Study Exam Unit 6
1. The fastest
growing segment of senior citizens is the
a. 75-to-85 group.
b. 85-and-older group.
c. 65-to-75 group.
The living situation for most Americans who are age 65 or older is
a. living at home, with
assistance from someone else.
b. living independently
c. living in a nursing
d. living in special
senior citizen housing.
Which of these factors is most consistently related to continuing to live
a healthy and active life after age 100?
avoiding serious illness during childhood
b. a timid, retiring
never marrying, or a short marriage
lifelong physical activity past age 100
All of the following are risk factors associated with cataracts EXCEPT
a. sun exposure.
Compared with vision loss in elderly people, hearing loss has a larger
effect on a person's
safety and enjoyment of life.
ability to live independently.
Which of these sensory deficits of old age can have the most immediately
A reduction in the sense of touch affects primarily what portion of the
a. the face
b. the arms
c. the fingertips
d. the feet
The function of _____ is to attack antigens in the body.
c. red blood cells
d. T cells
_____ can predict survival over the next 2 years in very old people.
Measures of lung capacity
Degree of elasticity of the heart muscle
c. The amount of contact
d. High T-cell activity
of the following contribute to a higher incidence of sleep disturbances in men
than in women EXCEPT
enlargement of the prostate gland.
lower levels of both testosterone and estrogen.
people who have trouble sleeping can reduce their difficulties by
realizing they are normal and not worrying.
taking sleeping pills on a regular basis.
taking frequent short naps during the day.
cutting back on their exercise level.
people tend to have more physical and psychological problems with aging if they
a. see it as inevitable
b. fight aging with
exercise and diet.
c. use cosmetics and
surgery to look young.
d. see aging as a time
of social importance.
people tend to react more positively to aging if they live in a culture that
emphasizes the value of
youth and beauty.
wisdom and experience.
strength, agility, health.
d. bearing and raising children.
of these cultures will tend to have elderly people who show the most physical
and psychological problems?
a. one where the oldest
people are the community leaders
b. one where most older
people have lived there all their lives
c. one where most
elderly people live in special housing
d. one where young
people achieve status by caring for the elderly
public health goal of reducing the average length of time individuals are sickly
before they die is called
compression of morbidity.
reduction of complaints.
anticipation of mortality.
d. living until you die.
an elderly couple stops having sexual activity, which partner typically
initiates this cessation?
a. both of them equally
b. the woman
c. the man
neither; elderly couples never stop having sex
of the following statements is true?
Although they increase with age, physical and mental disabilities are not
considered a normal part of the aging process.
Physical and mental disabilities related to age are usually caused by
c. Many physical
disabilities in late adulthood are caused by aging.
d. Many mental
disabilities in late adulthood are caused by aging.
general term for a condition that involves inflamed, painful, stiff joints is
of the following treatments has been shown to slow the course of rheumatoid
hormone replacement therapy
regular weight-bearing exercise
d. early treatment with
new, powerful, anti-inflammatory medications
of these is a common indirect effect on an elderly person who has had a fall?
a. an increase in their
health insurance rates
b. a fear of falling
that limits their social activity
c. a general softening
of bones near the site of the injury
anger at the friends and family who let them fall
earliest symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are generally
b. lack of motor
inability to recognize loved ones.
severe memory lapses.
of these is a sign of Alzheimer's disease if it is present in large numbers in
the brain after death?
of the following has NOT contributed to the decline of cerebrovascular dementia
during the last two decades?
a. diets low in animal
healthier eating habits
c. a decline in heart
d. more effective stroke
the United States, Canada, Australia, and Western Europe, at least 60 to 80
percent of all long-term care for older adults is provided by
sort of memory shows the smallest decline as people grow older?
d. remote memory
of these language abilities remains the most constant as adults grow older?
retrieving words from long-term memory
planning and organizing speech
inventing new words and phrases
common technique used by many elders to compensate for their difficulties in
producing language is to
speak more loudly and forcefully.
b. avoid talking as much
convey information through sign language.
d. use simpler
of these cognitive abilities shows improvement as adults grow older?
traditional problem solving
health problem solving
practical problem solving
linguistic problem solving
of the following has been shown to contribute to the development of wisdom later
overcoming personal hardship
an older adult, an extended, steep decline in cognitive functioning is a sign of
b. an infectious
serious drawback to the Elderhostel program is that
a. it is not accessible
to low-income people.
b. it gives elders a
false sense of importance.
c. there is no screening
for the program's teachers.
d. most programs are too
According to Erikson, developing a sense of ego integrity depends on
viewing one's life in the context of all of humanity.
b. the willingness to
open up one's life to another person.
deciding who one is and what one wants from life.
d. the desire to make a
contribution to the next generation.
special form of reminiscence that involves remembering, reflecting on, and
reconsidering past experiences is called
a. life review.
asked, approximately one-third of elders claimed that the best part of their
life was _____, thus _____ the belief that older adults wish to be young again.
young adulthood; verifying
d. "still to
a study of old and very old German elders, positive, _____ self-definitions
predicted psychological well-being.
of life satisfaction throughout adulthood find that elderly adults typically
report they are unhappy about
a. their adult children.
b. their financial
c. their physical
nothing at all.
a longitudinal study of elders, religious participation was a strong predictor
of _____ over a 12-year period.
better physical functioning
problem-centered coping strategies
Compared to younger adults, elders are more likely to respond to negative
life changes with
a. fear and anxiety.
of the gender-related life changes in very old age, women are more likely to
report _____ than are men.
a. a higher sense of
b. a lower sense of
c. more dependence on
d. more frequent
thoughts of suicide
type of suicide that is unique to older people involves
asking other people to cause your own death.
taking large doses of prescription medications.
turning on the gas in a house with closed windows.
refusing food or necessary medical treatments.
of the following is NOT a flaw of the activity theory?
a. The theory fails to
acknowledge any psychological change in old age.
Research has shown that merely offering opportunities for social contact
does not lead to actual greater social activity.
c. The theory is based
upon the disengagement theory, which is itself flawed.
Elders who have larger social networks are not necessarily happier.
on the socioemotional selectivity theory, which 26-year-old person is most
likely to focus on the emotional quality of social experiences?
Denise, who is in good health
David, who has recently divorced
Danielle, who has AIDS
Diedre, a quadriplegic
rate of violent crime against the elderly is _____ the rate against younger age
somewhat lower than
slightly higher than
substantially higher than
d. the same as
does fear of crime affect the lives of older adults?
causes them to act aggressively toward people on the street
restricts activity and undermines morale
causes stress-induced health problems
creates large migrations of older adults from inner cities to the suburbs
elders who are at most serious risk for poverty are
a. men who live alone.
women who live alone.
couples who live together.
elders who live with their children.
most are operated for profit, the number of nursing homes in the United States
has _____, and the number of beds in these facilities has _____.
who are widowed are more likely to be
Compared with divorced or recently widowed elders, the overall level of
life satisfaction felt by elderly women who have never married is
about the same.
women who are asked to list the functions of close friendships in their lives
give primary importance to
a. living assistance.
c. links to the outside
Someone who is not a very close friend but with whom one spends some time
occasionally is called a
b. fair-weather friend.
c. joint friend.
who have adult grandchildren typically expect them to provide
a. a place to move into
when they need one.
regular help with day-to-day living tasks.
financial assistance with living expenses.
affection but not practical or financial help.
grandparents' affection for their adult grandchildren _____.
Despite more contact; decreases with age
Despite less contact; strengthens with age
Because of less contact; decreases with age
Because of more contact; increases with age
abuse is more common if the elder's caregiver is
a. a sibling or other
close relative of the elder.
b. an adult who is at
least middle-aged or older.
emotionally or financially dependent on the elder.
working in a challenging, rewarding career.
are more likely to retire earlier than men because
a. they are typically
better off financially.
b. they tend to be in
c. they work in
d. of family events.
leisure activities pursued during retirement typically include
a. more vigorous
b. new activities never
activities that earn extra money.
things that have been lifelong interests.
age group reports the greatest awareness of public affairs and votes at the
b. late adolescents.
of the following are barriers that older adults face when trying to obtain
health care, housing, and social services EXCEPT
b. lack of services in
access is legally guaranteed only to those who can afford services.
d. lack of education.
agonal phase of the dying process includes
gasps and muscle spasms as body systems fail.
b. body systems that
have stopped but could be restarted.
c. the struggle to
maintain life though it is painful.
d. a cessation of
heartbeat and breathing but not brain waves.
term used by the medical profession for individuals whose brain stems continue
to function but who show no electrical activity at all in the cortex is
a. brain death.
persistent vegetative state.
important service doctors and other medical people can provide to dying people
is to provide
knowledge about their condition and their options.
comfortable surroundings and no decisions to make.
protection from too much clinical information.
mood enhancers to keep them cheerful and optimistic.
first part of the death concept that children accept is
explaining death to a child, parents should
present scientific evidence on the physical aspects of death.
focus on the religious aspect of death.
blend scientific knowledge and religious beliefs.
d. let their child's
teachers address any questions the child has.
Compared with middle-aged people, older adults think more about which
aspect of death?
a. what the state of
death would be like
b. why people should
ever have to die
c. the process and
circumstances of death
d. the meaning of both
life and death
belief that one will continue to live on through one's children or one's work or
personal influence is
a. a form of denial of
the inevitability of death.
evidence that a person has accepted the inevitability of death.
c. a personal fable.
factor can cause increased death anxiety in children?
having a terminal illness
having a deep religious faith
spirituality that focuses on a sense of life's meaning
being a devout atheist
of the problems with medical treatment for the dying that emphasizes aggressive
treatment rather than comfort care is that it promotes which of the stages of
dying in Kšbler-Ross's theory?
people who reach the acceptance stage
usually use emotion-centered coping strategies.
b. have a deep religious
c. do so only in the
last weeks or days of life.
d. have illnesses that
cause them a great deal of physical pain.
can reduce the dying person's sense of urgency to prolong life because it
permits some incomplete tasks to be worked through.
b. A religious
Drawing up a living will
Administration of strong pain killers
services do most hospitals need to provide more effectively when patients die
suddenly in emergency rooms?
allowing the family to be with the patient
b. quick action to
prevent death if possible
c. more information
about the cause of death
crisis intervention services for the survivors
the term hospice refers to
a. a location providing
specialized medical care to dying people.
b. a program of support
services for dying people and their families.
alternative care for dying people that uses minimal medication.
medical care that is focused on prolonging a dying person's life.
Americans do not take full advantage of hospice services because
a. they are unaffordable
to most people.
b. they conflict with
the philosophies of many Western religions.
c. their relatives die
suddenly in accidents rather than through a long-term dying process.
d. they are unfamiliar
with the philosophy.
written document in which people specify the treatments they do and do not want
in cases when they are near to death is called a(n)
durable power of attorney for health care.
b. living will.
health care plan.
important advantage of a durable power of attorney for health care over a living
will is that the power of attorney
a. will deal more
flexibly with unexpected situations.
b. will last longer than
a living will without renewal.
c. will ensure that your
exact wishes are followed.
d. is accepted in more
states than living wills.
argument for assisted suicide was ____ by a study of elders who stated that if
terminally ill, only 10 percent would _____.
completely ridiculed; refuse assisted suicide if offered
strengthened; want to stay alive
weakened; end their lives
maintained; choose euthanasia in any form.
phase of the grieving process during which grief is experienced and expressed
most intensely is called
phase of the grieving process is particularly pronounced after a sudden,
sort of bereavement is typically the most intense and long-lasting?
death of a husband
death of a wife
death of a sibling
death of a child
an individual experiences several deaths close together, it may result in a
a study of middle-aged adults after a family member's death, _____ was strongly
related to well-being over a year later.
a. the ability to see
benefits of the grieving experience in one's own life
c. the speed at which
one moved through the grieving process
d. the length of time
that one spent in the avoidance phase
of the best ways to reduce the anxiety and distress people feel about the idea
of death is to
a. help them confront
their own mortality.
provide them with accurate information.
protect them from dealing with death.
d. avoid raising the
issue until adulthood.