As people get older our senses become decreased for example, you might find your vision start to decrease in your mid 50s but your sense of smell may not be affected until your mid 70s. If you have dual sensory loss that means you have both hearing and sight impairment, this is also commonly known as deaf blind, Different methods that can help support communication with an individual with sensory loss. If someone has a sight impairment there are lots of ways you can communicate with an individual. Some examples of communication are to use large printed words, to use information technology such as computers, recording on tape or disc and nowadays u could use a Dictaphone, use Braille or you can even get a specially adapted telephone which has large numbered buttons. If someone has a hearing impairment a lot of people prefer to communicate by lip speaking.
When the fats lays in the blood vessels, it increases the size and cause a blockage in the artery which can make a person get low breathing and chest pain. Nervous system Nerves cells communicate with muscle to function properly. In older age neurotransmitters which are released by the nerve cell get weaker to communicate with muscle and function less effectively. Degeneration of the sense organs Sight: - cataracts and glaucoma affect eyesight in older people for the age of 60 upwards. When we get old our lenses changes and become hard and cloudy and it gets stop by cataracts from changing shape or transmit light.
Sight loss can mean people move around and interact with the environment by using alternative strategies which design can support. Sight loss has numerous causes relating to, accident, age, disease and dementia. Further details Sight and ageing Although our eyes change when we get older, most people lose their sight due to an eye condition or disease. 1 Age-related changes include the need for more light as the cornea becomes more opaque. There can also be changes in colour perception, a yellowing of vision, and a tendency towards long sightedness as the lens becomes thicker, stiffer, denser and moves forward in the eye.
The central nervous systems slower down the reaction time in elderly, and affects the perception and memory of elderly. (Bigner & Grayson, 2011) For Mdm Y, she have very small appetite due to altered taste, and has difficulty swallowing due to decreased saliva secretion. Changes in
The physical changes middle-aged people go through vary from person to person depending on previous life experiences. Murrary, Zentner, & Yakimo, (2009) states that if the person has always been active, he or she will continue with little slowdown. People from lower socioeconomic groups often show signs of aging earlier than people from more affluent socioeconomic groups because of their years of hard physical labor, poorer nutritional status, limited access to health care, and lack of money for aids to cover the signs of aging. (p.569) The physical changes seen in middle adulthood are gray, thinning hair, compression of the spinal cord, presbyopia and gradual decrease in hearing, decreased efficiency of heart and elasticity of blood vessels, and reduced breathing capacity. Holahan (2004) also adds that “decades of exposure and use take their toll on the body as wrinkles develop, organs no longer function as efficiently as they once did, and lung and heart capacities decrease.
Dementia Awareness Dementia is not a disease in its own rights and it is not a part of the normal aging process. It is a progressive condition which means it will gradually become worse. This is because when dealing with dementia brain cells will begin to die and as these brain cells cannot usually be replaced the cells die and the brain begins to shrink. It is a common illness and affects around 820,000 people just in the UK alone. Most people who suffer with it are over 65 but there are 150,000 people under 65 who also suffer with it.
There are some other factors Cause changes in individual condition with similar symptoms of dementia, like depression, confusional state due to an infection (UTI/chest infections), sensory changes due to age related degeneration, reduced metabolism cause poor appetite, Osteoporosis and fear of falling. Abilities of an individual with dementia may fluctuate because of the changes to physical environment (moving home, starting at a day centre) changes to a social environment (changes in carers, loss of family or friends and social isolation, Bereavement) changes to the emotional environment ( Cares become stressed, experience of abuse) Personal changes ( changes in treatment, changes in medication) Changes in physical condition ( bacteria or viral
There are also many psychological changes that can occur within many individuals including personal confidence and selfesteem. When talking about changes occurring within our bodies as we grow older and age, it is usually based on the fact that our body becomes weaker and not as able and strong as it use to be. Changes within the skin can include the obvious sign of ageing where you begin to get wrinkles, but also the skin becomes more elastic and thinner. With regards to bones they too become slightly weaker than before, becoming less dense and more likely to fracture. Another aspect that makes the body less able to do and carry out all the tasks it may have been able to once before, is the weakening of the muscles which prevent tasks such as lifting
There are arguments to support that many older people leave hospital less able to function or mobilise than when they were admitted (de Morton, Keating & Jeffs 2007). This is due to the occurrence of deconditioning, a risk for many elderly patients admitted to an acute hospital setting. Deconditioning refers to the significant decline in the functional ability of patients, and is generally associated with prolonged bed rest and immobility (Kortebein, 2008). The term is used to describe the physiological changes caused by inactivity, with virtually every body system affected (Eliopoulos, 2010), and it also incorporates functional losses in mental status, ability to accomplish activities of daily living (ADLs) and a decrease in muscle mass and strength (Gillis, MacDonald & MacIsaac 2008). Hospitalisation is often the cause of deconditioning, particularly due to the focus on bed rest in order to recover from illness, or the limited mobility resulting from surgery.
Age-related Macular Disease is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over 60. It occurs when the small central portion of the retina, known as the macula, deteriorates. The retina is the light sensing nerve tissue at the back of the eye. Because the disease develops as a person ages, it is often referred to as the age-related macular degenerating (AMD). Although AMD can be a significant visual disability, it is almost never completely blinding.