Factors which Influence Ageing
By Libbie Allan
Changes in Demography
Life Expectancy
The increase in life expectancy over the years has been a result of the better healthcare and medication there is now than in the past. This has had both a negative and positive effect on the influences of ageing. Positive because people are living longer and are healthier due to the improvements made with healthcare and much improved knowledge of different foods and what is good and what is bad for us, however, negative as due to the ageing population, more elderly people are in need of healthcare and medication for the various health problems and impairments that come with older age. So despite the good side of people living longer, it doesn't necessarily mean that you can be completely guaranteed of a health, problem free extended life.
Life Expectancy of Men and Women
The average life expectancy for men and women are different, with the male average age being around 75 years of age, and around 80 years of age for females. Your gender, although seemingly not important in influencing how you age, actually plays a much greater part than first though. As we already, as we get older our bodies and immune systems decline, causing illness, but according to Japanese scientists, it is this decline in our immune systems and production of anti-bodies that causes the age gap in life expectancy between men and women to be so different. The findings of their in depth study revealed that as men and women age, the male's immune system and production of anti-bodies deteriorates and slows down quicker than that of a females, therefore making men much more susceptible to developing age related illnesses and being out lived by the opposite sex. (bbc.co.uk)
Factors Influencing Health and Well Being
Living Conditions
Living in negative conditions such as homes with damp, can be very damaging to someone's health, impacting how they age by causing problems with their breathing.
Social Isolation
Isolating yourself and withdrawing from social interaction can also influence someone's ageing by causing a negative impact on their mental and social well being from not being around or talking to anyone.
Lifestyle Choices
The lifestyle of an individual can also impact how you age, for example, smoking causes your skin to age and wrinkle overtime much quicker than someone who doesn't, as well as the other impacts it has on your internal organs.
Improving Healthcare
Since the launch of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1948 and the healthcare in the country subsequently becoming free, more people have been able to have access to healthcare which previously would have been much need. This over time would have played a huge part as to why the population are slowly starting to live much longer than previously in history, with the age of average life expectancy still continuing to rise over the recent years. Also, alongside the development of new technologies, the research conducted with regards to health related queries has majorly improved too, allowing for better research to be conducted, resulting in better medication, improved health and longer life expectancy.
Changes in Later Life
Mobility
Mobility can change with ageing due to bones becoming more brittle or stiffening through problems such as arthritis. It can also make an individual more prone to severely injuring themselves through trips and falls as a result of not being to move as easily as they used to. As well as movement, someone's balance can also highly effect an individual's mobility, as a result of various different causes such as medication, age related illness or previous medical problems such as suffering with migraines or vertigo.
Sensory and Cognitive Impairments
Also as you age, you become more prone to sensory problems such as with your hearing and vision, due to your body having aged and not in the same state it was when you were younger. These impairments can make it much harder for someone to understand or hear what is going on properly. As well as that, the brain also starts to shut down with age, causing a variety of cognitive problems, adding to the possible confusion someone in their later stages of life may face. Such cognitive problems can also be a result of age-related diseases such as dementia.
Age-related Diseases
Dementia
As ageing takes place, your body will eventually start to shut down. As part of this, many elderly people can develop Alzheimer's dementia, causing behavioral changes, great confusion and memory loss, causing distress for that individual.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis can also impact ageing as well as mobility, it is a condition which comes with age that causes bones to weaken and become more brittle. This can cause fractures to happen easily, resulting in negative effects on mobility.
Emphysema
Emphysema is a problem that comes as part of lung disease, it causes chronic breathing problems and damage to the lungs which can be a result of prolonged years of smoking. It can cause the elderly to be restricted in their movement and what they do through lack of oxygen flowing into their body. It can also cause them to require a constant supply of oxygen, via tubes from and oxygen tank or machine that always needs to be with them. Other health problems can also come about from having emphysema, such as always coughing and frequently having chest infections.