Just recently I learned about physical, cognitive, and health aspects of aging. Along with that, I learned that some diseases may be prevented with simple exercise and healthy eating, while others are unavoidable. Certainly, last week’s topics were interesting and optimistic as they raise awareness to healthy habits can lead to a better quality of life. Since then, I have taken some steps to become healthier, by being more active. What’s fascinating, is that I am learning more about myself and can therefore, apply this knowledge in my personal life and employment. Upon examining the titles for this week’s topics, it seems that we are going to delve into what psychology is most known for, the study of the mind and how that plays a role with intelligence, personality, memory, and identity. I am expecting to learn about the different types of memory and the process behind it, but most importantly learn about different types of personalities and how that’s determined.
Memory is vital in cognition, as the absence of long term memory is like loosing the information stored on a computer (Ziegler, 2014, para. 2). I couldn’t imagine life without long term memory. There are different parts to memory, such as long term memory and short term memory. Long term memory is further broken down to explicit and implicit memory. Interestingly, I learned that through the use of implicit memory, specifically procedural memory, is the reason behind why I was able to ice skate recently, after not
Unit 4 P5 Explain the physical and psychological changes which may be associated with ageing.
I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading the book "Healthy Aging: The Mediterranean and Six Great Supplements For Anyone Over 50".
Memory is one of the most important things we have in our life because it involves in almost every part of our mind including problem solving, decision making, and our interest in life. We depend on it because it helps us make good decisions in life. Memory is the solution in learning and thinking and we use it in our everyday life. Think about the first time you kissed someone you loved or the time you learned how to tie your shoe for the first time. Those are all forms of memory whether they are short or long term. If you do not remember anything from the past then you are having a hard time managing your memory. Without memory you would be exposed to new and extraordinary things in life. Take for example, “Aliens, Love where are they?” by John Hodgman and “Jon” by George Saunders. John Hodgman and Jon both teach readers how without memories we would have a difficult time knowing who we are, who we love, and what we want in life.
What are people willing to do to maintain a healthy mind and body? A former emperor of china, Qin Shi Huang, killed himself trying to live forever by consuming age-stopping mercury pills. In the 1400's Pope Innocent VIII believed by transfusing three young boys blood into himself he would absorb their youth, he died in the process. In the 1800's Leonard Jones ran for president with the promise to achieve immortality, he believed this would be accomplished through prayer and fasting, later that year pneumonia led to his death.
I found the most recent state plan on aging at http://www.dea.ri.gov/documents/RIDEA%20State%20Plan%20on%20Aging%20October%201%202015%20to%20September%2030%202019.pdf. The Older Americans Act requires states to submit this plan every four years and it provides updates on legislation and activities were done over the past time period to support older adults, as well as give updates on what will be worked on in the future. It is sent to the State of Rhode Island to ensure policies are up-to-date and will provide the best care for this population. This is necessary in order for taxpayers to see where their money is going and how the RI DEA is planning to care for the older adult population. Otherwise, without this document, the department
There are many physical changes that accompany the aging process. All body systems can display changes as the body ages. Body systems that change because of the aging process include the cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, gastrointestinal, neurologic, musculoskeletal, immune and the integumentary systems. The process of aging can differ according to genetic makeup. Some people age and have only minor effects from bodily systems and others have major disabling affects.
In an order to gain a better understanding how the process of aging affects older adults, I interviewed my neighbor, a sixty-seven year old man. For the purposes of this paper, I will refer to him as Pat. Pat lives with his wife of forty-three years. They currently live in a home in Mounds View, which they have owned for twenty-four years. They receive no home services. He views aging as inevitable. He added that, although there are plenty of negative things that are associated with aging, there are definitely perks that come along with it. He believes that maintaining a healthy lifestyle, carrying a positive attitude, and accepting changes as they come, has helped him adjust to growing old. Pat has been retired for nearly three years. Pat appreciates retirement because he gets to watch his two year old grandson during the week. On the weekends, he gets together with family and friends. He enjoys fishing, hunting, reading, and cheering on his favorite sports teams. Pat has a primary doctor that he has seen for several years. He had a myocardial infarction in 2001, and has since been on two prescribed medications for his heart. In addition, he has arthritis, and has been living with chronic pain for nearly a year. The majority of the pain is in his lower back. He stated that the pain will come and go, but it hurts the most in the morning when he gets out of bed, and when he stands or sits for long periods of time. At the time of the interview, I asked on a scale of 0 through
This shortening is believed to cause the cell to duplicate itself incorrectly. Because each time it duplicates itself it’s a little worse than the previous time, this eventually leads to cellular dysfunction which they believe leads to aging and eventually death.
This paper will discuss the relationship between the aging process and key diseases associated with aging. Examples of aging-associated diseases include cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative diseases (López-Otín, Blasco, Partridge, Serrano, & Kroemer, 2013, p. 1194). Of these, we will discuss in-depth recent studies that have linked aging with Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. These diseases affect a significant proportion of the population over the age of 65 and place a considerable burden on the American health care system. Therefore, a better understanding of how they are related to aging and each other can result in the adoption of innovative treatments and declined risk for older adults.
Several aspects of aging can be debilitating for the elderly population, as they often include loneliness, general decline, and lack of social support (Anisman, 2014). The senior population, already at large, is projected to surpass that of other age groups and increase the burden on our health care system. Only a small proportion of individuals age successfully, with the majority experiencing a spectrum of cognitive impairments that can manifest into neurodegenerative disorders. This is due to a broad range of factors, including genetic and environmental determinants that ultimately shape the aging process. The hippocampus, a subcortical brain region, is responsible for mediating memory consolidation, spatial navigation, and to some extent learning (Kolb and Whishaw, 2013). It is particularly impaired in old individuals and the focus of numerous experiments aimed at delaying degeneration or alternatively enhancing neurogenesis. This limbic structure is readily influenced by the stress response, namely the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis (Kolb and Whishaw, 2013). Aged individuals tend to exhibit elevated levels of corticosteroids, which promote hippocampal deterioration (Cameron and McKay, 1999). A specific region within the hippocampus, the dentate gyrus, is unique in that it not only succumbs to such effects but continues to undergo neurogenesis (Cameron and McKay, 1999). However, the rate of neurogenesis is reduced if not inhibited in old
First, Individuals should learn how cognitive mapping is an important human function. This function can be strengthen or weakened by the strength of the brain. Cognitive mapping comes from the images that we see around us every day. This allows us to see and envision things when they are not insight it is like taking a mental picture with your mind. According to (Sandler J, 1962). Most of human action is based on habits. They are not pondered but executed automatically, based on experience and knowledge about the (social) environment and the individual's capacities. For example every morning many individuals in the United States get up to go work every morning this means that most people take specific routes to work every morning but many
The elderly population is growing rapidly and now makes up greater than thirteen percent of the United States population. (APA, 1994). With such a record growth, there are different aspects to aging that are still being analyzed. Many may think of reaching late life as a rite of passage, but many face this time with a different view. Through the movie "UP', we are granted an opportunity into view the struggles of an elderly widowed man by the name of Mr. Fredrickson and the challenges in which he faces in his later life. The movie, takes one on a journey through his sorrows and his triumphs until he realizes what the true meaning of happiness is.
1) The article from The Gerontologist supports the activity theory of aging. This states that as people age, it is very important for them to be engaged in various activities and social roles. As described in the lecture, studies have shown that those who stay involved have less signs of depression and have a lesser decline in mental health. In addition, they are considered more competent than others in their age group by the general population since they are actively participating in society. The research described in the article proved that those who had moderate or high participation in activities such as working, volunteering, and caregiving had a better psychological well-being. It is not necessarily just taking part in these, but the level in which one does so is also crucial. It appears that moderate participation is the best way to a better psychological well-being, as one does not want to be overworked, but should still be involved.
Why do people age? Over the “ages” people have wondered how do we age? Do our genes determine our lifespan? Does damage to our DNA affect how long we live? There have been many theories answering that one question and few are right and some still have to be proven. People aging isn’t magical, aging is scientific. Chemistry is behind aging.
Also spelled as ageing, this is generally the process of becoming old. It is the in a way the opposite of immortality. In a broader aspect, it may occur to single cells in an organism also called cellular senescence or the population of a species, known as population ageing. This process primarily affects human beings and fungi. In humans, it signifies the accumulation of various changes which occur over time. The changes include physical, social and psychological changes.