Physical aspects of aging can be evaluated by looking at the different body systems and understanding how these changes came about and how it will affect the physiological and psychological functioning of an aged individual. The integumentary system, being the largest system in the body, shows the most physical changes visually.There is a decrease in the individual’s protection against trauma and sun protection, also against the extremes of temperature. There is also a decline in natural oils secretion and perspiration.
These changes will cause the individual’s skin to be wrinkled, dry, and thin, easily susceptible to sunburn, injuries and bruises.Also, the bone structures will be prominent. The musculoskeletal system is comprised of the bones and muscles. Aging will cause the bones to lose density and the muscles to decrease in size and lose strength and contractility.The joint cartilages are also expected to diminish, which causes most of the osteoarthritis in the elderly today.
These will in turn result to height loss and kyphosis. Also, the elderly will become prone to fractures because of the brittleness of the bones. Back pain and joint pain, are among the common complaints from these individuals.The cardiovascular system will suffer from a decrease in cardiac output, and eventually lose its ability to respond to stress. The individual is most likely to have an increase in blood pressure due to the high cholesterol deposits in the arteries.
A complaint of fatigue with increased activity is a common finding in the aged, and a blood pressure of more or less 140/90 mm Hg. The respiratory system expects an increase in residual lung volume, but will have a decrease in vital capacity. Because of this, gas exchange and diffusing capacity is decreased as well. The cough reflex is also decreasing in its efficiency, making aspiration a great problem of the elderly.The reproductive organ of the males undergoes a decrease in size, the penis, and so do the testes. For the females, the vagina narrows and will decrease in elasticity and in its secretions.
A slower sexual response is also going to become apparent for both sexes. Because of these, sexual intercourse is expected to be painful, with a possible vaginal bleeding after the activity.Vaginal itching and irritation is also an expected outcome, so is delayed orgasmic responses. The genitourinary system of the males will be expected to suffer from benign prostatic hyperplasia, which can cause urinary retention, frequency, and incomplete bladder emptying.
The individual will also suffer from multiple nighttimes voiding. For the females, their perineal muscles will be more relaxed, there will also be intrusor muscle instability that will lead to urge incontinence. Urine will also drop with cough, laughing and position change.Males and females alike will experience a decrease in salivation and difficulty in swallowing in response to gastrointestinal system changes. There will also be delayed esophageal and gastric emptying, coupled with a reduced motility of the gastrointestinal tract. These changes will be interpreted through complaints of a dry mouth, fullness, heartburn, and indigestion.
These individuals will also suffer from constipation, flatulence, and abdominal discomfort.The nervous system will undergo changes in nerve conduction and will have a lowered conduction speed. There will be reduced cerebral perfusion which causes the elders to suffer from a loss of balance and fainting, increased confusion is prominent too.Due to the slow nerve impulse conduction, motor responses will be delayed and learning a new concept will be harder.
The old individual’s senses are also affected by aging. The most part affected is his or her vision and hearing. There is a decline in one’s ability to focus on close objects and a lower tolerance to withstand glares.Changing visual acuity to accommodate light intensity is harder too. There is also the inability to distinguish different colors.
Because of these changes the elder will hold objects that he or she is reading or looking at far away from his or her eyes as possible and will complain of glares. He or she will also suffer from poor night vision.For his or her hearing, there is a first decreased ability to hear high-pitched sounds and the low-pitched sounds next. Because of this, talking to them will require one to speak louder and slower, and will often repeat words. Taste and smell sensations will also decrease prodding them to use more sugar and salt to their liking.These changes, although irreversible, can be slowed down or sometimes, even be avoided with the proper interventions and adjustments for each situation.
The integumentary system can be protected by avoiding sunlight exposure especially during the hours of 9 am to 4pm. If it is inevitable, one can wear long cotton shirts or apply sun block with spf of no less than 15.Dressing appropriately for the weather is also going to protect one’s skin. Using lotion and other skin moisturizers helps alleviate dry skin. The muscle and bone degradation can be helped with daily exercise and weight-bearing activities. The intake of a high-calcium diet and vitamin D plus limiting phosphorus intake will also slow down bone density loss and muscle degradation.
Lessening stress on the cardiovascular system can be done through regular exercise and pacing activities. Avoiding smoking or cessation will also help. A low-fat and low-salt diet will prove to be beneficial to the cardiovascular system, coupled with some stress-reduction activities. Weight control or weight reduction if obese, medication compliance, and assessing one’s health most especially one’s blood pressure every now and then will prove to be helpful.The respiratory system can be helped by avoidance of exposure to respiratory tract infections or by getting an influenza or pneumonia vaccine. Not smoking or avoiding smoking can help also.
Taking in liberal amounts of fluids can help liquefy secretions and frequent ambulation or movement will also help mobilize these.
