Week 1 Normal Aging Flashcards
What are the most common long term conditions reported by people aged over 65?
- eye problems (90%)
-
musculoskeletal problems (66%)
- arthritis (49%)
- hypertension (38%)
What was the estimated life expectancy for indigenous australians born in 1996-2001 compared to white australians born in 1998-2000?
- Indigenous males = 59.4 yrs
- Indigenous females = 64.8 yrs
- Approx. 17 years lower than for Australian males and females
What are the most prevalent long-term health conditions among older Indigenous Australians?
- were eye/sight problems (89%)
- heart and circulatory problems/diseases (61%),
- arthritis (49%)
- diabetes/high sugar levels (36%).
(2004–05)
In 2005 what was the % of Indigenous people aged >65 years projected to be? comared to non-indiginous australians?
- 2.8% of the total Indigenous population.
- 13.1% of the total non-Indigenous population
Define normal aging??
- loss of physiologic organ reserves = greater risk of developing infections and diseases.
- Risk can be modified by behavioral and life style interventions at almost any age.
Define HOMEOSTENOSIS?
- This is a the progressive reduction in an individual’s capacity to maintain homeostasis as he or she ages;
- Thus requiring more and more physiological reserves to maintain homeostasis leaving a finite amount to fight infection/disease
What physiological systems may be affected during “normal” aging?
-
Brain and nervous system
- Decreased brain weight
- Loss of gray matter
-
Senses
- Presbyopia (far-sightedness)
- Presbycusis (hearing loss)
-
Vestibular function
- Loss of hair cells
- Decline in vestibular sensitivity
-
Strength
- Loss of lean body mass / skeletal muscle
Describe and compare the change in bone density in males and females over time
- Males and females reach peak bone mass at around 30yrs but males havea higher peak than females
- males have a steady decline with age
- females have a sharp drop in bone density during menopause then a steady decline
- so it is advised that (especially women) people get as high peak density as possible while still young so that you have more reserves at is declines with age
What are some lifestyle factors that accelerate age related change?
- Diet
- Exercise
- Smoking
- Mental health – loss of a loved one?
- Environmental factors
Describe the decline in balance and mobility within the aging population
- Reaction time is impaired
- Increased sway in standing
- Reduced limits of stability (ie the distance able to reach)
- Reduced speed of steps
- Slower gait
- Reduced strength
What are some age related conditions that effect mobility?
Conditions that contribute to a general deterioation in function:
- Vision – galucoma; artherosclerosis.
- Vestibular – drug toxicity; Meniere’s Disease
- Peripheral sensation – neuropathy (diabetes)
Conditions causing marked changes in function:
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Stroke
- Parkinson’s Disease
What are some structural changes to the Cardiovascular System?
- ^^ elastin and collagen levels => vessel membranes thicken, less elastic = ^^ arterial stiffness. (balloon analogy)
- Vascular smooth muscle changes (vasodilation/constriction).
- less myocardial cells => enlarged remaining cells to compensate.
- left ventricle wall thickens + ^^atrium size = increased heart weight.
What are some functional changes to the Cardiovascular System?
- an aging heart is less able to tolerate increased workloads, because of an inabillity do cope with ^^ pumping demand
- Young heart during vigorous exercise
- start of heart beat same size as at rest
- end of heart beat, heart is smaller than at rest
- Old heart during vigorous exercise
- size at start of heart beat is larger than at rest
- size at end of heart beat is same as at rest
How is the commumication between the CNS and the heart affected with age?
- Decreased response to catecholamines
- Diminished cardiac output with exercise
- Decreased blood flow to brain, heart, kidney, liver.
- Slower adaptation to change in activity.
- Conditioning takes longer
How can blood pressure be affected with age?
- Systolic pressure may ^^ whilst diastolic remains the same.
- Thought to be due to thickening of arterial wall =>less distensible and thus less able to buffer rise in pressure that occurs with cardiac ejection. (eg balloon)
- Thus elevated systolic with an unchanged diastolic blood pressure.
- Decreased baroreceptor sensitivity in the elderly contributes to postural hypotension.