C1: The physical changes in ageing Flashcards
As a person ages, what heart condition are they more likely to get?
Cardiovascular disease
What is the main purpose of the heart?
Pump blood around the body
What narrows the arteries?
Fats such as cholesterol building up
What is the name for the ‘clogging up’ of arteries?
Atherosclerosis
What may cause angina?
If the coronary artery is partially blocked
What are the risks of cardiovascular disease?
- Family history
- Ethnic background
- Poorly controlled diabetes
- Prolonged rise in blood pressure
- Being overweight
- Smoking
- Lack of exercise
What do an individual senses depend on?
The nervous system
What do the nervous system include?
- Nerves
- Spinal cord
- Brain
What does nervous tissue allow?
An individual to receive stimuli and process information
What part of brain function is affected first in ageing?
Short-term memory and ability to learn new material
When does the ability to use words and vocabulary begin to decline?
After 70
When does cognitive and intellectual ability begin to decline?
Around age 80 if no neurological disorders are present
What can speed up age related brain function decline?
- High blood pressures
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
What in the brain decreases with the ageing process?
Blood flow
What process in the brain becomes slower?
The self-repairing procession cells
What is osteoarthritis?
- A degenerative disease
- As a result of wear and tear of the joints and the ageing process
What does osteoarthritis cause?
- The joints become painful and stiff
Who are more likely to get osteoarthritis?
- Women are more likely than men
- generally appears in late 40s and 75
What is cartilage?
A protective cushion between the ends of the bones
What is osteoporosis?
When the bones become less dense making them fragile and liable to fracture
What are cataracts a result off?
A change in the lens of the eye
When may cataracts start forming?
Between ages 50 and 60
What does diabetes greatly increase?
Developing cataracts
What is glaucoma?
Increase of fluid pressure within the eye
How does glaucoma effect a person?
- Affect eyesight in later life
- Hazy or blurry vision
- Eye pain
- Sudden loss of vision
What can block sound transmission to the sensory nerves?
Increase in wax
Why does difficulty hearing high frequency sound increase with age?
The sensitivity of nerve cells in the inner ear decreases
What happens to energy as a person gets older?
Reduces
What may a older person need more off in their diet?
- More protein-rich food in their diet such as eggs, dairy foods and lean meat
What minerals and vitamins are found in dairy, meat, eggs and fish?
- Zinc
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Sodium
What is vitamin D important for?
Good health and absorbing calcium from food
How is vitamin D obtained?
- Largely obtained from sunlight
What can vitamin D deficiency cause?
Disorders such as osteoporosis and bone fractures
What may older people lack?
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin C
- Iron
- Fibre
What is vitamin C essential for?
Wound healing and forming and maintaining healthy tissues
What is dementia?
A brain disorder which affects a persons ability to carry out daily tasks and activities
What may someone with dementia have difficulty doing?
- Understanding what’s going on
- Communicating
- Reasoning
- Finding their way
- Remembering recent events
What are the two major types of dementia?
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Vascular dementia
What is Alzheimers disease?
- Onset is usually slow involving parts of the brain controlling thought, memory and language
- Trouble with STM
- Symptoms gradually worsen, may lose the ability to do everyday tasks
When does Alzheimers disease usually begin?
After 60, there is a higher risk if their is family history
What can depression cause?
- Lack of energy
- Low motivation
- Interrupted sleep pattern
- Changes to appetite
- Headaches
