C1 - The physical changes of ageing Flashcards
Introduction
By the time an individual reaches the late 60s, their body functions begin to decline. For example, they may experience hearing loss in higher frequencies. They may become farsighted and experience impaired nightvision. Joints may become stiffer and bones may lose calcium and become brittle - bringing increased risk of fractures. However, each individual is unique and their experience of the ageing process is different. Some people develop serious problems associated with ageing in their 50s, whereas other people have few problems even in their 90s. These physical changes do not come about just because bodies ‘wear out’. If you take regular exercise, you may expect to live longer and stay healthier than people who do not. The physical changes associated with ageing may come about because there is a limit to how many times body cells can repair/renew themselves and because of damage that builds up over a lifetime.
Cardiovascular disease
As an individual ages, they have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (disease of the heart and blood vessels). The main purpose of the heart is the pump blood around the body. Many older people develop narrowing of the arteries, and other blood vessels, due to fats such as cholesterol being laid down in the walls of the blood vessels. This process of ‘clogging up’ is called atherosclerosis - which can result in a high blood pressure (which puts the person at risk of stroke) and heart attacks. The blood vessels can also start to lose their elasticity causing the heart to work harder, increase in size and raise the blood pressure. Fatty deposits can break away and block the artery. If the coronary artery is partly blocked, it may cause angina - experienced as breathlessness and chest pains. If there is a significant blood flow blockage, the person may experience a heart attack.
There were almost 160,000 deaths associated with cardiovascular disease in 2011, approx. 74,00o of these deaths were caused by coronary heart disease - Britain’s biggest killer.
There are a number of risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease, including: Family history of heart disease, ethnic background, poorly controlled diabetes and a prolonged rise in blood pressure (hypertension). Poor lifestyle choices, such as being overweight/obese, smoking and a lack of exercise, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, and its affects, in older age.
The degeneration of the nervous tissue
And individual senses depend on the nervous system (nerves, spinal cord and brain) which is composed of nervous tissue. Nervous tissue allows an individual to receive stimuli and process info. Sensory experiences can be positive (the smell of a cake baking), or negative (getting a paper cut).
As the ageing process progresses, brain function begins to decline. However, different aspects of brain function are affected at different rates. STM and the ability to learn new material tend to be affected relatively early, whereas the ability to use words and vocabulary may begin to decline after the age of 70, and lastly cognitive and intellectual ability is usually maintained until around the age of 80 – if no neurological disorders are present. Reaction time and performance of tasks may become slower as the brain processes love impulses more slowly. However, it is important to note that the effect of various conditions that are common in older people (for example strokes, depression, under-active thyroid gland and Alzheimer’s disease), can make it difficult to analyse the effects of ageing on brain function. It is worth noting that some areas of the brain may produce new nerve cells and new skills can be learnt, for example after a stroke with the help of occupational therapy.
Bloodflow to the brain decreases with the ageing process, especially for people who have some form of cerebral vascular disease - which is more likely in people who have smoked for a long time, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. This may result in the loss of brain cells prematurely, possibly impairing mental function and increasing the risk of dementia, especially of lifestyle changes are not made of medication is not taken.
Having very high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol levels can speed up the age-related decline in brain function. Physical exercise and a healthy diet and lifestyle may slowed us down.
Nervous tissue the generation also occurs because, as people age, impulses become slower and age-related changes in function can become more noticeable when the nerves are injured by something (for example diabetes). The self-repairing process in cells occurs more slowly and incompletely making older people more vulnerable to injuries/diseases. Decreased sensation, slower reflexes and a tendency to be clumsy can also be a result of that the degeneration of nervous tissue within the nervous system - hence memories, thought and abilities to perform tasks can be affected.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease, A result of wearing tear of the joints and the ageing process. It’s one of the commonest types of arthritis in the UK, with over 8 million people suffering from the condition. Osteoarthritis causes the joints to become painful and stiff (), especially the hips, knees, neck, lower back, hands or feet. The symptoms severity can vary between individuals - some experience occasional mild symptoms whereas others experience severe and constant problems, making it difficult to carry out daily activities. Although being overweight and having a family history may add to the chance of developing osteoarthritis, the exact cause is difficult to identify. However, recent research by Coventry University identified multiple injuries in the same joint before an injury has fully healed as a cause.
Women are more likely to be affected by osteoarthritis than men. It can occur at any age, but generally appears between the late 40s and 75 years of age.
Physical changes due to osteoarthritis include thinning and roughening of the joint cartilage. Cartilage is a protective cushion between the ends of the bones. As the bones start to rub together, moving the joints causes pain and swelling. Eventually, this leads to bony outgrowths, spurs or osteophytes, developing on the ends of the bones, causing damage to the soft tissues around the joints. One of the major impacts is that gradual smooth movements of the affected joint become difficult and this limits movements such as the walking, using the stairs or lifting heavy objects.
People often confuse osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is it a generative disease that damages joints at the end of the boat. Osteoporosis is a condition in which the bones become less dense, making them fragile and liable to fracture. Both conditions can cause backpain and height loss, especially in older people.
Degeneration of the sense organs
As part of the ageing process, sensory awareness gradually decreases. For example, an individual’s Sense of balance can become impaired, both hearing and vision may deteriorate, and the ability to taste and smell may diminish. These can all lead to a range of physical problems.
Changes generally start when people are about 50 years of age. However they become noticeable when an older person begins to need to turn up the sound on the radio or television, or add more salt and pepper to their food or starts wearing glasses with stronger magnification.
After 45, the eyes ability to focus begins to weaken and, for many people, by 65 there may be little focus on power left, making small print more difficult to read. Up to half of people over the age of 90 may have serious problems with vision.
Cataracts result from changes in the lens of the eye. As people grow older, the lenses can become hard and cloudy which can result in blurred vision. Cataracts may start forming between the ages of 50 and 60, but often take time to develop and start causing symptoms. The majority of people over 75 have some degree of cataract formation. Diabetes greatly increases the chances of developing cataracts.
Glaucoma is an increase of fluid pressure within the eye. It can affect eyesight in later life with symptoms that can range from hazy or blurry vision or eye pain to sudden loss of vision.
Some older people experience an increase in the works in the outer ear that can block sound transmission to the sensory nerves. Difficulty in hearing high-frequency/high-pitched sounds also increases with age as the sensitivity of nerve cells in the inner decreases. If this is accompanied with a loss of nerve cell function then they may experience partial/incomplete hearing loss.
For many older people, once they’ve accepted these ageing processes they’ll try to make adjustments/adaptions to their environment and use resources to help them perform daily tasks. However, if there is a sudden change in vision, hearing, taste, smell or touch, it is important for older people to seek medical advice.
The reduced absorption of nutrients
Energy requirements may change in older age particularly if physical activity is restricted/reduced. As energy requirements decrease, older people may need more protein rich foods in their diet (e.g. eggs, pulses, dairy foods and lean meat).
It is also important that all peoples diets include foods containing vitamins and minerals. Minerals such as zinc, calcium, magnesium and sodium found in dairy products, meat, eggs, fish, bread, cereals, fruit and vegetables. However, absorption of food, including minerals and vitamins, becomes less efficient inolder people, meaning that some people can experience malnourishment even though they continue to eat the same diet that was adequate and early adulthood.
Vitamin di is important to good health and essential Ferb is open calcium from the food. It is largely obtained from sunlight so old people who are housebound, or in residential care, may be at risk of vitamin di deficiency leading to disorders such as osteoporosis and bone fractures. To prevent osteoporosis, some older people are prescribed vitamin di and calcium supplements. Older people may also like vitamin see, are you in and fibre in their diet. Vital emergency is essential for several body functions: including wound healing and forming am in tightening healthy tissues. Many older people do not even a fresh fruit and vegetables which provide vitamin C. Some old people find buying fresh fruit and vegetables difficult or expensive, and also have difficulty in preparing and eating them.
Iron absorption may be reduced in older people and, along with a low dietary intake, this could increase the risk of a deficiency anaemia. Terry council research has shown that 30% of older people have an iron intake below the recommended level for the general population. Water helps with digesting food and absorbing nutrients. In older age, people may lose their sense of thirst and, as a result, become dehydrated. This has been nigh lighted as a particular problem in hospitals where patients don’t request drinks.
Dementia
Dementia is more likely to occur in older people. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, more than 5% of over-65s and as many as 20% of over-80s are affected by dementia. However, the majority of people who live to extreme old age will never develop dementia.
Dementia is a brain disorder that seriously affects a person’s ability to carry out daily tasks and activities. A person with dementia is likely to experience problems with understanding what is happening around them, communicating, reasoning, finding their way and remembering recent events. There are different kinds of dementia – 2 major types are Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the commonest form of dementia. The onset of Alzheimer’s disease is usually slow, initially involving parts of the brain controlling thought, memory and language. Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease have trouble with STM and recalling the names of people they know. The symptoms are gradually worsened. For example, an individual may not recognise family members and may begin to lose the ability to carry out particular tasks – like speaking, reading and writing. As the condition progresses, the ability to carry out simple everyday tasks (like brushing teeth for combing hair) may be forgotten. Alzheimer’s disease usually begins after the age of 60 and the risk of developing it rises as a person gets older. There is a higher risk of getting out Symons disease if a family member has had the condition. At present, there is no treatment to cure or prevent the disease, but some medication to delay its progress for a limited time.
Effects of illnesses that are common in ageing
Each of the condition is common in ageing brings its own symptoms, but each one can have wider affects on holistic development. Having a chronic condition in addition to the usual physical and psychological changes during the ageing process can worsen stress/depression for many older people. Depression affects an individual’s mood and can lead to a lack of energy, low motivation, interrupted sleep patterns, changes to appetite and headaches. Additionally physical aches and pains, such as those associated with conditions like arthritis, can worsen.
Social development may be severely affected by chronic conditions. Effects of illness or mobility can restrict a persons social life as they may have difficulty getting out and greeting people. This will reduce the circle of friends causing further emotional stress. The decline of senses/neural capacity can also impact on friendships as they depend upon communicating with others. Individuals may be unable to hear/see sufficiently well to take part in interests and hobbies they used to enjoy, such as reading or going to the cinema. This can reduce motivation and increase isolation.
Illness brings with it a number of physical changes that have been discussed in relation to each of the conditions in section C1: the physical changes of ageing. Many of the conditions will result in losing mobility caused either by neurological problems or because of pain, stiffness of the joints or a reduction in stamina. This can be a vicious circle, as a lack of exercise or even movement can result in the onset/worsening of conditions such as heart disease. I reduction in sensory awareness and neurological illness brings with it an additional problem of dizziness or difficulty in moving that results in an increase in falls in older people, often causing fractures.
A common problem in ageing is incontinence, which is a loss of bladder control. It can happen because of weakness of muscles, enlarged prostate (common in older men) or neurological illness such as Alzheimer’s. Whether it is temporary or chronic, it is on pleasant for the individual and can lead to embarrassment and emotional distress.
Many older people experience insomnia or disorders which can disrupt sleep patterns and cause fatigue, stress and anxiety. This can have an adverse affect on their attention span and ability to carry out everyday tasks.
