Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 17, 1990 TAG: 9006270092
SECTION: SENIOR STYLE PAGE: SS-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By Kim Sunderland
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Aging for everyone is a natural process that begins at conception and follows throughout life. With it, the older adult is confronted by a wide range of physical, social and psychological challenges.
Adapting to these changes may require a range of resources such as inner strengths, family understanding and community supports.
"Normal changes occur," said Shirley S. Travis, a specialist on aging with the extension office at Virginia Tech. "Heart diseases, osteoporosis and memory problems will happen and a good many people will experience these problems."
But, she said, it helps to know what to expect so that you can prepare for it now.
First, gerontology specialists at the University of Michigan believe there are normal psychological challenges in later years that you can prepare for:
Retirement: Leaving a job requires the substitution of new activities for old ones; friendships acquired at work may be lost, and new friendships may need to be developed. Also, marital relationships may undergo development as the husband begins to spend more time at home. Income may decline, too. Preretirement programs can help you prepare for retirement.
Loss of independence: As you age, it may become increasingly difficult to move within the community with the ease of a 20-year-old. Driving may be more difficult because of changes in vision and hearing and because of memory losses. Mobility might be decreased by chronic conditions, and you may tire more easily. Stairs, curbs and getting in and out of cars become barriers. An older person may become more dependent on his immediate environment for friendships and activities.
Memory: Many older persons often say they have difficulty remembering names, appointments, places where they put something, etc. The older you get, the more you have stored in your memory and the longer it takes to sift through the information. Memory aids can help.
Loss and death: The loss of a spouse, friend or family member may require adjustment to new responsibilities. For some, the task is overwhelming. Mental health associations, and other bereavement groups, can help you get through the situation.
These normal psychological challenges are usually met with some common emotional reactions such as grief, guilt, loneliness, depression, anxiety, helplessness and rage.
Being able to express these feelings freely to an understanding person may help you regain a greater sense of worth and dignity.
Secondly, physical changes related to aging, which usually do not cause serious disability, also occur, according to information released by the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service.
The service reports that some of the areas naturally affected by aging are:
Wrinkled skin - Caused by a stiffening of skin fibers and a loss of fat and fluid, which serve as padding beneath the skin. In addition, older skin takes longer to heal when injured and loses some sensitivity to touch and pain.
Digestive system - Problems stem from improper eating habits. The digestive system itself shows fewer changes than most other systems in the body, but some changes are: loss of teeth, less acid in stomach and longer time needed for ingestion and the passage of food through the intestines.
Circulatory system - This includes the heart, veins, arteries and blood. A major change with advanced age is the hardening, thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of the blood vessels known as arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries.
Nervous system - The major change is the slowdown, occasional malfunctioning and even the loss of nerve cells in the brain and in the nerves that send messages back and forth between the brain and other parts of the body. They will take longer to travel, causing slower reflexes and reactions. Senses also show a decline in later years.
Reproductive system - Changes and modifications occur in age. Vaginal dryness and thinning of the vaginal walls are common in women after menopause. Physicians can advise treatment. Sexual desires and capabilities continue into later life and activity can be maintained by people in their 70s and 80s, provided health is adequate.
Endocrine system - This system consists of glands that regulate the body's activity. Two important glands affected by aging are the pancreas and the thymus. If the pancreas stops functioning properly, the blood sugar level rises and a person may develop an adult form of sugar diabetes. The thymus gland is less able to regulate cells as we age, therefore making the immune system less able to fight bacteria and viruses.
Muscular, skeletal and respiratory systems - Changes in the muscular system are decreases in muscle size and strength. Bones thin in the skeletal system, becoming more brittle and breakable. The respiratory system changes in that there's a decrease in the amount of air that the lungs can hold.
Effects of physical change include the decreased ability to fight off disease, changed body reactions to certain diseases, increased chance of accidents and a loss of appetite.
These changes and effects are normal, however, pathological changes in aging - including cancer, Parkinson's disease, cataracts, Alzheimer's and diabetes - are not considered to be everyday occurances. They also require much more attention.
Seniority programs, like those at Montgomery Regional Hospital and Lewis-Gale, and the Viva programs at Roanoke Memorial and Radford Community hospitals, offer seminars, screenings and medical advise as preventative measures for all of these challenges, both physical and mental.
"A mutual care plan is needed," said Debbie Palmer, executive director on the New River Valley Agency on Aging. "Communication between an elderly person and the physician is extremely important. It can help you prepare for the advanced age of 85 and older."
"Being 50 to 70 years old is young these days," she said.
Finally, to meet social challenges, there has to be a change in mind-set towards aging.
It's important to realize just how large the older population is growing in order to fully understand what roads need to be taken in the future.
The aging population of the United States is steadily changing and growing. The proportion of people over 65 is the most rapidly growing segment of the population.
In 1984, 11.9 percent (28 million) of the population was aged 65 years and older. The percentage has tripled since the turn of the century and will continue to do so.
The American Association of Retired Persons estimates that by the year 2030, the elderly population will climb to over 21 percent of the total U.S. population, or about 65 million people.
And the older population is itself getting older.
Life expectancy is increasing dramatically. According to Burris, the "very old" category of persons - or those aged 100 or older - increased from 200 in 1970 to 32,000 in 1980.
According to the Virginia Cooperative Extension Service, the rapid growth in the elderly population is not going unnoticed. The long reaching effects of this trend, on society, individuals and families, has become the central focus of a sometimes heated national debate.
by CNB