As individuals progress through life, the aging process brings about a myriad of changes, both physical and psychological. Understanding how a person changes as they grow old is essential for fostering empathy, providing appropriate care, and navigating the challenges associated with aging. In this article, we’ll delve into the various aspects of this transformation, highlighting key points in a concise and informative format.
How Does a Person Change When He Grows Old? Aging is a share of physical, emotional, and psychological changes. The body may be slowing down, but the wisdom and life experiences deepen. Many people turn more reflective and come to value relationships and inner peace above any material pursuits.
| Aspect of Change | Details | |
|---|---|---|
 | Physical Changes | Lowered strength, slower metabolism, wrinkling, and graying of hair. |
 | Cognitive Changes | Slowed processing; wisdom and experience are often advanced. |
 | Emotional Changes | More stable emotions with the focus on meaningful relationships. |
| Social Changes | Smaller social circles, more time for family, possible isolation. | |
 | Lifestyle Changes | Healthier habits, more care for one's health, and leisure activities. |
| Outlook on Life | More appreciation towards life, legacy, and acceptance of mortality. |
1. Physical Changes
During the young adult age there is muscle mass on our bodies. As time advances, specially in the 60s, the muscle mass on our body stars declining. There are age related muscle loss, strength and function. This is sarcopenia. It is because of decreased physical activity, hormonal changes, nutritional factors and chronic illnesses. Also aged people who are suffering from arthritis, heart disease or diabetes are more prone to not healing of body tissues.
Reduced stamina is a result of the heart and blood vessels may become less efficient. the endurance of a person decreases because of this and hence the person may get tired quickly during physical activities. Also the movement of muscles may become less flexible and with age daily activities may decrease. For example in the young age we may be able to carry heavy things or belongings. As the age increases it becomes difficult to carry or lift heavy things. It can also result in injuries too. The bones are more prone to fractures at old age.
2. Vision and Hearing
Cataract (Motibindu) affects many elderly people, especially older women. People with higher ages have depleted eyesight and are not able to see properly when they remove their spectacles. Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight, family history, smoking, or eye trauma causes cataracts in elderly people.
The hearing ability of age old people also declines. This is because the ear wax in their ears has not been cleaned for so many years. Also if the earwax is cleaned completely from the ears of age old people it could result in damage and infections.
When the eardrum in ears is infected or damaged the person is unable to hear and becomes deaf. The ears of aged old people are sensitive to high frequency sounds such as bird chirping, voices of women and children. It is also difficult for them to understand speech. Also intake of antibiotics or diabetes related medicines can cause hearing loss.
High blood sugar levels can cause nerves and blood vessels in the inner ear to be damaged. If a person is exposed to a lot of noise in adulting stages of his life, his hearing sense will become less proactive in aged life. This can also be due to recreational activities in which adults involve. i.e. using power tools or using high volume headphones or attending concerts.
3. Memory
Age old people may experience a problem to process higher speed information or higher paced conversations. Older people are unable to recollect or remember older information. They are also not good at multitasking. Many a times if you talk to older people, they are unable to recall recent events or conversations.
Alzheimer’s disease is an example of a disease in old age people making it difficult to remember recent events or new information. A reduced blood flow to the brain can lead to a disease known as vascular dementia. The blood flow to the brain could be reduced because of stroke or small vessel disease. Vascular dementia can lead to memory loss, difficulties with planning and organization and changes in mood and behavior.
As memory is affected in old age decision-making abilities are also affected. As memory is affected in old age decision-making abilities are also affected. For example, old age affects the financial decisions one has to make.
As a person grows he wants safety and security. So he is forced to invest in less risky decisions. The lesser the risk there the less possibility of financial gains. Old people focus more on preservation of wealth to secure themselves.
For example, You are investing in which you have planned but, it doesn’t come out to be coming up like how you want, so age old individuals are concerned about the lifestyle compromises, to stay secured for the loss. In retirement, people focus more on financial security and avoid risky investments. Age old people find it difficult to learn new information. For example, they stick to their old beliefs while making financial decisions.
This is called confirmation biasing. Confirmation biasing is applicable in age old people in regard to political views. Age old people have varying capacities of learning among individuals.
4. Mood Swings
Old people do not prefer to live alone. They need their siblings to take care of them. While the siblings are young adults making important decisions about their lives and their future, old people will show fluctuations in emotional well being. Also any kind of injury which could happen to them results in their less resilience to it. Any death of a loved one can lower their emotional well being. It becomes difficult and less worthy for them to cope with mechanisms for emotional changes.
The mental strength of people above 75 is lowered for fighting against diseases or injuries. Small children attract them and make them more happy.
5. Social Interactions
A person who has worked for his entire life for his children and family, who has socialized with so many people in his life, after his retirement give importance to these social connections and family. These become important at family functions or hospitals where you are treated or any bank in which he wants to take important financial decisions or his houses which he has rented or is currently living. He doesn’t have the mental capacity to wait for long hours in queues at any public or private places. Learn to help such people at these places. Old people are more loving towards kids and small children i.e. their grand children.
6. Lifestyle and Habits
It is important to stay active in the old age. Performing daily activities and developing a social routine without fail is important rather than just lying around comfortably. Every elderly person should move out of his house to nearby gardens or terrace gardens, in the early morning sunlight and experience the goodness of the nature, plants and also engage in spiritual activities. This will make their living more peaceful and happy. People who live long are the ones who eat mindfully and conduct good habits in their daily routine.
Taking advices from financial advisors, taking medical insurance in early age during their working age will help them combat financial expenses. Diabetic age old people or heart related diseased people should involve in laughter therapy with other similarly affected group of people. This will make their blood pressure come down. All medicinal habits with adequate quantity of food and daily exercises. Ayurvedic medicines reduced the dis comfort of side effects. So their conservation should be part of the routine. Older people sleep for less hours. But adequate quantity of sleep with proper waking up times will help them to be wiser, healthy and prosperous. It is important to detach from computer phones or television during the night times to get quality and healthy sleep.
7. Adapting to Change
The most important thing in life is that growing age old is part of life and transferring the responsibilities of the house and family to young adults has a process. Acceptance of limitations of your body and not to worry about worldly needs and activities is important. Being strong mentally and emotionally will make their lives more peaceful.
As the world changes people change. So adapting to the changes through a process, slowly and gradually will make things comfortable for them. We all need money to live a comfortably and happily. Day to day professions becoming to be complex which need to be addressed with truth and punctuality without thinking much about the future. Any financial or individuals loss should not become disheartening and emotional as far as old people are concerned. Older women need to taken care responsibly when needed.
One should never detach from old friends and family members and always develop a kind hearted support system as far as aging people are concerned. It is true that there are good days and there are bad days in any family. Elderly people’ s advice and experience should be welcomed, mutual issues should be sought and old people should always develop a positive mind towards a change.
Visiting friends and family during festivals and occasions with your old parents makes them feel positive and strong. There should be a sense of mutual respect between children and their older parents even during tough days. Acceptance and appreciation of the good deeds, qualities of age old individuals is important. They bring about love care and happiness in the society.
8. People living in Old Age homes
As a person ages, he gets away from his family and younger generations. Especially after the age of 70, retired men and women need to rest and need to rest and need to participate in leisure activities. Sadly, with the growing complexity of the professional lives, of the working youth, many are forced to leave their homes for jobs and professional work. Many times old parents are left alone in cities and don’t have their children to take care of them.
With the growing technology and urbanization, inflation, working professionals need to spend more of their lives working more than 8 hours a day, putting themselves away from family and parents.
Less fortunate ones are driven from their Homes, Families, and children and left alone to live in old age homes, the old people are provided with necessities in old age homes. But these less fortunate ones never live a happy and satisfied life. When you visit these old age homes and talk to oldies, they tell their stories and even have tears in their eyes of not belonging to their family anymore. Such old people even lose their will for living as they spend their lives in old age homes.
Such an unfortunate thing should not happen, Children and families need to understand and plan their living according to the values of togetherness of family and parental experience. Grandparents leave their grandchildren, They need to be respected and taken care of by their adult children, just not because they are old, but because, they have experienced their lives for more finite years than them.
Health Insurance investments and planning need to be done from the early years of working professions, so that old people can thrive happily with their young children and families.
9. Conclusion
As individuals age, the transformation encompasses a multitude of facets, from physical well-being to emotional resilience. Acknowledging and understanding these changes is crucial for fostering a society that values and supports the elderly. By addressing the challenges and embracing the opportunities associated with aging, we can ensure a more compassionate and inclusive approach towards individuals as they navigate the journey of growing old.
What are the heart diseases related to old age?
FAQs
A. What are the common physical changes in old age?
- 1.Decline in muscle mass and strength.
- 2.Changes in joint health.
- 3.Deterioration in vision and hearing.
B. How does aging affect cognitive abilities?
- 1.Impact on memory, processing speed, and learning capacity.
- 2.Possibility of developing age-related memory disorders.
C. What are some strategies for promoting mental well-being in old age?
- 1.Coping with mood swings and emotional changes.
- 2.Building and maintaining social connections.
D. Why is physical activity important for seniors?
- 1.Maintaining overall health and well-being.
- 2.Suitable exercise routines for the elderly.
E. How can family and friends support the elderly in adapting to change?
- 1.Providing emotional and practical support.
- 2.Recognizing the importance of professional assistance when needed.
