Professional Documents
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Health Changes and Challenges
When Does Aging Begin?
Aging begins the day we are born
No single measure of how “old” a person is
Aging is highly individualized
Aging proceeds at different rates in
different people, and within different
systems of the body
Why Do People Age?
Many theories to include:
Hereditary Factors
Loss of cellular mass and ability of cells to divide
and replicate
Accumulation of waste materials that clog cells
and cause them to die
Changes in structure of connective tissue
No single theory adequately describes the aging
process
Normal Changes of Aging
Physical changes related to “Normal” aging ARE
NOT disease
Changes occur in most body systems to include:
Sensory System
Brain and Central Nervous System
Muscles and Bones
Digestion
Heart/Circulatory System
Respiratory System
Sensory System
Hearing
1. Loss is usually in ability to hear high frequency
sounds
2. Hearing loss can lead to social isolation and should
be addressed
3. Hearing aids cannot address all types of hearing loss
How to help mitigate effects of hearing loss:
1. Lower the pitch of your voice
2. Speak directly to the person so that they can see your
face
3. Eliminate background noise
Vision
Not all older people have impaired vision
Loss of ability to see items that are close up begins in the
40’s
Size of pupil grows smaller with age: focusing becomes
less accurate
Lens of eye yellows making it more difficult to see red
and green colors
Sensitivity to glare increases
Night vision not as acute
How to help mitigate the effects of vision loss:
1. Increase lighting
2. Use blinds or shades to reduce glare
3. Maintain equal levels of lighting
Taste and Smell
Some loss in taste and smell as one ages, but
loss is usually minor and not until after age 70
Many older people often complain of food being
tasteless
Possible causes:
1. Loneliness at meals
2. Unwilling/unable to cook
3. Dental problems
4. Financial barriers
Pain and Sense of Touch
With age, skin is not as sensitive as in youth
Contributing factors include:
1. Loss of elasticity
2. Loss of pigment
3. Reduced fat layer
Safety Implications:
1. Lessened ability to recognize dangerous levels of
heat
2. Lessened ability of body to maintain temperature
3. Tendency to develop bruises, skin tears more easily
Brain and Central Nervous System
Without illness, a person can expect high mental
competence well past age 80
Physical reactions are slowed due to increased “lag” time
of neurons transmitting information :Slowing manifests
itself in the learning process
Unfamiliar or high stress activities cause an older person to
perform more slowly
Throughout adulthood, there is a gradual reduction in the
weight and volume of the brain. This decline is about 2%
per decade. Contrary to previously held beliefs, the decline
does not accelerate after the age of 50, but continues at
about the same pace from early adulthood on. The
accumulative effects of this are generally not noticed until
older age.
GOOD NEWS!