Principles and theories
Emily Ying Yang Chan in Disaster Public Health and Older People, 2019
The ageing process is a biological reality. The United Nations (UN) defines an older person as someone over 60 years of age, with those over 80 years old termed as “oldest-olds” (WHO, 2015c). Yet, the definition of older persons varies across regions, and is affected by factors like culture and life expectancy. Community norms might contribute to the socially constructed meanings of “old age”. Chronological time appears to be the common definition adopted in developed countries and the retirement age, 60–65, is usually associated with “old age”. Meanwhile, chronological time has limited importance in the meaning of old age in many developing contexts. In contrast to the chronological milestones that mark life stages in the developed world, old age in many developing countries is seen to begin at the point when active contribution is no longer possible (Gorman, 1999). Clinically, physical and sensory decline may define old age. As age classification varies between countries and over time, if the socio-economic definition is also applied, the transition in livelihood may become the basis for the definition of old age, which occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 years for women and between the ages of 55 and 75 years for men (Thane, 1978).
The aging body
Jennifer R. Sasser, Harry R. Moody in Gerontology, 2018
Observers going back to Aristotle have noted that different plants and animals have very different lifespans. The fly does not live as long as a dog, and the dog does not live as long as the tortoise. Aristotle noted that very large animals – such as an elephant – tend to be more long-lived than very small ones, like rodents. Differences across species suggest that aging and longevity are under the control of our genes. Some of the strongest evidence for the genetic control of aging comes from research on the c. elegans roundworm. Biologists discovered that by altering a few important genes, they have been able to increase the lifespan of the worm by up to ten times, while also limiting many of the deficits of aging. Genetic damage is most probably a central cause of biological aging.
Behaviours
Emmanuel Tsekleves, Rachel Cooper in Design for Health, 2017
Research has established that ageing impacts our cognitive skills, emotions and social needs. In turn these changes modify our everyday behaviour making older adults somehow more vulnerable when choosing and adopting technology-based products. However, in a world that is ageing, designers cannot refrain from considering the imperative of designing for the human, regardless of his/her conditions and disabilities. So far the debate on technology for the ageing population has been dominated by the concept of assistive technologies. This in part has skewed the debate and, most of all, has reduced the efforts made by the ICT sector to produce mainstream products that can adapt to the changing needs of people, rather than focusing on the impairments emerging with age. Considering behavioural changes as a consequence of cognitive and physical impairments has damaging consequences on the design rationale and philosophy that is applied to developing products, systems, services and experiences for the older population. If living well with dignity and independently for as long as possible is a societal goal, researchers and practitioners are invested with the role to make transition to older age as acceptable as possible; an evolution rather than a segregation to a group of impaired and frail individuals.
Identification of nursing students’ attitudes toward older people
Published in Contemporary Nurse, 2018
Ayse Berivan Bakan, Senay Karadag Arli, Ela Varol
Ageing, which is a physiological process, is a period when social, psychological, and physical changes happen. This period brings along various social problems such as a decrease in productivity, impairment in social relationships, and changes in roles and status. Besides, with the decrease in the individual’s functional capacity and increase in health problems caused by chronic diseases, ageing is perceived as a situation to be avoided. People may thus develop negative attitudes and prejudices toward older people and ageing. Negative attitudes and prejudices about older people and ageing cause discrimination against the older (Kose et al., 2015; Ozdemir & Bilgili, 2014). Discrimination against the older is defined in the related literature as a concept that includes a different attitude, prejudice, behaviour, and action shown toward someone just because of his age (Vefikuluçay Yılmaz & Terzioğlu, 2011).
Auditory processing disorder in elderly
Published in Hearing, Balance and Communication, 2022
Behnoush Kamali, Bahareh Khavarghazalani, Zahra Hosseini Dastgerdi
Iran is one of the fastest-growing countries in the world in the field of an ageing population. It will be among the oldest countries in 2050, and for this reason, the World Health Organisation considers the increase in the elderly population in our country as a silent tsunami. It seems Iran’s population structure is changing from young to old, therefore, in coming years, detecting and dealing with their problems is vital [1]. Ageing is a biological process, the amount and speed of which are determined by the intrinsic and extrinsic factors and their interactions. One of the major health problems of the elderly is ageing-related hearing loss. Several structural and chemical changes occur from the cochlea to the brain with ageing. These physiological changes alter the temporal and frequency data coding in the peripheral and central auditory systems [2].
Anti-ageing peptides and proteins for topical applications: a review
Published in Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, 2022
Mengyang Liu, Shuo Chen, Zhiwen Zhang, Hongyu Li, Guiju Sun, Naibo Yin, Jingyuan Wen
Ageing is generally characterized by the cumulative damage of body molecules and the piecemeal collapse of body maintenance and repair (Golubev et al. 2018). Intrinsic (chronological ageing) and extrinsic (pollution and photoaging in the environment) contributors are linked with skin ageing. In the period of chronological ageing, the skin displays a decrease in cell proliferation capacity, which leads to cellular senescence and modifies the biosynthetic activity of the skin cells for the production of collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid and overproduction of extracellular matrix degrading enzymes. As a result of intrinsic ageing, the skin may become pale and dry with a loss of elasticity leading to the appearance of fine wrinkles. Occasionally, the skin might also become blemished with a rugged texture. Extrinsic ageing results from environmental factors containing infrared and radiation exposure, ultraviolet (UV) light, and others (Fussell and Kelly 2020). Other factors such as air pollution, smoking, poor or stressful diet may also contribute to ageing. Approximately 80% of facial skin ageing is attributed to sun exposure. Extrinsic ageing leads to the rough skin surface, coarse wrinkling, sallow complexion with mottled pigmentation, and marked loss of skin elasticity (McCabe et al. 2020; Low et al. 2021). Both extrinsic and intrinsic contributors account for the excess deterioration of the dermal extracellular matrix and loss of skin barrier function (Strnadova et al. 2019).
Related Knowledge Centers
- Old Age
- Animal
- Biological Immortality
- Cellular Senescence
- Population Ageing
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Aging-Associated Diseases
- Senescence