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Aging: Basic Concept

Article · January 2019

DOI: 10.34297/AJBSR.2019.01.000503

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Aging: Basic Concept

Hom Nath Chalise*

Population Association of Nepal

*Corresponding author: Hom Nath Chalise, Vice President, Population Association of Nepal, Email:
To Cite This Article: Hom Nath Chalise. Aging: Basic Concept. Am J Biomed Sci & Res. 2019 - 1(1). AJBSR.MS.ID.000503.
Received : December 21, 2018; Published : January 02, 2019

Introduction
no longer sounds as exciting as it did when they were younger. Our
Today, people are living longer than ever before due to advances
skin wrinkles and our hair turn gray or white.
in education, technology, medicine, food distribution, and sanitary
conditions. So, nowadays, it is not unusual to meet people who are The functioning of our internal organs—the heart, lungs, liver,
in their 70s, 80s, 90s, and some who are close to 100 years old. and kidneys—also declines with age. These functions generally
However, “adding the years to life,” does not mean that we are also peak at about age 30 and then begin a gradual decline. The decline
able to “add more life to the extra years.” In other words, living in the functioning of internal organs means that older people are
longer does not always mean we will also have better or a good more likely to experience adverse effects from drugs, changes in the
quality of life in later years. Some older adults in late life are healthy environment, toxins, and illness.
and independent and are still very involved in their family and
All vital organs begin to lose some function as you age during
community lives. Then again, it is not unusual to see older persons
adulthood. Aging changes occur in all of the body’s cells, tissues,
who can get very ill and are not able to get themselves out of bed.
and organs and these changes affect the functioning of all body
Aging is a lifelong process of growing up and growing old. It systems. Living tissue is made up of cells. There are many different
begins at conception and ends with death. So, in this sense, we types of cells, but all have the same basic structure. Tissues are
are all aging from the time of birth. In our younger years, aging layers of similar cells that perform a specific function.
is called by other names. For example, in our infant years, we call
Cells are the basic building blocks of tissues. All cells experience
aging “growth and development.” In our teenage and young adult
changes with aging. They become larger and are less able to divide
years, we refer to aging as “maturation.” After age 30, our physical
and multiply. Among other changes, there is an increase in pigments
body begins to wear out and our functioning declines. This is called
and fatty substances inside the cell (lipids). Many cells lose their
“senescence.”
ability to function, or they begin to function abnormally.
Aging includes three parts:
Despite this decline, most functions remain adequate
A. Growth and development: In our infant years throughout life, because most organs have considerably more
functional capacity (functional reserve) than the body needs. For
B. Maturation: In our teenage and young adult years and
example, even if half the liver is destroyed, more than enough liver
C. Senescence: After age 30. So, aging should be explained tissue remains to maintain normal function.
based on these three parts.
It’s important to remember that disease, rather than normal
The human body changes in many noticeable ways with age, and aging, usually accounts for loss of function in old age. Therefore,
aging is often accompanied by decline in bodily functions. However, it is important to be able to distinguish between normal aging and
a decline in function is different from loss of function that results disease, so that diseases can be diagnosed and treated in their early
from disease. Perhaps the first sign of aging occurs when the eye stages.
cannot focus easily on close objects. Often by age 40, many people
Different Types of Aging
find it difficult to read without using glasses. Hearing also changes
with age. People tend to lose some ability to hear the highest Aging can be viewed in different way. We need broader eyes,
pitched tones. Therefore, older people may find that violin music views to understand the aging related issues. In this context aging

This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License AJBSR.MS.ID.000503.
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is classified as biological aging, psychological aging, social aging, b) Middle Old: Year (75 to 84)
chronological aging and functional aging.
c) Old-Old: Years (85+)
Chronological Aging
d) Centenarians (100+)
Chronological Aging is the number of years a person has lived so
far. An 85-year-old lady is chronologically older than a man who is Changes that Occur with Aging
75 years old. However, chronological age may not match a person’s As people age, they experience biological, psychological,
biological, psychological, or social age. For example, the 85-year- and social changes. These changes are normal, but there are a
old woman may be an active volunteer, while the 75-year-old man lot of things that can be done to help older adults adjust to and
could be homebound. Sometimes we say, “he looks younger than compensate for these changes.
his age,” or “she does not act her age.” In these cases, the biological,
Biological Changes
psychological, and social age do not match the chronological age.
External Changes: External changes are some of the most
Biological Aging obvious changes with aging. These include changes to one’s hair,
Biological Aging involves the loss of cells over time. With nails, and skin.
biological aging, tissues and organs are less likely to function
a. Changes to the Hair
efficiently, the body’s ability to repair itself slows down, and
the immune functions decline, making the body more prone to As people age, their hair loses its pigment and turns gray or
infection. Biological aging is sometimes referred to as Physical white. As people get older, their hair thins. Many men become bald
Aging. A person who keeps fit and gets regular check-ups can or have a “receding hairline,” but even women notice that their hair
appear biologically younger than someone who is the same age but becomes less thick. Because the hair disappears or thins, older
does not keep fit. people are more likely to get sunburned on their heads.

Psychological Aging b. Changes to the Nails

Psychological Aging involves changes in memory, learning, Nails thicken and become rigid and more brittle.
intelligence, personality, and coping. An older person who is
c. Changes to the Skin
mentally active and is able to deal with new situations can be said
As people get older, skin loses elasticity. It becomes thin and
to be psychologically young.
fragile. The blood flow and oil production in the skin decrease,
Social Aging and the skin tends to become dry and wrinkled. “Liver spots”
Social Aging refers to changes in roles and relationships as we often appear on the hands and face. The skin may look pale and
age. For example, it is not unusual for older people to gain new translucent. Sweat glands decrease, and there is an increased risk
roles, like becoming grandparents. Or they may change roles, from for heat stroke. Wounds take a longer time to heal in older persons.
an employee to a retiree. With role changes in later years, society When these changes happen, older adults are at risk of getting
may expect people to behave in certain ways. So, for some people, decubitus ulcers (sores that are hard to heal).
it may not be proper for “grandma” to go roller skating or bungee
Sensory Changes
jumping because “these are things that young people do.” The social
Sensory changes include changes to taste, smell, sight, and
age of a person in a given context can be very important because it
hearing.
shapes the meaning of aging for the person, and this can make aging
a positive or negative experience. Changes to Taste and Smell

Functional aging The senses of taste and smell decline in later years. The danger
is that the loss of taste and smell can make it difficult to tell if food
It is related to how people compare psychologically to others
is spoiled or if there is a gas leak in the kitchen stove.
to similar age.
The decline in senses of taste and smell can also have serious
Category of older persons
nutritional outcomes. Tasteless, bland foods can make eating less
With increasing life expectancy and number people increasing enjoyable.
day by day in the 60+ category, age 60 years and above is also
Changes in Vision
further classified for the demographic data collection and for
other purposes also. In the western and developed countries As a person gets older, the lens in the eye becomes yellow and
chronologically 65 years is considered as beginning of aging and thickens. This means that the older eye needs more light than a
accordingly the aging can be classified as: younger eye. The lens of the eye can grow unevenly. This may cause
glare problems. A small amount of glare may cause great difficulties
a) Young old: Year (65 to 74)

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for an older adult, and it may cause anxiety or affect their ability to Changes to the Musculoskeletal System
concentrate. We reach our maximum height at age 25. After that, height
Changes in the lens also make color perception more difficult. declines an average of 3 inches over the life span, due to loss of
It may be hard for older adults to clearly see pastel colors like pale bone. With age, the width of the shoulders declines. There is bone
blue, light green, pale yellow, and pale pink. It becomes hard to tell loss, weakened muscles, and loss of elasticity in ligaments. Cartilage
the difference between dark brown, dark blue, and black. Red is the between joints wears thin, and lubricating fluid decreases, causing
easiest color to see in old age. The older eye does not adjust quickly stiffness in the joints. Joint stiffness limits physical activity and
to changes in levels of light. Sudden changes in lighting may be mobility. This affects gait and posture. With declines in physical
dangerous and may cause accidents and falls. Conditions of the eye activity, strength and stamina will also be affected.
can cause vision loss. More than half of severe visual impairment Changes to the Gastrointestinal System
occurs in people 65 and older. However, this does not always make
With age, there is a decrease in the contraction of muscles in the
older people totally blind. Many people can still function with
esophagus, so it takes more time for food to get to the stomach. This
moderate vision loss.
explains why many older adults have the sensation of being full
Changes in Hearing before finishing a full meal. This can result in inadequate nutrient
There is a decline in the hearing ability of older persons. intake.
Hearing loss is worse at high frequencies. So, high pitched sounds Changes to the Urinary Tract
may be more difficult to hear than low-pitched sounds. Changes in
With age, kidneys decrease in size and volume, this affects
hearing may mean that
renal function. This makes the need to urinate more frequent. The
a. Some sounds will be heard and others may not, bladder may not empty completely after voiding. This can lead to
urinary tract infections. Weak muscles of the bladder can lead to
b. Some sounds may be distorted or heard incorrectly,
incontinence (the inability to control bladder functions).
c. Things are heard incorrectly and misinterpreted.
Psychological Changes
Many people don’t want to admit that they can’t hear and might In normal aging, people become slower at “recalling” facts.
“cover up” by just smiling or nodding at whatever you say. It takes them a longer time to “react” to things. However, if given
Organ System Changes: These include changes to the enough time, they may be very functional. Learning can be a
heart and cardiovascular system, the lungs and respiratory system, challenge if elders have problems with their hearing or eyesight.
the gastrointestinal system, the urinary tract system, and the Learning and memory can be impaired if the environment is
musculoskeletal system. noisy, uncomfortable, or unpleasant. Learning and memory can be
impaired due to illness, overmedication, depression, and stress.
Changes to the Heart and Cardiovascular System
Social Changes
With age, the heart pumps with less force, and there is a
decrease in cardiac output. More time is required for the heart to Elders experience many losses. Their children grow up and
return to normal after exertion. leave home, they retire from work, they experience physical
declines, and their older friends start to die. Most elders live on
Changes to the Lungs and Respiratory System fixed incomes. When elders can’t live on their own, they have to live
Deep breathing may become difficult because the skeletal with others, for example with family or friends or in nursing homes.
muscles become more rigid. The cough mechanism becomes less When elders are lonely and frail, they can become victims of fraud
effective due to anatomic and muscle changes. Breathing moves and abuse.
to the upper part of the chest. The lungs become less elastic and
decrease in size.

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