HUMAN AGING

The aging process can be viewed from three major perspectives: namely, biological aging,
sociological aging, and psychological aging.

Biological Aging: This is usually associated with a decline in the regulation and proper
functioning of the vital organs of the body. However, not all people experience decreased organ
function in the same proportion. Some individuals have healthier hearts at age 80 than others do
at age 60.

Sociological Aging: This is usually how a person relates with others in society. In sociological
aging, personal attitudes and interaction within the community are used to assess a person’s
maturation and aging. As a person ages socially, he/she calculates his/her utterances, limits the
use of vulgar language, prunes relationships to mature friends, changes his/her mode of dressing,
and reduces nocturnal clubs. As a person ages socially, he/she tends to be guided by the norms of
the society to which the person belongs.

Psychological Aging: Jegede (2003) stated that the indices of psychological aging include
feelings, motivation, memory, emotions, experience, and self-identify. For instance, people who
had the intention of traveling abroad may decide to jettison the idea and contribute to the growth
of their own economy. Psychological aging is heterogeneous and continuous as an individual
passes through life. Cavanaught (1993) in Osunde and Obiunu (2005) divided aging into three
viz, primary aging, secondary aging, and tertiary aging
 CHANGES THAT OCCUR
PHYSICAL CHANGES

DURING AGING
COGNITIVE &
PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES

SOCIAL CHANGES

(A) PHYSICAL CHANGES: After the age of 30, it has been shown that many people's organ
systems exhibit a 0.8 to 1% loss in functional ability annually. A portion of this decline is
natural, a portion is due to disease, and a portion is brought on by stress, one's job, one's diet, and
numerous environmental circumstances. External changes, internal changes, and changes in
sensory abilities are the three categories used to define the major physical changes associated
with ageing.
1. External Changes: refer to the signs of ageing that are visible to others. The changes to
the complexion, hair, teeth, and overall posture are the most obvious. The skin has undergone
modifications. Wrinkling is the most noticeable modification. The middle years are when
wrinkles start to appear. Additionally, skin gets thicker, harder, and less elastic. It gets dry
and brittle. The person's hair continues to grow white as they age and loses its shine. It keeps
becoming thinner. About 65 percent of men start to become bald by the age of 55. An
estimated 50% of adults lose all of their teeth by the time they reach the age of 65. Many
people adopt dentures as a way of life. Saliva output gradually declines over time. This
makes tooth decay more likely. Between the ages of 30 and 80 and above, physical strength
starts to deteriorate. The back and leg muscles deteriorate the most, the arm muscles less so.
Energy production is progressively decreasing. Bones grow more fragile and are more prone
to breaking. With ageing, calcium deposits and joint problems become more prevalent.
Muscle tissue shrinks and loses power. With ageing, the amount of fatty substances in the
muscle fibres increases, making it harder to maintain muscle tone. This is frequently brought
on by the relatively passive roles that our society assigns to the elderly. Exercise can
maintain these muscles' power and, in some cases, even help them regain strength. Age
makes typical postural changes more noticeable. An individual's self-concept and confidence
may be negatively impacted by the loss of teeth, balding and greying of the hair, wrinkles in
the skin, and physical weakness.
2. Internal Changes: relate to the symptoms of growing old that are not noticeable or
apparent. We shall examine some of the changes taking place with increasing age in the
respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, cardiovascular system, and central nervous
system.
The Respiratory System: With increasing age, there is a reduction in breathing efficiency.
The lungs of an old person do not expand to take in as much air as the lungs of a young
person. Age-related decline in activity, awareness, and strength is caused by decreased
oxygen supply.. This decline seems to be part of the normal aging process.
The Gastrointestinal System: with increasing age, there is decreased capacity for biting and
chewing, a decline in the production of digestive enzymes, decreased gastric and intestinal
mobility, and a lack of appetite.
The Cardiovascular System: which includes the heart, and the blood vessels show the effects
of normal aging rather slowly. With the aging process, there is a decrease in the elasticity of
blood vessels and blood cell production also. Increase-in time required for the heart to return
to rest and arterial resistance to the passage of blood is also found. High blood pressure is a
common problem for elderly people. However, it has been discovered that healthy elderly
people's blood pressure is comparable to that of healthy young people..
The Central Nervous System (CNS): The CNS shows certain universal changes as a
function of age. There is a decreasing rate of arterial and venous flow. The amount of blood
flowing through the brain starts to decline at the age of 60. The use of oxygen and glucose is
also decreasing. Cell count and cell ends are observed to be declining. The slowing down of
responses is the most obvious difference.
 3. Changes in Sensory Capacities: The capacity for sensory perception gradually declines
with ageing. We communicate with the outer world using our senses. Any loss may have a
profound psychological effect.
Vision: Growing older causes a number of eyesight issues.. The lens continues to lose
elasticity. The pupils become reduced and irregular in shape. The eyelids tend to sag. Color
vision becomes less efficient. Cataracts and glaucoma are commonly found among the
elderly. People with cataracts have blurred vision. This also interferes with normal vision.
Hearing: Hearing seems to be at best around the age of 20. There is a slow drop after that.
Most hearing loss goes undetected. However, in the case of a hearing problem, it can be
improved by a hearing aid. Other senses: The senses of taste and smell decline with old age.
This decline affects the appetite and nutritional requirements of the elderly. You must have
noticed that many old people demand food that is overly sweet or spicy. This is because the
four basic tastes, sweet, bitter, sour, and salty, all generally diminish in sensitivity.
Sensitivity to touch seems to develop from birth until around age 45 before abruptly
declining beyond that.
(B) COGNITIVE & PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES DURING ADULTHOOD AND AGING:
Information gathering, storing, and use processes are referred to as cognitive processes. One of
the most important components of cognition is memory. The mental processes of storing
information for later use and retrieving it are referred to as memory. When it comes to short-term
memory tests like forward digit span and word span, there are no discernible age differences.
Repetition of numbers in reverse order is a chore that older participants struggle with. On long-
term memory tasks, which call for the organisation and processing of information, older people
do worse than younger ones. A deterioration in mental health in the elderly might lead to
behavioural difficulties. These problems typically go undetected or untreated in seniors. In fact,
20% of Americans over the age of 55 have a mental health issue of some kind, but only 1 in 3 of
these seniors receive therapy.
The statistics on mental illness in seniors are alarming, but with awareness and vigilance, carers
can keep an eye on their elderly loved ones' emotional and mental health and ensure that they
receive the right care if they are having a problem. You might not be surprised to learn that
dementia or severe cognitive impairment is the most prevalent mental health problem among the
elderly. The Alzheimer's Association estimates that 11% of seniors, or 5 million persons aged 65
and older, currently have Alzheimer's disease..
Seniors do worse on common tests of "intelligence" due to cognitive decline. When given
unlimited time on examinations that do not substantially rely on school knowledge, the
performance of the elderly is just marginally worse than that of young adults. Age reductions are
minimal on exams that emphasise vocabulary, general knowledge, and well-honed skills.
Although older people learn more slowly than younger people, experimental studies on learning
demonstrate that they are equally capable of learning new information and remembering it. The
complexity of the content to be taught increases with age disparities in learning.
Depression and mood disorders are also rampant among older adults, and disturbingly, they
often go undiagnosed and untreated. According to the CDC, 10.5% of those 65 and older
reported receiving a diagnosis of depression at some point in their lives, and 5% of those
individuals said they were currently depressed. Anxiety is one of the more prominent mental
health issues among the elderly and frequently coexists with depression. Hoarding syndrome,
obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, and post-traumatic stress disorder are only a few
examples of the problems covered by anxiety disorders (PTSD). According to the CDC, 7.6% of
people over 65 have received a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.
Assessing Common Areas of Elderly Behavior Problems, A number of issues may arise as a
result of elderly behavior problems. A Place for Mom medical expert geriatrician Dr. Leslie
Kernisan recommends 5 areas to assess when visiting your loved ones and some tips on what you
can do when elderly loved ones resist help. Risk Factors for Mental Illness One of the ongoing
problems with the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in seniors is the fact that older adults
are more likely to report physical symptoms than psychiatric complaints. However, even
common aging-related emotional and physical pressures might increase one's risk of developing
mental diseases like anxiety and depression. The following are a few potential causes of mental
illness in the elderly, according to the Geriatric Mental Health Foundation:
 Alcohol or substance abuse
 Environment change, such as moving into assisted living
 Dementia-causing illness (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease)
 Illness or loss of a loved one
 Chronic illness (e.g., cancer or heart disease)
 Medication interactions
 Physical disability
 Physical ailments that can affect emotion, memory and thinking
 Poor diet or malnutrition
(C)SOCIAL CHANGES DURING ADULTHOOD AND AGING: Elderly tend to become more
wary and stiff in their behavior and usually withdraw themselves from social contacts. Instead of
being a natural outcome of ageing, these behavioural tendencies could be the product of social
norms and expectations. Social networks narrow and social roles change quantitatively and
qualitatively. Investments in meaningful relationships increase. Many persons who “age
successfully” make conscious efforts to maintain mental alertness by continued learning and by
the expansion of social contacts with individuals in a younger age group.
Problems of Social Adjustments: According to Schneider (1965) adjustment is a ―process
involving both mental and behavioural responses by which an individual strives to cope with
inner needs, tensions, frustrations and conflicts and to bring harmony between these inner
demands and those imposed upon him by the world in which he lives.‖Field (1977) has reported
difficult adjustment during old age because of economic insecurity, health problems, fewer
relations and friends, loss of significant roles and loss of status. Anantharaman (1980) has
observed that the old subjects with positive self-concept, living with their children and enjoying
good health were better adjusted than those who had negative self-concept, were living isolated
life and were not enjoying good health respectively.