The Effects of Aging

In times past many people thought that memory loss was a normal occurrence for elderly people. This thinking was major reason for why Alzheimer’s disease was not caught until very later in the stages. Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging. After heart disease, cancer, and strokes, Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of death in adults in the Western world. “It is estimated that 4.5 million Americans over the age of 65 are affected with this condition. After the age of 65, the incidence of the disease doubles every five years and, by age 85, it will affect nearly half of the population” (Robinson).

Mrs Ann Smith is a seventy nine year old woman and she has several problems regarding her health and well-being in her elderly age. Many policies and legislation ensure the safety and well-being of the elderly such as Mrs Smith. Legislation and policies safeguard the elderly including Mrs Smith to receive the fair treatment of care and to stop discrimination and exclusion. Discrimination and exclusion is still prevalent today and within contemporary society the ageing population is rising, discrimination and exclusion could increase if it is not appropriately tackled by contemporary society today. There are numerous theories of ageing, some theories are disengagement theory, and the activity theory and these theories have developed key concepts and the effects of ageing on individuals and contemporary society today.

Throughout history there have been reports of decreased memory and mental deterioration that accompanied old age. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) was named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer who described the symptoms in a woman in Germany in the 1907 but it was not until the 1970’s that AD was considered to be a major disorder and AD continues to be a major health concern worldwide (Reger, 2002).

It is very common to hear people from various age groups talk about how they feel like their memory is failing them, as they are getting older. They then begin hypothesizing that they could be suffering from early onset dementia, which then causes them to panic. A famous dramatist of ancient Greece by the name of Aeschylus once said, “Memory is the mother of all wisdom.” This quote highlights the importance of memory for it represents a part of history and provides one with a sense of past. That is important for many reasons especially for making one’s future stronger since future always takes off from the past. Hence, people’s fear of memory loss is something understandable for they cannot imagine their memory quitting them moreover the daunting effect it will have on them. Unfortunately, 47.5 million people worldwide suffer from

Kevin Arnold once said, “Memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, the things you are, and the things you never want to lose.” Memories are the things hold on to in life. Whether it’s bad or good, memories are engraved in us and as we carry them through our everyday lives they become a part of us. But what if as times goes by, those memories start to disappear? Imagine that the things you held onto for years could no longer be conjured up no matter how hard you tried. Or even worse, you begin to lose your language skills, ability to recognize familiar things and in turn, start to feel paranoid and confused constantly. For those who suffer from Alzheimer’s, as they age they experience a serious deterioration in one’s self.

Though humans largely retain optimal cognitive function and experience little physical neural changes throughout adulthood, with aging comes change in structure and decline in brain function.

These changes seen, one would never be able to relate to. The whole human being is lost, their mind, body and soul. Normally, when age related change occurs, things are forgotten but often remembered later. (“Is it Alzheimer’s Disease?” 2012) some people may experience changes in their ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers. They may have trouble following a familiar recipe or keeping track of monthly bills. They may have difficulty concentrating and take much longer to do things than they did before. Normal age related change may be having trouble balancing a check book or something equally complex (“Is it Alzheimer’s Disease?,” 2012). People with Alzheimer's often find it hard to complete daily tasks. Sometimes, people may have trouble driving to a familiar location, managing a budget at work or remembering the rules of a favorite game. Typical age related change may be the occasional need to help to use the settings on a microwave or to record a television show (“Is it Alzheimer’s Disease?,” 2012). People with Alzheimer's can lose track of dates, seasons and the passage of time. They may have trouble understanding something if it is not happening immediately. Sometimes they may forget where they are or how they got there. Typical age related change may be forgetting the day of the week but eventually remembering (“Is it Alzheimer’s Disease?”, 2012). For some people, having vision problems is a sign of Alzheimer's. They may have difficulty reading, judging distance and determining color or contrast, which may cause problems with driving. Typical age related change may be vision related problems due to cataracts (“Is it Alzheimer’s Disease?”, 2012). People with Alzheimer's may have trouble following or joining a conversation. They may stop in the middle of a conversation and have no idea

This paper is on dementia, a late-life disorder, as it pertains to the geriatric population. “It is estimated that 24.3 million people around the world have dementia and that, with an estimated 4.6 million new cases every year, we can expect about 43 million people and their families to have to handle the challenge of dementia by 2020.” (McNamera, 2011) I will cover three relevant points concerning this disorder that cause changes in the brain.

Shrinkage in parts of the brain such as the cortex and hippocampus, affects functions such as remembering, planning and even thinking. The remaining tissue contains plaque, abnormal clusters of protein fragments, between surviving nerve cells. This plague can block cell-to-cell signaling at synapses and activate immune system cells that trigger inflammation while devouring disabled cells. The dead and dying nerve cells contains tangles, which are made up of twisted strands of another protein. Tangles destroy a vital cell transport made of proteins, which block nutrients and other essential supplies from reaching cells, which then die. The progression of Alzheimer’s disease follows the spreading of plaque and tangles throughout the brain. The escalation damage areas of the brain that involve speaking and understanding speech and also the sense of where a body is in relation to surrounding objects. In severe cases of Alzheimer’s, where the cortex is intensively damaged, the brain shrinks so dramatically due to widespread cell death that individuals lose the ability to communicate, recognize loved ones, and care for

Almost everyone has experienced the situation where he sees someone familiar, but cannot think of that person’s name, or he has shopped in a mall and cannot remember where the car is parked. Anyone over the age of sixty-five would probably panic, fearing that he has Alzheimer’s disease, since age is a huge risk factor related to memory loss. He may ask himself, “Is something wrong with me, or am I just getting old?” Much of our population is terrified of developing Alzheimer’s disease or of watching a loved one slowly and gradually fade away. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia, which is when the brain loses the ability to function mostly in keeping short-term memories, progressing to lack of cognitive function, and eventually causing death (Atkins, 2008, pp. 3).

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.

There are also cognitive changes during middle adulthood. There is a mixed pattern of positive and negative changes in cognitive abilities. Processing speed starts to decrease during this time period however crystallized thought does not decline until older age (pg. 456). Working memory begins to decline however semantic memory continues to increase as we learning throughout our older years (ph 456). Usually most memory decline is during older age and can be attributed to Alzheimer’s disease of dementia.

As age increases, we can expect some loss of heart, lung, joint, and sexual functioning. Some loss of brain cells and mental efficiency is a normal part of

Aging! We all do it every day, but have you ever thought how it is going to affect the rest of your life or more importantly your career? Aging isn’t something that we get to choose if we participate in, however working is, and aging may affect that choice. Right now, I want you to think about the age of sixty-five. What words pop into your head when you think of someone sixty-five? I’d imagine some of the words you thought of were retired, old, fragile, slow, as well as many others. Those words right there all help to explain the many concerns that one’s employer may have when hiring someone that is of the older population. When we think of the older population in the work force we don’t necessarily think of positive things, instead we think of things. When we think of this population in the workforce we generally think of lower production rates and higher costs. These can create issues among the older population, as employers must consider all the possibilities when hiring someone. We know that more people in the older population are continuing to try to continue their careers, but why? How hard is it for them to continue? What changes have made it easier? How are the younger and middle aged populations perceiving them in the work place? This are only some of the many question surrounding the increase of aged workers.

Advancing age is commonly associated with loss of memory. The inability to maintain both short term and long term memory is serious. Learning new things or remembering familiar words and names can be quite daunting.