Ageing is not a disease but a biological universal phenomenon and is attributed to various factors including disease, environment, genetics, lifestyle, and the natural process itself. Today most people can expect longevity in their 60s and beyond. People worldwide are living longer. WHO states that by 2050, the world’s population of people aged 60 years and older will double (2.1billion) and the number of persons aged 80 years or older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 (to reach 426 million). The impact of ageing is becoming more and more prominent with increased life expectancy, better healthcare, and changing social structures.
Everyone does not age at the same time and at the same rate. Senescence (biological ageing) is typically counted from 60 and beyond, and the number in millions is now exceeding billions. Chronological age (the number of years you have lived) and biological age (your body’s age) can be different. A 90-year-old can seem 20 years younger and a 30-year-old can look much older! Ageing is multidimensional and apart from physical changes, it also has an impact on our emotional, social, and professional identities. There are many theories on when we start to age including some who believe the process starts as soon as we are born. Around the age of 30, our metabolism begins to slow down, and bone mass stops increasing. After a certain age, our brain also loses the plasticity to grasp new things as easily. The physiology of ageing is a vast subject that covers the impact of ageing on a body from head to toe in a dynamic way. From nervous to musculoskeletal, arthritis, obesity, and cognitive decline, ageing affects everything.
Neurons in the brain get destroyed with time and this, in turn, affects cognition and other functions. The changes in the brain structure are considered a normal part of ageing. Studies also show that neurons are highly sensitive to oxygen supply that reaches the brain through various direct and indirect exposures, and disease like arteriosclerosis cuts off the oxygen supply.
Inevitably, ageing is associated with diseases. Genetic and environmental factors like smoking, and living in polluted, chemical-pack cities are also seen as red flags for the neurological changes to be expedited. Changes like lost connections between neurons or certain cells of the brain can cause loss of memory or identification. Much advanced form of this, may lead to dementia when the elderly start forgetting things and loses cognitive skills accompanied by several behavioural changes.
Our special senses like vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch start fading away with neurological decline. With time we need a hearing aid, glasses, lose appetite, find it difficult to have a strong grip, and so on. There are several minor changes also, at times, elders are seen as more drawn to sweets than salt, sour or other flavours. This is due to their tongue reception disdaining salt and exaggerating bitterness. Excessive consumption of sweets and decreased mobility put elders at risk for obesity which, in turn, has an impact on cardiovascular health.
The list of the physiology of ageing doesn’t end here. It is elaborate and goes from organ to organ covering multiple systems like respiratory, musculoskeletal, digestive, and others. What’s crucial is to focus on active ageing given all the prospects of a natural process comprising final retirement. Awareness needs to be raised regarding active ageing and preparing for it need to start much earlier in life. The younger generation has a role to play in valuing, encouraging, and contributing to an elder-friendly society. Active ageing aims to preserve the active role of senior adults with continued opportunities for healthcare, social participation, and security. Countering many physiological and psychological changes in the elderly by promoting, preparing, and planning for future ageing can be seen as the derivative of improved quality of life, overall well-being, and independence enabling them to maintain autonomy.
Active ageing needs to be a global goal, and a sense of urgency needs to be created to implement this across nations so that the combined impact can be lessened and elders can be perceived more and more as assets than liabilities. Disease prevention, encouraging healthy lifestyles, reducing stress, improving social and vocational avenues, and reforming care systems would all contribute to this universal goal
The writer is a dementia specialist as well as CEO & co-founder of Epoch Elder Care.
Ageing is not a disease but a biological universal phenomenon and is attributed to various factors including disease, environment, genetics, lifestyle, and the natural process itself. Today most people can expect longevity in their 60s and beyond. People worldwide are living longer. WHO states that by 2050, the world’s population of people aged 60 years and older will double (2.1billion) and the number of persons aged 80 years or older is expected to triple between 2020 and 2050 (to reach 426 million). The impact of ageing is becoming more and more prominent with increased life expectancy, better healthcare, and changing social structures.
Everyone does not age at the same time and at the same rate. Senescence (biological ageing) is typically counted from 60 and beyond, and the number in millions is now exceeding billions. Chronological age (the number of years you have lived) and biological age (your body’s age) can be different. A 90-year-old can seem 20 years younger and a 30-year-old can look much older! Ageing is multidimensional and apart from physical changes, it also has an impact on our emotional, social, and professional identities. There are many theories on when we start to age including some who believe the process starts as soon as we are born. Around the age of 30, our metabolism begins to slow down, and bone mass stops increasing. After a certain age, our brain also loses the plasticity to grasp new things as easily. The physiology of ageing is a vast subject that covers the impact of ageing on a body from head to toe in a dynamic way. From nervous to musculoskeletal, arthritis, obesity, and cognitive decline, ageing affects everything.
Neurons in the brain get destroyed with time and this, in turn, affects cognition and other functions. The changes in the brain structure are considered a normal part of ageing. Studies also show that neurons are highly sensitive to oxygen supply that reaches the brain through various direct and indirect exposures, and disease like arteriosclerosis cuts off the oxygen supply.
Inevitably, ageing is associated with diseases. Genetic and environmental factors like smoking, and living in polluted, chemical-pack cities are also seen as red flags for the neurological changes to be expedited. Changes like lost connections between neurons or certain cells of the brain can cause loss of memory or identification. Much advanced form of this, may lead to dementia when the elderly start forgetting things and loses cognitive skills accompanied by several behavioural changes.
Our special senses like vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch start fading away with neurological decline. With time we need a hearing aid, glasses, lose appetite, find it difficult to have a strong grip, and so on. There are several minor changes also, at times, elders are seen as more drawn to sweets than salt, sour or other flavours. This is due to their tongue reception disdaining salt and exaggerating bitterness. Excessive consumption of sweets and decreased mobility put elders at risk for obesity which, in turn, has an impact on cardiovascular health.
The list of the physiology of ageing doesn’t end here. It is elaborate and goes from organ to organ covering multiple systems like respiratory, musculoskeletal, digestive, and others. What’s crucial is to focus on active ageing given all the prospects of a natural process comprising final retirement. Awareness needs to be raised regarding active ageing and preparing for it need to start much earlier in life. The younger generation has a role to play in valuing, encouraging, and contributing to an elder-friendly society. Active ageing aims to preserve the active role of senior adults with continued opportunities for healthcare, social participation, and security. Countering many physiological and psychological changes in the elderly by promoting, preparing, and planning for future ageing can be seen as the derivative of improved quality of life, overall well-being, and independence enabling them to maintain autonomy.
Active ageing needs to be a global goal, and a sense of urgency needs to be created to implement this across nations so that the combined impact can be lessened and elders can be perceived more and more as assets than liabilities. Disease prevention, encouraging healthy lifestyles, reducing stress, improving social and vocational avenues, and reforming care systems would all contribute to this universal goal
The writer is a dementia specialist as well as CEO & co-founder of Epoch Elder Care.