Changes of Aging are a challenge for individuals who have elderly people around them. With increasing age, a wide range of changes occur in the body with varying degrees. These changes do not necessarily indicate an underlying disease but can cause discomfort and worry for individuals. Being aware of these changes does not stop the aging process. However, by adopting a suitable lifestyle, individuals can greatly reduce the impact of these changes on their health.
In this article from humanhealthmag website, we examine the Changes in old age from various perspectives:
- Physical Dimension
- Cognitive Dimension
- Emotional Dimension
- Social Dimension
- Mental and Intellectual Dimension
Physical Changes of Aging
The physical changes dimension in old age encompasses various changes:
A – Sensory Changes
- Vision: Most older adults in their fourth decade of life have good visual acuity, and by the beginning of their fifth decade, there may be a decline in vision.
- Hearing: Approximately 30% of older adults experience hearing problems. Hearing loss occurs in 25% of individuals by age 60 and in 65% by age 80.
- Taste and Smell: The senses of smell and taste are also affected by aging-related changes. The number of taste buds decreases after the age of 80. Some individuals also experience a reduction in their sense of smell, which is usually due to problems with the olfactory receptors.
- Touch: The skin has a protective role, and skin changes such as wrinkles, thinning, dryness, and scaling in old age will make individuals more sensitive to pain and injury.
B – Bone and Muscle Changes
Why does height decrease with age? Individuals’ height decreases due to the compression of intervertebral discs and the shortening of the spine. How much height loss is normal? Men’s weight increases until about age 60, and women’s weight increases until about age 70, after which it decreases. Loss of muscle mass (muscle atrophy) and increased fat are common in older adults, resulting in decreased muscle strength. Calcium levels decrease, and bones become more brittle. Joints also create problems for older adults, with osteoarthritis being the most common issue.
C – Motor Function
The ability for complex behaviors and movements decreases with age. Performing complex activities requires physical and neurological capacity. As these capacities decline with age, an increased loss of behavioral complexity is expected. Postural control decreases with age in older adults, with these changes of aging beginning in the early fifth decade of life and gradually and steadily progressing throughout life.
D – Sexual Changes of Aging
Sexual desire is normal in older adults even into their eighth and ninth decades of life, but the frequency (both quantity and quality) decreases. Anatomical, physiological, and hormonal changes cause both older men and women to need more stimulation to become aroused and more time to reach orgasm.
E – Changes in the Central Nervous System and Hormones in Older Adults
One of the problems of old age is damage to the hippocampus of the brain, which causes problems with learning and memory and is considered a natural age-related issue. The brain loses about 17% of its weight by around the age of 80. One of the causes of the decline in brain function in individuals may be age-related changes in the blood-brain barrier. A significant age-related decrease in dopamine synthesis in the striatum and extrastriatal areas (except for the midbrain) has been observed in post-mortem examinations of the brains of normal older adults.
F – Changes in the Cardiovascular System in Older Adults
There is an increase in heart rate and its intensity, and a decrease in cardiac output. The heart rate response at the start of exercise decreases. The diastolic blood pressure pattern changes. As a result, exercise tolerance capacity decreases. The aorta and its main branches stiffen, and stiffening of the aorta and endothelial dysfunction increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Resting blood pressure increases.
Blood pressure at peak exercise is also higher in older adults than in younger individuals, especially in older women. An increase in systolic blood pressure reflects an increase in heart activity. Blood flow to the legs decreases at rest, during slow and fast exercise. This affects exercise and blood pressure regulation in old age. The sensation of thirst decreases. Renal capacity for sodium and water retention is impaired. The total volume of body water decreases with age.
Cognitive Changes of the Elderly
The cognitive process results from brain function. Since the brains of older adults show changes with increasing age, it is expected that cognition will also undergo changes. That is, with increasing age, changes occur in the cognitive system of older adults.
A – Memory Changes in Older Adults
Memory capacity or ability decreases with age. This decline is particularly noticeable in working memory, such as remembering a phone number. However, episodic memory, which relates to personal memories, is less affected. Memory board games for seniors can be a solution.
B – Language Changes of aging
A predictable issue in cognitive changes in old age is their difficulty with verbal matters. One of the positive aspects of age-related changes in individuals is the increase in their vocabulary range. Older individuals have a wider vocabulary than younger ones. Language and memory have a close relationship. In language comprehension, we recall what we have heard or read without conscious awareness. Oral language comprehension, like implicit memory, changes very little in later life.
C – Cognitive-Executive Functions
Executive functions are a number of brain functions responsible for regulating and controlling behavior. Some of these functions include: planning, judgment, inhibition, memory, attention, verbal fluency, and decision-making. Studies indicate that among executive functions, working memory, learning ability, and cognitive flexibility are more impaired in old age than other functions. Deficits in judgment and decision-making are also more noticeable in this group.
D – Information Processing in Old Age
With increasing age, the time taken to perform tasks increases. Similarly, increasing age reduces the number of items that need to be quickly accessible in working memory. Due to changes in processing speed, it should be expected that reading speed will slow down with age.
Emotional Dimension of Changes of Aging
Some researchers believe that older adults and those who are psychologically mature are more aware of their emotions. The emotional expertise of older adults helps them to differentiate emotional interpretations from the objective aspects of situations more effectively than younger individuals. Consequently, their coping strategies usually involve ensuring their desires are fully understood before making a decision about an action.
Social Dimension of Changes in Aging
From a social perspective, the variables that are important during old age include: retirement, the death of peers and friends, the death of a spouse, the extent or limitation of the supportive social network, etc. Each of these variables, in interaction with other internal and external variables, has significant positive or negative effects on the life course of older adults. These effects are unique to each individual and can be examined based on their personal circumstances.
- Occupational changes of aging: In today’s industrial and urban societies, old age is synonymous with retirement.
- Family: Independence or lack of independence in personal life profoundly affects older adults’ relationships with their children.
- Friends: Sometimes being with friends is more important and enjoyable for older adults than relationships with their children because older adults are more comfortable with their peers than with their children.
Mental and Intellectual Changes in Old Age
To the extent that nerve cells are lost from the brain’s structure, changes occur in high-level brain functions such as thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, and memory. Names, faces, and dates are forgotten as memory declines in older adults. However, the verbal abilities of older adults may remain relatively stable. The likelihood of mental health issues in elderly and decline in mental functions is lower in older adults who use their mental abilities in mental tasks such as reading, writing, calculating, or intellectual pastimes like chess.
Alzheimer’s is a type of disorder and changes of aging characterized by a severe decrease in memory power and a severe deterioration of cognitive abilities. The older adult increasingly forgets people, faces, and names day by day. In the later stages of this disease, the older adult will need special and meticulous care like an infant. Please don’t forget activities for older adults with dementia during this time.
How to Cope with Challenges of Changes of Aging
Several factors are involved in ensuring the mental health of older adults, including:
Past Life
An older adult who feels they have not wasted their past life is very different from an older adult who is not very satisfied with their past. An older adult who is content with their past life feels a sense of fulfillment, while a dissatisfied older adult is anxious and depressed.
Adaptation to changes in old age
Common aging changes have a profound impact on the life and mental health of older adults. If the older adult’s personality is flexible, they will have a greater ability to adapt to these changes. However, if the older adult perceives these changes negatively, their flexibility and ability to adapt will decrease.
Sufficient Sleep
Sufficient sleep and increase sleep quality for elderly with sleep apnea helps older adults have a calm mind. 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night and about 30 to 40 minutes of daytime nap are suitable for relaxation and increased energy in older adults.
Physical Activity as a Way to Manage Changes of Aging
Regular exercise reduces chronic diseases such as arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc., in older adults. Regular and gentle daily physical activity, such as walking for 30 minutes a day, reduces cardiovascular diseases, the incidence of osteoporosis, improves respiratory function, improves blood flow, maintains ideal weight, and ultimately leads to an overall feeling of physical and mental well-being in older adult.
Various Social Activities
It is best to maintain social relationships to the extent that there is only a slight difference from previous years. For many individuals, old age is a period of continued intellectual, emotional, and psychological growth. Social isolation of seniors or loneliness makes older adults more vulnerable to depression.
Proper Diet for Older Adults
Eating less salt, not consuming solid fats, maintaining a desirable weight, using all food groups, especially fresh fruits and vegetables and dairy products. Do you know that the maximum daily salt intake for seniors should be less than 3 gram
Mind and Brain Exercise to Control Changes of Aging
Some absentmindedness is considered normal in old age. However, stress, anxiety, and a busy life can also impair memory and concentration. The best way to keep the mind healthy is continuous reading.
Awareness of Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety
If changes in mood, decreased energy, decreased enjoyment of daily activities, feelings of guilt, feelings of worthlessness, a desire for solitude, worry and anxiety, decreased sleep and appetite, weight loss, and multiple physical complaints are observed in older adults, it is necessary supporting elderly with depression and take them to a psychiatrist along with a family member.
Concluding Remarks
Aging is a natural phenomenon that occurs gradually over time, although the speed of changes in old age varies among individuals. During old age, physical and mental abilities gradually decline. The changes that occur during old age are not diseases but reduce a person’s abilities. No one can prevent aging, but by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, we can delay the aging process and prevent diseases and disabilities caused by it. Some Common physical and mental changes that occur during old age include:
- Decreased bone density and strength
- Weight loss and muscle atrophy
- Reduced vision and hearing ability
- Decreased concentration and memory, Alzheimer’s disease
- Reduced respiratory capacity
- Digestive system problems, including constipation
- Increased risk of accidents such as slipping and falling
- Increased risk of some age-related diseases, such as certain cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, arthritis
- Increased occurrence of mental health issues such as depression and social isolation
- Elevated cholesterol (blood fat) and blood pressure
- Sleep problems
- Skin and hair problems, including hair loss, dry skin, and wrinkles
These changes of aging should not cause worry or despair because old age is also a stage of life with its own characteristics, and these changes are natural. Old age does not equal disease and disability. Therefore, efforts should be made to maintain a healthy lifestyle to prevent diseases and disabilities during this period and to have a long, blessed, and dignified life. Remember, reaching old age is an achievement.
We’ve shared our thoughts and now it’s YOUR turn! Please share your insights in the comments, and let’s start a meaningful discussion that will help others, too!
Freguently Asked Questions
Is it normal to experience memory problems as I get older?
Yes, some mild memory changes are common with age, but significant memory loss could indicate a more serious issue.
Will my physical strength inevitably decline as I age?
While some muscle loss is natural, regular exercise can help maintain strength and mobility.
Are changes in sleep patterns a typical part of aging?
Yes, many older adults experience changes in their sleep, such as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
Does everyone become more socially isolated as they age?
Not necessarily. While social circles may change, maintaining social connections is important for well-being in older age.
Are emotional changes like increased sadness a normal part of aging?
Persistent sadness or depression is not a normal part of aging and should be addressed with a healthcare professional.