Aging & Disease

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Everyone experiences changes as they age. Some people experience these changes sooner than others. Our genes, lifestyle, nutrition, stress, exercise, mental outlook, behavioral health, physical environment, and disease all affect how we age.

See the Recipe for Healthy Aging in the Resource Directory on page 277 for more information.

Understanding the Aging Process

There are many common misunderstandings about
the natural aging process. For example, some
people may believe that all older people are:

sick,
lonely and sad,
cognitively declined,
unproductive,
totally dependent on others, and
weak or frail.

None of these are true for everyone. These misunderstandings can cause harm if they prevent a person from getting necessary care and/ or support. This may happen when caregivers overlook treatable conditions and assume they are the unavoidable results of aging.

What other assumptions do people commonly make about older adults?
What are some treatable conditions that people experience as they age?

Watch for situations that need to be checked by a client’s healthcare provider. Encourage a client to
get professional medical advice when they need it. Document and report any concerns you may have about a client to the appropriate person in your care setting.

Common Physical Changes Associated with Aging

While everyone experiences different changes as they age, there are some common changes many people share:

Eyesight: loss of peripheral (side) vision and decreased ability to judge depth. Decreased
clarity of colors (for example, pastels and blues). Need for more light. Glare is harder to tolerate.
Hearing: loss of hearing, especially high-pitched sounds. Decreased ability to distinguish
sounds when there is background noise and words become more difficult to separate.
Smell and taste: decreased ability to smell and taste.
Touch: decreased sensitivity to pain, touch, and extreme temperature.
Kidneys and Bladder: increased frequency in urination. Kidneys and bladder shrink and become less efficient.
Bones: somewhere around age 35, bones lose minerals faster than they are replaced. Height
may decrease, bones may weaken with an increased risk of fracture, and posture may get worse.
Heart: thickens with age. Pumps less efficiently.
Lungs: somewhere around age 20, lung tissue begins to lose its elasticity, and rib cage muscles
begin to shrink. Breathing gets less deep and the ability to cough is decreased.
Muscles: muscle mass declines, especially with a lack of exercise.
Skin: skin is thinner and gets drier and more wrinkled. It heals more slowly.
Nails: grow more slowly and get thicker.
Digestion: some vitamins are absorbed more slowly, and the digestive system slows down. Constipation may be more of a problem.
Nervous system: reflexes get slower, less steady on feet, and falling may become a problem. Individuals may sleep less and less deeply and may wake up more at night.

Common Diseases and Conditions

Most older adults live with one or more chronic health conditions. Among older people who do live
with chronic diseases or conditions, the following are most common.

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Stroke
High cholesterol
Arthritis
Heart disease
Diabetes
Chronic kidney disease
Heart failure
Depression
Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Macular degeneration

These diseases and conditions, as well as other common ailments, may affect the people you
provide care for. Therefore, it is important for you to be familiar with them.

See the Common Diseases and Conditions section on page 356 for more information on these examples.