with greater arthritis-related symptoms, poorer well-being, and greater use of maladaptive coping strategies among which group of people?

What type of cognitive training was given to participants in the Seattle Longitudinal Study that showed improved performance on reasoning tasks?

Which type of arthritis is an autoimmune illness?

Cognitive training has consistently been associated with increases in volume in the brain structures thought to be critical to the trained task.