Physiologic Changes in Aging (NCMB314 Lecture) PDF

NCMB314 LECTURE: Prelim Week 02 Physiologic Changes in Aging and in Mind...

NCMB314 LECTURE: Prelim Week 02 Physiologic Changes in Aging and in Mind Bachelor of Science in Nursing 3YA Professor: Caroline V. San Diego MAN, RN PHYSIOLOGIC CHANGES IN AGING AND CHANGES IN Decrease stomach motility, hunger contractions, and MIND emptying time Physiologic Changes in Aging Less production of hydrochloric acid, lipase, and 1) Integumentary Effects: pancreatic enzymes Wrinkling Fewer cells on absorbing surface of intestine Decrease of the skin’s immune responsiveness Slower peristalsis Dehydration and cracking of the skin Decreased taste sensation Decreased sweat production Esophagus more dilated Decreased numbers of functional melanocytes Reduced saliva and salivary ptyalin resulting in gray hair and atypical skin pigmentation 7) Urinary Loss of subcutaneous fat Decrease in nephrons A general decrease in skin thickness Between ages 20 and 90, renal blood flow decreases An increased susceptibility to pathological conditions 53%, and glomerular filtration rate decreases 50% Growth of hair and nails decreases; nails become Weaker bladder muscles brittle with age Decreases size renal mass 2) Muskulo-skeletal Decrease tubular function Decreased height Decrease bladder capacity Decreased ROM joints 8) Nervous Increased postural sway/ difficulty balance Decrease brain weight Shrinking vertebral disc, slight kyposis Reduced blood flow in brain Loss of bone mass, bones more brittle (increased Changes in sleep pattern resorption) Decrease conduction velocity Muscle Atrophy/ decreased lean body mass Slower response and reaction time Joint degeneration (Cartilage surface) 9) Special senses Foot problems: bunions, coms, and calluses Hearing 3) Respiratory - Atrophy of hair cells of organ of corti Decreased chest wall compliance - Tympanic membrane sclerosis and atrophy Decreased maximal breathing capacity - Increased cerumen and concentration of keratin Decreased number of alveoli Sight Decreased elasticity - More opaque lens Decreased parenchyma - Decrease pupil size Impaired cough reflex because of defective - More spherical cornea mucociliary function Smell Increased vulnerability to hypoxia and emphysema - Impaired ability to identify and discriminate Increased susceptibility to respiratory infections among odors 4) Cardiovascular / Hematopoietic & Lymphatic Taste Cardiac output decreases - High prevalence of taste impairment, although Aorta becomes dilated and elongated most likely due to factors other than normal aging Resistance to peripheral blood flow increases by 1% Touch per year - Reduction in tactile sensation Blood pressure increases 10) Endocrine Decrease cardiac output Decrease thyroid activity Less elasticity of the vessel ACTH secretion decreases More prominent arteries in head, neck, and Pituitary gland decreases in volume by approximately extremities 205 in older person Stroke volume decreases by 1% per year Gonadal secretion declines with age, including 5) Hematopoietic & Lymphatic gradual decreases in testosterone, estrogen, and 6) Gastrointestinal progesterone Decrease esophageal motility TSH decreases Atrophy of gastric mucosa Insufficient release of insulin by beta cells of the pancreas J.A.K.E 1 of 3  CARE OF OLDER ADULTS - LEC: WK2 – PHYSIOLOGIC CHANGES IN AGING AND CHANGES IN MIND 11) Reproductive consciousness while manipulating other information- Male working memory function-is reduced. - Fluid-retaining capacity of seminal vesicles - Older adults can improve some age-related forgetfulness reduces by using memory aids (mnemonic devices) such as - Possible reduction in sperm count associating a name with an image, making notes or lists, - Venous and arterial sclerosis of penis and placing objects in consistent locations. Memory - Prostate enlarges in most men deficits can result form a variety of factors other than Female normal aging. - Fallopian tubes atrophy and shorten Intelligence - Ovaries become thicker and smaller - In general, it is wise to interpret the findings related to - Cervix becomes smaller intelligence and the older population with much caution - Drier, less elastic vaginal canal because results may be biased from the measurement - Flattening of labia tool or method of evaluation used. - Endocervical epithelium atropies - Early gerontological research on intelligence and aging - Uterus becomes smaller in size was guilty of such biases. Sick old people cannot be - Endometrium atropies compared with healthy persons; people with different - More alkaline vaginal environment educational or cultural backgrounds cannot be compared; - Loss of vulvar subcutaneous fat and hair and one group of individuals who are skilled and capable of taking an IQ test cannot be compared with those who Changes To The Mind have sensory deficits and may not have ever taken this - Psychological changes can be influenced by general type of test. health status, genetic factors, educational achievement, - Longitudinal studies that measure changes in a specific activity, and physical and social changes. generation as it ages and that compensate for sensory, - Sensory organ impairment can impede interaction with health, and educational deficits are relatively recent, and the environment and other people, thus influencing they serve as the most accurate way of determining psychological status. Feeling depressed and socially intellectual changes with age. isolated may obstruct psychological function. - Basic intelligence is maintained; one does not become - Recognizing the variety of factors potentially affecting more or less intelligent with age. The ability for verbal psychological status and the range of individual comprehension and arithmetic operations are unchanged. responses to those factors, some generalizations can be - Crystallized intelligence, which is the knowledge discussed. accumulated over a lifetime and arises from the dominant Personality hemisphere of the brain, is maintained through the adult - Drastic changes in basic personality normally do not years; this form of intelligence enables the individual to occur as one age. The kind and gentle old person was use past learning and experiences for problem solving. most likely that way when young; likewise, the - Fluid intelligence, involving new information and cantankerous old person probably was not mild and meek emanating from the nondominant hemisphere, control in earlier years. emotions, retention of non-intellectual information, - Excluding pathologic processes, the personality will be creative capacities, special perceptions, and aesthetic consistent with that of earlier years; possibly, it will be appreciation; this type of intelligence is believed to more openly and honestly expressed. decline in later life. Some decline in intellectual function - The alleged rigidity of older persons is more a result of occurs in the moments preceding death. High levels of physical and mental limitations than a personality change. chronic psychological stress have been found to be - For example, an older person’s insistence that her associated with an increased incidence of mild cognitive furniture not be rearranged may be interpreted as rigidity, impairment. but it may be sound safety practice for someone coping Learning with poor memory and visual deficits. Changes in - Although learning ability is not seriously altered with age, personality traits May occur in response to events that other factors can interfere with the older person’s ability alter self-attitude, such as retirement, death of spouse, to learn, including motivation, attention span, delayed loss of independence, income reduction, and disability. transmission of information to the brain, perceptual No personality type describes all older adults. Morale, deficits, and illness. attitude, and self-esteem tend to be stable throughout the - Older persons may display less readiness to learn and life span. depend on previous experience for solutions to problems Memory rather than experiment with new problem-solving - The three type of memory are short term, lasting from 30 techniques. seconds to 30 minutes; long term, involving that learned - Differences in the intensity and duration of the older long ago; and sensory, which is obtained through the person’s physiologic arousal may make it more difficult to sensory organs and lasts only a few seconds. extinguish previous responses and acquire new material. - Retrieval of information from long-term memory can be - The early phases of the learning process tend to be more slowed, particularly if the information in the difficult for older persons than younger individuals; J.A.K.E 2 of 3  CARE OF OLDER ADULTS - LEC: WK2 – PHYSIOLOGIC CHANGES IN AGING AND CHANGES IN MIND however, after a longer early phase, they are then able to keep equal pace. - Learning occurs best when the new information is related to previous learned information. Although little difference is apparent between the old and the young in verbal or abstract ability, older persons do show some difficulty with perceptual motor tasks. - Some evidence indicates a tendency toward simply association rather than analysis, Because generally a greater problem to learn new habits when old habits exist and must be unlearned, relearned, or modified, older persons with many years of history may have difficulty in this area. Attention Span - Older adults demonstrate a decrease in vigilance performance (i.e. the ability to retain attention longer than 45 minutes). - They are more easily distracted by irrelevant information and stimuli and are less to perform tasks that are complicated or require simultaneous performance. J.A.K.E 3 of 3