The Aging Body

Aging process is of gradual and spontaneous change, resulting in maturation through childhood, puberty, and young adulthood and then decline of many bodily functions through middle and late age. Human aging is a continuous process that begins at birth and  continues throughout all stages of life. It involves both the positive component of development and the negative component of decline. There is no specific age at which a person becomes “elderly.” Traditionally, age 65 has been so designated because it is the age at which people in industrialized societies generally leave the work force, though this is changing.

www.rudramani.com

Aging can be classified into three categories: senescence, normal aging, and successful aging. Senescence describes the many changes that occur with age as a result of biologic, psychological, and environmental factors as well as lifestyle choices.It is often difficult to separate the aspects that are purely biological, and thus to be expected and difficult to avoid, from those that are non biological, and thus preventable. Normal aging refers to the common complex, of diseases and impairments that affect many older people. It encompasses a wide spectrum, because people age very differently, including how they develop diseases and impairments. Successful (healthy) aging with grace refers to a process by which aging is not accompanied by debilitating disease and disability.

People who are aging with grace may maintain an active healthy life until death and are said to have died of old age. In addition, people who age successfully do not experience many of the unwanted features of aging. For example, they may avoid extensive tooth loss, which used to be (and still is in some societies) common among older people. There is evidence that a greater percentage of people in United Slates are aging successfully. For example, the percentage of older people residing in nursing homes has decreased, although the percentage of people over age 65 and, of those people, the proportion over age 85 have both increased. Furthermore, the percentage of people aged 75 to 84 who report disabilities has decreased, as has the percentage of people over age 65 with debilitating disease. Although there may be alternative explanations for these changes in health status, one viable explanation is an increase in the proportion of people who are aging with grace.

www.rudramani.com