Physical Changes in Middle Adulthood: Vision, Hearing, Skin, Muscle-Fat Makeup, Menopause Symptoms

CHAPTER 15 Physical Development in Middle Adulthood

VISION CHANGES IN MIDDLE ADULTHOOD Presbyopia old eyes Lens enlarges, creating farsightedness Bifocals if nearsighted Difficulties in dim light Reduced color discrimination Glaucoma risk

HEARING CHANGES IN MIDDLE ADULTHOOD Presbycusis old hearing Earliest, most loss in high frequencies Gender, cultural differences Men lose more hearing Hearing aids can help

SKIN CHANGESIN MIDDLE ADULTHOOD Wrinkles Forehead starting in 30s Crow s Feet 40s Sagging Face, arms, legs Age Spots After age 50 Faster with sun exposure, for women

MUSCLEFAT MAKEUP IN MIDDLE ADULTHOOD Middle-age spread common fat gain in torso Men: upper abdomen, back Women: waist, upper arms Very gradual muscle declines Can be avoided Low-fat diet with fruits, vegetables, grains Exercise - resistance training

CLIMACTERICAND MENOPAUSE Gradual end of fertility Menopause follows 10-year climacteric Age range extends from late thirties to late fifties Drop in estrogen Shorter monthly cycles, eventually stop Can cause problems Sexual functioning Cholesterol

MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS AROUNDTHE WORLD

HORMONE THERAPY FOR MENOPAUSE Reduces hot flashes, vaginal dryness Benefits May help mood Bone benefits Heart attack, stroke, blood clots Risks Cancer Cognitive declines, Alzheimer s Gabapentin for hot flashes Alternatives Antidepressants Black cohosh

MALE REPRODUCTIVE CHANGES IN MIDDLE ADULTHOOD Reduced sperm and semen after 40 Gradual testosterone reduction Sexual activity stimulates production Erection problems Frequent problems may be linked to anxiety, diseases, injury, loss of interest Viagra & other drugs

HEALTHIN MIDDLE AGE 85% rate as good or excellent Decline from early adulthood (95%) More chronic diseases than in early adulthood Heart disease Cancer

CANCERIN MIDDLE ADULTHOOD One-third of U.S. midlife deaths, half in Canada More in lower SES Results from mutations germline (genetic) somatic (occurring in a single cell) Often curable Treatment and survival emotionally challenging

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE Symptoms Heart attack Angina pectoris chest pain Arrhythmia Risk Conditions High blood cholesterol High blood pressure Atherosclerosis

LEADING CAUSESOF DEATH IN MIDDLE ADULTHOOD

OSTEOPOROSIS Severe bone loss, fragile bones Bone breaks can be life-threatening Causes: Normal aging With age, bones more porous, lose bone mass After menopause estrogen decline speeds loss Heredity, size Lifestyle Women develop earlier; men often overlooked

PREVENTINGAND TREATING OSTEOPOROSIS Diet Vitamin D Calcium Avoid too much alcohol Avoid smoking Weight-bearing exercise Treatment: Bone-strengthening medications

SEXUALITYIN MIDDLE ADULTHOOD Slight drop in frequency among married couples Continue patterns from early adulthood More sex in good marriages Intensity of response declines Slower arousal due to climacteric Partner may seem less attractive Sex still important, enjoyable to most

FLUIDAND CRYSTALLIZED INTELLIGENCE Fluid intelligence- one s ability to reason abstractly and quickly Peaks in early adulthood, then declines somewhat Crystallized intelligence-accumulated information, verbal skills, and other learned abilities Peaks in late adulthood and declines little or not at all except in cases of dementia or Alzheimer's disease Cross Sectional Data

SEATTLE LONGITUDINAL STUDY Six areas studied: verbal memory, number, spatial orientation, inductive reasoning, vocabulary, perceptual speed Cross sectional approach showed declines in fluid intelligence beginning in early adulthood Longitudinal method decline does not begin until Middle Adulthood in most areas Peak performance in verbal memory, inductive reasoning, and spatial orientation was in middle age Only two, numerical ability and perceptual speed, declined with perceptual speed declining earliest

INFORMATION PROCESSING Speed of processing Decline begins in early adulthood and continues through middle adulthood Declines more in women than men Reaction still under one second slower Memory Mixed but some evidence of decline in middle adulthood, at least by late middle adulthood Changes in working memory and strategy use can cause learning to be slower in late middle adulthood

EXPERTISE More likely in middle adulthood than early adulthood Takes a long time to achieve (10 yr rule) Expertise improves problem solving effectiveness and efficiency within their field More knowledge ands experience More processes are automatic More effective strategies Greater creativity and flexibility