2.3: Aging
- Page ID
- 160137
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Biological Aspects of Aging
Definition
Aging is a normal process that occurs with the passing of time. Aging past maturity implies a slowing down of biological function.
Coping with Aging
Success with aging comes with being familiar with normal losses, being able to accept the losses as they come and then being able to work around them.
Skin
- Less active sebaceous glands, reduced sweating.
- Fragile blood vessels of the skin.
Skeletal
- Loss of calcium in bone – osteoporosis.
- Postural changes – head forward, kyphosis and changes in lordotic curve.
- Joint stiffness.
Muscle
- Loss of muscle strength (18-20%) and increased body fat (40-50%) by age 80.
- Antigravity muscles lose strength first.
- Loss of energy reserve, loss of endurance.
Nervous System
- Slowing in speed of action and reaction of the nervous system and motor responses.
Senses
- Up to twice as much light is needed to see as when in 20s.
- Vision adjusts more slowly from light to dark conditions.
- Glare negates vision.
- Decreased color discrimination.
- Faulty depth perception.
- Peripheral vision diminishes.
- Decreased eye-hand coordination.
- Decreased ability to make fine discrimination in touch and temperature.
- Decreased perception of pain and pressure.
- Diminished taste and smell.
- Loss of position sense.
- Presbycusis – “old-age deafness.”
- Hear lower voices and organ music the best.
- Takes longer to react to sound.
- Impaired discrimination between sound and noise (essential vs. unessential sound).
- Impairment of sound localization.
Respiratory System
- Lungs are less flexible – reduced capacity to cough and breathe deeply.
- Larynx – voice becomes weaker and higher in pitch.
GI System
- Decreased bladder capacity and changes in bowel function.
- Decreased bladder muscle and sphincter tone.
- Increased residual urine is left in bladder after voiding.
- Decreased metabolism.
Psychosocial Aspects of Aging
Residents may have four to eight chronic or degenerative processes with two to three of these processes in an acute state.
Sensory Changes
- Decreased or lack of incoming information.
- Decreased ability to assess the environment.
- Altered sleep patterns.
Psychosocial Changes
- Loss of regular pattern of activity.
- Separation from meaningful life experiences.
- Change in pattern of social associations.
- Role changes.
- Loss of significant others.
- Self-esteem.
- Strong need for someone with whom to identify.
- Stress resulting in increased speed of aging and/or disease process and/or onset of new medical conditions.
Coping with Stress
- Positive attitude toward stress.
- Keep activity level high (active physical stress eases psychological stress).
- Need for 50/50 balance of stress and relaxation for a healthy environment in spite of living in a stressful society.
Thought
Geriatrics is not an abstract. It is potentially an age group all of us will belong to if we live long enough.