Aging: What Changes and How to Be at Your Best. Part 1

By Janet Ceraldi, OTR, CEAC

As we get older, the aging process is a complex process that affects the organ systems of the human body in various ways. Everyone will be affected differently, and over the next blogs, we will look at some of the changes and offer a few ideas to counter them. It is believed that aging is the result of the interaction of many influences over the course of one’s life such as heredity, culture, environment, diet, exercise, and past illnesses. 

There are different theories that injuries, ultraviolet light, wear and tear on the body are additional factors in aging. Rest assured, there is no single explanation for the various changes people face as they age. 

The point at which the various systems of the body begin the aging process is different. Some begin at 30 while others occur later in life. 

The ongoing aging process can be defined in different ways: 

• Chronological Age: is a person’s age in years. It is useful to predict medical problems and legal/financial areas
• Biological Age: based on the body changes that occur when a person ages. Some people are affected by changes earlier than others. Some people are old at 40 while others at 60.
• Psychological Age: how old people feel and act. An 80 year old who has a very active lifestyle of exercising and planning trips may be considered young.    

Let’s take a look at some of the specific body systems. It’s important to recognize the difference between normal functional decline with aging and decline that is part of a disease/disorder process. 

Eyes: As we age, typically around age 40, most people develop presbyopia. This is a normal decline caused by a thickening/ stiffening of the lens of the eye which makes it difficult to focus on close objects. As a result, you may need to use reading glasses. 

Cells: Cells function declines as they age, and eventually they die in order to make room for other cells. Genetics play a part in programming cells. Cells divide a limited number of times. When a cell can no longer divide, it grows larger till it dies. All of this is part of normal aging. The skin has 2 types of cells: epidermal and dermal. Both types of cells lessen with age. As a result, we see our skin get thinner, increasing our likelihood to bruise. 

Organs: Aging cells can cause the organs to not function as well as they did when we were young. Cells are dying and not being replaced so the number of cells decreases. For example, cells of the liver, kidneys, ovaries, and testes decrease as the body ages. When the number of cells becomes too low in an organ, it cannot function normally. The brain; however, is an organ that does not lose a large number of cells in a healthy adult. Most body functions peak at 30 and begin a gradual decline; however, most body functions remain sufficient because most organs begin with more functional capacity than the body needs. Diseases or disorders account for most of the loss of organ function in old age. When one organ declines, it can cause a decline in function of another organ. An example, atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) narrows the blood vessels to the liver, the liver will function less well because of the decreased blood flow.

Decline in function: older people are less likely to handle stresses, such as 

• Physical activity
• Extreme temperature changes in the environment
• Disorders/diseases
• Side effects from drugs  

This is just a small part of how aging can affect the different body systems. We can begin to think about steps we can take to compensate for the normal aspects of aging. Developing a healthy lifestyle of eating nutritious food, starting a consistent exercise program, going to the dentist regularly and doing activities that keep our mind busy are a few suggestions. Research your local community for social activities that will keep you engaged and your mind young. In future blogs, we will continue to look at how the aging process causes changes in the bones, joints, muscle, and skin and strategies to minimize their effects.

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References: Jim Belson, MA, PhD – an educator, film/video producer and writer