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Activities
Activity
01 : Interactions
with Elders
Activity 02 : Grip
Strength
Activity
03 : Reaction
Time
Activity 04 : Age-related
diseases
Activity 05 :
Controlling
Aging: What Would/Could/Should Happen?
Assignments
Assignment 01 : Life
Expectancy
Activities:
Interactions with Elders: Activity 01
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Have the students interact with elders. Many arrangements are possible. Using different arrangements allows students to compare and contrast different situations and exemplifies the heterogeneity among elders. Here are some alternatives.
1. The elders may be (a) living independently in the community; (b) living with younger family members (c) living in assisted care facility; (d) living in a nursing home; (e) living in a chronic care facility or hospital.
2. The students may interact with the elders (a) as a whole class; (b) in small groups; (c) one-on-one.
3. The elders may go to the class or the students may travel to the elders.
Elders may be found (a) in local organizations serving elders or geared toward
elders (e.g., chapters of AARP, church groups); (b) at senior day care centers
or recreational facilities (e.g., YMCA); (c) through college or university
programs. (d) through Area Agencies on Aging. To find Area Agencies, go
to AoA's State Agencies on Aging at https://www.acl.gov/search/node?keys=state+agencies
or AoA's State and Area Agencies on Aging at https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Index.aspx.
4. The interactions may be (a) planned to address specific questions
or issues; (b) an open question/answer format; (c) a conversational format.
5. Students may spend time as volunteers at a senior citizens' facility.
6. After the interactions, have students discuss their experiences in class or have students write about their experiences and responses. If students interact with elders having different degrees of independence, disease, or disability, have the students compare and contrast what they observed and learned.
Grip Strength:
Activity 02
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Contributed by:
Andrea Petho, RN,BSN,CSN,MA
Nurse, Mahwah High School
Adjunct Faculty, Ramapo College of New Jersey
and
James Ascuitto, BS,MS
Science Teacher, Mahwah High School
Adjunct Faculty, Ramapo College of New Jersey
For the nervous system and its correlations with the muscle system, have students measure grip strength or other types of strength. (Measuring devices can often be found in anatomy and physiology courses and in physical education departments.) Subjects of different ages can be tested to determine maximum strength of one contraction, endurance with repeated contractions, or total work done over a specified number of contractions. If subjects compare the results between the dominant hand versus the non-dominant hand, results simulate young exercised muscles versus older non-exercised muscles. (Measuring the diameter of the muscles in each forearm may clarify the relationships between muscle mass, muscle strength, and endurance).
Reaction
Time: Activity 03
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Contributed by:
Andrea Petho, RN,BSN,CSN,MA
Nurse, Mahwah High School
Adjunct Faculty, Ramapo College of New Jersey
and
James Ascuitto, BS,MS
Science Teacher, Mahwah High School
Adjunct Faculty, Ramapo College of New Jersey
For an activity related to the nervous system and its correlations with the
muscle system, have students measure reaction times. Two students partner up.
One student holds a centimeter ruler vertically (at the top) with the lower end
of the ruler between the thumb and forefinger of another student. The second
student sits at a table with their wrist resting on the edge of the table. The
first student drops the ruler, and the second student catches the ruler as
quickly as possible between the thumb and forefinger. The distance the stick
falls correlates with the reaction time.
The formula to determine reaction time:
t = the square root of 2d/a
where:
t = reaction time
d = distance dropped in centimeters
a = acceleration due to gravity = (980 cm/second squared)
Several trials can be done and an average reaction time determined. The data for students of different ages are compared either numerically or on a graph. If the students ages are similar, volunteer guests can serve as subjects of different ages. The expected result is an increase in reaction time (slower reaction) with aging. This procedure tests response to a visual stimulus (falling stick). As alternative procedures, have the subject close his or her eyes and respond to a sound ( e.g., tap on table) or a touch (e.g., touch on the shoulder) applied simultaneously with release of the stick. Also, students can use their non-dominant hand to catch the stick, or use a meter stick vs. a ruler. Explain to the students that this is a cross-sectional study. Discuss its benefits and drawbacks versus performing a longitudinal study of reaction time. Discuss effects other than aging that might influence the outcome (e.g., physical fitness, practicing the procedure, distractions, abnormalities or diseases such as poor vision or arthritis).
Age-related diseases:
Activity 04
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Contributed by:
Andrea Petho, RN,BSN,CSN,MA
Nurse, Mahwah High School
Adjunct Faculty, Ramapo College of New Jersey
Each student gives a 10-15 minute presentation on a biological disease or a problem associated with aging. The student also submits a 4-5 page paper on the topic immediately after the oral presentation. Visual aids, handouts, and class interaction during the presentation are encouraged.
Life Expectancy: Assignment
01
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For an assignment outside of class, students are assigned to fill out one or
more of the tests at the following sites.
Each site has a "Life Expectancy Calculator" that will determine the
projected life expectancy of the test taker depending upon how questions are
answered. It's fun to do and can also be a wake-up call. For comparison
purposes, the teacher takes the test as a hypothetically "perfect" 20
year old male, then female -- then as a hypothetically totally
"non-perfect" of each, then repeat the above as hypothetical 50 or 60
year-olds. Students compare these results with their own. Students can compare
and contrast the types of factors used to estimate life expectancy among the sites,
and they can infer the relative importance of each factor by entering different
responses for a factor a life expectancy calculator. Students can compare and
contrast different tests by listing the types of information requested by each
test. Some of the tests also provide reasons why factors affect life
expectancy.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/articles/whatismylifeexpectancyandhowmightitchange/2017-12-01
"What is my life expectancy?
And how might it change? "
https://gosset.wharton.upenn.edu/mortality/perl/CalcForm.html
Is includes alternative life
expectancies if a person changes one or more of their conditions in the future.
https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/population/longevity.html
It is very simple.
https://www.nmfn.com/tn/learnctr--lifeevents--longevity
It is very simple.
https://www.dinkytown.net/java/LifeTime.html
It is very simple.
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.117.032047
See some factors that affect life
expectancy in "Impact of Healthy Lifestyle Factors on Life Expectancies in
the US Population"
© Copyright 2020: Augustine G. DiGiovanna, Ph.D., Salisbury University, Maryland
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