Changes In Body Systems With Age Flashcards
What Changes In The Musculo-skeletal System With Age?
~ As you age bones deteriorate, become more fragile, osteoporosis sets in
~ Muscle fibers decrease
~ Changes in cartilage and connective tissue
~ Joints become stiffer, ligaments and tendons become more rigid and brittle.
~ Muscles decrease in strength
What Changes In The Urinary System With Age?
~ The bladder wall changes.
~ The elastic tissue becomes tough and the bladder becomes less stretchy.
~ The bladder muscles weaken
~ With aging the bladder starts to get leakage
~ Blockage of the urethra in women, this can be due to weakened muscles that cause the bladder or uterus to fall out of position. (prolapse)
~ Removal of body waste is less efficient and urine is more concentrated
~ Blood flow to the kidney decreases causing the kidney to shrink (atrophy)
What Are The 4 Parts To The Integumentary System?
~ Skin
~ Hair
~ Nails
~ Glands
What Changes In The Skin With Age? (Integumentary System)
~ Epidermis, Dermis and Hypodermis
~ Begins to weaken
~ Becomes thinner
~ Becomes translucent
~ Easier skin injuries, tearing and infections
~ Speed of healing takes twice Aging epidermis and wrinkling
~ Blood avoids the Integumentary System to retain more body heat to the core
~ Decreasing protection from UV light causing wrinkles, burns and brown spots
~ Skin becomes paler
What Changes In The Hair With Age? (Integumentary System)
~ Turns white or grey
~ Lack of wax from sebaceous gland causes hair to become rough and thin out
What Changes In The Nails With Age? (Integumentary System)
~ Discolouring of toe nails ~ Thick nails ~ Brittle ~ Hard and slow growth ~ May flake and develop ridges
What Changes In The Gland With Age? (Integumentary System)
~ Sudoriferous (sweat glands) ~ Sebaceous (oil glands) ~ Ceruminous (dermis in ear canal) ~ Glands begin to dry up causing ~ Scaly skin ~ Blemishing ~ Rashing / Dry and itchy skin
What Changes In The Digestive System With Age?
~ Decreased peristalsis~ the involuntary contraction and relaxation of the smooth muscles creating wavelike movements that push contents through -ie) like your intestine*
~ Decreased secretion of digestive enzymes resulting in difficulty digesting
~ Loss of teeth or ill fitting dentures making chewing difficult
~ Constipation becomes a problem along with hemorrhoids
What Changes In The Nervous System With Age?
~ Your brain and spinal cord loose nerve cells and weight.
~ Nerve cells begin to pass messages more slowly than in the past, this can cause abnormal changes in the brain
~ Break down of nerves can affect your senses
~ Might have reduced or lost reflexes
~ Problems with movement
~ Slowing of thoughts, memory
~ Sensitivity to pain and pressure is reduced
~ Changes are not the same in everyone
What Are Some Examples Of What Happens To The Nervous System With Age?
~ Dementia and severe memory loss are not a normal part of aging but happens to many
~ Decreased blood flow
~ Reduction of brain size
~ Neural processing less efficient
~ Senses/hearing/balance/vision/smell/taste (become less acute)
~ Sounds and lighting needs increasing
What Changes In The Male Reproductive System With Age?
~ Decrease in testosterone
~ Takes long for an erection or orgasms to occur
What Changes In The Female Reproductive System With Age?
~ Female hormones estrogen and progesterone decrease
~ The uterus, vagina, and external genitalia atrophy
~ Vaginal dryness causes painful intercourse
~ Orgasms are less intense
What Changes In The Cardiac System With Age?
~ Elasticity of the heart changes
~ Ability to respond to changes in pressure
~ Resistance of the heart increases causing the heart to work harder
~ Mass of the heart increases
~ Arterial walls thicken
~ This can cause high blood pressure
~ Capillary walls thicken causing slower rate of exchange of water and nutrients
~ Reduction in total body water causing less fluid in the blood stream
~ Red blood cell production decreases causing a slower response to blood loss and anemia
