Deck 15: Older Adults

Question 1

"Life review" among older adults is a process of .

A) reminiscence
B) self-reflection
C) introspection
D) All of these
E) None of these

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Older adults who seem to have a good sense of who they are and who are coping well with the various challenges and crises that confront them are said to be working through .

A) developmental tasks
B) levels of competency
C) phases of life review
D) periods of senescence
E) the process of ageism

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following population groups is expected to grow most rapidly during the first half of the 21st century?

A) Male centenarians, i.e., those 100 years of age or more
B) Female centenarians, i.e., those 100 years of age or more
C) Individuals who are HIV positive
D) All of these
E) None of these

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In the U.S. in 2014 individuals who were 65 years of age or older experienced:

A) Less than 750,000 deaths
B) Approximately 1 million deaths
C) Nearly 1.35 million deaths
D) Just over 1.9 million deaths
E) About 2.4 million deaths

Question 5

More females die than males in our society .

A) among those who are 65-74 years of age
B) among those who are 75-84 years of age
C) among those who are 85 years of age and older
D) All of these
E) None of these

Question 6

From our knowledge of late adulthood we can conclude that .

A) human beings are most unalike in older adulthood
B) the elderly are a static segment of the population
C) the elderly are a monolithic segment of the population
D) devaluing the lives of the elderly is fair treatment
E) the "young old" are essentially the same as the "old old"

Question 7

The highest death rates in our society occur among persons:

A) 45-64 years of age
B) 65-74 years of age
C) 75-84 years of age
D) 85 years of age and older
E) None of these

Question 8

The main developmental task for older adults involves the attainment of an inner sense of:

A) Competency
B) Hope
C) Purpose or direction
D) Wholeness
E) Love

Question 9

Older adults can be helped to find resolution for old conflicts and achieve a sense of meaning in their lives by _________.

A) orientation to person, time, and place
B) encouraging reminiscence of times past
C) reorientation to present time and place
D) discussion of recent events
E) None of these

Question 10

The most prominent leading causes of death among older adults in our society are .

A) cancer and diseases of the heart
B) motor vehicle accidents and influenza
C) Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia
D) cerebrovascular diseases
E) chronic lower respiratory diseases

Question 11

Which of the following are among the ten leading causes of death for older adults?

A) Suicide
B) HIV infection
C) Homicide
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 12

The fact that older adults (those 65 years of age and older) are a growing portion of America's population is referred to as:

A) Ageism
B) Cynicism
C) Life review
D) The graying of America
E) Senescence

Question 13

The social marker that currently defines the start of older adulthood in the United States is .

A) 60 years of age
B) average life expectancy
C) retirement
D) onset of terminal illness
E) None of these

Question 14

Among the following, older adults appear to have least fear of:

A) Loss of independence
B) Religion
C) Debility
D) Death
E) Isolation

Question 15

Hall, and later Erikson in his original account of the human life cycle, used which of the following to designate the last era in the human life course?

A) The era of maturity
B) The process of ageism
C) The era of senescence
D) All of these
E) None of these

Question 16

According to Erikson's theory of the human life cycle, the predominant developmental issue for older adults is _________.

A) autonomy vs. shame and doubt
B) generativity vs. stagnation and self-absorption
C) ego integrity vs. despair
D) intimacy vs. isolation
E) identity vs. role confusion

Question 17

A process of systematically stereotyping and discriminating against people because they are old is called .

A) racism
B) ageism
C) cynicism
D) prejudice
E) None of these

Question 18

The two older adults described in the vignette near the beginning of Chapter 15 found in each other:

A) Love and companionship
B) The possibility of marriage for the first time in their lives
C) Anger and depression
D) An opportunity to move into Marie's private home
E) Opposition to their relationship on the part of the man's daughter

Question 19

In 2014, persons in the U.S. reaching age 65 had an average life expectancy of an additional:

A) 5.0 years
B) 8.3 years
C) 10.9 years
D) 18.6 years
E) 23.3 years

Question 20

Knowledgeable scholars have pointed out that many older adults in our society, especially those in the 65- to 74-year- old age group, possess .

A) education and free time
B) purchasing power
C) relatively good health
D) All of these
E) None of these

Question 21

Ways of maintaining a sense of self in an older adult who is coping with life-threatening illness or dying include _________.

A) stressing physical changes occurring in his or her body
B) sharing his or her photographs and prized mementos
C) educating him or her about the disease process
D) emphasizing the importance of rest and quiet
E) reducing contacts with significant others

Question 22

Older adults have been described as "forgotten grievers" in relationship to the death of .

A) a spouse
B) a pet
C) a grandchild
D) an adult child
E) All of these

Question 23

Specific needs of older adults when coping with life-threatening illness or dying are .

A) maintaining a sense of self
B) being reassured that their lives still have value
C) participating in decisions regarding their lives
D) All of these
E) None of these

Question 24

Among older adults, suicidal behavior is mainly associated with .

A) nonwhite males
B) attempted suicides that do not end in death
C) requests for help to redirect the outcome of the behavior
D) depression
E) verbal threats

Question 25

The death of a pet _.

A) is significant in childhood but not in late adulthood
B) confirms the importance of relationships
C) shows that bereavement depends upon the intrinsic value of the object
D) is not important for older adults with limited social contacts
E) enhances self-esteem among older adults

Question 26

Much higher rates (rising with age) of male than female suicides among older adults appear to be associated with:

A) Previous dependency on a now-deceased female caretaker
B) Social isolation
C) The impact of an unwanted layoff or retirement on those whose identity had previously been greatly dependent on their vocational roles
D) All of these
E) None of these

Question 27

The premature death of the spirit in a body that still remains physically alive is said to involve .

A) bereavement overload
B) ageism
C) the sandwich generation
D) complicated or ambiguous loss
E) senescence

Question 28

Not talking down to older adults and not assuming deafness or incompetence on their part can help them most directly to _.

A) participate in decisions about their lives
B) be reassured that their lives still have value
C) receive appropriate and adequate health care
D) obtain institutionalization when needed
E) diminish a sense of personal identity

Question 29

The Patient Self-Determination Act (1991) affects persons by insuring that:

A) They will never be without food, clothing, and shelter.
B) Their families will always have visitation rights.
C) They will be informed of their rights to make known their wishes about treatment decisions.
D) They will always have medical/surgical insurance coverage.
E) None of these

Question 30

Studies have shown discrimination against older adults who were brought in to hospital emergency departments in critical condition as well as in end-of-life care. Efforts to eliminate or minimize such discrimination have come from:

A) Organizations such as AARP
B) Recent developments in geriatric medicine and gerontological specializations in other health care fields
C) The hospice philosophy
D) All of these
E) None of these

Question 31

For older adults, the need to cope with loss and grief can arise from:

A) Loss or death of a pet
B) Death of a child
C) Illness and disability
D) All of these
E) None of these

Question 32

The Patient Self-Determination Act (1991) affects persons .

A) when they turn 55 years of age
B) when they turn 65 years of age
C) when they are admitted to hospitals
D) when they are admitted to any health care facility
E) when they begin dying

Question 33

It has been reported that the percentage of older adults with children who experienced the death of a child when the parent was 60 years of age or older was as high as:

A) 5%
B) 10%
C) 15%
D) 20%
E) 25%

Question 34

Older adults in our society who are contemplating suicide are .

A) likely to fail to complete the suicidal act once they have undertaken the attempt
B) unlikely to be deliberate in their suicidal behavior
C) likely to ask for help that might alter their decision
D) All of these
E) None of these

Question 35

According to Kalish, there is a relatively low level of fear of death among older adults because older persons:

A) Have been able to live a long, full life
B) May view their lives as having less value than the lives of younger persons
C) Have undergone a socialization process through which they repeatedly experience the deaths of others
D) All of these
E) None of these

Question 36

Older adults may encounter complications following the death of their adult child, such as .

A) decreased likelihood of institutionalization
B) a perceived validation of the natural order of things
C) increased social contacts
D) All of these
E) None of these

Question 37

In Personal Insights 15.1 in the eighth edition of Death & Dying, Life & Living, former President Jimmy Carter indicated that terminally ill members of his family .

A) inevitably faced death with fear and anguish
B) put their faith in artificial life-support systems
C) reduced the suffering and anguish of those who survived
D) were unable to enjoy themselves near the end of their lives
E) could not retain their life-long character and personal dignity

Question 38

When older adults do not have enough time to process their grief from one loss before another occurs, they are subject to:

A) Being in denial
B) Having bouts of anger
C) Starting unhealthy habits, such as smoking and drinking alcohol
D) Bereavement overload
E) Senescence

Question 39

After the death of a spouse, remarriage is most likely to occur for elderly widowers because:

A) Fewer potential spouses are available for elderly males.
B) More potential spouses are available for elderly females.
C) Women are expected to remain faithful to the first spouse.
D) Society views older women as needing to be independent.
E) None of these

Question 40

Effects of the death of a spouse on an older adult are most likely to be associated with .

A) increased ill health or morbidity
B) increased osteoporosis
C) Alzheimer's disease
D) enhanced sexual gratification
E) decreased mortality

Question 41

Identify and explain any two (2) ways in which encounters with death are distinctive for older adults in the United States today.

Question 42

Identify and briefly explain the principal issues that present themselves to older adults who are coping with life- threatening illness and dying. Explain your answer.

Question 43

Explain the concept of "bereavement overload" and show how it applies to older adults.

Question 44

Comment on the relationship (or lack of relationship) between developmental tasks and attitudes toward death in older adults. Explain your answer.

Question 45

Identify and explain the principal developmental goal for older adults. What are the possible implications of death- related encounters for achieving this goal? Give a concrete example.

Question 46

Explain the concept of "little deaths" and show how it applies to older adults.

Question 47

Identify and explain two (2) misunderstandings or misinterpretations of older adults that are common in our society today.

Question 48

Identify and briefly explain three (3) types of loss involving the death of another human being that might be experienced by an older adult in our society. Contrast the primary characteristics of any two (2) of these types of loss.

Question 49

Older adults in our society might experience losses associated with illness or disability, on the one hand, or those involving a pet, on the other hand. Compare and contrast these two types of loss, showing how they might be similar and how they might be dissimilar. Be specific. Give a concrete example of each type of loss.

Question 50

What three (3) things would you most want people to know about suicide and older adults? Why? Explain your answer.