Geriatric Overview Flashcards
Aging is associated with a decreased ability to adapt to stress which in turn impairs what?
homeostasis
What does homeostasis refer to?
the physiologic process that maintain a stable internal environment of the body
What 4 factors influence aging?
- genetics
- lifestyle
- physiology
- socioeconomics
True or False
Normal aging is synonymous with natural
False
What are 6 examples of universal changes that occur with age?
- Decreased night vision
- Decreased muscle mass
- Loss of hair pigment
- Decreased lung vital capacity
- Decreased height
- Decreased gait speed
What are 7 examples of changes that are common but no inevitable as one ages?
- Hearing loss
- Macular degeneration
- Hypertension
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Parkinson’s disease
- Dementia
Social problems are more common with aging and it is oftentimes referred to the age of _____.
loss
In regards to the social aspect of the aging adult, what is a major concern?
social isolation, due to loss of many things including: family, income, community, physical and mental functions, and mobility
__% of our entire life span is in the process of decline
75%
What is an important contributor to whole body decline?
Whole-body inflammation
50% of whole body decline is due to what? What is the other 50% due to?
- genetics
- lifestyle
In comparison to a 30 year old, a 75 year old has __% of brain weight
92
In comparison to a 30 year old, a 75 year old has __% of basal metabolism
84
In comparison to a 30 year old, a 75 year old has __% of kidney filtration rate
70
In comparison to a 30 year old, a 75 year old has __% of maximal breathing capacity
43
What are some changes that occur in the skin with aging?
- Thinner and more easily damaged.
- Delayed wound healing.
- Decreased inflammatory response.
- Decreased protection from ultraviolet light.
- Wrinkling, sagging skin.
- Easily stretched under low loads.
- Loss of resiliency.
- Diminished absorption.
- Altered thermal regulation.
- Decreased sensitivity to pain and pressure.
- Decreased collagen
- Mucous membranes drier
- Less sweat glands
- Loss of subcutaneous fat.
Why does skin wrinkle?
There is a loss of subcutaneous fat
Less subcutaneous fat leads to an increased risk for what?
- pressure sores
- thermoregulatory issues
Collagenous tissue loses water from the matrix which results in what?
- body shrinking
- height loss
- breakdown of articular cartilage
There is an increase in crosslinks in collagenous tissue results in what?
- decreased ROM
- increased stiffness
As one ages lean mass _____ and fat mass _____ proportionately
decreases
increases
Visual impairment affects __-__% of people over the age of 75
20-30
What are the 6 visual impairments that occur with greater frequency as people age?
- Refractive error
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- Macular degeneration
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Blindness
What is Presbycusis?
high frequency hearing loss
By 60, most adults have trouble hearing above ___ Hz.
4000
What are the 5 causes of hearing loss?
- Loss of hair cells in the organ of Corti
- Loss of cochlear neurons
- Stiffening of basilar membrane
- Calcification of auditory mechanism
- Degeneration of spiral ligament
What percent of the elderly are edentulous (lacking teeth)?
40%
Each year we lose _% of our neurons within the CNS
1
As one ages there is _____ dopamine levels which results in _____ muscular rigidity
decreased
increased
What sensation is reduced within the peripheral nervous system?
vibration
Slowing of movement speed is a major clinical manifestation of aging and is in large part due loss in the _____ nervous system
central
After the age of __ renal function decreases
40
By the age of 90 we lose __% of renal function
50
What other changes occur within the renal system as we age?
- Decreased filtration and reabsorption
- Decrease in size and number of nephrons
- Bladder muscles weaken
- Less able to clear drugs from system
- Kidneys and bladder shrink
- Increased residual urine and incontinence
What is the most notable and clinically relevant cardiovascular change that occurs with aging?
decrease in maximum heart rate
Vo2 max decreases approximately __% per decade
10
By age 70 cardiac output is reduced by __%
70
Bone mineral density decline is ongoing and begins during the ____ decade of life
3rd
There is typically a -% decline in bone mineral density per year
0.5-1
Describe what happens to bone mineral density in women during menopause. What does this result in?
Doubles during the 5-year peri and menopausal time period
50% risk for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women
What hormone is critical for the maintenance of bone mass in both sexes?
estrogen
