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What Are Some Physiological Changes Elder People Go Through?

Physiology deals with the function of living organisms and how each component relates to other components within an organism. Because the function of the body depends on its physical components, physiology also looks at the anatomy of an organism. Aging brings on a lot of typical physiological changes, but we do not always go through all of the common changes or go through them at the same rate and severity.

  1. Nervous System

    • As people age, the nervous system loses nerve cells, especially in the brain and spinal chord. Nerve cells that remain may also transmit messages more slowly than before, and the breakdown of nerve cells can cause waste products to build up in the brain. When enough nerve waste product builds in the brain, it forms abnormal structures known as plaques and tangles. These effects on the nervous system cause reduced sensation and slower reflexes.

    Hearing

    • According to Suzanna Smith and Jennifer E. Gove of the University of Florida, 30 percent of people over 60 have a hearing impairment, 33 percent of those 75 to 84 experience hearing loss and over half of people 85 and older have hearing loss. Hearing impairment affects the ability to understand words and sounds; hearing loss is the loss of the audibility of sound. The elderly may have a reduced ability to hear certain pitches of sound, or to distinguish particular noises when there is a lot of background noise. (See Reference 2.)

    Vision

    • Aging causes clouding to occur in the eye lens, as well as degeneration of the eye muscles. The decrease in eye muscle reduces the flexibility of the eye and causes the eyes to take longer to adjust to changes in light. The ability to see color changes as well; warmer colors like red and yellow are easier to see than cooler colors like green and blue.

    Touch

    • The overall decline of the nervous system causes reduced sensitivity to touch. Sweat gland activity and circulation decrease with age, which may cause an increase in sensitivity to cold. Thinning of the skin makes it easier for the skin to break and tear, increasing the risk of injury and infection. Wrinkling and drying of the skin also occur.

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