Old age brings a whole new gamut of changes in an individual’s life. While these may seem gradual to the individual himself, they can often seem worrying to those around him. These changes range from simple changes such as a mild memory loss or forgetfulness to more serious changes such as changes in the functioning of the brain and nervous systems!
But while all these changes are expected and can get confusing if one tries to keep a track, so we at Medimanage.com decided to list them down, to help those who have parents approaching their old age or are themselves looking forward to the twilight years of their life!
Changes that naturally occur with Old Age,
Following is a list of naturally occurring changes that are bound to occur as one ages, starting with the superficial changes that occur to the changes in one’s cardiovascular system!
Wrinkles & White hair – Wrinkles are the most visible sign of ageing, as with age one’s skin begins to lose it elasticity due to the reduction in the body’s natural ability to produce Elastin and collagen which are needed to keep the skin firm and supple.
Another visible sign of ageing is the whitening of hair, while many people suffer from premature graying of hair or have white hair due to a variety of other reasons at a young age; white hair is usually associated with old age. As one ages, hair roots lose their capacity to produce enough melanin to help the hair retain its natural color, result being white hair!
Hearing Loss – 2 is the number of times you have to repeat everything, when you talk to your grandparent, why? It’s because of the hearing loss that accompanies people in their old age, this happens as the walls of the auditory canals of the ear thin out with age along with the ear drums becoming thicker, thereby reducing the person’s ability to hear clearly!
Poor Eye-sight – Poor eye sight is a given with old age, this is because the retina’s become thin and the lens of the eye loses its clarity with age. Other changes that our eyes go through with old age, is that they become sensitive to harsh light, bright lights, glare etc. another major change that occurs is that eyes become far sighted i.e. difficulty in seeing things up close, hence those big glasses that every old person is seen wearing!
Creaky Bones and Achy joints - As one begins to age bones begin to lose their density and shrink! This is evident in the height of old people decreasing by a couple of inches than their original height. Another factor that contributes to bones becoming brittle and prone to fractures in the old age is the decline in the body’s ability to absorb calcium which is needed to maintain healthy bones.
Pain in the joints is due to the decline in the production of the synovial fluids, which acts as a lubricator for the joints, without it the friction between joints increases, leading to the pain!
The brain slows down – The brain slows as one ages, due to the reduction in neurons or messenger cells found in the brain of an individual. Also decline in the production of certain chemicals needed by the brain to function normally leads to grandma forgetting her dentures on the window sill!
Weak heart and cardiovascular Problems – Our heart is a very vital organ and is already beating before our birth! But with old age come high levels of cholesterol, fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries, thinned out blood vessels which contribute towards making the hearts job even more difficult, leading to many cardiovascular problems in old age.
Digestive Problems – Another major change that the body goes through with age is that the digestive system becomes weak and slow in lay man’s term. To put it simply, digestion takes time as the area within the intestines reduces slightly with age, moreover with reduction in the chemicals secreted by the intestines to digest and ferment the food, digestion of food becomes a problem leading to congestion.
While these are some of the most common problems that occur in old people, one need not worry about them much, as they can easily be overcome with a good hour of exercise and a balanced diet!
