The Aging Process And Key Diseases Associated With Aging

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.

One of the most prominent and perhaps most feared condition associated with aging is dementia. The family of disorders can cause individuals to lose their mind, reducing one from being a complex, thinking, feeling human being to being confused and vegetative, unable to recognize their loved ones. Serious dementia affects nearly 37 million people globally, but predictions of how those numbers will change over the next few decades are conflicting (textbook). Although we know dementia as to do with damage to nerve cells in the brain, there are ongoing studies looking at correlations between other health issues and these types of diseases.

The loss of autonomy increases exponentially with age. Throughout an individual’s life, the choices made that deteriorate health accumulate and decrease the quality of life. The study of gerontology, or aging, focuses on the elimination of premature disability and the characterization of the mechanisms regulating aging. As scientists study to understand the burdens that emerge within the aging population, it is up to a healthcare team to improve the quality of life for their patients by alleviating their daily burdens. The cognitive, behavioral, and psychological wellbeing of an individual are often compensated for when the signs and symptoms associated with aging materialize into diseases and disabilities. New therapeutic and pharmacological

It is a known fact that all measures of physiological function decline in human aging. While genetics certainly play a role in the declining of physiological function with age, it can be argued that a fundamental part of aging can be reflected by chemical processes resulting in the appearance of harmful side products of the normal metabolism over time. When enzymes speed up reactions it is harder to slow them down. At the same time side reactions are constantly occurring and more and more unwanted side products are continuously being formed.

That is to say, age is a significant risk factor for the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s disease, and research indicates that the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease doubles every five years beyond age 65. Those at the greatest risk for this malady are individuals over 85 years old which will see their statistics tripled by 2050. It is further estimated that about a half million Americans younger than age 65 have some form of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. (This is referred to as young onset or early onset). (National Institute of Health [NIH], 2013). Consequently Alzheimer’s disease is further considered to be a grave issue in aging as it is reported to be the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. As said by Vera (2013) in a print publication entitled “Mortality From Alzheimer's Disease in the United States: Data for 2000 and

Within the last century, and even merely in the past decade, incredible advancements in technology have allowed modern medicine to rapidly progress to extraordinary levels, leaving scientists with unprecedented understanding of the human body, and of the aging process especially. While the field of gerontology has flourished as a result and knowledge of physiological changes in the aging body increased, scientists still only have a some-what fundamental understanding of the normal aging brain, and even less of abnormal age-related changes in the brain.

A growing percentage of elderly people are starting to populate the world. With advances in modern medicine, the life expectancy has risen from

Awareness is necessary in understanding this disease. As humans continue to live longer, the risk for many illness and deficiencies begin to present them. Alzheimer’s and dementia is one of the many problems that plague the aging population. Understanding brain aging and reducing risk for neurological disease with age requires searching for mechanisms and treatment options beyond the age-related changes in neuronal

When aging statistics are looked upon in a positive light, it shows that 90-94% of people aged 65 or older and 70% of people aged 85 years or older are unlikely to experience the effects of dementia (Chapman et al 2). This means that the majority of seniors will remain present in their minds and have the ability to function cognitively equal to anyone else. In addition, recent research reveals “[t]he effects of the aging process itself have been exaggerated, and the modifying effects of diet, exercise, personal habits, and psychosocial factors underestimated” (Rowe and Kahn 143). Older adults who practice a healthy lifestyle, remain active and involved in their community, significantly lower

As the population continues to age, different risk factors also increase. There are so many diseases that are becoming a major threat to public health worldwide. The rate of all the different risk factors continue to increase, and with those to continued increases it will push other risk factors to increase. For example, with the increased risked of obesity, the risk of diabetes also increases. According to an article written by a group of Doctors, they compare the rise of diabetes and obesity and how these high risk factors could possibly relate to dementia. (Crane, 2013) They went on to say that effects of diabetes and dementia were

Dementia is a neurobiological cognitive disorder that primarily affects adults aged 65 and older (McInnis-Dittrich, 2013). There are currently 44.7 million people aged 65 or older as of 2013 across the United States. THe older adult population is expected to increase to 98 million by 2060 (U.S. Department of Health and Aging, 2014). The rapidly increasing aging population is largely due in part to advances in healthcare and technology, which have contributed to prolonged life. Unfortunately, due to the fact that individuals are living longer the prevalence of age-related illnesses, like dementia, are on the rise. Dementia currently affects five to ten percent of the older individuals with the prevalence of dementia doubling every five years

When a person thinks of aging, they can think of many things, from a baby getting taller, to an older person growing gray hair. A person’s body changes constantly throughout the span of their life. There is no helping it. While most people think of a person getting older as a person getting wrinkles, losing hair, and becoming more fragile, there are actually many other affects than just those. There are visible effects, and effects that are not visible by just looking at someone. In this paper, both types of effects will be discussed.

Psychological changes during old age are interrelated factors occur that have a significant impact on psychological changes during aging. Anatomical and functional modifications in the nervous system and sense organs, modifications in cognitive functions and modifications in affectivity: losses, motivations, personality. Psychological changes may be subject to subjective perceptions of both the person who manifests them and the person who can evaluate them. There are people who live with serious concern the decline of some functions and others who do not value it properly. In general with aging there is a decline and a slowing of cognitive abilities, although there is enormous variability and depends on numerous factors (educational level,

As individuals age changes occur physiologically that are part of normal aging. These changes occur in all organ systems and can impact an individual’s quality of life. The changes related to aging can be attributed to an individual’s genetic make up, lifestyle, physical activity, and dietary lifestyle. Being able to differentiate between normal changes in aging against disease process is important because it can help clinicians develop a plan of care (Boltz, Capezuti, Fulmer, & Zwicker, 2012). Creating an accurate plan of care for older adults will greatly impact their quality of life.

Aging is the process of becoming older, as we age, multiple mutations occur that concern all the processes of aging well as it compromising a number of different genes. There are many theories of biological aging, such as the Cellular Aging Theory, Immunological Theory, and the Wear and Tear Theory. The Cellular Aging theory describes the process of aging in which cells slow their number of replication, thus giving each species a “biological clock that determines its maximum life span” and how quickly one 's health will deteriorate(Hooyman, 42). After a certain number of years, each cell which follows an apparent biological clock starts to replicate itself less, thus the specific individual or species slowly deteriorates. This theory gives